# Interning with the UN, then looking to stay on...



## moffie (May 15, 2011)

Hi all,

I'm new to the forums, so please forgive me if I make any faux-pas' in my initial posts.

As the title of my post suggests, I've been fortunate enough to land an internship with the UN in New York, and am flying out in a couple of weeks. I've got everything sorted for a 3-6 month stay (and have my shiny B-1/B-2 visa) but I'm thinking ahead about trying to find a job in the US.

The internship with the UN will effectively finish off my Master's degree in international law and international relations. However, the UN has a specific rule where they aren't permitted to hire interns for the first six months following the completion of the internship. I currently work as a journalist and have some fairly decent writing experience behind me.

For somebody with my skillset and experience, what is the likelihood of finding somewhere that will hire me, despite my Australian citizenship?

Any advice on where to look and how to jobhunt while in NYC would be appreciated


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Do some research. Start with uscis.gov and travel.state.gov to familiarize yourself with potential visa options. 
Once in NY - network like there is no tomorrow. Copy me the link to your resume via PM if you want me to go over it.


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## moffie (May 15, 2011)

twostep said:


> Do some research. Start with uscis.gov and travel.state.gov to familiarize yourself with potential visa options.
> Once in NY - network like there is no tomorrow. Copy me the link to your resume via PM if you want me to go over it.


Alas, I am still quite the newbie and cannot PM anybody yet. But as for the visa thing, I'm fairly sure that I would fall into the E-3 category (that is, Australian professionals in a specialty occupation). The US government likes us so much that they gave us a special visa category of our own...

I guess I'm interested in finding companies and organisations that are willing to sponsor professional Australians with the kind of credentials that I possess.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

moffie said:


> Alas, I am still quite the newbie and cannot PM anybody yet. But as for the visa thing, I'm fairly sure that I would fall into the E-3 category (that is, Australian professionals in a specialty occupation). The US government likes us so much that they gave us a special visa category of our own...
> 
> I guess I'm interested in finding companies and organisations that are willing to sponsor professional Australians with the kind of credentials that I possess.


You may want to rethink this a bit. You have to find a US employer willing to hire you based on your skillsets AND be able and willing to sponsor you.


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## moffie (May 15, 2011)

twostep said:


> You may want to rethink this a bit. You have to find a US employer willing to hire you based on your skillsets AND be able and willing to sponsor you.


That's what I was getting at. I know that certain companies do not hire foreigners, period, while others have the resources/motivation to do sponsorship, provided they find the right candidate.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

moffie said:


> That's what I was getting at. I know that certain companies do not hire foreigners, period, while others have the resources/motivation to do sponsorship, provided they find the right candidate.


The trick is that it's always more expensive and a PITA to sponsor a foreigner for a visa to work. Even those companies that are able to hire foreigners will generally prefer a candidate who has work privileges already. You really need to have something special to offer to overcome the "need for sponsorship" bias.
Cheers,
Bev


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