Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > New York > New York City
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-17-2019, 05:42 AM
 
4 posts, read 3,522 times
Reputation: 15

Advertisements

First of all, I want to apologize because there must probably be similar entries, but I also think my case is quite special

I am a spanish citizen and I am currently working in Madrid as a strategy consultant for a boutique strategy consulting firm. I studied industrial engineering (top 5%) and I did my master's degree in the Netherlands in a top engineering school. In addition, I worked in the Netherlands and in Belgium (not in consulting). As you can see my profile is very international.

My girlfriend is from New York and we are planning to get married at the end of the year. I am planning to move to New York with her (she is already working in the city).

My main concern is to find a good job there as I already have a very good one in Madrid. I would like to find a job in consulting but I am also open to other opportunities, specially in finance

Another concern is the timing. It would be ideal to find something from Europe (while I am still working in Madrid), even though I am aware of how difficult that is (however, I also think that it is possible to start recruting processes from here since a lot of companies are used to doing video-conference interviews).

Do you guys think that, taking into account my studies and work experience, is possible to find a good job in New York in consulting?

What would you say is better to do?

- To make an effort from Europe and contact some firms and try to interview from here
- Just move to New York with her and start my job search once I am already settled

Another thing to mention is that I would eventually have a work permit when I get married w, but if I start contacting companies before having it, should I mention that I will have it in the near future or they just don't care about it as long as you don't have it yet?

Sorry for the long post

Hope you guys can help me
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-17-2019, 06:00 AM
 
25,556 posts, read 23,980,472 times
Reputation: 10120
Quote:
Originally Posted by garcmillan View Post
First of all, I want to apologize because there must probably be similar entries, but I also think my case is quite special

I am a spanish citizen and I am currently working in Madrid as a strategy consultant for a boutique strategy consulting firm. I studied industrial engineering (top 5%) and I did my master's degree in the Netherlands in a top engineering school. In addition, I worked in the Netherlands and in Belgium (not in consulting). As you can see my profile is very international.

My girlfriend is from New York and we are planning to get married at the end of the year. I am planning to move to New York with her (she is already working in the city).

My main concern is to find a good job there as I already have a very good one in Madrid. I would like to find a job in consulting but I am also open to other opportunities, specially in finance

Another concern is the timing. It would be ideal to find something from Europe (while I am still working in Madrid), even though I am aware of how difficult that is (however, I also think that it is possible to start recruting processes from here since a lot of companies are used to doing video-conference interviews).

Do you guys think that, taking into account my studies and work experience, is possible to find a good job in New York in consulting?

What would you say is better to do?

- To make an effort from Europe and contact some firms and try to interview from here
- Just move to New York with her and start my job search once I am already settled

Another thing to mention is that I would eventually have a work permit when I get married w, but if I start contacting companies before having it, should I mention that I will have it in the near future or they just don't care about it as long as you don't have it yet?

Sorry for the long post

Hope you guys can help me
You have not gotten married yet, and you currently have no legal status in the United States. Unless you are superstar it's going to be extremely difficult for you to find work. Really, I'd say asking for work is moot until you get married and fill out the relevant papers.

Also for work visas they tend to prefer people from China or India who are less expensive than Europeans, when it comes to fields like engineering. You'll need to be spectacular.

So worry about things when you actually get married.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-17-2019, 06:07 AM
 
4 posts, read 3,522 times
Reputation: 15
Thanks for your answer NyWriterdude.

I agree with you. I believe that I need to start taking action once I am married.

I am planning to get married and then start looking from Europe (I want to get married withouth quitting my job). How about that? Do you think it is feasible and easier to do it from here once I have legal status in the United States?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-17-2019, 06:21 AM
 
25,556 posts, read 23,980,472 times
Reputation: 10120
Quote:
Originally Posted by garcmillan View Post
Thanks for your answer NyWriterdude.

I agree with you. I believe that I need to start taking action once I am married.

I am planning to get married and then start looking from Europe (I want to get married withouth quitting my job). How about that? Do you think it is feasible and easier to do it from here once I have legal status in the United States?
I've learned it's not good to plan to do things. Just DO them. If you really want to marry your girlfriend and she really wants to marry you, marry her already and then you can begin the legal process. Talk to a qualified immigration attorney, not strangers on the internet.

Based on this, I don't take your post too seriously.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-17-2019, 07:49 AM
 
4 posts, read 3,522 times
Reputation: 15
My post is serious. I don't understand why you think it's not. Asking a qualified immigration attorney is definitely something I will eventually do. I just wanted to get opinion on the internet. I believe this is a great forum where people with concerns get help. Forums are out there to help people and I thought posting my issue on the internet would be a great idea to get interesting insights.

Anyways, I really appreciate your help
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-17-2019, 08:24 AM
 
268 posts, read 239,885 times
Reputation: 425
You need a headhunter and leads from international colleagues. Very few high-level jobs (and basically no finance jobs) are filled via applications. Best of luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-17-2019, 08:58 AM
 
Location: New Jersey and hating it
12,199 posts, read 7,227,282 times
Reputation: 17473
Does your company have offices here? You can ask for a transfer. Also, I learn that having connections are the best way to get jobs. Do you have any contacts that can get you into a company here?

And I agree that you should first get married before worrying about getting a job or moving. As we've seen many times, marriages don't always work out and so you don't want to be stuck in a place or job that you only took because of the marriage.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-17-2019, 11:33 AM
 
1,660 posts, read 1,210,599 times
Reputation: 2890
Miami is better for Spanish speaking jobs. A lot of companies hav their Latin America headquarters there so there's a demand for bilingual English Spanish corporate white collar positions
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-17-2019, 01:28 PM
 
7,759 posts, read 3,887,225 times
Reputation: 8856
It will be tough. Spanish engineers are pretty good (I taught ESL to them while I was in college) but unfortunately most USA employers don't know that. You will be interviewing with people who have only been to Barcelona to party and do drugs. Many of people here in NYC are now from Ohio, Oklahoma and Colorado. These people have never worked abroad and especially not in Europe like I have. So they will look at the European degree and not know what to make of it or compare it to.

The only degrees valued in NY from elsewhere is maybe UK degrees, specifically from London. I am one of the rare well traveled Native NYers left in this city. The majority here are transplants and they've been to Mexico and that's it. There will be cultural barriers to get over, although your English is very good (likely due to studying in the Netherlands)

Even educated workers here are pretty dumb about the EU in general. They think Netherlands they think Marijuana shops and other irrelevant crap.

PM me if you want to discuss more as I have an opinion on this backed by direct experience and observation, but you will want to think very carefully about moving here and getting married to an American citizen. Many Spaniards I've known in the past do not like NYC for the longer term. Compared to Madrid, maybe Queens is where many are comfortable. I am not referring to trivial things either like siesta but more serious things like crime, population density, manners, cost of living (in Madrid you can more easily find cheap apartments) and things to do (in Madrid there are more parks, vegetation and places to explore in my opinion - But I'm biased as a Native NYer).

When a Man moves for a Woman in general there is more risk. The Woman will say she is comfortable being the rock and helping you get on your feet but I find that to be false. They will say one thing and do another. This is universal and not nationality specific most times. However, one thing I did not like for example Spaniard Women in the past I've dated were always progressive in public and traditional behind closed doors. Meaning they were a strong and independent Woman at work but at home demanded the Man "take charge" and pay more bills. Now the younger ones at the time (this was 2007) you would think at age 18-21 would be truly more progressive but they were not when you really got to talking to them.

It's similar here. Your fiancee may act like she's OK but you will find the labor market here to be very competitive even for Engineering, and you'll have to battle stereotypes or lack of knowledge on European credentials. They will also try to pay you a lower wage sometimes depending on the company because of the foreign credentials/origin. This is illegal but difficult to prove in court, of course.

I would highly suggest taking a step back, doing a lot more research and not rushing things. Especially because consulates abroad have now reduced funding it may take longer to do basic things under this "Trumphiant rule".

Can your fiancee move to Europe instead?

Most relationships I see succeeding the Man is in control. You don't want to give up your good job making good money only to be under-appreciated here. When my colleagues and I interview here they are very judgmental about your LinkedIN Profile, University and connections. I had one colleague rejected for a role he was perfectly qualified for because his LinkedIN profile was not up to date. The recruiter was a buffoon and submitted his candidacy without confirming with him or me - Instead of asking for a resume in confidence (many people cannot put full details on their LinkedIN profile while currently employed as it can contain information competitors in the industry can use to their advantage)

The recruiters here are stupid. And now they are outsourcing the recruitment for many NY jobs (whether tech, media or other) to Africans, Indonesians, Ukrainians and India. These people have never been to NYC and have no idea what a good candidate for the job looks like. Even if their English is good enough, they don't get the work culture here or have a solid understanding of the fields they are recruiting for at an American proficiency level.

In short, I don't recommend NYC because it's currently a clusterf***. Nobody knows what they're doing and everyone is interviewing but nobody is seriously hiring. Except if you want to work at the burger shack for $15/hr with no health benefits

There are also legal considerations. I'm not sure if your wife is familiar but there is something called an "Affadavit of support" which means if you get divorced and use USA public benefits (such as food stamps or subsidized housing for poor people) she has to pay the government. She will be on the hook for this until you get roughly 10 years of work credit which means you've paid into Social Security and essentially you're paying for your own "safety net" (but not really, most single Men don't qualify for public benefits).

As you may be able to tell by statistics - Most Women are not comfortable being the provider for a Man or being on the hook in case things go south. She may even be required to pay you alimony - The attorney if he's a good one will go over all of this during the process. With my foreign Wife she was working here already for 10 years and I was able to have the exemption for Affadavit of support. We also signed a prenup as basically it's a wash. She has lower income but more savings, I have higher income but more debt. We both said we both walk away with nothing extra, just whatever is in our individual bank accounts. (Still no shared bank account to this day)

So I have experience in "international marriage" and have observed many fellow relationships over the years and seen which ones failed and succeeded. The ones that are still working the Man usually makes more money and has a more stable job. Despite what you hear on the news or in politics (both in Spain and USA) gender relations remain similar to 100+ years ago.

Last edited by Tencent; 03-17-2019 at 01:39 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-17-2019, 01:41 PM
 
43,669 posts, read 44,406,521 times
Reputation: 20577
Quote:
Originally Posted by garcmillan View Post
Thanks for your answer NyWriterdude.

I agree with you. I believe that I need to start taking action once I am married.

I am planning to get married and then start looking from Europe (I want to get married without quitting my job). How about that? Do you think it is feasible and easier to do it from here once I have legal status in the United States?
By getting married to an American citizen, the legal status you would be getting is of permanent resident meaning you need to be living here first. After you have moved to the USA then you started looking for a job. Also most American employers want someone with a local address (as well as legal working status) before they will even consider them as job applicants.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > New York > New York City

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top