Job in US or Canada as Process Engineer

[DocMax]

Hi
I'd like to work in US or Canada as Process Engineer, I'm from Italy and I'd be very glad to find something in those Countries.
I'm graduated in Chemistry and I worked for 3 years as a research chemist.
After this I moved to an engineering company as a process and proposal engineer in the field of water treatment plants.
I'd like to move to US or Canada because there are lot opportunities for process engineers.
Can anybody help?
Regards
DM

 

[djack77494]

DM,
I'm sorry to inform you that most employers would not consider your qualifications suitable for "process engineer" positions. The training, background, and likely skill set needed to perform process engineering as that term is used in North America do not seem to match very well with your background. If you are able to look over any position announcements for process engineers in N.A. (check the internet for listings) I think you will quickly see the "disconnect". Unless or until you are comfortable with process simulators, equipment design, hydraulics, thermodynamics, fractionation, and process control, to name just some of the areas of proficiency that would be expected of a process engineer, I would not consider you to be qualified for process engineering position. If I have misunderstood your qualifications, I apologize and will try to provide additional assistance if you provide additional details.
Regards,
Doug

 

[DocMax]

Hi Doug
Thank you very much for your replay, It was interesting but I think that the people have to consider the CV befor judge. I'm graduated in Chemistry and my background was before in a research and development. Research in a polymer field by pilot plants (semi industrial plant). I was and I'm in a industry.
I think chemist has a good backgraund for be a good process engineer.
If you want I cant sent to my CV, so you can judge better.
The better thing is the passion, I like process and I think I could be learn, the only thing is to give the opportunity.
Last thing, all the inventions in the past was made by people with a degree in pure science, for example the industrila sinthesis of NH3 was made by a German Chemist.
That's all.
Thank you
DM

 

[robjul]

Hi DM,

It is with deep regret that I have to fully agree with Doug that your experience is not applicable to Process eng'g. Chemistry is different from Chemical Eng'g. However, your passion to be a Process Eng'r will absolutely bring you to where you want to be; and you will be most welcomed.

Regards,
robjul

 

[moltenmetal]

You can forget about Canada if your interest is in industrial process development: there's too little going on here to occupy the PhDs graduating from Canadian universities- a great many of them leave for the US due to lack of opportunities at home. Using your own work history as an example, most of the industrial polymer research that was done here was downsized or shipped back to the US in the 1980s and hasn't come back since.

I also agree with the others: in North America you won't be considered an engineer unless you have a B.A.Sc in engineering from an accredited university and/or you've written and passed the licensure examinations. And even that is no guarantee: there are lots of people who consider themselves to be engineers who find themselves driving taxis in Toronto at the moment.

How you interpret history is up to you. Engineering is relatively new in terms of scientific sub-disciplines, and chemical engineering wasn't fully distinct from industrial chemistry or mechanical engineering arguably until the 1950s, so going back to ammonia synthesis is a pretty disingenuous comparison. Believe me, these three disciplines are now totally distinct, and a person qualified in one is absolutely not qualified for the other merely by a few years of work experience.

 

[engichem786]

Hi, I am fully aggree with molten metal as it is highly imposible to get a break in canada as there is lot of red-tapism, u can call discrimination or anything, but there is if you have a relative in the same field you can get in to ur field without knowing the subject.I am canadian and I have 23 yrs of experience,I know eng.s with lots of experience are working in any field.so if u wants to try U.S. it is good potential there.I worked in India,Australia , south Koria ,bahrian , saudi Arabia, Brazil ,U.S. AND CANADA BUT IN CANADA I had a bad experience so I have to leave the country.No respect for your profession .anyway I am satisfied here with my job and amount of work.

so try U.S.

Thanks
adil

 

[Unotec]

My own two cents.
I am working in Canada as a process/operations engineer without the designation, obviously. Supervised by professional engineers.
I am a foreigner to Canada and not considered an engineer here, even though in most other parts of the world would consider me a chemical engineer as per my studies.
Currently I am writing the exams to become a P. Eng. and man! is it ever hard after so many years out of school.
Being in a kind of similar position than you are, I am afraid I will have to side with these guys. You will probably find it hard to be considered for an engineering position, if considered at all. Your best bet is to come to Canada and work in something else while you challenge the P.Eng. exams. Look out towards the West, there is a lot of work and a lot of very challenging and rewarding opportunities.

 

[davefitz]

Water treatment is now a booming business. Try Ge Betz or GE Zenon ( both in Ontario Canada) , or URS in the US for current job openings.

 

[tkdhwjd]

When I was getting my degree in Chemical Engineering, I also wanted to get a degree in Chemistry (believe it or not... organic chemistry was my passion and I was pretty darn good at it). I was two classes away from getting my Chemistry degree. I can assure you that they are really different. Chemical engineering (in my opinion) is rather closer to Physics (ex. classical physics to thermodynamics). Besides, companies will not hire chemist as a process engineer. So even if you are familiar with engineering fundamentals (fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mass transfer, and kinetics (you will be better at this as chemist), you may have tough time convincing the companies in US.

However, market is good these days. With your passion, I am sure that you will achieve your goals. Best wishes.

 

[padovano]

I would like MOLTENMETAL,ENGICHEM,TKDWJD to reply this thread. I have a colleague, who did a five year degree programme in Germany, in Industrial Chemistry. He is also employed as a process engineer in my refinery. He is a collegue in all aspects, i.e , professionally we speak the same language our views almost the same in accepting or refusing an idea, we run the same simulations etc. I want you people to tell me if he is not a Process Engineer.

 

[Unotec]

Padovano, it is not whether he is capable of doing engineering or not. It is more whether he is registered as one and the professional association is getting their fees. The reason he would hardly be considered, is not based on his capability to perform and desire, but more on the liabilities of the company hiring him. I am not a registered engineer but doing work as one (I am one of the lucky that got the job due to particular circumstances), still PEng "supervised", mind you. I have met countless so called P. engs. that make me be ashamed of the profession I chose, but they hold the title.
It is hard for a foreigner to achieve the PEng status, as you have to go back to doing exams of stuff long forgotten and not used in a while. Fortunately, while I still challenge the actual usefulness of being a "registered professional", once you are the salaries sky rocket. Where I come from, the difference between a good and bad engineer is not in the ring, it is in the performance. Not everybody can hold on to an engineering job for long unless he/she is good at that. However, the economical remuneration is less than acceptable (thus I emigrated), leading good engineers into strayed paths, such as business managers and such. However, like it or not, we also excel in those fields.

 

[moltenmetal]

In Canada, to work as an engineer, the only person you have to convince you are an engineer is either your boss or you boss's proxy (i.e. recruiting agency or human resources staff). As long as there's a P.Eng. signatory on staff and the company has a certificate of authorization, the boss can hire a truck driver with a grade 8 education and give them engineering work to do if that suits them. The P.Eng. signatory to the C of A is stuck with the tough job of signing/sealing the work of the other employees in the engineering department, or not doing so and being willing to lose their job for not doing so. Having the C of A and P.Eng. signatory on staff is a NECESSARY thing for public protection- a minimally necessary thing in my opinion. In the US, except for a few narrow applications where an engineering license is truly necessary, this is left almost exclusively to the insurance industry to compensate the victims afterward rather than attempting to protect the public up front. Compensating the victims is NOT public protection, so that approach is wrong headed as well as unbelievably expensive in my view.

If you intend the public (ie. companies or persons other than your direct employer) to be your customer, THEN you need a P.Eng. LICENSE to practice, as well as a certificate of authorization to practice (in most provinces). There are additional requirements including insurance etc. A prerecquisite of such a license is a degree equivalent to one obtained in Canada from an accredited program at an accredited university OR examinations proving knowledge and abilities equivalent to what that education would offer. A chemist would probably have to write about 7 of the ten exams and could challenge the other three.

The question is really this one: can you convince your prospective boss, frequently a non-engineer, that you as an industrial chemist are qualified to work as a chemical engineer? Upon what basis would such a boss make that decision- a few years of previous experience out of country that you claim on your resume, for which references would be difficult to check? How is such a boss qualified to make that judgment anyway? And what possible benefit would there be to the company of hiring such a person if people who actually have B.A.Sc. degrees in chemical engineering AND a P.Eng. license are also available to fill the position? The reality is, the boss uses the third-party certification/license AND the degree to help them judge the qualifications of a person, and that tendency will exclude people with different degrees from consideration the lion's share of the time. You won't even get your foot in the door- you might not even get a FOAD letter. (For those unfamiliar with the acronym, the last two letters stand for "...and die".

I know the value of a good chemist. I happen to work with a chemist who does industrial controls programming for a living. I also work with non-licensed engineers and non-engineers who do work similar to mine. It is possible, though difficult, for a natively educated chemist to find work more properly suiting a chemical engineer, generally by moving up the ranks in a larger organization- or founding one themselves. But it would be very difficult for an industrial chemist from outside Canada to find work as a chemical engineer here. It's a free country and you are of course welcome to try, if you meet the immigration criteria- and good luck to you. If you are willing to move to Northern Alberta and take anything you can find for the first bit, you may just end up with exactly what you want over time. Just don't come crying to the Canadian public if you end up working as a chemical technician in some lab somewhere, or worse still working in a factory or driving a taxi because the marketplace has no use for you. There is no desperate shortage of engineers in Canada, even now in a booming marketplace.

 

[coolcando]

I absolutely agree with moltemmetal.There is no shortage of Process Engineers in Canada.I have been hired by a large Canadian MNC as a process engineer after 2 years in CANADA.I have to get P.Eng licence within 12 months or I will not be given opportunity to go higher up. I am in the process of getting P.Eng licence.

DocMax, I have a B.Eng in ChemEngg from India and 9 years of Operation/Process Engg experience.Trust me , It took me all the efforts in the world to convince this company to hire me.This company will not even look at ur CV for position of Process Engineer.Unless and Until u have a degree in Technology or Engineering , u won't be looked upon as an Engineer/Technologist. This is true for even Alberta (including so called booming OILSANDS).Forget about ONTARIO.

In my Opinion u have 3 choices.
1) If u are hell bent upon to work as an Engineer , anyhow take a licence as Technologist or Engineer.Go to school,Collage whatever.

2) Try to find a job in Water Chemicals Industry.You will have huge opportunity in Alberta/BC/Saskachewan.I am damn sure that u will get a job.

3)Try to find a job as a chemist in any industry.u can try in FOOD/PHARMACEUTICAL/MANUFACTURING etc.

You have to do a fair amount of juggling between work , family(if u have) and ur efforts to find a decent job. Dont get tired or frustated . You will get a job that is for sure.

After all, this is North America. As long as money is coming, u will be comfortable.

 

[epoisses]

OK Docmax... lots of discouragement especially from Canada, either because it's difficult to get a PE license or because the job market is tight and people want to keep foreign competition out the door (without trying to offend anyone).
I think you should first ask yourself the question: why would you want to move to the US or Canada specifically, is that because you think the job market for process engineers is better? If that's the reason I think you'd better aim for the Middle East or Asia, that's where the major expansions are.
If you have other reasons to want to move to the US or Canada, focus on the practical aspects first: is a license imperative? How to get one? How do you envisage to apply for a job, will you fly over for an interview? What if there are 2, 3, 4 rounds of interviews?
What about, alternatively, applying at an Italian multinational and asking them for a position at a plant in the US?

 

[dtlb26]

Recommendations:
1. Find an American or Canadian to marry you
2. Get your professional engineering designation.

I'm a Canadian working in the USA. Prior to my PE designation, I could not find work in the USA.

 

[moltenmetal]

epoisses: we're not trying to "keep the foreign competition out the door". Rather, Canada has one of the worlds' most generous and least considered immigration programs. We're beset with some 16,000 new engineering immigrants yearly, 55% of whom choose to settle in Toronto and surrounding area. In comparison, we graduate about 10,000 Bachelors' level grads from all of Canada's universities combined. That's a 12-fold increase in immigration in a single decade, and needless to say it outstrips our ability to find suitable jobs for these folks. Accordingly, we have engineers driving taxis in Toronto, and in numerous other "survival jobs", resenting their choice to come to Canada. So it would be no surprise whatsoever if the OP as an industrial chemist looking for engineering work, found him/herself in the same predicament.

 

[PetroBob]

No disrespect intended to moltenmetal, and other experienced Canadian engineers, but immigration to Canada is not easy. At least, it's not a quick process.

If you want to be work in Canada, then you have 3 options.

1. Apply for "permanent residence" status using the points system. With your chemistry training and experience, you will probably get in. But latest info on immigration website says approx 50% of applications are processed in 2.5 years. (And many applications take 3 or more years.) I suggest you take care to submit your paperwork 100% perfect and have your application checked by a lawyer experienced in Canadian immigration process. If you make any mistakes it can add a year or more to your wait time.

2. 2nd option - try to get a job either while you are still living overseas, or by coming here on a tourist visa initially to see what's out there. Your best bet is to get a job with a large company doing whatever your degree and experience most qualify you for. You can't be choosy if you take this route, since without work visa you have few rights and are not very employable. You almost certainly won't get a job in chemical engineering, at least not until you have Canadian experience.

If you don't have a work visa, it's also unlikely that you'll get a job with a small company. Whoever hires you has to do a lot of paperwork to get you a work visa. Big companies have procedures in place for hiring foreigners. In Alberta there is a current labour shortage, so your best bet is probably a large Alberta company. If you come in person bring enough money to live for 6 to 12 months without working, since even in the boom it can be hard to get a job without a work visa. You have to take what you can get, and be more choosy later once you get permanent residence status. (NB a big company might be able to fast-track your permanent residence status through the provincial nominee program, which has wait time of 8-12 months I believe).

Option 3. Marry a Canadian. Wait time = 3-9 months for permanent residence application through family category.

Good luck with your move to North America! If you can be patient and work towards getting into the country as a permanent resident, then you will find job market in Canada is fantastic, and Canadians are wonderful friendly people to live and work with. (NB I believe an Italian Engineering company (Technip?) is doing the design for a very large PetroCanada oil refinery upgrade. Have you thought about trying to get a job with Technip, in Italy initially?)

If anyone has any corrections or suggestions about immigrating and getting engineering work in Canada, I would like to hear from you. I have a friend who, despite being a very competent and qualified engineer, is having trouble getting work in Alberta. Even in the current boom it's not easy to get a job due to the slow process in getting a work visa and/or permanent resident status. Any ideas about fast-tracking this process would be most welcome.

 

[moltenmetal]

PetroBob: indeed Canadian immigration is a bureaucratic and lengthy process. Unlike in the US where there are programs like the H1B visa, there's no linkage whatsoever in Canada between labour force demand and the supply of (legal) immigrant labour. This is a key mistake made by many prospective immigrants: they think that Canada has done some kind of assessment that has shown that their services are actually needed in the labour market before they are permitted to come. While this may well be true of a significant fraction of the immigrant engineers who arrive here yearly, thousands of whom DO find work as engineers, there are a great many left out in the end. The news is full fo anecdotal reports of engineers driving taxis and doing other work below their expectations. The Council for Access to the Profession of Engineering (

http://www.capeinfo.org)

documents thousands of immigrant engineers who have failed to find a place in the Canadian labour market AS ENGINEERS. So the picture here is far from rosy.

Those who come with no expectations and with both eyes open are of course welcome- Canada is a nation of immigrants. Survey after survey have shown that the general Canadian public have positive attitudes towards immigrants and towards immigration. Where we get it wrong is that we confuse "skills" with education, and we make no attempt to match immigration supply with labour market demand. While we allow too many engineers to immigrate relative to labour market demand, we also deport skilled tradesmen who come here illegally to fill an actual labour market need. So guess what a great many engineers do when they come here and can't find work? They become tradesmen...

 

[JPluto]

All,

Thanks all of you for posting interesting information related to chemical engineers in Canada. I would appreciate if anyone could provide advice in my case.
I have a PhD in chemical engg (focus in separation processes) from USA and I am looking for jobs in Canada. I dont have any industry experience, all my experience is from school (grad school and postdoctoral research). My permanent residency to Canada has almost been approved, I would like to get an insight from experienced engineers in Canada about the job prospects. Please advice.

Thanks!
JP

 

[PetroBob]

Hi JP

Congratulations on getting your permanent residence application processed. How long has it taken since you first submitted your application?

I suggest you consider Alberta. The Alberta economy is currently still quite strong due to high oil price and massive heavy oil reserves in northern Alberta. There is a lot of technical engineering/design work done in Calgary. I believe Calgary has more engineers in the oil industry than Houston now. Calgary is a bit warmer than northern cities and is close to the mountains for good access to skiing/hiking etc.

Heavy oil is mined in the north (Ft McMurray area) and refineries are in Ft McMurray and Edmonton. Therefore if you are wanting oil industry job working directly for operating company you may want to consider Edmonton or Ft Mac.

I don't know anything about work opportunities out east, or non oil industry jobs.