Noorah101

Personally, I don't think the question "why do you want to move to the USA" is rude, as long as it's posed politely. Many times, the answer to that question will be "because that's where my girlfriend/boyfriend/fiance/love interest" lives. If that's the case, we can help that person find different routes to the USA, or discourage certain routes, knowing there's a USC love interest involved. So I actually think it's a valid question.

Rene

Pulaski

I suppose you can ask whatever questions you want, Lord knows I just love to ask questions myself! But I try to confine myself to asking questions that will generate useful answers and move the discussion forward, whereas a small number of questions some people ask seem to be designed or destined only to prove that the questioner is a sanctimonious prick.

Pulaski

I agree entirely, and sometimes I guess the problem is just the reputation that the questioner has already developed, because that you know (just as well as I do) that the next comment is going to include the "SSDB" phrase!

Jerseygirl

Hey guys please take this argument to PM rather than it spilling into threads. Thanks.

Rose tea

Erm, just to get this thread back on trick a bit...

Christopher, I went to the US for my MA. I didn't pay a penny for it because my university funded me in exchange for teaching for them. You don't want to do a postgrad degree unfunded. £30K is also a very conservative guess, and I went to what's regarded as a cheap university.

I now have a green card via marriage and I'm on the road to citizenship so anything's possible.

ChristopherNY

Rose tea, that is quite a bargain! Would you be aware of as to how possible that funding is? Or is that simply too vague a question? At this moment in time doing my MA in the US looks to be my best option, so if I could indeed obtain funding for this then both mine and my family's life would be made significantly easier. Thank you very much for your comment; I might have to practice my flirting skills before going over!

Christopher

retzie

Right, so I'm a PhD mathematician, currently here teaching at a university on an H-1B.

Yeah, that's a bit of a triumph of marketing, to be honest. Getting a degree in pure maths is not as useful as you seem to think. Having advanced maths capability IN ADDITION to other things, however, can be very handy. A lot of people get by on the bare minimum of maths, so, for example, an engineer who has additional maths background can stand out from the pack.

If, for some reason, you want a pile of cash, be an actuary. If you are any good at writing as well, be a tax lawyer.

By the way, in the professional sphere, a stats degree will get you MUCH further than a maths degree. It is impossible for us to find decent stats academics to hire, as they're all lured away by giant salaries in industry. Also, in contrast to maths, a Masters in stats is quite an asset (maths doesn't have much use for a Masters, tbh).

I don't know what school you're at, or what positions you're trying to fill, but the academic job market is absolutely miserable for mathematicians. My first job in the US was a postdoc in the middle of nowhere and I got it out of 600 applicants! Many people I know are stuck hopping from one single year contract to the next, and we're talking good people! A Princeton PhD grad comes to mind. This lack of security is is extra not-fun when each job needs a new visa.

Consider yourself warned:

Pulaski

There's no need, so long as you sound British.

ChristopherNY

Thank you for your advice retzie, looks like I'll have to choose my degree carefully... Interestingly, my teacher has also suggested being an actuary so that is something I will definitely look into!

Pulaski, in that case I can hear wedding bells already

Christopher

sir_eccles

Whatever you choose to study, do it because you like it not primarily because it might be a potentially in demand career in a different country. What is in demand now may not be in four years time.

ChristopherNY

sir_eccles, thank you for your advice, I must say as obvious as that sounds, it is probably the most important consideration for me, choosing a degree and profession that I'll enjoy, as I'm very likely to be doing it for a large part of my life. In which case, I think pure Maths and teaching is still my preference. Thank you once again for your comment

I'm wondering if someone here might be able to tell me if the following scenario is indeed a possibility in terms of teaching in the States? If I was to obtain my degree in pure Maths here in the UK, then undertake a PGCE and complete my NQT year (as well as another year or two teaching for the experience), and then do my Masters in the US and marry a US Citizen during my two years over there, hence granting me my Green Card, would I then be able to apply for teaching jobs in whatever state I'm situated in once I have been certified? I am obviously aware that the requirements for teaching certification varies from State to State but obviously this is just a general enquiry for now. Furthermore, I appreciate this is a somewhat hypothetical scenario and I'm completely putting all my eggs in the marriage basket... But would someone be able to tell me if my understanding of this is correct?

Thank you once more,
Christopher

LinkTen

Yes, that would work. Someone who recently posted on the forum is working as a teacher on their OPT after their masters. 2 year masters + 29 months OPT means you'll be in the US for over 4 years. Enough time to find that someone special?

ChristopherNY

Wow I must admit I was not aware of this OPT period, so that is a fantastic surprise as 4 and a half years seems like a very good amount of time to meet the love of my life . Thank you for confirming my thoughts LinkTen, I'm truly grateful!

Christopher