Working Abroad

[SP777]

Hello - I'm interested in finding out if working in another country is at all possible for someone of my qualifications. If so, then does anyone have any advice on how to apply? Is there any agencies that help with this sort of thing, or do you apply to companies direct?

I'm a resident of Ontario, Canada and completed my undergraduate degree in civil engineering here (BASc) with an emphasis on structural. I then spent a little over a year (14 months) working in a structural consulting firm (in Ontario) as a designer/EIT. A good opportunity for research came up, so I decided to leave that job to pursue my Master's degree at the same university as my undergraduate, again with a focus on structural engineering.

I will have my MASc in a couple of months and have over one year of experience in Canada as an EIT under the guidance of a P. Eng, so I can receive my licence after two more years of experience, even if it is not in Canada. This is why I'm interested in working in a different country, since I am young and have no real obligations. I'm interested in working in the US (west coast), Australia, England and possibly somewhere in South America (can speak spanish).

My concern is of course looking at it from a compnanies POV - why would they hire a foreigner they would have to train and could take a while to become an asset (unless there is really no local candidates). And to be 100% honest, I would stay a minimum of 2 years but likely no more than 4. My issue is if I get more experience before I do something like this I doubt I will be able to stay free of obligations (girlfriend, house, car etc...) and then would never end up doing something like that.

 

[tickle]

Don't be silly about limiting yourself with the obligations of girlfriend or house. If your expectations are to move in the future then pick the right girlfriend, house and car (or don't pick them). You could always ending up regretting if you compromise your dreams (for a car?)

It is fair to say that you will be looked upon more favourably if you have experience under your belt, particularly application of the skills you learnt during your masters. But it depends on what your objectives are. Do you want the overseas experience? or the engineering experience? There is nothing stopping you going off overseas and fruit picking now to get the OE. Or if you want to apply engineering skills, you may want to look at Engineers without Borders (I cannot help, other than with the name). There are numerous engineers entering most countries with limited relevant experience, and as long as you sell yourself correctly, there should be no problem in finding a firm (just set your expectations accordingly).

I would suggest that companies will only be interested in you if you are in the country, or even city. Therefore do not get disheartened by rejection letters that you will receive if you apply from Canada.

Good luck

 

[TomDOT]

If you expect to move, DO NOT buy a house. The transaction costs will kill you financially.

 

[weldstan]

I know more tha few individuals who have purchased housing in most, if not all, of the locations where they have worked and rent them out when they move on. I did the same at one time. But I digress, I belive that SP777 wishes to take out of country jobs now, while he is unencumbered with a special girlfriend, wife, kids, house, car, etc. Try it now, but don't think that travel is out of the question in the future when having the responsibilities listed above. Engineering/Construction staffing, members of the US Military, foreign service (State Department) workers, international business people. etc. routinely move from country to country and place to place within a country during the course of their careers.

 

[CELinOttawa]

I was an extremely similar candidate when I was hired as a Structural Engineer by a New Zealand firm, while I was still in Canada, in 2006. Here are my thoughts on the situation:

- Companies do not hire any engineers they know are not a potential long-term commitment unless the economy is on fire and they have no other viable options.
- Master's degree or not, an engineer with a year or two's experience and no license is *expensive* to train. Companies only hire such engineers when they bring a specific skill set they need.
- Target the market in specific countries. Have a good reason why you want to work in that country, better yet, in that specific city.

Some further info about my own situation: When I was hired I had experience with bridge engineering and particularly maintenance, as well as a year of historical structures (expansions, renovations, restorations, etc) analysis and design. The girlfriend I had at the time wanted to undertake a PhD overseas, and I was ostensibly going to be getting a job in advance to make this happen. That didn't happen in the end, but it is a significant part of why my employer was willing to hire me. They were also looking for someone with experience in historical structures, because this was a very rare skill set in New Zealand and becoming more important as their infrastructure aged.

In short: Don't give up, but be patient in your search. Be very targetted. Don't lie, but don't bring up your short-term intent unless you want to be fully spinning your wheels. Also, don't expect PEO to be happy that your experience upon filling is Canada first, Overseas second (and when ready to be licensed). This caused them to request an interview (rarely applied) and demand that I fly back from New Zealand, as well as get a letter from my boss specifying that I was ready to go. It all worked out, but it was not as per what I was told when checking into the possibility.

 

[GregLocock]

I had a reasonable resume when I got hired to move overseas, 6 years out of uni.

My friend did the other thing, he moved himself, and applied for jobs once he was over here.

Since we both left uni at the same time, and ended up working at the same place, it is very hard to argue as to which approach is better.



Cheers

Greg Locock


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

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

 

[steellion]

Well, you're already used to designing to the metric system unlike us engineers in the States, so that's a good start!