How difficult is it for a US citizen to work in the UK/Europe?

June 6, 2013 9:19 PM

What are the options for a skilled US citizen (advanced background in structural engineering) to get a work visa in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, or Switzerland?

I am looking at pursuing a PhD in either the UK, Germany, Switzerland, or the Netherlands and need to know what options there are for US citizens to work abroad. My boyfriend recently received a PhD in structural engineering and would ideally like to get either a lecturer position or post-doc experience in his field (his ultimate goal is to teach), so that he would be able to join me for the 3 year period. From what I've seen with the UK, he would require a Tier 2 visa for either of those options, both of which are strictly limited to ~20,000 a year. So just how difficult is it for US citizens to work in academia abroad?

posted by pianohands to Work & Money (5 answers total)

Best answer: I'm a US citizen with a PhD from the States and working in the Netherlands at an academic research institute. The visa paperwork was taken care of by the institute on my behalf, and it was fairly routine for them. I know a number of other Americans working at universities in the Netherlands. My understanding is that they were all sponsored by their university, and the paperwork was not trivial or cheap, but not onerous.
posted by knile at 12:27 AM on June 7, 2013

The UK Border Agency publishes a shortage occupation list (pdf) with jobs that are exempt from the 20,000 per year limit. It looks like there are a lot of engineering occupations on it.

Also, be aware of the savings requirement - the applicant needs to have a bank account (an actual bank account, not a brokerage account, 401k, etc) with a minimum of £900 (or equivalent) per dependent for a minimum of three continuous months before applying. This can be waived if the employer offers a letter of support, not sure how common that is.
posted by penguinicity at 3:08 AM on June 7, 2013

Best answer: I had a postdoc in Switzerland. Once I was offered the position, there were no particular complications to get the visa. Everything was pre-applied for by the institute, who was already good at such matters, and I had to do very little to finish the process. There certainly was no shortage of other academics from outside of Europe there, either.

My feeling from seeing otherAmerican friends get similar jobs in these countries is that the hard part is finding the position as a postdoc, not the visa. It may be different as a lecturer, though, and you would definitely have a harder time getting that job in Switzerland, for example.
posted by Schismatic at 5:27 AM on June 7, 2013

In general, universities are very familiar with visa processes and if your boyfriend can get a job the visa will be straightforward as a rule. A postdoc will be easier than a lecturer post though.
posted by plonkee at 7:49 AM on June 7, 2013

Some countries allow citizenship based on descent. Example. Another example. Is it possible you or your boyfriend are descended from any of these countries? I know a 30-year old American who got Irish citizenship, having an Irish grandmother (I think).
posted by rada at 12:17 PM on June 7, 2013