"Can you not come to the USA? Do not come." Russian immigrant - about life in America - ForumDaily
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“Can you not come to the USA? Do not come. Immigrant from Russia - about life in America

Maria Podolyak lives in the US 2,5 of the year and helps Russian projects with access to the American market, and also leads blog about life in America. About two years before this, Maria lived in New York, now in Gainesville, near Miami (Florida). The city has a large university called the University of Florida, where many Russians come to get Masters Degree.

According to the Russians, she is often approached by compatriots who want to immigrate to the United States, and she does not tire of reminding:

“Moving to the USA is not moving to Moscow. Do not forget that emigrating is not difficult, it is much more difficult to truly settle. Yes, this is still a quest - to integrate into the USA, to get a job in a good company. That is why many of us open businesses here. Usually this is a small or medium-sized business - cleaning, car rental and repair. A lot of people I know are involved in the real estate business, for example, they buy houses in very poor condition, remodel them and sell them for more money.”

Maria told the Russian edition "Business Quarter" what is worth remembering when planning emigration.

1. If you are satisfied with the work and the situation in Russia and you are not being transported by your employer, then you should not go to the USA - you will definitely fall into the standard of living. You need to clearly understand why you are going to America. One option is for the children and their future, but in this case you are sacrificing yourself. For rental housing you need a credit history, a bank account, certificates from work. Employers check future employees far and wide. Very often hired on the recommendation. Therefore, the newcomers to rent a house without the help of the company is very difficult. But employees usually pay for the apartment themselves. Landlords are scrupulous to those who rents housing, check their reliability. In New York, the apartment I rented was worth $ 2550 per month. Before check you have to pay double the amount (upfront) - the cost of rent per month and a deposit in case of damage to property.

2. If you come to a project in America on your own and plan to stay here, you need to be prepared for the fact that if the project closes suddenly (which often happens with start-ups from Russia), then you can search for work for six months or longer. America is a highly competitive country in the labor market. So start your future job search with a network, dating. In this case, you need to get acquainted not with entrepreneurs from Russia, but with employees from American companies.

Finding a job in the USA is a real challenge to self-esteem and the nervous system. An in-person interview is an achievement. American companies will not interview everyone, as in Russia, but only if the person is very suitable, and there is a plan to hire him. As a rule, before the face-to-face interview you will be able to talk to the recruiter by phone. This procedure is called phone screening. To do this, you need to train the telephone very much. sales pitch.

3. In my personal opinion, you need to work at 100% of the American employer. You will tighten the language, you will begin to understand the local mentality, you will get connections that will allow you to continue on your career path. No matter how insulting it may sound, but open offices and representative offices of Russian companies suffer from childhood diseases and are learning everything themselves. And an immigrant needs a leader, an example, he needs to learn in order to go one step higher. In addition, salaries in domestic companies, as a rule, are lower than in American ones. Most often, Russian companies in America do not provide medical insurance for their employees. You need to understand that insurance can go to 350 dollars per month for a family of two people, and if there is a child, then in 500 dollars per month and above. There are other bonuses that provide US companies, for example, payments to the pension fund 401K. Therefore, if you were offered insurance at the interview, find out what is in it. Does it cover your household, how much you will pay extra from your pocket, does it include dental treatment?

Examples of Russian companies that managed to gain a foothold (that is, open an office and start hiring people according to local standards) in the US market are rare. For example, the Ecwid (Ulyanovsk), Scentbird (Moscow), Fast (Krasnodar region). I would like to recall at least one Nizhny Novgorod company, which opened a full-fledged office in America and began to recruit employees. As a rule, Russians do not open an office, but a legal entity. They themselves sit in coworking, and people are hired in Russia, because it is cheaper.

Photo by the author

4. Many times it has been said that living in America is not cheap. I confirm. Even more expensive - to live in America with children. There are no free kindergartens, so be prepared to pay about $ 1 thousands per month for a preschooler (plus the cost of insurance). For the second child you will receive a discount, but still it is a decent amount. Nanny costs $ 10 per hour in small cities. In New York, it will cost $ 15-20 per hour, in San Francisco it will cost about $ 20. On a work visa, the husband of the wife of immigrants are not eligible to work in the United States, so they can only do something on the cash - sit with the children, clean up, teach the language, or work remotely in Russia.

5. In America, a good system of free (public insurance) schools. But often, especially in big cities, children have to be given to private schools. In the school give the index of residence. And so it happens that the rent and the cost of housing is just space in the area of ​​a good free school. Therefore, people often believe that it is cheaper to rent housing in an expensive area and go to a free school, or live in a cheaper area, but go to a private one.

6. Standard for Russia, sick leave and leave are optional under US law. Each company chooses what kind of vacation you will have - 10, 14 days, etc. The size of the vacation often depends on how many years you have been with the company.

It is very important to find out during employment, for how many days of vacation you can count, whether there are sick days, how many sick days are allowed. That is why many mothers do not have the opportunity to go to work, because on school holidays the child must sit with someone. Nanny dear. A week in the camp costs from $ 150 (and in New York from $ 300) without power. In many states, it is forbidden to leave children at home alone until they reach 12.

Summing up, once again list the main tips for finding a job in the United States.

1) It is better to settle in a big city and build your network from scratch - to meet Americans, people who have lived here for a long time.

2) Use sites indeed, monster, hired, craiglist for manual labor; remotive.io - for remote work; Upwork - for freelancers.

3) Need to prepare a self-presentation or sales pitch.

4) LinkedIn should be fine. What does it mean? Fill in LinkedIn in line with the story you tell in the US.

Another strategy is to go to the Masters program, build a network there, tighten your tongue, walk to internship. But behind you will hang a huge debt for education, because the program usually lasts 2 of the year.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Pros and cons of immigration in the United States

Four waves of Russian immigration: who are these people

Five myths about emigration

Seven things that can surprise you in the US

Personal experience. How I moved to the USA

How I handled depression in immigration

Miscellanea In the U.S. immigration to the USA
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