British Expatriate Network

Hi everyone,

This is my first post and I would be greatful for any advice.

I'm 26 years old and currently work in sports marketing for a Premier League football club, and I would absoluteley love to have a similar job for a US sports team.

I have applied for dozens and dozens of jobs with US sports teams and other non-sport US based jobs - all of which I have the qualifications and experience they are asking for in candidates. However when I follow up my applications with a phone call, I am always told they cannot consider my application because I am not eligible to work in the US.

They say they cannot sponsor me because they have received 150/200 applications for the vacancy from capable US Citizens - meaning even if they did sponsor me, my visa application would be rejected. The company would have to prove to US authorities that (a) they advertised the vacancy extensively enough and (b) no capable US citizens applied - and (b) is never gonna happen!

So what can I do? There are tens of thousands of Brits who work in the US so what did they do that I am not doing? It really would be a dream come true to work and live in the US for a few years but it seems absoluteley impossible for a normal, rank and file guy like myself.

Adam

Marry a yank. That's pretty much the only way....other than buying yourself in.

Umm - yeah. Hate to agree but that's how I ended up working here, in a round about way.

Still on the bright side, if you work for Liverpool, you might have some hot American secretaries or female business executives traveling over with the American owners that you might hit it off with? Long shot I admit.....

Failing that, maybe get a transfer to another team owned by Americans and then see about a further transfer to one of their US sports teams in the future, on an exchange that you could make permanent?

Or go to college here and marry a hot student? One of my English friends married a local girl here when he was doing his Ph.D and now he's stealing her away back to Europe.

I think US companies only consider non residents if there are no qualified US based people available. Its not like apply to work in the Eurozone. US residents get priority. The Brits that work here on non marriage based visas usually are transferees from Britain. I would think there is a need for Premier League marketing in the US though?

Other way around surely? Most college football teams are about equally marketed to a lot of British footy teams. They seem to have caught up considerably since I have lived here, in their defense.

Hi guys - thank you so much for the feedback so far, but I kind of expected what you were all gonna say.

I have widened my search and applied for many jobs in various industries, but unfortunately the response is the same - if a capable US citizen (capable being the key word) applies for the vacancy then I won't get a visa.

It's really hard to stomach because in my job here, I speak to Americans, Australians, South Africans, Canadians and New Zealanders quite often! Why do they get to work here, but I can't get to work there?

I find it really disappointing, It has always been my dream to live and work in the US for a few years, but being a realist I can't see it ever happening.

Adam

I think there is a niche market in the US for Premier League stuff. US soccer fans always seem to be talking about the Premiership. Maybe they're just trying to relate to me? I'm not sure. I bet if you set up some kind of 'soccer' store in the US(with Premier League merchandise) in a big city like New York, it would do pretty well

Your best bet would have been to have come over on a J1 visa through an exchange program after you graduated (assuming you did go to uni?). That would have let you get a foot in the door and then you could have used that to leverage for a green card application through employment. Of course, you would not have had the experience that you have today, so would not have made such a great candidate....

The whole point is really that the US doesn't really want people from abroad at the moment. They are having enough trouble getting their own people into jobs and keeping them in them. Especially fields like marketing, PR, journalism and media which all sound like a soft touch to US high school graduates so they go into those careers - they are saturated with candidates.

I'd imagine short of marrying an American (bit OTT), you might want to just try networking more over there so that if and when a US opportunity comes up, you are who the big people think of.

Good luck.

Guys,

Thanks again for the responses. Yes I graduated from university with a Marketing degree in 2004 but have worked in sports marketing since 2002 (internship and then a permanent placement).

I really did think a US sports team would value the ideas, opinions and perspectives of someone from Europe - it would have added something different and fresh to their team.

I will keep on trying until I exhaust myself, but like you say most Brits who live legally in the US are either married to Americans or transferees as they work for multi-national companies. Sadly I don't.

Adam

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't want to be here if I wasn't married to a yank. It seems nice and a good idea from the outset, but I much prefer the British way of life and British people, even after 10 years. Is there a chance that you could market NFL in Europe and then see if they won't transfer you after a while?

You could try and get a job in your field with a US company in Europe (see adeshell's suggestion of NFL Europe).

I know some US companies have European offices and bring US citizen's over, I suspect it works both ways. I am also aware of a friend from college who works in telecommunications for a US company. He has been posted here a couple of times.

However, I would echo adeshell's other comments - if you have never lived and worked here, you don't know that you will enjoy it. Little vacation time, long hours and exhorbitant health costs can become a bit of a pain!

It's a trade-off but on the one hand, you could work the extra 5 hours a week, lose a couple of weeks of holiday but on the other, have a much better standard of living and paid health insurance anyway. That's how it is for me at least.

Also in the current climate (immigration being such a hot button issue) everyone is very wary of making sure that jobs are offered to US citizens first. The law hasn't changed, you have never been able to get a job here without having a special skill that is classified as being in short supply and marketing is just too general an occupation to qualify.

I agree with the rest.

Either marry a yank, or get employed by an American company in the EU then persuade them to transfer you.

Guys,

Thanks again for all your responses.

I have done a lot more research and found websites that sell databases of US companies that hire H1B workers. Has anyone used these before, or is it a scam?

Also, and I know this is going round in circles, how do these companies get round the issue of rejecting applicants from capable US citizens, in favour of aliens!

Adam