Gaining International Experience

Anne Kaay, Social SciencesJennifer Soutter, Digital ServicesLibrarians, University of Windsor

Overview of Presentation

What we don’t coverThe UKThe USASpecific Issues StressedBrainstormingPresentation/Contact InformationAnnotated Resources (not discussed)Discussion

Not Covered/Assumption(s)

Job exchangesVolunteer workStudent-based, student-oriented work programsLanded immigrant status

Assumption: that you have or will have a Library degree before going.

The UK (photos removed)

Picture of Scotland Picture of England

Why did I go?

always wanted to go to Scotland to livelooking for personal growth and professional

challengeswanted to regain my perspective on Canadian

societyan aging parent – earlier better than laterwanted to get to know my Scottish relativesit would be fun!

General Information re: UK

Oversight body: CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

The jobs: They conceptualize their positions differently. Investigate using the websites provided in Annotated Resources.

VISAs @ British High Commission

http://www.britainincanada.org/Visa/index.htm

Investigate?

Investigate what matters the most to you before going, to make sure you’ll be happy there.

International Driver’s Licence (CAA)Cost-of-Living

A typical salary in Edinburgh is £12,000. My professional salary as a high school librarian (a newbie) was between £12-14,000.

Investigate?

Regional professional associations?Where are the Canadian Consulates?Alumni associations?Canadian associations in UK?Develop a knowledge of the country you are

leaving behind!! Take a book of facts about Canada. You will be asked many questions.

Also investigate?

Estate PlanningKeeping in touch. An e-mail address just for

this trip/event. Why?Money in Canadian bank to cover overseas

use of Canadian Visa/Mastercard etc. is useful

Going, Going…

Travel requires a return ticket Insurance:

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/ohip/longer.html

You have no credit rating in the UK Take cash and/or traveller’s cheques Your paperwork and UK Customs: your passport and

visa, a UK address (hotel/hostel/…), proof of return ticket, proof you can support yourself for a while, paperwork for belongings shipped independently....

Gone

UK National Health Insurance Number (SIN#)Chequing account in UK?ATM cards - were no real controls – you don’t

have to enter your PIN number or sign your name (in 2000) – DON’T lose it!

Culturally, you may be more limited. Have a craving for a shawarma or gyros…uh oh….

Ask a lot of questions!!!

Job stuff

Universities and hiring - slow Job = health insurance Interviews:

always wear a suit always expect to do a presentation and NEVER go over watch for confusion over terminology and everyday speech avoid levity but smile! are NOT interested in making a “connection”

Join professional associations, network!!

The US

Map of Washington, DC removed

Map of United States removed

Why?

Job opportunities greater at the time Very good job offer Curiosity – would be an adventure Besides…not really that odd…in 2000, about 2.5% of

foreign-born population in the U.S. was Canadian (Profile of Foreign-born population in the U.S., 2000 (http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-206.pdf))

So…why not? Accepted employment with WRLC for fall of 1997.

What you need?

NAFTA Professional worker/TN Visa:http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1274.html : Benefits of TN Visa ( 1 year):

Streamlined application procedure No limit on extensions of stay/application for readmission No limit on number that may be granted*

Bring your documentation including offer of employment specifying your job title, duties and salary. You will need your unframed degree (and not a photocopy), passport, driver’s license…I did not need a long-form birth certificate

*http://library.lp.findlaw.com/articles/file/00498/000370/title/Subject/topic/Immigration%20Law_Status%20Adjustment/filename/immigrationlaw_1_670

What (more)

Border procedures are different now than when I initially crossed and applied for TN Visa:

Enroll in US-VISIT (http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0447.xml; http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/content_multi_image/content_multi_image_0006.xml):

“biometrics (digital fingerscans and photographs) are collected and checked against a database of known criminals and suspected terrorists” (http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0525.xml)

Where and When?

Work: 2 employers (WRLC and Trinity)Change of employer = new Visa

Both positions had health insurance; employees pay a portion of it. Health plans vary by company so benefit options vary. How good the plan is can depend on the insurance provider and your plan options so be prepared to review the details.

Where and when (more)

Lived: Crofton, MD:

Help from a librarian at a WRLC-affiliated school helped me find a place close to work

Takoma Park, MD: Group house

Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument with American Flag; picture removed

Important to consider

Where in the US you will be: Washington = expensive city

Use a cost-of-living calculator to help determine your salary needs for the area you are considering, e.g. a average salary of a librarian in Washington, D.C. is $44,944 with range from $33,906-60,629 (http://www.salaryexpert.com/)

Research the area – climate, housing, politics…

Really research the area…

Same continent but it is different countryBe prepared to feel out of place as you are a

resident alien…Removed “United States of Texas” map

So what’s important to you?

Health care?

Culture?

Crime?

Terror?

Terror Alert Advisory Scale

Also important to consider

Consider your moving options: if you’re using a moving company, be prepared to meet the truck at customs

Review what you want to bring over and know what you cannot take across the border

Car? There may be additional costs to certify your vehicle. These vary by state. And be prepared to pay more for auto insurance although that can vary by location

Culture/Politics…

Culture/Politics…Nationalism…

Canada/US map based on a political statement removed

Specific issues Stressed

Be pro-Canadian not anti-American because criticism is not welcome (as anti-Canadian criticism would be unappreciated)

On insularity and world perspectives: US is the narrowest then Canada with the UK being broadest

Be aware of the politics and culture of the area you may work/move to – do research

Voting as a Canadian – may vote for up to 5 years. Elections Canada tells you how

Moving back: see <http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/rc4105/README.html>

Specific Issues Stressed (cont’d)

Health Care: Make sure your job includes it and that it is satisfactory. Ask questions find out if it cover pre-existing conditions?

Pension Plan?

Brainstorm reasons to go

Consider these honestly and carefully:Why do you think you want to “go

international”?What do you think you will be happy to leave

behind?What do you think you will miss? What are things that you are looking forward

to doing/seeing…

Location of Presentation

URL: will be loaded to OLA websiteUK maps will be removed from presentation

before posting

Our Contact Information

Jennifer Soutter, Digital Services Librarian,Leddy Library, University of Windsor, tel: 519/253-3000 x3186 e-mail: jsoutter@uwindsor.ca

Anne Kaay, Social Sciences Librarian, Leddy Library, University of Windsor, tel: 519/253-3000 x3848e-mail: akaay@uwindsor.ca

Annotated Resources

The UK – Options for Entry?

Official: British High Commission, Ottawa. http://

www.britainincanada.org/Visa/index.htm (Accessed Nov 1, 2004). All possible visas are listed on their website with accompanying information.

Home Office and Foreign & Commonwealth Office Unit. UK visas [visas4UK]. <http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1006977149953> (Accessed Nov 1, 2004).

General Register Office for Scotland http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/>For Scottish birth certificates.

Unofficial: Gumtree.com. http://www.gumtree.com/, (Accessed Nov 1, 2004).

A generic overview of Visas available, undated webpage http://www.gumtree.com/visas1.htm

UK - Relocation Information

Official: British Information Services. BritainUSA.com. All About Britain FAQs.

Living and Working in Britain. http://www.britainusa.com/faq/showfaq.asp?SID=393 (Accessed Nov 1, 2004)

Government of Canada. Living Abroad: information links. http://www.passages.gc.ca/template-en.asp?Grp=00030009&ID=9&act=2&tbID=2 (Accessed Nov 1, 2004)

Unofficial: CanuckAbroad.com http://www.canuckabroad.com/ (Accessed Nov 1, 2004) People.Designerz.com. Expatriate -> Canadian -> Clubs and Organizations

http://expatriate.people.designerz.com/expatriates-canadian.php (Accessed Nov 1, 2004)

combose.com: the combination search engine. http://www.combose.com/Society/People/Expatriates/Canadian/ (Accessed Nov 1, 2004)

The UK – Jobs and the field

Department of Information Studies, The University of Sheffield. http://www.shef.ac.uk/is/careers/index.html (Accessed Nov 1, 2004)A comprehensive look at the field of library and information science in the UK including “job adverts.” Extremely useful for providing a perspective on how they structure themselves and where you might fit in. – provides the context of the structure of lib info in uk

BUBL Information Service, Centre for Digital Library Research, Strathclyde University. BUBL (Bulletin Board for Libraries) Information Service http://bubl.ac.uk/ (Accessed Nov 1, 2004) Another comprehensive website that includes information related to and for librarians. It includes lists of libraries, of library catalogues and library-related organizations, among other resources. Useful for identifying all libraries in areas you may wish to work.

The UK – Jobs and the field

Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. CILIP Homepage. http://www.cilip.org.uk/default.cilip (Accessed November 1, 2004).

And specific to international professionals: http://www.cilip.org.uk/qualificationschartership/QualificationsfromoverseasOffers information on UK accreditation, professional guidance, special interest groups (Chapters or Divisions), membership, including the foremost listing of jobs available in the UK and offers an email alert. They also provide salary guides and information on negotiating salaries, a clearinghouse for job exchange, and “INFOmatch Recruitment Services.”

_ http://www.cilip.org.uk/qualificationschartership Lisjobnet. http://www.cilip.org.uk/jobscareers/lisjobnet/default.htm (Accessed November 1,

2004) Sarah Johnson. Library Job Postings on the Internet. (USA) http://

www.libraryjobpostings.org/libraryjobs.htm (Accessed November 1, 2004). Offers a section on Europe that lists associations and organizations’ websites with a synopsis of scope, how frequently the relevant resources are updated, who is responsible for the resource(s) and instructions on use.

The UK – Jobs and the field

Contact the regional association(s), special interest groups related to your areas of interest and the libraries you are interested in working at and start a dialogue with them about who you are, your interests and why you wish to work overseas at with their organization. Sell yourself before a position opens. Be flexible and willing to take on contract or short term positions as an “in” to the organization

Mailing list: IFLANET. LIBJOBS: an employment service list for library professionals. http://www.ifla.org/II/libjobs.htm (Accessed November 1, 2004)

Local newspaper, print and/or online e.g. the Careers section in the Scotsman, the Thursday edition – was print only. Now there is: <http://jobs.scotsman.com/pbank/owa/scotsman.home>

Useful Resources

U.S. Visa information at Department of State:http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html

INFO-Pass: free service, web-based; allows you to schedule an appointment with Immigration Officials

http://uscis.gov/graphics/

Useful Resources – U.S.

Google UncleSam: http://www.google.com/unclesamCanadians Living in the States: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canadianslivinginthestates/ Active group; useful to post questions on common issues, e.g.

driver’s licenses, Visas, adapting to new culture. Registration required but free.

Canadian Librarians Living in America: http://library3.csudh.edu/cdales/canlib/index.html Useful tips for the newly arrived, information on legal issues

and discussion group.