Finding jobs in the US

[hollyw 0]

Hey girls,

Well, my husband is scheduled to arrive in the US in about three and a half weeks and, while I'm absolutely psyched, I am starting to get nervous about what he will actually DO. I keep myself up all night trying to look online for jobs on any job search site I can find... I try to focus on Boston based sites, since that's where I live. I know that we'll have to wait for the greencard and social security card to come before he can actually apply for anything, but I would just feel horrible if he got here and all I had to say to him was "uhhh I have absolutely no idea where to begin." He speaks fluent arabic and french and his english is good. Not fluent good, but conversational, can-get-by good. He had two years of university in Algeria. He had a job in France for about two years. I'm just not sure how all of this will help him find a job in the US.

I was just curious if you guys could share some of your experiences with you SO's finding work once they got to the US... was it hard, where did they look, what languages/degrees were required? did it help to make other ME/NA friends so they could point you in the right direction? Or if your SO isn't in the US yet, just any suggestions... I'm at a total loss.

Any adivce would SO HUGELY appreciated...

Thanks everyone.

[maggieNomar 0]

Hi Holly,

My cousin brought her husband here on a K3. He did not speak English well, but enough. He worked through a temp agency for a short time to figure out what he liked to do, then got placed in a temp-to-perm position doing something he liked.

Maggie

[noura 0]

gosh, holly, we were just talking abt this last nite... i'm going to start looking and contacting ppl I have some vague contact w/ or recommendations of in his field (security) in hopes to find something there and see what happens. i guess otherwise a temp agency would be a good idea and at the very least he can work in a restaurant of some friends of mine(not really what we want, but i guess it's a plan B). dunno really - this is a toughy!

[MHandMB 0]

Holly, my husband's situation was similar to yours- fluent Arabic and French, ok English, 2 years of an Algerian university, and 6 years working in Paris. When he came here and finally got his SS card and had his temp EAD, we had a hard time finding work for him at first. He can't work at an office type job because although he can communicate in English, he can't really write in English, and a lot of other jobs required having a US license (which we couldn't get until he had a permanent EAD or greencard).

A co-worker of mine has a cousin who runs an iron company, and he needed someone, so he hired my husband. It's hard work, and not what he wants to do permanently, but we didn't really know of a lot of places who would only hire him for the remaining 6 weeks that the temp EAD was valid.

It ended up that he got his EAD and greencard, and has continued to work there, but when we get back from our honeymoon, he's going to start looking for another job. Meanwhile, his bosses love him and will give him a great recommendation, so now he has a U.S. employer's reference on his resume.

As far as temp jobs go, a lot of shops and restaurants will be looking for temporary employees for the Christmas season that's coming up, so you might be able to find something that way to at least get him some experience in the U.S. while he's looking for a permanent job.

[amal 4]

Finding a job for my husband was next to impossible. We applied at every possible job out there. It is good to start now in trying to find a job for ur SO. He's not really happy where he's at but at least it is some money coming in. We are planning to move to another state which has more of an arabian/muslim population. To answer your question, yes its better to know me/na ppl so they can better adjust to the lifestyle here by speaking in their native language. Good luck on your journey! i'm sure it will be as great as mine has been.

amal

[aijan 0]

Hello girls,

Sometimes, I think about this issue too... in my case, it's "me" the job seeker!!

I speak fluent Arabic & French... I can read & write English quite easily, but my spoken one needs more practise... Computer skills are quite good. I worked (and still working) in the administrative field (3 years experience)...

I hear so many people complain about the difficulty to find a job in USA especially if you don't come from UK or Canada, and that your diplomas are not American ones.

It's still early for me, but I keep searching in Monster, Yahoo & Craiglist... so as to have an idea about the job market & the requirements.

I hope that it won't be that difficult & won't take long to find a job... of course, i'm not planning to work from day one of my arrival, i need to have a general idea about the American life style first, but after, i'll start to look for a part-time job or internship or even a volunteer one so as to acquire some experience & not getting bored

let's be positive & Good Luck for ALL

Thanks for any further advice

Najia

[chiquita 0]

For us it is the language barrier. My husband speaks English very well but as he says "it's not his mother tongue". He is fluent in Arabic and French and also speaks some Spanish, Italian and Dutch.

It was suggested by a freind he seek work on the graveyard shift and that is what we did. He is working full time in a large grocery chain stocking. The biggest factor for him is getting to hear English on a reguar basis. He is also learning American customs and a lot of slang. His co workers are great with him.

Of course this is not what he wants to do forever but we feel this job will help him assimilate so much faster. I know quite a few docs where I work who are helping with other job prospects that pay double what he is earning at the moment. My husband has been here 2 months now and everything is moving along very well for him.

Just a few ideas for you to think about. Language and customs seem to be 2 of the biggest issues for us.

chi

[mybackpages 0]

Temp agencies are a good place to start. They can match your skills to the jobs available and often temp jobs turn into full time offers.

In Houston we have a Moroccan Society that is social and informational in nature. Their web site has job links etc. Do you have anything similar?

[aijan 0]

In Houston we have a Moroccan Society that is social and informational in nature. Their web site has job links etc. Do you have anything similar?

Hello mybackpages

Can you plz give me the name of this company? or its website?

thanks

[mybackpages 0]

In Houston we have a Moroccan Society that is social and informational in nature. Their web site has job links etc. Do you have anything similar?

Hello mybackpages

Can you plz give me the name of this company? or its website?

thanks

It;s not a company, but a non-profit organization. Hope it helps!

www.moroccansociety.org

[aijan 0]

It;s not a company, but a non-profit organization. Hope it helps!

www.moroccansociety.org

thanks

[sarah and hicham 3]

We got really lucky and Hicham got a job right away at a Moroccan restaurant. He is also learning English working there so it's good! Good luck!

Sarah

[honeyblonde 0]

Abdel got work as soon as he got his work permit, but it is very hard work in a sugar refinery doing maintenance. The pay is good for this area so he stays, but he hates it. He also has to be at work at 6:30 AM so that makes it even harder. At first he was really depressed about it, but he's working with it. He reads and writes English very well, and speaks it pretty good, but his worst problem was understanding spoken English, especially with the thick southern accent we have down here. He's been at the refinery since June and he is starting to feel like he understands a lot more spoken English now.

He also got his forklift driving certification, so since we're a port city he will be able to get work in a warehouse easily after he's had it for a year. He had 3 years of college in Morocco and keeps himself on top of things by reading constantly in his free time. We plan to get him back in college here as soon as possible and get him certified to teach either in public schools or at the university here.

One thing we've considered is sending him to the local technical college to become a certified welder. It doesn't take too long and pays pretty good, and welders are always in demand around our area.

Najia,

You shouldn't have too much trouble finding work if you have experience. International companies welcome people who speak other languages and can communicate with offices overseas, or foreign customers. I'd recommend checking out the chamber of commerce of the city you will move to, to see who the big companies are. If you can find any that do international business they should be your first targets. Shipping companies and exporters or freight forwarders are also good bets. Speaking a foreign language is a huge plus nowadays especially in international sales divisions of major companies.

[aijan 0]

Najia,

You shouldn't have too much trouble finding work if you have experience. International companies welcome people who speak other languages and can communicate with offices overseas, or foreign customers. I'd recommend checking out the chamber of commerce of the city you will move to, to see who the big companies are. If you can find any that do international business they should be your first targets. Shipping companies and exporters or freight forwarders are also good bets. Speaking a foreign language is a huge plus nowadays especially in international sales divisions of major companies.

Hi Liz

How are you??

thanks for your reply & the advice

i'll certainly contact the Chamber of Commerce!! it's a good idea

Najia

[doodlebug 3]

Hi Holly,

I'm from Boston too and I found that the Islamic Society of Boston has links to job opportunities. I couldn't find an Egyptian Society but I"m still looking. If you look at the first page of this website under bulletin board postings they have job availabilities and he could also post jobs wanted too.

http://www.isboston.org/v3.1/default.asp

Hey girls,

Well, my husband is scheduled to arrive in the US in about three and a half weeks and, while I'm absolutely psyched, I am starting to get nervous about what he will actually DO. I keep myself up all night trying to look online for jobs on any job search site I can find... I try to focus on Boston based sites, since that's where I live. I know that we'll have to wait for the greencard and social security card to come before he can actually apply for anything, but I would just feel horrible if he got here and all I had to say to him was "uhhh I have absolutely no idea where to begin." He speaks fluent arabic and french and his english is good. Not fluent good, but conversational, can-get-by good. He had two years of university in Algeria. He had a job in France for about two years. I'm just not sure how all of this will help him find a job in the US.

I was just curious if you guys could share some of your experiences with you SO's finding work once they got to the US... was it hard, where did they look, what languages/degrees were required? did it help to make other ME/NA friends so they could point you in the right direction? Or if your SO isn't in the US yet, just any suggestions... I'm at a total loss.

Any adivce would SO HUGELY appreciated...

Thanks everyone.