adelante4

Hello everyone.

I've been reading this forum for a bit in a desperate attempt to find out if my dream of moving to Philly for work can come true. It's quite depressing seeing some of the replies to other threads I have to say.

So about me...i'm 26 and I work in the online marketing sector. Currently I am freelancing for some good sized companies in the UK, but want to get over to the US as i'm not happy in the UK. Even though I am British, I grew up in Brussels and know all about living the expat life...so the taste for adventure has always been with me.

Why Philadelphia? It looks like an amazing city, I have some friends who live nearby and it's sports crazy, which suits me down to the ground.

I have seen that there are various different visa options, but I just want to know what the chances would be of actually getting there on a work based one. I have a good degree, my CV (resume) is excellent, and there are plenty of jobs in Philly that I could easily walk into based on my 4+ years of hands on experience in the sector. It's just whether they would be prepared to invest the $5000+ or not... Without sounding arrogant, I think i'd stand in pretty good stead against most job seekers in this field in the city.

With this in mind, does anyone know how seriously companies in the US would be if i made job applications while here in the UK? I am more than prepared to go over for interviews and alike. I understand recruiters are a bit different, but I want to start sending speculative applications directly to marketing/advertising agencies right away.

Any advice that you guys could provide would be amazing. Even if it's negative i'm still going to keep moving forward with this because I HAVE to do something different with my life!

Cheers.

Awesome Welles

Are you sure about that?

fatbrit

Setr up your own office in the UK and expand it till it profitably employs a handful of people and could sustain itself without your daily presence. Then open a branch office in the US and transfer yourself over to it.

scrubbedexpat099

I go with fatbrit.

adelante4

Thanks for your replies.

Yes. There's no lack of jobs going in my sector or at my level in Philadelphia, and no question that I have the ability or skillset to do most of them very well. It's just the whole visa thing that's a potential spanner in the works. But I hope my resume justifies a company 'paying' for me to go over there.

Interesting. Something to think about definitely!

Chrisdc

One thought - if you are not happy in the UK, then you will probably not be happy in the US. Moving for the adventure of living in another country is a great idea. Moving because to escape unhappiness with your current situation can often lead to disappointment... Just sayin'.

On your question about applying from the UK: My experience is that no company will hire someone that isn't already living locally, excepting exceptional circumstances. Too much of a risk.

I would recommend spending some time here networking and hanging out with potential employers.

Fatbrit's suggestion is excellent and gives you a lot of flexibility. Especially if it turns out you don't like Philly.

oxonlad

Just because jobs are posted for a particular sector, it does not mean you're guaranteed to land a job in that area. There is a lot of competition for every job here.

I admire your arrogance, but you might be in for a slap-down.

adelante4

My apologies if I sounded arrogant- that was not my intention. What a great impression to give in my first post

When I said 'easily walk into' I meant that I am more than capable of fulfilling the job requrements posted in most of the adverts i've seen online. I am not trying to suggest that competition isn't tough, rather that I genuinely feel I have the skills to impress an employer in the US.

My area of expertise is Search Engine Optimisation...and there are loads of Philadelphia based online marketing agencies/companies that i'm eager to contact. Guess i'll just have to pray that one of them sees someting in me.

While fatbrit's suggestion was a good one (and I appreciate it), I just don't feel I am able to run my own business here in the UK to the degree that expansion to the US is feasible.

Thanks again

oxonlad

As someone who works in the internet sector, I can honestly say that SEO jobs have over-saturated the tech-market as of late. There are also tons of pseudo-professionals here that 'claim' to be experts, but really just know how to use Google, and think that spending time on Facebook qualifies them :-)

If you have a bang-up portfolio, and proven results - it might help you. Also, being a UK-national, you might have that 'exotic' factor that a start-up wants.

SultanOfSwing

Wee bit of perspective with respect to the availability of jobs you are qualified for and you may well be more than adequately qualified for many of them but here's the reality:

I've been working in this job for six years - I have plenty of experience in accounting/bookkeeping, I am now a US citizen. I have applied for, and been turned down for well over 15 separate jobs out of many in the space of the last two months due to the sheer number of applicants (the cynic in me also tells me it is due to the possession of a pair of bollocks as well but I won't get into that). I'm perfectly able to do the work, my record in collections is impeccable, I'm self-taught and many many other great things but the competition is so great now that you'll have that one person with ten years' experience, or something else.

Add to that the cost of repatriating someone and you can see how difficult it might be. I wish you well, I do - but you should be armed with the information we are presenting. Moving to the US is not easy, though not impossible.

Oh, I'd not say you came across as arrogant in your opening post. Just confident. That's OK, but you do also need to be realistic about your expectations.

adelante4

Thank you moadikum and SultanOfSwing

SultanOfSwing

No problem.

You might also consider Canada as a stopping off point en route to the USA ...

scrubbedexpat099

I seem to be getting a lot of robo calla about SEO. And e mails etc.

Yet when it put search for my business the top 6 hits are me. And the next 6 relate to me.

And when I ask how I can be further optomised I just get an errrrr

rpjs

If you have a good idea which firms in Philly might be interested in you, I'd suggest researching to see if they have an office in the UK, and if they do, try and get a job there. Then after at least a year, in which time you've absolutely wowed them with your talents and general indispensability, start looking into a transfer to the Philly office.

And if none of the Philly firms have a UK office, there are plenty of internet advertising/marketing firms with presences in both the UK and NYC (I work for one now and have worked for another), and NYC is close enough to to Philly that you could conceivably work in NYC and go to Philly for fun. (OK, that would mean living in or near Trenton, which personally I wouldn't wish on anyone, but it's something to consider.)

Rete

It's not just about the justification of an employer paying out for your H-1B but rather if your skill is one that falls within any of the categories for which an H-1B is available.

Look at the USCIS site and see if you are skilled for anyone category.