Trip to Kiev

[SANDRO43]

I dunno about you guys, but I can't easily read a chunk of text not separated by paragraphs and which uses an unusually large typeface? Can the mods not edit into something readable?

Done .

[Manny]

Thanks Sandro.

I did have one problem and it is ongoing for me. Don’t know if some of you have had it or not? I can send text with my phone to her but she cannot send it to me! I get a message from her but there is no text in it. Verizon says it is her phone because mine checked out but I’m not so sure about that. Any help with that would be appericated!:) Hope I didn’t bore everyone!:)

Some US mobile networks do have difficulty with SMS's to and from Europe. Verizon seems to be the carrier that pops up most often as a problematical one. On your next trip, pick up a local SIM card so you have a local number. You will need an unlocked quad band phone to put it in. Saves on the roaming charges too.

[steve057]

Thanks Sandro!:) Next time I copy and paste I will pay more attention!!
 
 Manny, Next time I will try that instead. Funny thing is though one message did come through while in Kiev. Don't ask me how but it did..
 
 I did have one other question: She is a lawyer over in Russia,how hard would it be for her to find a job here in the states? A friend of hers has lived here for 4 years and is telling her the only job she will be able to get is like at WalMart or something? I can't hardly believe with 8 years of college and a law degree she couldn't get something better then that? Of course to be a lawyer here she would have to go back to college to learn the laws of this country but she doesn't really want to be a lawyer here. Her English is pretty good really but she does have trouble with writing,so she is going to take some classes at the unversity in her city.  Just curious what is out there for a woman who can speak two languages?
Thanks!

[Eduard]

Steve,
sorry to tell you but as far as I know her law degree is meaningless here in the US. She will have to go back to school to get any kind of decent job... unless off course you have some serious "connections" who would help her get a better job...

[steve057]

Wow! That sucks!!! 8 years of college right down the toilet! Surely she could find something better than working at WalMart though? Kind of sucks going from being a lawyer to WalMart don't you think?

[Eduard]

Wow! That sucks!!! 8 years of college right down the toilet! Surely she could find something better than working at WalMart though? Kind of sucks going from being a lawyer to WalMart don't you think?

wanna know what really sucks? My wife was a dentist in Russia. In order to get her license here she's have to go back to dental school all over again here in Florida and there are only 2 schools in the whole state who accept somewhere around 20 foreign dentists a year into the program. So just the wait can be several years. We wanted to have children and after we looked at the situation my wife decided that it's not worth it to persue. We found out that in a state of Florida she could get a dental hygienist license by taking 3 very difficult tests: National Dental Board, Florida Dental Board, Florida Practical exam. I'm not gonna bore you with all the details but it was a monumental task which we did accomplish. But by the time she got her license the country was in recession and the local dentist's business was hurting, they were actually laying hygienists off. She did get a job one day a week for a few weeks but then it was time to have our second baby so she had to take some time off. She's been looking for the past 1.5 years now and there are no jobs available in this area.
She is now thinking of going to school for nursing...
Wanna hear a funny thing?
Before we found out that a foreign dentist can just take tests to get a hygienist license she was going to enroll into a 2 year hygienist program at a local community college. When we took her evaluated. translated (by the evaluating agency that they designated) Diploma to admissions they told us that they would only give her credit for one subject.
You would think it would be some exact science like microbiology, math, etc. But no, as unbelievable as it sounds, the only subject they would give her credit for was Philosophy!!!   
So my wife has been unemployed basically since she got here which is frustrating to her because although she enjoys being a home maker and taking care of the kids, she could definitely use some time away from home and a part time job would be good for her state of mind.
Getting a "job at Walmart" is probably the only option right now but it doesn't make sense because a baby sitter would cost more than she would make...

[steve057]

That was awful nice of them to give her credit for Philosophy!!
 
I believe they need to rethink the system just a little! Strange thing is their education system over there is probably better than ours here to start with! I know I've been out of school for a long time but it was a joke then and I'm sure things have got worse not better. I can understand they want to make sure about a doctor but I do believe dentists are the same all over the world really. The prescriptions would be the thing that would be different here as they love to give them out.
 
Sad though she can't find a job and I do understand about working in a place that doesn't cover the babysitter! As far as I know what my girl wants is to have travel money to go back to Russia to see family. Her daughter is married but has no kids yet and both her parents are doing well in the city she lives in. I do think that is her major concern.
 
Of course having her friend tell her she spends $200 a week on makeup and the hairdresser didn't help either!!! I still think she meant a month but she swears it was a week? Can't imagine any woman spending that much money on makeup and hair although I'm sure it's possible! But the strange thing is this woman lives in a town of about 1500 so I can' t believe the prices!   Don't know what she is doing with that amount of money but it aint hair and makeup...lol

[ML]

Wow! That sucks!!! 8 years of college right down the toilet! Surely she could find something better than working at WalMart though? Kind of sucks going from being a lawyer to WalMart don't you think?

For you and other guys looking for a job for the wife to be . . . one of the best professions is accounting.

If the gal has an accounting degree from FSU and some work experience, she will readily find a job here.

True, to get a CPA certificate or some such would take some  more time and university courses but, she can start work fairly readily in a bookkeeper job.  Then, when she does well in that, she can move rather quickly up the career ladder into assistant accounting jobs, accountant, senior accountant, chief accountant; and then perhaps on into management as controller, etc.

So seek out those accounting gals!!   

[Eduard]

Basically, my advice to you and any one else contemplating marriage to an FSU woman is to not count on her coming to your country and immediately contributing financially. Most FSU women are far from lazy and do enjoy working or having a career. But many will face the problem of their diplomas not being recognised in the West and will have to consider going back to school to get American (or whatever country is their new place of residence) education and degree. So you should be prepared to support her for at least a couple of years while she figures out the way to get a new career going. In my particular case we had kids right away so that threw the whole career thing on a back burner. Many FSU women don't mind taking retail jobs where the pay is low but they can learn the language and the Western ways of business. So that'll bring a little money in but you can't count on anything significant. So with that in mind you should carefully consider your financial situation before you bring an FSU woman home.
Just my 2 cents.
Ed

[Misha]

Wow! That sucks!!! 8 years of college right down the toilet! Surely she could find something better than working at WalMart though? Kind of sucks going from being a lawyer to WalMart don't you think?

From what I have been reading in online American newspapers, you have plenty of locally trained lawyers deep in debt with student loans who are waiting tables    However, I am not sure why she studied for 8 years? Did she do graduate studies on top of her undergraduate degree (or diploma as they would say in Russia).

[Eduard]

So seek out those accounting gals!!   

shouldn't be hard. Seems like almost every other girl we talk to on dating sites is an accountant 

[Misha]

A friend of hers has lived here for 4 years and is telling her the only job she will be able to get is like at WalMart or something?

I have met two types of immigrants brushing with very broad strokes which will necessarily overgeneralize. You have those very bitter people who arrive and are frustrated because they will not immediately get the job they expect to get based on the status they believe they deserve. Then, there are those who reconcile themselves to the fact that it will take some time and then develop a plan to reach goals they have set for their future. Will a woman who is a lawyer in Russia be able to get off the plane and get a job in a major law firm? Of course not. Does it mean she will be destined to work in Walmart until she dies? Of course not. As others have mentioned, she might have to consider new studies, she might want to explore jobs that are not in law per se, but make use of her skills. Likewise, immigrants often overlook the role that volunteering can play in establishing networks. So, at the end of the day, it depends on whether you are an optimist or a pessimist and what you are willing to do to reestablish a career in a new country.

[ML]

shouldn't be hard. Seems like almost every other girl we talk to on dating sites is an accountant 

Not quite true.  Every other gal in FSU is an 'economist.'

But the concept of economist in FSU is not the same as in USA.

Economist in FSU covers the dozen or so specialities taught by Schools of  Business in USA of which economist is only one of these specialities in USA and accountant is another.  The accountant specialist has the best job opportunites, along with computer programmers.

[Eduard]

From what I have been reading in online American newspapers, you have plenty of locally trained lawyers deep in debt with student loans who are waiting tables    However, I am not sure why she studied for 8 years? Did she do graduate studies on top of her undergraduate degree (or diploma as they would say in Russia).

Misha is bringing up a good point. A lawer or a psychologist is usually just a 4 year degree equal to bachelor degree in the FSU and they are not nearly as qualified as American lawers and psychologists. As far as I know many psychologists with such a 4 year degree are qualified to work with small children kinda like a high end preschool teacher.

[ML]

Kind of sucks going from being a lawyer to WalMart don't you think?

Seems you haven't heard the thousands of lawyer jokes.

In the eyes of some, the WalMart job might be a step up the ladder . . . at least in terms of respectability.   

[steve057]

You have a valid point there Manlooking!:) Yes I have heard the jokes and the thing is most of them are true...lol  I just got done talking to her and she told me her first degree was in teaching so we might have found a winner there!:)) Then again maybe not..lol  But hey, it's a start!:)
 
 Do you know what you call a thousand lawyers in the bottom of the ocean?  A good Start....

[Manny]

Strange thing is their education system over there is probably better than ours here to start with!

Yes and no. It is possible to get a diploma in Russia without spending a day in university. Corruption is endemic and rife. Because of that, it tars the ones who may have done it legit at a decent university. This is why so many other countries disregard FSU diplomas and degrees.

There is a system in the UK where one can have their FSU qualifications evaluated and get an equivalent one issued. I do not know if there is such a system in the US.

[steve057]

Not sure about that? I do know there are football players that have a college degree here in this country and cannot read or write!! So the systems sound close to being the same. I'm sure there is something  but am not sure what that would be? I'll  have to do a little checking in on that.