# coming to boston



## kenny (Apr 9, 2008)

hi ,i'm new to these forums so please bear with me my family are emigrating to the us in janury, we are starting to look for jobs on the internet and getting nowhere fat my wife is a care manager with the local council and is also a hair dresser so she has a few careers to go for, any suggestions on jobs and where do we start looking, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Hi, and welcome to the forum. I grew up in the Boston area and go back there a couple times a year to visit, so I'll try to be of some help here.

First of all, have you got the matter of visas sorted out yet? Or are you looking for jobs to find a sponsor for your visa applications? 

If you've got the visa situation in hand, you'd probably do best to wait until you arrive to start looking for jobs. It's a little bit early to be looking for work if you can't start until next January - and very few employers will hire anyone sight unseen. Besides, any potential employer will need to verify your visa status before they can hire you - and that can't be done until after you have entered the US and received (or at least applied for) a social security number.

If you're looking for work to find a sponsor for your visas, you pretty much need a university diploma of some sort, and to offer some sort of skill or experience that is not commonly found in the local population and is in demand (preferably by a large employer, who has some experience with hiring from overseas). This normally means that one of you would have to be a managerial person or someone in a highly technical profession, like an engineer or IT person.
Cheers,
Bev


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## kenny (Apr 9, 2008)

*thanks*

visa applications been approved were hoping for an october interview in london and expect to be in the states for jan/feb, my wife and son have dual nationality it's just me and my daughter that need visas, we wont be applying for jobs just now but would like some info on what career would be best for my wife pay and conditions ect, tried searching the web to see if there was a job equivelent to her manegerial post & for hair dressing however no success, tried the usual monster jobs etc any help would be magic
cheers again


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about your wife's job of care manager - there really isn't an equivalent in the US. That will make it kind of up to her to "sell" it to a potential employer. But, they do have a variety of "case manager" positions with the various health care organizations in the Boston area. The jobs are medically oriented - but it's certainly worth looking into.

Take a look at the online version of the Boston Globe (Boston.com / Monster - Boston Area Jobs) . Every once in a while they run a big section of job ads related to health care professions - but these include all sorts of administrative jobs. There are also a number of "job fairs" in the Boston area - usually in specialty fields (IT, health care, education, etc.) - but if you can catch one of those, it would be ideal. The Globe's job ad section usually includes lots of articles about job hunting and career fields, too, which could be useful.
Cheers,
Bev


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## kenny (Apr 9, 2008)

thanks i'll check that out, my wife was also wondering if she will need to re-sit anything for her hair dressing or will her qualifications from the uk be sufficient also been on a few job sites for boston and surrounding area and found plenty of vacancies but only a few for hairdressing i found this strange for such a large area again thanks


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

This should answer all questions regarding your wife's certification.

Board of Registration of Cosmetologists - Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation


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## kenny (Apr 9, 2008)

thanks twostep i'll check this out.


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## ChungyUK (Feb 27, 2008)

Hey guys

Just a quick question about Boston, MA. Is Boston a expensive city to live in? I'm considering moving to the States in the near future but can't decide on the location. I have a few cities that i'm interested, which are New York City, Chicago and Boston. Which of these are the cheapest and expensive cities to live?

Thanks 
Steve


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Well, Boston is cheaper (by a bit) than New York, and possibly a bit more expensive than Chicago - but that depends on lots of personal factors.

If you're talking about living smack in the city, all three areas are horrifically expensive - though NYC is far and away the most expensive for housing of any type.

I've lived in the suburbs of Boston and Chicago (and in the far suburbs of NYC - a LONG time ago), and there are plenty of areas that are much more reasonable than the city center. New York has the best mass transit (assuming you have to commute into the city to work), with Chicago next and Boston clearly third.

What brings you to the US? If it's a job, you may have to work around the location where you'd be working (i.e. city center in one city vs. suburban "campus" in another).
Cheers,
Bev


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## ChungyUK (Feb 27, 2008)

Well the idea is to come to the US to work on a H1B VISA which entitles me to work for 3 yrs and an option for an extra 3 yrs...is this right? Anyway I'm not sure where I would like to work if I do make it to the US. I've kinda set my heart on NYC but I know its gonna be expensive because its NYC. Chicago is a nice city but i'm interested in working in the North West region so thats the only thing thats putting me off a bit. But the thing is I haven't been to Boston before but heard lots of nice things about it.

So basically how does a H1B VISA work? all i know is that a US company sponsor you but only if you fit into the skills category. I'm 24 yrs old and i've got a degree in Business and Computing and have experience in working in the IT field. The thing is I don't have a lot of working experience since finishing university last June 07. So far i've only got like 6 months of working experience in the IT industry working on database system as a Patient Admin Support Assistant for the NHS at my local hospital. Its only a temporary positon and will finish at the end of June time. 

I really want to the States but don't really know how to go about it.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Well, the first thing to know about an H1B visa is that you have to find the job first - before you even apply for the visa. So you wind up going wherever the job opens up that will have you. You can certainly limit your job search to a city or an area - but that just limits your chances of getting a job offer.

And just a word of advice - you'll be in a far better position to apply for jobs in the US with a couple of years of experience under your belt. The job market there is very competitive, and in most fields (especially business and computing) your experience is probably far more important than your "pedigree" (i.e. your academic credentials).

There are zillions of people in the US looking for work fresh out of school - with degrees in business and computing. It costs an employer alot of time and money to petition for an H1B candidate, so you've got to be able to offer an employer something the local job candidates don't have. And usually, that's experience. 

Working for the NHS is a good start, because the Americans are just starting to realize the sorts of overhaul they are going to have to start making to their health care system. If you can manage a few more contracts with the NHS or a job with health care overtones, then you have something of a "specialty" and some unique experience to bring to a US employer.

It may well also be worthwhile to take your time gathering some relevant experience, too, as H1B visas are currently in very limited supply and even big name US firms are having trouble getting visas for the people they would like to hire. After this next election and depending on how the upcoming (or ongoing) recession goes, there's some chance the visa requirements may change for the better.
Cheers,
Bev


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## ChungyUK (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks a lot for the useful information. Just wondering is the H1B Visa the only chance of entering the US on work basis or is there any other visas?


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

There are lots of other sorts of visas, but in general you need to be sponsored either by an employer or by a direct family member (parent, child, brother or sister). 

Probably the "best" visa (in terms of flexibility, at least) is the L type visa - which is when an international company transfers you (usually at a managerial level) to the US as part of their ongoing employee moves. But you have to have worked at least a year (I think it is) for the company before you are eligible for an L visa.

Take a look at the US Embassy in London website for a full listing of the various visa types.
Cheers,
Bev


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## IdoL (Apr 14, 2008)

Thanks for the info...


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

As your actual work experience is very limited and you are young - have you considered an internship? Yes, it is very limited but would give you some insight of work/life in the US.


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

I just read an article in the New York Times that made an interesting point. While the total unemployment figure is not historically high, the unemployment figures for people in their prime working years is.


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