Employment in New York City

[SydneyChris]

Hi,

I'm Chris, first time posting on this forum but I have been using it as a technical resource for years. Thank you avid respondents!

I have 7+ years post-grad experience with a structural engineering firm in Australia and 4 years engineering traineeship while studying at university. I graduated with honours in a bachelor of civil engineering degree. I am 30 years old and for 4 years was manager of an engineering office which grew from 4 staff to 10 over that time.

I have wanted to work and live in the United States for years, but the time has never been right for a number of reasons, most of all the GFC/GEC.

I have an opportunity to start a professional business leaders course which will finish in November 2012 and I need to decide in the next two weeks whether there is a real chance that I would be able to get employment in Manhattan.

Besides approaching recruitment agencies, I don't have any other contacts in New York, and would greatly appreciate any advice you can offer with regards to current and near future employment market.

Are you increasing staff numbers, steady or declining? Many new projects on the horizon?

Has there been any rumblings about Obama's recent comments regarding immigrant workers in the IT industry? I was concerned about this possibly making it harder to get a skilled working visa.

How do NYC engineering firms respond to recruitment agencies? My current company doesn't like to use them. Can you help me out with who are the biggest agencies operating in NYC?


Many many thanks for anyone willing and able to assist.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[hokie66]

I would write to some of the big New York City offices, explain your situation, and hopefully they will respond. As your time for decision making is short, try emailing them, although I prefer real mail.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

You will need to get a "Green" card to live and work here - sometimes not so easy since it is largely dependent on an employer not being able to "find" enough or suitable employees - and God knows there are enough engineers out of work right now.

But - Good Luck.

 

[Latexman]

"If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere."

Good luck,
Latexman

 

[Forensic74]

I have seen on many occasions, places that hire "green" cards will work them to death. The employers actually seek out the internationals because they know they'll have the upper hand. So I think you can find work, but you may not like how you're treated.

 

[DST148]

You don't have to have a green card to work and live here. You can work on H-1 visa(work permit) which is employer specific. The employer has to file an application with the Immigration Dept. on behalf of the employee. There is a ceiling on the number of visas issued each year. There was a time when the visas got exhausted on day one. But not any more. However, the visa process is time consuming and expensive. The visa process is quite streamlined with software companies but not so with civil / structural companies. Even if a civil engineering company offers you a job, they may not be too willing to hire a lawyer for the process. You may have to take an initiative and bear all the expenses.
You can apply directly or send cold letters. I would not suggest going through a recruiting agency. There are many web sites you can search:

http://www.monster.com,

careerbuilder.com, indeed.com., craigslist.org etc.
Why Manhattan only? I think you should try any region to start with.
Although this may not be the right time to look for work here in U.S., you may initiate the job search. The whole process would take one to two years any way.
Good Luck!

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Sounds like DST knows the law - but what others have said also hold true - it ain't easy

 

[SydneyChris]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I've looked into the H-1 visas, Australia has a special agreement with the US, and it didn't sound too difficult from what I was reading. It seemed as though you just paid $1,000 for the visa, but I didn't realise that the employer had to get lawyers involved. DST, do you know the likely expense of the lawyers?

Understand I don't have to get a green card, but might start applying for the lottery (should have been doing it for the past 4 years) to improve my chances of getting a job - without the H-1 visa.

Could you explain why recruitment agencies are a 'no go' over there?

I'm not necessarily restricted to New York, but that is the place I am most interested to work. Visited a couple of times and love the place. Also been to, and interested in working in;Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, but I imagine the employment market is much the same across the country. Correct?

 

[DST148]

@SydneyChris - I do not know the immigration laws. However, I have gone through work permit process and so know a little about it.
If you succeed through lottery system, then you would come on immigrant visa. That makes things a lot easier. Unlike H-1 visa, you are not tied to one employer. Moreover, finding a job is relatively easy once you are here rather than your home country.
As far as lawyers' fees go, I am not sure how appropriate it would be to post that kind of information here. You can always google for immigration lawyers and speak to them for first hand information.
As far as recruiting agencies go, I did not mean 'no go'. Just be cautious.

 

[SydneyChris]

Thank you so much for your advice.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Lawyers - 150$ - 500$ per hour

You get what you pay for - except for lawyers....

 

[bridgebuster]

There's not a lot going on in NYC right now, although things could be worse. Your best bet is to look at the websites of the SE firms here.

For the past few years, the employment section of the Sunday NY Times - the print copy at least - has only had a handful (as in 3 or 4) of advertisements each week.

 

[SomptingGuy]

You need a lawyer to file an H-1 visa appplication in the same way that you need an account to file your tax returns.

You dont, but most people do.

My H-1 was arranged by a law firm, who claimed to know the right language to use to get it approved. I often wonder how much value they added. And what they cost my employer.

- Steve

 

[patprimmer]

We might say that way is up, but a government clerk might be much more impressed by the statement "you will gain altitude if you go that way". Go figure, but I have seen such stupid things when dealing with government officials.

I also saw an immigration department form which asked "what is the length of your residence in Australia". A moderately common reply was "X feet".

A specialist at submitting the forms will know those quirks.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules