It's weird, but only one of my husband's potential employers seemed that big on verifying his legality. I think that the majority of the immigrants working around where we are cannot work legally.
My husband said that some of people he works with now make a big deal out of his being married to an American and ask him if he has a GC. As if it were any of their business?! He tells them "he's in the process."

Plus, it was very clear from our early morning tour that Homeboy was the only one with any semblance of social skills. I didn't see any non-white faces there either, which may be due to the fact that the company is a bit far from Providence.

I'm guessing that they'd rather give a newcomer a hand up rather than hire a USC who can't hold down a job!

When M got busted for driving w/ an expired license TWICE (believe me, I did not know), I had to bring him to work and pick him up...I was driving 4 hours a day as well.

Public transportation in all parts of FL I've been to may as well be nonexistent, because where it does exist, it is just a joke.

It's tiring, right? I was exhausted after a week, but we tried it for as long as we could. Now I'm so glad we have two cars, though it'd be nice if we could get away with only one.

People were surprised to find out that my husband had a DL after only a few months in the country - that was part of his "I want to assimilate" into the country.

So far so good, though we're still waiting for his renewed DL after receiving the GC. It should be here this week.

I think it's ridiculous that the US keeps saying that we are too attached to our cars and will never use public transportation like they do in other countries. To be honest with you, I'd much rather take a bus or the metro to where I have to go than have to be stuck in traffic for 1-2 hours each way every day. But I still need a car to get to the bus station and the routes they have are way too far from the places I need to get to. The public transportation system in this country is a total joke.

Diana

Diana, I hear you. Seattle's public transit is actually pretty darn good -- so I was only so happy not having to get a DL (I hate driving after 14 years of doing the deed in lovely Mexico city); so I take the bus to campus and back - priceless! (that and the UDub gives us bus passes at a discount).

Amen! I miss the metro in DC.

I miss the metro and bus system we have in Colombia. Any time I wanted to go somewhere I had to walk about 2 blocks and then choose from a ocean of buses that would take me where I needed to go. But here, I'd have to walk over 2 miles to get to the nearest bus stop and a lot farther if I want to take the Light Rail. Then, I'd have to walk a lot more to get from the bus stop to my job. It's horrible.

Diana

Looking for resoures to brush up my interviewing skills I came across this article, and thought it would help others on the job search. It's "50 common interview Q&A". I know my english suffers greatly when I'm nervous, so maybe rehersing some of this questions beforehand will help

50 Common interview Q&A

Saludos,
Caro

Very useful information. Thank you for it

Hubby got his renewed DL today (after being approved for his GC) and it's valid 'til 2014! I'm relieved because FL will issue someone with pending AOS, but only for a year, so his previous DL was going to expire this June.

On another note, he busted his knee playing soccer, and we all know how men are when they're "sick" . No, but really, it is all swollen and he can barely walk so he only worked a few hours tonight. I hope for his sake it's better by Saturday night's shift. Godo thing he has tomorrow off. He hates being at home.

Oh man, I hope he gets better. And yes, I know how men get when they're sick.

Diana

Thanks!
He's feeling better, he's able to walk more, but it's still swollen.

If your husband/wife has a university degree try posting the resume at Monster.com. Before putting the spouse's CV there modify it to fit the format of usual resumes in the US.

I've been able to help a couple of friends with non-US degrees make their resumes good enough that employers were interested in interviewing them.

Quick update from us! Homeboy started at FedEx last week, and it's going well. The graveyard shift is taking some getting used to, but it's not a huge deal since he worked in clubs for years, so he's used to being up all night.

NO ONE there speaks Spanish, which is great for him. However, the English he's learning is questionable. I just found out that he knew what a "shorty" was.

And he's a bit worried that there is no possibility of going full time, but he heard a rumor that the operation might be moving to another city and that they might need people full time.

I just can't get over how much recruiting they were doing for these positions...several recuritments at various Dept of Labor One Stops around the state, Craig's List, and it seems that he's the only new person who's started! But yay!

And oh yeah, he did get his license...having to wait another week and travel an hour a way turned out to be a blessing...the guy he tested with was super chill.

Congratulations on everything! It takes a ton of patience trying to get your lives to normal mode. Now the last thing we're waiting for is for him to learn English. Can't wait!

Congrats once again!!

Diana

Congrats on the job!!

My hubby also decided to get a new job since the last one wasn't giving him enough hours and he couldn't work that one and this new one (conflict of hours - they both wanted him to work nights). It's cool though because he was able to do the interview by himself in English!! Yea . And tonight he called my parents and did a good job (I'm so proud).

What is wrong with a manual job? and starting at the bottom? THat is life in America for people that come here. It is tough in the beginning but with hard work time and effort it gets better. I know people who came here with nothing and worked hard and bought there first house within 5 years of being here. YEah the jobs at first were not the best but they had a good work ethic and kept at it. It is tough but one has to be patient and take anything they can get especially if they don't speak english and can not read or write!

This is my opinion.

I agree with you albkos. I tell my husband that too....
It's funny because my best friend is an immigrant (been here since she was 6) and she tells me that her parents had jobs similar to that of my husband when they first arrived. Now they own their own business and are doing quite well (own home, new cars, able to send their daughters to college, travel,...).
There are tons of jobs out there fo rmanual jobs where I live - which is great.

I don't see anything wrong with doing any kind of job you can get your hands on at the beginning. My husband is very well educated and had a good job in Colombian until he was laid off and he did not think twice about getting manual job when he got here. He even said that there was nothing wrong with flipping burgers since they're honest jobs as well. We know that all of this is just at the beginning and that better jobs will come his way once he knows the language and feels more comfortable in this country.

Diana

That's a great attitude your hubby has, Diana!

I agree .

My husband went back to ESL class today so I'm excited.

Hello,

I have not posted in a while. However, I am happy to report that my husband finally started working at a hotel last week. I am hoping he will be able to continue with his ESL classes. How is everyone else doing?

P

My husband speaks English, but does anyone know any cities that have good economies for immigrants? He's pretty much unskilled, and Tampa is no longer working out for a myriad of reasons.

Athena,

The Orlando area has a BUNCH of jobs...I mean my husband doesn't have more than a HS education and has never had a problem getting a job. I mean, it's been super easy for him.
There are tons of immigrants here and they tend to stick to the same kinds of jobs.
I mean, the women are mostly housekeepers/cleaners and the men tend to work in "driving" jobs (at the airport), construction (if there is any work), and restaurants/hotels. Now I'm talking about illegals with limited to no English.
Athena, your husband has papers and speaks English - so there should be more jobs for him.

Only thing he has ever done is jewelry - and I guess most people don't see any good in that, when he was interviewing last time (before the economy took a turn for the worse) the most he was offered was 9.00 an hour. He makes more than that where he is, but he wants me to go back to school and we just bought a car that we shouldn't have (okay, last year)...

With the cost of gas going so high (I heard up to 250.00 a barrel by next year?!) it's too difficult for him to keep his present job and us both drive 40 miles (round trip) everyday.

I'm keeping myself up nights worrying about this. He's entertained the idea of going elsewhere to find work that pays well, but I hate that idea; also considered construction but there's not much building going on over here at the moment. I've been kind of afraid more of the same over in Orlando =/

What about working in a restaurant? It's hard work but he can make more than $9/hr for sure. A friend of mine works in Lakeland and her husband works in Tampa and he has experience but makes up near $16 (or more)/hour.

If you work in a higher end restaurant you can make no less than $10/hour.

Athena,

Having worked in the jewelry business has certainly given him some skills that he could apply in other very detailed jobs. Spruce up his resume, focusing on skills; and go check out jewelry business in the area, as well as other places where he could use his very specialized skills.- What kind of work would he like doing?

L.

I just got myself caught up on this post. It's great to have a place for ideas and venting.

Reeses16--I don't know if your husband is still looking. We've been in Seattle since last summer. My husband is taking ESL classes at the community college and found a job at UPS through their job fair. It was easy to bus down from North Seattle, but I picked him up at night b/c the bus ran infrequently at night and was in that sketchy, industrial part of seattle. There were other immigrants, but he was the only Mexican. He said the other co-workers were nice, but it was very demanding physically. It depends which area your're assigned to. He kept saying "I'm not in my 20s anymore"--He's only 32! He lost 3 pant sizes in 3 months, and he wasn't heavy to begin with. But, they do have great health benefits for part timers. THey have 3 shifts a day. He worked the evening shift. He did manual labor through high school and some of college, but not for a while.

In January he decided to leave and got a job at Starbucks. It's his favorite job ever. He decided he would get over the "wanting to work in an office" thing and finally do what makes him happy. His favorite job in Mexico was bartending his way through college. Starbucks gives you benefits after 3 months of working at least 80 hours a month and he likes his co-workers. They're also flexible with his school schedule. He feels a lot better as an immigrant in Seattle than in San Diego. I think that had more to do with his being mexican immigrant and the tension near the border.

My husband has a 4 year degree in Business Administration and was working as a human resources/finance department assistant when we married in San Diego 4 years ago. My husband had a hard time there. He really wanted an office job. He thought he'd paid his dues through high school and college, working manual jobs, and felt frustrated that he was "starting over." I, of course, felt guilty b/c I didn't have to "start over' when he moved here. But now he's in a place where he sees the opportunities here that wouldn't have been available to him in Mexico. But that took a while.

It's a long process, but as you all know, if your relationship makes it through, you're much stronger as a couple.

Only thing he has ever done is jewelry - and I guess most people don't see any good in that, when he was interviewing last time (before the economy took a turn for the worse) the most he was offered was 9.00 an hour. He makes more than that where he is, but he wants me to go back to school and we just bought a car that we shouldn't have (okay, last year)...

With the cost of gas going so high (I heard up to 250.00 a barrel by next year?!) it's too difficult for him to keep his present job and us both drive 40 miles (round trip) everyday.

I'm keeping myself up nights worrying about this. He's entertained the idea of going elsewhere to find work that pays well, but I hate that idea; also considered construction but there's not much building going on over here at the moment. I've been kind of afraid more of the same over in Orlando =/
[/quote]

What did he do with jewelry? If he really enjoyed the work, I'd think there has to be something out there, especially in areas with high tourist flow. My mom works at a store in San Diego where she runs the register but part of the job requirement is that she make necklaces, etc, while in between customers. I know she's a USC, but she enjoys it the combo.

I have another friend who started selling handmade jewelry on-line after she and her husband had a major car accident. She has a PHd in chemistry but enjoys jewelry making. (you never know) Her husband works part-time as a teacher for insurance, but otherwise they survive on her income. They run the business from their small apt.

Oh! And absolutely listing all languages spoken is always an amazing skill.

I told my husband the same thing. Although he's not fluent in English yet, he gets by, and IS fluent in Portuguese and understands Spanish fine.

He's looking into importing handmade Peruvian jewelry at the moment, but he has spent the last 4 years working for a husband and wife team. He makes the jewelry - it's all handmade. He is interested in having his own business, but that won't fix our situation at the moment, and the start up costs are so high. That's in the plans but is not immediate

Hey! Glad to know things are going well with your husband. Which school does your husband go to? I wonder if they might know each other. My hubby goes to North Seattle Community College.

Yeah, he's working at a restaurant now. Its frustrating because he's not being treated fairly there. It sucks, but he's willing to do what he needs to put us in a better position long term, but its ridiculous stuff like: 1) not giving him enough hours...(do you know anyone who was hired for a full time position but works 26 hrs a week?) or not paying him for time worked (his last check was short many hours, thank God his clock-in/out gives printed receipts that I record on my calendar and file. This has happened 2 times now). Sigh.... he's doing the best he can. He tried getting a job at UPS for holiday season, but he was really confused during orientation. There was a lot of reading and it was too fast paced. My hubby is definitely a relaxed person and hopefully in time he will adjust to the quicker pace of things in the US.

His first job was at Starbucks... where he was never scheduled for more than 19 hours/wk and most often 10. So he never got benefits.

He did have an awesome job offer, exactly what he wanted for GREAT pay...but he didn't have a drivers license. His road test is later in the week. I'm praying for him. I know for him having a license will help him get a job that he finally ENJOYS. I guess we just have to be patient, I'm sure things will get better with time.

===

On a side note the economy is really frightening to US right now! Gas reached regular gas was $3.67 in Seattle last week. We shop at Sams club and no joke, several of the items we buy were $2-3 more expensive, per item! We've been pretty committed to paying off our debt, but for the next 2-3 months we're going to make minimum payments and put the rest in savings for security.

yeah, it's not so lucrative in the beginning. My friend started on-line a couple of years ago, but they live in nice apartment in a wealthy part of San Diego, now. They don't make enough for them both to leave their jobs, though.

But maybe someday soon for you guys.

Hey peepz - I am also in Seattle!!!

Your spouses might want to check out the UW temp program: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/roles/mgr/hire/utemp.html
or the UW HR website: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/jobs/index.html

Oh wow. Is your husband from Mexico, too?

My husband loves Starbucks, (he wants to have his own cafe someday) but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.

Nope. I am from Mexico , hubby is Oregonian.
And... well... I don't like Starbucks He could also try Tully's, or Seattle's Best; or perhaps one of the many barista jobs in the area!!! (exception made of the bikini stands )

Reeses16,
I think that the restaurant business is like that - few hours. My husband did that for about a month and had to fight for 30 hours. He would ask for more hours and they'd give him maintenance work (painting) which he didn't mind.
Now they paid him well, but he wasn't working a lot so that job had to go.

We've been looking at Houston...anyone from Houston have any words on getting a job as an immigrant who DOES speak English?

(M.'s dad was in the oil business, and he has contacts that are in it still.)

Hey I'm new in this post but I couldn't help reading what all of you guys have written about your husbands (or wives)...
My fiancé will be coming here (we're sending the paperwork in for the K-1 Visa later on this week after I get the documents from him in the mail)... I live in NY in a HEAVILY Hispanic populated area. Luis will have no problem getting a job AT ALL. However, what bothers me is that he'll probably have no reason to ever want to learn English - in Perú he works in his brother's business (family business) and also used to do residential construction, painting etc.

Anyone run into this problem? I'm going to make sure he takes ESL classes, his English is very limited, but I'd almost rather he work with English speakers.

Have you considered Las Vegas? My family and I lived there for a while and there are plenty of jobs in the casinos for everybody, from security to wait staff to front desk, housekeeping, bartending, banquets, slot machine ITs, etc. The Culinary Union has great benefits and a great health insurance. I'm sure that your husband won't find it hard to get settled since he speaks English and is legal. You can also find work there since it's a city that is growing rapidly and there's the possibility of finding any type of work. Not only that but the city is beautiful and there is a ton of things you can do there.

Diana

Before my husband's EAD came in, my husband volunteered at my job. I work in a medical setting at a nonprofit. He volunteered with filing and data entry. SOme of my co-workers spoke Spanish so they could explain things to start but most people in the office didn't, so he had to practice English. SO that can be an option prior to EAD.

Once he got work he did find work where he needed to speak Spanish to customers. However, he eventually found that the best jobs (highest paying, better work environments) were in jobs where he was required to use more English. That was motivating to him.

THe ESL classes will help, too. They help with confidence. The culture shock of the move is also very hard, so sometimes my husband found he just wanted to speak Spanish with other SPanish speakers just to feel normal for a bit.

Good luck!

My husband came here with almost no English and what has helped him is going to ESL classes 5 days a week for 2 hours each and working with people who can only speak English. He's forced to use whatever he has learned in school at work so he can get it done. I know I can speak to him more in English at home but every time we start we end up speaking Spanish because we can get done faster, in all honesty.

Bottom line is that being surrounded by English will help them get ahead faster than when they are surrounded by Spanish all day long.

Diana

I agree that the best way to learn English is to live/work/study the language. My husband's first job was with Brazilians and that was good because he learned a lot and the job gave him experience in the country - but he spoke Portuguese all day. His next job(s) was working with some Americans and Hispanics - but then he'd get frustrated because everyone wanted to speak Spanish to him.
Now my husband works only with English speakers and is back to ESL class. His boss is Middle Eastern so he even has to work with understanding his (pretty heavy) accent. That's good for him. He can't study everyday because it's too much with work, but he goes to class twice a week for a couple hours a day.
Another good thing is that I am forcing myself to speak English to him, and it's actually not as bad as I thought . My husband still answers me in Portuguese (most of the time), but it's still better for him because then he goes home and still has to speak English. Of course the TV helps too.

My husband is actually at yet another job interview, though he has not had many. It has been hard for him to get anything thus far and we are not sure why. Some have told him that he is not what they are looking for or that his English level is not good enough for the job. The hardest thing is the no possibility of contacting references as they are all in Cuba and calling there is crazy expensive, plus the language. He is pretty much looking for anything to get him work experience and then will go from there. Hopefully this interview will work in his favor.

Maybe you can use your friends and family as his personal references. If you do this, make sure they are familiar with his work history and responsibilities.

That's what we did - and of course they never call anyway.
I think once our hubbies get their feet in the door (like you said) it's easier from then on.
Good luck!

Rebex,

Try applying on line with him and see if they call him. We're here at Highlands Ranch and I applied with my husband everywhere until Babies R Us called him and I went with him to the interview. I told them that he was a very hard worker and very responsible and that he wanted to learn English with them. They liked what they heard and saw and has been there for over 3 months now. I know they still have the "we're hiring" sign outside the store but I'm not sure if that's something your husband would be interested in.

Diana

You know, overall the job market SUCKS right now, so our fellows do have added challenges. I work out of the state office for those looking for work/on unemployment and the place is jamming all the time, full of people with solid work history AND native English speakers.

So my best advice to you, Rebex, is to stay strong and stay persistent.

My fellow is working a totally bizarre schedule with FedEx, but I keep telling him to hold on to it with his life. I was psyched that they actually wanted him, because they still continue to do recruitments and tours of the site, but haven't hired anyone on. He's bonded with one white kid, and spends most of his time speaking English, which is great.