Any job hunting or career advice for an engineer?

This should cheer you up

LOL indeed, there seem to be a fair number of postings but I think employers are spoiled for choice with applicants from the EEA. That said, Civil Engineering is listed on the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List - but unfortunately not my specialization in the transport infrastructure industry.

LOL indeed, there seem to be a fair number of postings but I think employers are spoiled for choice with applicants from the EEA.

Who told you that?  Nigel Farage?

Nobody wants to move here from the EEA, the pound is way down so the salaries are less attractive and the British have just had a vote to declare xenophobia more important than economics.

Who told you that?  Nigel Farage?

Nobody wants to move here from the EEA, the pound is way down so the salaries are less attractive and the British have just had a vote to declare xenophobia more important than economics.

lol believe me when I say I'm not a fan of Nigel nor the current state of politics here in the states. I just figured it's much larger labor pool, at least until Brexit kicks in. You won't get an argument from me about UK salaries either - from a purely financial perspective, moving there from the states doesn't make any sense for us. Alas, that's life!

lol believe me when I say I'm not a fan of Nigel nor the current state of politics here in the states. I just figured it's much larger labor pool, at least until Brexit kicks in. You won't get an argument from me about UK salaries either - from a purely financial perspective, moving there from the states doesn't make any sense for us. Alas, that's life!

Sometimes it's about more than money! 

I'm not specifically looking at trying to leave the US... I'm happy here and expect that we may eventually return. Going to another country would defeat the purpose. My partner is in academia, in a niche field and we are undertaking this move thinking my career is more portable. No doubt we'll be taking a financial hit in the short term but money's not everything - just as long as we're comfortable.

I'm primarily looking at design consultancies but will also be looking at civil service opportunities. For now I'll keep looking and I may stay behind for a few months after picking up my BRP.  I tend to agree with others that having the right to work and British qualifications sorted should get me more attention. At least I hope it will!

Hey FLgator86! I'm in a very similar situation. My husband is at University of Manchester and highly specialized, has UK and EU research grants... I'm a mechanical engineer and theoretically more mobile. I would love to hear how your job search goes. I currently have a great job working on the mechanical side of power construction and feel pretty nervous about giving it up especially because I don't have my PE yet and am afraid moving to the UK will delay that even further if we come back to the US. I can deal with the pay loss as long as I'm able to find a job that won't be a blow to my overall career.

There was another article this morning on BBC Radio about the shortage of engineers in the country, 40,000 apparently needed, plus a big shortage of people taking engineering degrees.  As mentioned above engineers here don't have the same status or salary as they do in the USA.  I was an Electrical engineer in the chemical industry who moved to the USA, eventually retiring and returning to England.

Our son was educated in the USA, got a BSc in Computer Science, worked for 10 years in Texas before returning last September. He didn't look before arriving back, just got his CV up to date, including his LinkedIn profile then registered onto recruiting websites. It took him 6 weeks to find a job so I wish you all the best in your searches.

Hey FLgator86! I'm in a very similar situation. My husband is at University of Manchester and highly specialized, has UK and EU research grants... I'm a mechanical engineer and theoretically more mobile. I would love to hear how your job search goes. I currently have a great job working on the mechanical side of power construction and feel pretty nervous about giving it up especially because I don't have my PE yet and am afraid moving to the UK will delay that even further if we come back to the US. I can deal with the pay loss as long as I'm able to find a job that won't be a blow to my overall career.

Welcome to the forum! I'm happy to report that a little less than a month after making that post, I had a couple of job offers. I had a lot of rejections initially with feedback along the lines of 'you have no UK experience.' I stuck with it and tweaked my resume to compensate trying to emphasize being licensed internationally and on the way to getting my CEng status. I suspect you may not have the same problem - depending on your speciality. If you're in the petroleum industry for instance, they'll probably be lobbing offers at you! Civil Engineering can be very focused on design standards - a few of which are international but the vast majority vary. Also, licensure is a big deal in Civil but other than HVAC none of the MechE's I know have PEs. It may be different in the UK but MechE friends of mine that work for the likes of Raytheon & Cummins definitely didn't need PEs.

Ultimately I had to choose between accepting an offer from Highways England or a multinational engineering firm with a presence in the US & UK. I chose the latter, thinking it'd be nice to have a recognizable name on the résumé, should we return to the states. I am grateful that it ultimately took just under three months to have found work as a senior engineer, so I'm not taking a step back in my career as I feared. That said, it sucks that I'm having to give up a six figure income and go back to what amounts to entry level pay in the US. This is simply a reality in the UK, as others have noted... I'm not sure what you can expect on that front as a MechE, but be prepared for a possible huge hit financially!

For job hunting - look for examples of CVs and make sure you tailor your resume (and I don't just mean A4 paper & British English lol). Assuming you went to an ABET accredited University, your academic qualifications will be recognized in the UK, thanks to the Washington Accords. Do some research to become aware of any UK specific methods/ practices in your industry and show off your knowledge at your interviews! You'll be fine