Working Overseas

[CalEngr17]

Hey EB community,

First time poster, long time lurker. I'm a structural engineer in my late 20s, with approx 6 years of experience working on mainly building design in California, but with a fairly diverse resume. I have a masters from UC Berkeley, my PE, and eagerly awaiting my results from the SE.

My wife and I have discussed living abroad for a couple of years, maybe more or less - just something we have always wanted to do before we settled down and did the whole family thing. As time passes, it seems like the time is now - the big 3-0 is quickly lurking.

I know very few people that have been able to find engineering opportunities outside of the USA , and typically it's being transferred within the company that they already work for ( these friends work in other disciplines outside of structural). I've also heard that it is difficult to apply for jobs cold that are overseas, since companies would have to sponsor your visa and probably could easily just find someone else locally instead.

Has anyone here been able to work outside of the U.S., or your home country? Or know of anyone who has? If so, how did you/they do it? What branch of engineering?

Thanks in advance.

 

[IlPadrino]

USAJobs... plenty of overseas opportunities.

 

[OffShawz]

As an ex-pat brat growing up, I was used to the shuffling around the world, but note that as soon as you hit high school ages with kids, it gets harder. Thankfully I wound up ok (despite what my friends say!), but I like your style of getting out there while you can.

At 32 I've worked in 3 different countries: the UK, Canada, and the Republic of Texas. Note that I'm in oil and gas, so that career path has a habit of pushing people all over the place. If I was going to look abroad now, here's what I'd do (note that I'm not American, so coming here is already as a foreigner "stealin' yer job"!):

1. Determine who is going to be working (both of you?) and see if you can find a place that caters to both of your skill sets.
   
2. Determine if you're willing to sacrifice a likely career path for the chance to go abroad i.e. is it really all about the place, or is it also about the job, and how does that balance out?
   
3. The older you get the more experience you have, the bigger the skill set, but conversely the less likely you'd want to move. 10 yrs of Experience is about the right age (early 30s and relatively flexible)
   
4. Is this a place you want to look at settling down permanently, or just a short-term (18-36 month fix)? Employers wont want to take someone on if they'll flake off after a year.
   
5. Find a place that, if one of you isnt working, you can do other stuff. If your better half is going to be doing nothing but sticking around at home, how much of a culture shock is that going to be? Easier to do that in an Anglo-Western country than somewhere in the Middle East or Africa.
   
6. You'll be there all year, not just during "tourist season", so ask yourself "Am I going to a place to live, or a place to VISIT?"
   
7. There may be a relative pay increase, but really do your homework on Cost of Living. A 30% pay increase from USA to Europe sounds great, but you'll lose money depending on where you're going.
   
8. Is your lifestyle one that you'd want to save while abroad, or are you basically putting that on hold? Think about finances when you leave. Is there a pension plan / 401k you'd lose out on? How will you balance that out?
   
9. How can you guarantee you'll return to a job when you're done? What are the ramifications of staying longer than your intended period? Is there a "get out of jail free" card you have as a backup in case you're forced to stay longer if prospects back home go south?
   

Most people look at work abroad as Unicorns and Rainbows, but unless you're on an ex-pat package (which I HIGHLY advocate but are VERY DIFFICULT to obtain), you've got to figure a lot of this out yourself. Biggest thing people overlook is culture shock and financial planning.

TL;DR: Think like a resident, NOT like a tourist

 

[team1887]

Currently working in Japan as a contractor for US govt. You can PM me for more details.

 

[Supe]

EPC nuclear construction. We have had welding guys, SE's, and ME's overseas for short-term assignments in Canada and Japan (1-2 years) overseeing structural shop fabrication. There are positions out there, but they usually don't last too long.

 

[solomonb]

Take a civilian engineering position in the Department of Defense at one of the overseas military installations. You have government benefits, are able to shop on base, work on some real interesting and stimulating projects and have the opportunity for the spouse to work on the installation as well. The "creature comforts" are better, i.e., the base environment, other Americans, but also many foreign nationals.

If I had a spouse, I would NOT want to go to the Middle East unless it was an accompanied tour, however, Asia is attractive. Saudi can be attractive as well, however, you will need to read up on the cultural differences-- comes as a shock to many folks who don't know what to expect.

We have withdrawn significantly from Europe since the end of the Cold War, Late 1990's, however, there are DoD installations over there as well.

USAID is another opportunity that you may find interesting. Government work is interesting and exciting-- I spent 30 years in the Air Force, in uniform, as a very senior officer-- take a look -- you may be surprised at what you find.

You have your PE, waiting on the SE, which you probably passed-- no kids, wife that likes adventure, get up and go. You will never regret the experience.