QUICK LINKS: USA Guide - USA Discussion Forum - USA Property Listings

TIP: Want to use the forums? Register your account here!

Click here to download this entire guide as an E-book (PDF file) for printing, emailing, reading offline etc. for only £3.95 (100+ pages, multiple currencies accepted)

The easiest way to find work in the USA is to work for a large international company that can re-locate you to America while retaining you as an employee. This is the simplest way to secure a work visa before entering the USA. There are several websites, such as www.monster.com, that allow you to place your resume online. There are also numerous agencies, career fairs, newspaper advertisements, and personal networking groups to facilitate this process. You must be aware of whether your work visa allows general employment or strictly work on the basis of having a high-level skill.

Unemployment rate

This varies a great deal depending on a few factors:

1. the state you are in
2. the type of work you do
3. whether you are located in an urban or rural area
4. how the rate is calculated. Sometimes the government only counts people who have no job at all as unemployed, but other times “underemployed” counts as well. Underemployed means not earning enough to support oneself or one's family.

Importance of language skills

The importance of English fluency in obtaining high wage jobs in America cannot be overemphasized. However, even if you are already fluent in English, additional languages are advantageous for certain types of jobs. If your English language skills are weak, then either you must have a very high level of skill in some other area that will make you highly desirable (such as a doctoral degree in mathematics and willingness to teach in American universities or $1 million in investment capital and the ability to run a business that hires English speakers!) or else you must make improving your English a very high priority. A useful website for those looking to learn English as a second language (ESL) is www.applyesl.com.

Wages, taxation and benefits

The federal minimum wage is $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008 and $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Many states also have minimum wage laws. In cases where an employee is subject to both state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher minimum wage. Most employers offer full time employees insurance after a predetermined time period. A much smaller number of companies offer even part time employees insurance benefits. The standard work week in the USA for full time employees is 40 hours per week. “Straight” part time workers typically put in 20 hours, although many very young employees may put in fewer hours than that. Insurance benefits in most cases will not be available to those working fewer than 20 hours each week.

Employment law

The minimum working age is 16 (with a few exceptions). It is illegal for you to be asked to work for more than 40 hours per week without being paid extra for every hour above 40 hours. The only exceptions to this are salaried positions. Salaries may force you to work overtime without additional compensation at times, but they also cover you during instances of fewer hours than 40 in a given week. Salaried positions normally have better benefits and signify longer-term relationships.

Work behaviour and customs

Workplace customs differ between professions and employers. Speaking English is probably the most important workplace custom to follow. If you are not fluent then you need to start improving your English language skills immediately. There are ESL classes for working adults in most American cities. You can also hire a private tutor, go out and listen to people speaking English or watch television in English, or get “study” courses out of the local library.

In short, do everything you can to improve your English language ability as rapidly as possible! In most professional positions there are strong expectations of restraint. Subjects closely related to gender, sexuality, or racial differences are typically silenced. Men and women are expected to limit expression of their sexuality either with body language or verbally so as to not make each other or other colleagues uncomfortable, and to maintain a professional atmosphere. Dress code varies somewhat by region. The larger cities are more professional, whereas the southern states are more relaxed. Some positions in many organizations still demand more formal wear, but there has been a trend in American culture away from this.

Holidays and vacation time

The amount of vacation time and the number of public holidays workers are entitled to is one of the biggest differences between American and European workplaces. While most UK and European workers will enjoy four to five weeks of paid vacation time, in addition to several public holidays, each year, employers in the US are not obligated by law to give their employees any vacation time; however, most employees start out with one week of paid vacation time and work their way up to more vacation time over a number of years. Most workers will receive paid time off for certain holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but many other “minor” holidays (e.g., Good Friday, Independence Day, Labor Day) are considered “working holidays.” This aspect of American life is one of the hardest for expats to get used to and a cause of low workplace morale for foreigners and US citizens alike.

Self-employment

Self-employed individuals are responsible for paying their own taxes and planning for retirement. For information on how to register as self-employed, as well as tax regulations, visit www.usa.gov/Business/Self_Employed.shtml.

--

Expat Focus would like to acknowledge the kind help given by Kirstie Wilson of British Business Connection in compiling this guide.

Got something to add to this section? Spotted something which should be changed? Please let us know!

Click here to return to the contents page for "United States of America (USA) - an expatriate guide."