Travel Engineer/Engineering Abroad Advice

[squantowa]

I'm looking to make contact with or get advice from an engineer that has either worked outside the United States for an extended period of time or has a job that sends him outside of the United State for an extended period of time (I'm not interested in a week here a week there I'm talk minimum 3 months to a year or so.

I will start with the questions. What companies would provide an international engineering job in multiple countries? Does working outside of the United States affect my experience time when I go for my PE? I will be going for my PE in one year, if I'm living outside the US can I take the PE in my home State, a State I think I will eventually move back to? Is there a State PE that is easier to transfer to other States, can I take it there if I don't live there? What skills will help me get said job (I'm sure knowing a foreign language would help)?

Now a little background about me to help with the questions. I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering specialized classes in Control Systems, Mechatronics, FEA and Wind turbine design. While in College I interned with an Automotive startup company working on Hybrid and Military vehicles and worked for a year as an engineer after school. I'm now 2 and a half years into working at a shipyard as a systems engineer (integrator), corrosion engineer, mechanical engineer and mechanism designer. The hats we wear when the economy tanks

Traveling and new places are my passion. I studied abroad in England, I spent 90 days sailing and crossing the Pacific and another month in Australia and New Zealand. I just got back from traveling through South America.

Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[sam74]

Best chance for world wide possiblities is with an EPCM company like Bechtel, Fluor, Jacobs, Shaw, and the like. They have offices world wide. I would have to say it is much different than consulting engineering.

Check out their websites on-line. They'll have several jobs listed all over the world. While I was laid off in consulting I was able to get an interview locally for a position with one of the above companies. They were looking for a civil design person which I could do but am licensed as well. Interview went well job never happened.

Again laid off from consulting, applied on line for a local position with another of the above firms. 15 min phone interview and two weeks later making the best money of my life while I learn something completely new.

Experience is experience.

You can apply for any states exam you just need to be able to fill out the appropriate paperwork for exam admission and muster the review.

Once you get licensed in your initial state you can establish an NCESS record which makes obtaining license by comity in most other states an easier process (less paperwork).

 

[Medeski]

Hello Squantow,

I've been working for an international engineering firm based in Japan for the past three years.

-What companies would provide an international engineering job in multiple countries?

Companies with international offices is a given, but just because they might have an office somewhere doesn't mean you'll get to go there. International travel is expensive (plane fare, lodging, per diem...) and unless it's necessary for your work, you probably won't be sent there. A relative of mine works for an oil company and helps setup rigs or something (I'm a bit fuzzy on the details) all over the world. So maybe a company that sets up factories, big installations, chemical plants etc. will afford you travel.


-Does working outside of the United States affect my experience time when I go for my PE?

I'm in an exempt field, but when I talked to the Ohio engineering board, they told me that they want to see experience at an American firm an my experience at this company would probably not count. Now, I work for a Japanese firm, so maybe it would be different if you worked for an American firm abroad.

-I will be going for my PE in one year, if I'm living outside the US can I take the PE in my home State, a State I think I will eventually move back to?

I believe you can take the PE exam in some foreign countries, I pretty sure you can in Japan at least.

-Is there a State PE that is easier to transfer to other States, can I take it there if I don't live there?

Not sure.

-What skills will help me get said job (I'm sure knowing a foreign language would help)?

Have an interest in traveling a living abroad is a plus. To many people, living out of their element in a foreign country is not appealing. Make sure you express interest in working abroad to your (future) supervisors. Foreign language skills are a plus depending on where you want to go. You need a high skill level to have a engineering discussion in a foreign language.

However, the most important thing is being good at what you do and having specialized knowledge. Most people at my company who are sent abroad are older, more experienced people with in depth knowledge of the product. If they send a new hire abroad, what can they do that someone at the local office can't? That being said, they do send some younger people over if they have been working on newly developed products.

I interviewed (in Japanese) at the company headquarters near Tokyo. I'm sure knowing Japanese is what got me this job, but it took a few years to get to the level that was needed (and I'm still not where I want to be). If your looking at working in multiple countries, choosing one language to learn isn't going to help, as you already speak English. But I don't want to discourage you from learning if you want to.

 

[csd72]

With your background in control systems you could probably get work in the mining industry which is probably the most travelled industry you could possibly get in.

Look at what the PE requirements are for experienced foreign engineers as they cannot expect them to get local experience before their PE if they have say 20 plus years or similar.

I have worked as a structural engineer in Australia, the UK and the US and the work is very similar with some significant variations in local practice. Dont less them belittle your experience as anything less than local experience as engineering judgement has very little to do with local codes. As others have said, experience is experience.

 

[JedClampett]

One of the tricks my old company pulled with expatriate work was called tax equalization. Everyone went overseas at the same rate, plus expenses, but thought the real money was not having to pay US income tax.
NOT SO FAST, the client had figured this out. And our company, being the jerks they were, worked out a scheme called tax equalization. Your pay was reduced somehow to account for not paying US income tax.
Just something to watch out for.

 

[squantowa]

Thanks everyone for responding to my post.

Sam74 - When you interviewed locally for the job was it for an international position?

Medeski - I agree with everything you say, it makes logical sense. However, ask me in twenty years when I'm an expert in something to move to Chile for a year. Assuming I have a wife with a job and kids in school guess what my answer will be. I would think it would be hard to get experienced engineers to do that.

I would think there has got to be a shortage of engineers in countries that are growing fast. Brazil for one, in comes a young engineer without a family, a mortgage that loves to travel, sounds like a fit to me (I have no idea if Brazil has a high demand for engineers, that is just a guess on my part).

CSD72 - Could you give me a brief picture of what kinds of control systems are in mining? I'm stronger in hydraulics and I can see mining using a lot of big machines and hydraulics.

Do you work in mining, what kind of work schedule do you have? Is it like oil rigs where you might be on for a month at a time?


Thanks again!

 

[sam74]

No, the first interview was with Shaw for a local position but they only have a few civil design departments out of their slew of offices. They were doing work for a military base in Puerto Rico and various other locations. So the opportunity to travel was there although that would have been primarily site visits for due diligence or site walk downs.

The job I have now is local but by having access to the company's internal internet you can see that employees often can pursue work at international locations as their current jobs wrap up(get built). My understanding is that when you get hired you are viewed as a long term employee. Your current job may last 6 months to 5 years, however long it takes to be built, but they plan on presenting another opportunity to you if one is available and they have quite a bit of work in the books. But I'll have to see how that pans out in the future. I'd personally prefer to stay local but I wouldn't mind spending some time in Austraila or Canada and there is plenty of work going on in both.

 

[csd72]

squantowa,

Not sure as this is not my field but I know a few engineers that do that type of thing.

 

[indme]

Bechtel, Fluor, Jacobs, Shaw, and the like as Sam74 mentioned, but I think it would be a mistake to spend time in a foreign satellite office so early in your career. You become marginalized in the greater organization..just some faceless guy over in place x. Instead, work at the HQ for a while, learn the company, get to know the subject matter experts, find your niche and become an expert go-to guy in something. Then make it known that you want to travel.

Or you could look for OCONUS positions with defense contractor.

As Medeski mentioned, usually experts and seasoned guys are asked to go. This is because customers realize that they are paying (a lot hidden some in the contract) to have a foreigner stationed at their place. Typically, they want to see a veteran engineer there or don't feel that they are getting their money's worth. Especially so in Japan. I think they assess your value at first glance by percentage of gray hair.

There are 2 camps of people. The 95% that hate to travel, and the 5% restless souls that are always beating the bushes for some opportunity to go somewhere, anywhere. Travel and foreign assignments aren't like vacation or study abroad at all.

Thinking of some expats that I know:

One took a year in Tokyo and was working 9-11 Japanese hours each day, too tired to do anything of the weekends, wanted to go home but no job to go home to and no time in the US for interviewing.

One stayed 9 months in Dubai and was taken in by, and fell in love with, a working girl who is playing him like an addict. He continues to wire her money now, to cover "medical expenses for her sick mother" and is deep in debt.

Another took a year in Sao Paulo, only to be relocated to the no-where in the jungle for after 2 months.

Good luck, and be careful what you ask for!

 

[indme]

Some additional thoughts:

If you're going to become a traveling guy, or expat, you need to consider what the accomodations and provisions are going to be like. If possible, contact an employee through Linked-in or another online network. Ask them about the travel policy and foreign assignment policies. I could screen a company based on the airfare policy. If the company requires people to fly in coach-class; for example, across the Pacific, walk away. If they are cheap about flights, they'll also be cheap about the per diem, housing, and probably your raises. Travel policies say a lot about how the company values people.

Also, it is almost impossible to be constantly on foreign assignments of 3 months +. In between, you'll be at a domestic office. Obviously, you'd like to travel on shorter trips then if possible. So ask your employee contact about the attitude toward business + personal travel. I've been able to travel extensively by tacking on vacation time at the end of foreign business trips because in the culture of my company, that 5% of people willing to travel are adventurers like you, so almost everyone coordinates vacation at the end of trips for explorations. So I might go to Singapore for a meeting, then use my FF miles plus my own money to fund a week-long round trip to some other country like Oz, then link back up at SIN with my employer-sponsored flight home.


You need to think of the long-term implications. Once you've demonstrated that you're willing to do things like this, suddenly you become the go-to-guy everytime overseas support is needed. Then if you change your MO and decline one assignment or trip, it's viewed somewhat like insubordination! Chances are that you can't sustain a relationship in the US due to so much time spent away. That wife that you talk about will probably be be from an assignment location. Guys bring the girls back to the States, and then the girls almost always get homesick and refuse to stay. Then you find yourself in a conundrum about whether to divorce or quit your job and move back to her country..lots of things to think about!!