The low standard of living, unemployment, and the economic crisis inside the country make many Russians and Ukrainians think about looking for work abroad. One of the countries where residents of the post-Soviet space dream of leaving for the purpose of employment is the United States. Work in America attracts our compatriots with good wages, social guarantees and the opportunity to live in a democratic state. What is necessary in order to get a job in the USA? And what kind of work can an immigrant expect in this country today? These questions most concern people who want to fly to the States.
Work for students
In America, from 1960 to the present day there is a state program called Work and Travel USA. It allows students from all over the world to work in the USA during the summer holidays. Young people aged 18 to 21 years can become participants in the program, provided that they study in 1-3 years of an institute, university, or academy and know English at a basic level. Students are offered employment mainly in the service sector, where they do not require special knowledge and skills. On average, a person manages to earn from 1.5 to 3 thousand dollars, which is enough for a living and to save a small amount for the future. Applicants are given the right to independently choose their place of work and the locality in which they will live. Thanks to Work and Travel USA, tens of thousands of students fly to America every year to work in America. About a fourth of them after a while filed a second application for registration in the program.
Mandatory requirement for employment
Not only a student, but also any other person who has a desire to work there can become a labor immigrant to the USA. Arriving in America, Russian and Ukrainian citizens must first take care of getting a Social Security Number, a 9-digit number used in the United States to collect taxes from all employees. Without this document it will be impossible to find a job.
Do not postpone writing a resume for the last moment. This document is best done before departure from your country, taking into account all the requirements for its completion existing in the United States.
Available jobs for immigrants
What can be the work in America for Russians and Ukrainians? In the States there is an increased demand for construction specialties, programmers, drivers, engineers. You can find a job in these professions only if you have the appropriate education and work experience. If a person does not have the necessary specialty, then he may try to find a job in less paid places that do not require qualifications (as a waiter, maid, cleaner, handyman, etc.).
Job Search Ways
How to find a job in America? Searching for suitable vacancies can be done in several ways.
After arriving in the States, the applicant should find information about available jobs on employment sites. Resume should be sent to all the vacancies that attracted. The more they are sent, the higher the chance that the immigrant will be able to find work in the near future. The effectiveness of such a newsletter is no more than 3%, therefore, in addition to finding work on the Internet, a person should pay attention to other sources of vacancies.
Local newspapers also contain a lot of information about empty seats. Having made calls to dozens of ads and signed up for a series of interviews, you can get your first job in America.
The most effective way to find a job in the United States is to contact recruiting agencies that recruit employees for employers. The services of such firms for visitors are usually free.
Examples of vacancies for Russians and Ukrainians
The work for Ukrainians in America is the same as for Russians. Both are offered a fairly wide selection of job openings in the service sector. For example, women under 50 can be housemaids at a hotel. Their duties will include cleaning up the rooms, cleaning the bathrooms, changing bed linen. The cost of an hour of such work for immigrants from post-Soviet countries is estimated at an average of $ 6.5.
Men under 50 are taken by supermarket cleaners. Features of such vacancies are that you have to go to work at night. The duties of the employee include cleaning the trading floors with floor cleaning machines. For a month he will receive an average of $ 1,400.
Women of working age in recruiting agencies offer jobs related to cleaning apartments and houses of Americans. For an hour of such work they pay 6.5 dollars.
For the fairer sex without bad habits, you can try to get a nanny-housekeeper (with or without accommodation). Payment here is up to $ 350 per week, meals at the expense of the employer.
Foreigners with a pleasant appearance (both women and men) have great chances to get a waiter's place. Preference is given to people under 40 who know English at a high level. Waiters receive from $ 7 per hour, plus tips.
Healthy and physically hardy men under the age of 55 can go to work on a construction site. Depending on the position, they are paid $ 7-17 hourly.
There are plenty of vacancies in which the Russian or Ukrainian can get a job in the USA, and most of them do not require any skills or work experience from the applicant. But what if a person plans to find a job in his specialty? There are also enough qualified employees in the United States among their population, so immigrants need to prepare for fierce competition when looking for work. Also, do not forget that there are specialties tied to your country. For example, a lawyer, teacher or pharmacist who has been educated in Russia or Ukraine will not be able to apply his knowledge and experience in the States, because there are other laws, an education system, and medicines. To work in their specialty, a visitor will have to study again, which requires a lot of time and money.
Volunteer activity
In the case when a visitor for some time does not manage to find a good place, he can for some time become a volunteer, free of charge helping those in need. Social work in America is highly respected, and if the immigrant’s resume further indicates that he has been on duty at the hospital for free for some time or has been delivering food to old people, this will be a huge plus for him. Employers of such a person will be perceived as disinterested, responsive and kind, so the chances of successful employment will increase. By the way, getting into volunteer work is not easy at all, since every self-respecting American considers it an honor to work for free for the good of society for some time.
USA and Latin America: earnings comparison
Work in Latin America attracts Russians and Ukrainians no less than in the United States. However, there are a lot of differences between the two regions, the main of which is salary. If in the USA a labor immigrant manages to get $ 1,200-1,500 per month, then, for example, in Brazil his earnings will be a maximum of $ 1,100, and in Argentina even less - by force $ 700. At the same time, you must have a good command of the language of the country to which the applicant is going to go.
Work in America: reviews
A person who wants to go to work in the United States is interested in real reviews from people who have been there. What awaits a Russian or a Ukrainian in a distant country, which for many post-Soviet citizens has become synonymous with freedom and democracy? According to labor immigrants who worked in the United States, it is not easy to find a job there. Some take a few weeks to find a decent occupation for themselves. In America, it all depends on the tenacity of the applicant: after the first setbacks you cannot give up, you must continue to send a resume to all the vacancies that you like.
In addition to immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union, people from all over the world come to the States to earn more money, so the competition here is fierce. From a huge number of applicants for a place, the employer will choose the one whose resume he will like best, therefore, special attention should be paid to the preparation of this document. It should be written in good English. His knowledge will be needed not only for compiling a resume. The opinions of people who worked in the United States agree on one thing: without knowledge of spoken English, it is almost impossible to find work in this country.