Engineer - Dual Citizenship

[fng3]

Hi all, chose this forum to ask about this issue because who else would be better to ask than those who are actively involved in actually running an engineering business?

I find myself at point in my career, because of local circumstances, that I am considering opportunities abroad in engineering. One of the considerations I have to work with is my dual citizen status (US/UK hold two passports).

Would this fact be of additional value to firms doing international work, if I was willing to live overseas with my family, when combined with my 11 years of civil work, degree and PE?

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Probably....for the right company

 

[hokie66]

Only relevant for the US and UK, I think.

 

[GregLocock]

Dual citizenship seems to cause more hassle than benefit if you ask me, or Boris.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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

 

[fng3]

I'm probably way off but it seems to me that having the legal right to live and work most anywhere in the world ought to be some kind of advantage to company xyz, if for no other reason than being able to move at will with minimal support from said company. Of course, it goes without saying that experience trumps everything, and being able to live and work anywhere you like has no value without it. I'm just looking to explore any personal circumstance, in addition to my experience, that would position me in a more positive way for long term work with a great firm (wherever that might be).

 

[cvg]

unless you are an experienced, senior consultant, most firms are not interested in flying anybody back and forth. You will be valuable to a firm in either the UK or US, depending on where you live at the time. Not sure your two passports qualify you to "live and work most anywhere in the world"

 

[frv]

There is quite a bit of difference between the US/UK and "most anywhere in the world".

There aren't that many international civil engineering companies. There are a few, but most tend to be domestic.

 

[Drazen]

not being related with either us or uk, i still have feeling about generic issue that seem to apply to most of world...

your circumstances can only be of some benefit, in my opinion, in large international projects, probably accomplished in third countries, where employer can think of you as a person of wider multicultural background who will have better picture and who would fit easier in large and complex project teams.

that would be little related with PE issues. state structures of most of countries still use national legislation as a barrier to true competition, and even at places where there are very tiny difference in applicable engineering norms, there is little or not at all will to overcome those differences, on contrary there is strong tendencies to retain it.

it is especially grotesques when many, even large countries, use some foreign norm with slightly shifted requirements, sometimes on trivial level, than announce it as national norm using it as strong barrier for foreigner. if you are very familiar with such norm, you can easily learn about differences. that will not help you at all, however, as national legislation will consider all your previous experience null and void and will just grant you junior position, so you would need another lifetime to develop career in another country