Looking for work in your new home

[ECOCKS]

So, there have been threads on evaluating educational experience, retraining/going back to school. building English skills, view of health insurance and a couple of other topics about specific jobs but how have your wives found job-hunting, interviewing, orientation, workplace/coworker acceptance (both directions), work ethic expectations, salaries and benefits handling as compared to their home country and general expectations?

I would expect considerable questions, possibly issues and maybe a problem or two in areas such as:

Issues with English or accents?
Deciding what jobs to apply for?
Customer handling?
Expectations on incentive and self-tasking?
Coworker questions (could be comic or tragic)?
Understanding paychecks and deductions?
Work ethic expectations?
Retirement programs (401's, Emp. Stock Plans, Emp. Savings Plans, Profit-sharing, etc.)?
Dress codes?
Male/female interactions?
Space issues (offices, work areas)?

Workplace humor from an FSU perspective might be interesting as well....
 

[GalinaF]

Issues with English or accents?

IMHO the more people around you are used to work/deal with foreigners, the fewer issues with English you’ll have. When my daughter worked as a waitress in our local restaurant, she was very upset after a few disgruntled customers complained about her English. Then, my daughter moved to NYC, started to work part-time in a diner, and never heard any negative comments about her English…  I also had a couple of students complaining about my English during my first year as a full-time teacher, but as time was passing by, everybody got used to my manner of speaking, and I haven’t had any problems recently. I always tell my students that they will have foreign born teachers at college, and they will have to understand them. And if they understand me (and make themselves understood), they will be able to handle any accent in future.

Deciding what jobs to apply for?

As I’ve always been satisfied with my education, I applied for the jobs where I was able to use it. Also, I looked at the location. I started as a substitute teacher on call, and the schools I worked in were within an easy reach from our home. Before I applied for a full-time position, I did some research about that school as I didn’t want to end up working in an inner city school.

Customer handling?

In my case, I can loosely call my students and their parents “customers”. Kids are kids everywhere. I can’t think of any specifically American means of handling them… On the other hand, I had to learn pretty quickly how to reply to numerous parents’ emails/ phone calls when they were not happy with their kids’ grades. I work at a small private school, and some parents are very actively involved in their children’s studies. I’ve been very lucky to have very supportive department heads who helped me a lot. Again, I haven’t had any problems recently.

[Steamer]

...how have your wives found job-hunting, interviewing, orientation, workplace/coworker acceptance (both directions), work ethic expectations, salaries and benefits handling as compared to their home country and general expectations?

 

It was quite the learning curve for my wife (she's also a teacher). In Moscow things were basically prearranged. In the US she had to knock on doors, apply and get interviewed. She took every interview very personally and would feel crushed by every rejection. I told her that's how it's done here, shake it off and consider it as practice for the next interview. Easier said than done however.

She had all the right credentials but no US experience. Russian experience by itself was considered unverifiable and therefore useless. This was the problem. She found a teaching job at a charter school and got on the payroll in another district for some tutoring program. She spent the next year in hell but now she had US experience and some references. Her Russian experience then added to this. This is when things changed (for the better). She now is a full time teacher in a good district.

Her Accent
She got a lot of guff and grief about this at first. Every student that needed an excuse about why he was failing just told his parents "because I can't understand her Russian accent". After a long talk my wife she would ask the parents "So, do YOU have any problem understanding me?" No they didn't. She understood very well to have any papers and test scores on hand to back her up. With a LOT of communication parents eventually figured things out and now this is rarely a problem.

Acceptance
She tells me that the office politics here is nothing compared to Moscow. She told me stories about women trying to get her fired because she had a nicer dress than them.

Benefits Handling
That's my job.

[groovlstk]

Having read so many stories about crappy Russian employers (in both Russia and the US), when my wife was comfortable enough to look for work I steered her clear of Russian firms. Ironically, she was subsequently screwed over twice by Americans (both contractors - she designs kitchens and baths and a lot of her negative experiences are directly related to the inordinate amount of flakes and narcissists in the industry. Oh, hey Sculpto, isn't that your industry? Just askin'  ). 

Interestingly, while most of her industry ground to a stop when the economy tanked, she became increasingly valuable to her shop after a client referred her to his Russian neighbors, and they to friends, and so on. After that her co. put ads in newspapers serving Russian-language communities like Fair Lawn, NJ, and she did even better. She recently left this job for another because her previous shop's owner was a screamer and it used to bother her, but her new firm is already exploiting the opportunity to use her to attract Russian clients. A few years ago I'd have never of thunk it.

While all this has been great for her, none of it would have come about had she worked with/for Russians shortly after she arrived. That shyness in speaking English is quickly overcome with daily exposure to native English speakers, and once that hurdle is cleared everything gets easier.

Another interesting situation: a few months back when my wife decided to look for work at another co., she had an interview in Brooklyn at a Russian-owned co. She was excited at the possibility but when she arrived, she saw the staff consisted of 20 Russian people working at makeshift desks in a miserable and dusty rented warehouse and decided on the spot that she preferred her current situation, no matter how much her boss's screaming upset her.
 

[ECOCKS]

Interesting stories all.

Groov, your's is very interesting due to the Russian tie-in.

Our teachers' stories are also interesting and I am curious whether then women find American parents more or less interested in their child's progress and performance. Guess that should be in the educational comparison thread though.

No comments about taxation or retirement planning and working for "all white" money?   

[JohnDearGreen]

I would expect considerable questions, possibly issues and maybe a problem or two in areas such as:

My wife has taken 2 years of ESL at college and otherwise.  She still can not fill out a basic job application by herself, although her spoken language is fine.  

My 17 year old stepdaughter took English in Ukraine, had special ESL tutor for one year.  She makes A- average in high school.  I looked at a half page report she wrote and found over 30 spelling errors.   She recently flunked a series of tests for early college admission with scores as low as 30%.

[Sculpto]

Oh, hey Sculpto, isn't that your industry? Just askin'  ). 

Yes it is and getting screwed by contractors is the worst part of the business.  These days I do not even accept projects from unknown contractors unless they come with references form trusted sources.  As I remember Groove.. you are in NYC.. has your wife checked out http://mckb.com/index.html ?  That is one of the great K and B showrooms in the world.  Would be an awesome place to work though not easy to get a job there.

[pitbull]

So, there have been threads on evaluating educational experience, retraining/going back to school. building English skills, view of health insurance and a couple of other topics about specific jobs but how have your wives found job-hunting, interviewing, orientation, workplace/coworker acceptance (both directions), work ethic expectations, salaries and benefits handling as compared to their home country and general expectations?

I would expect considerable questions, possibly issues and maybe a problem or two in areas such as:

Issues with English or accents?
Deciding what jobs to apply for?
Customer handling?
Expectations on incentive and self-tasking?
Coworker questions (could be comic or tragic)?
Understanding paychecks and deductions?
Work ethic expectations?
Retirement programs (401's, Emp. Stock Plans, Emp. Savings Plans, Profit-sharing, etc.)?
Dress codes?
Male/female interactions?
Space issues (offices, work areas)?

Workplace humor from an FSU perspective might be interesting as well....
 

I think it all depends on the level of English and the employment area. The place I work at is a perfect meritocracy, no one cares about your accent, how you look, where you come from etc., as long as you are great at what you're doing. If anything, a slight accent has certainly helped me.

All the issues you've named have been very easy (I am the "benefits provider" in our family, so had to learn  ). There is one concept however that I've been struggling with - networking. I totally suck at it. 

[ECOCKS]

My wife has taken 2 years of ESL at college and otherwise.  She still can not fill out a basic job application by herself, although her spoken language is fine.  

My 17 year old stepdaughter took English in Ukraine, had special ESL tutor for one year.  She makes A- average in high school.  I looked at a half page report she wrote and found over 30 spelling errors.   She recently flunked a series of tests for early college admission with scores as low as 30%.

Get a better ESL teacher.

I can guarantee you that the present one is over-concentrated on vocabulary development and spoken conversation with some work on reading comprehension. Writing is the least developed part of the 4 basic components of learning a new language.

Look for one who understands academic English and preparing her for the tests and classroom projects typical of her intended major.

[ECOCKS]

I think it all depends on the level of English and the employment area. The place I work at is a perfect meritocracy, no one cares about your accent, how you look, where you come from etc., as long as you are great at what you're doing. If anything, a slight accent has certainly helped me.

All the issues you've named have been very easy (I am the "benefits provider" in our family, so had to learn  ). There is one concept however that I've been struggling with - networking. I totally suck at it. 

PB:

Any thoughts regarding your reaction to how payroll and deductions are done in the US versus back home and with regard to how it was when you first had to learn about it?

Insurance choices, flex accounts, etc?

How do you view being responsible for investment choices on your supplemental pension accounts?

[DKMM]

That has a lot to do with English ability and attitude.  She focused on being able to communicate in English the 1st year then went to school.  Then it was on to learn some practical skills.  We are lucky here that we had a program at a local college that was geared towards teaching foreigners how to work in American offices.  I was offered a job in a new city but to get me to move I said I have to get my wife a job there too.  So my new firm arranged an internship with her at an appropriate company (where she now works full time). 

yes there have been some comments about taxation but when her take home pay is literally 800% of her friends back in Ukraine she doesn't complain loudly.  Plus she likes our government and social stability so its worth handing some money over in taxation to achieve this.