First Jobs in the US for MENA SOs

[S and S 12]

s/s if your in OKC i see signs all over at the nursing homes wanting CNAs. If this is what i think as a job the OSU extention here gives a class only lasting like 10 days with free enrollment if you agree to sign with one of there jobs placements. So if he already knows all this even if it meant taking this class to refress then take them up on their openings (i may have this all wrong but i think this is how it works,) and if your here now where did you find your meats?

Do not ask me why but the minute my husband tries to apply at these nursing homes they become rude and hostile. I really don't get it. I am standing there so I see what happens. He explains he went through a three week CNA school in Tennessee and is licensed there. We have the license and certificate with us, but they want him to transfer the license to Oklahoma and said they would not even take his application until the license is transfered. You would think they could at least look at it. I called the office that handles CNA licenses and they told me what forms to fill out and said it would take 2 to 3 weeks to get the transfer complete. I mean he just finished this school a few months ago so no point doing it again, especially since we paid $1000 for it last time (Tennessee doesn't have all the vocational school advantages Oklahoma does).

He has also applied through Integris and Norman, but no luck though they were nice and sympathetic.

[S and S 12]

from what I have heard, most translator jobs are either directly or contractually related to the military and often to overseas activities. Pay is good, but my husband spent several years in the moroccan military and didnt feel like 'doing more time'

I agree with you. My husband has seen many of these jobs and I know people who worked for these companies. They are 90 percent of the time for jobs overseas, usually to Iraq. The few jobs for translators here are difficult to get because many of the experienced and educated translators compete for them. There are temp jobs you could get for military training exercises here in the US, but it still requires travel, usually to California.

[Sandrila 1]

H is unemployed.... He finally reached his limit of tolerance and just threw in the towel... He's been working in a restaurant where he was constantly being harassed and called "the terrorist" by the Mexican employees who thought he didn't understand much English because they typically heard him speaking arabic with the manager who is from Jordan. Amazingly once the manager got wind that H was being harassed (the assistant manager told him, not H) the manager decided to make his work so hard that H would leave... Rather than deal with his employees harassing H it was easier to get rid of H...

On top of all of that, one of the Mexican women who had done the loudest talking about "the terrorist" had male family members come to the restaurant and sit out side watching H and even followed him part of the way home, which is what made him decide the job just wasn't worth his safety...

I'm so depressed because it's his first and only job (other than working in our family business for a few weeks) and now he really can't use it as a reference because he walked out... So hard to explain on applications that you're his age and don't have ANY verifiable work history!

He wasn't too proud to work at any job that wasn't haram.... and for that I love him even more... He was so happy to just be making SOMETHING so he could contribute, and now the sadness in his eyes is killing me.

He has a bachelor's degree in Greek Philosophy (big call for THAT!!! NOT!!!) .... and was self-employed his entire life in Egypt... not a single thing in his work history that he can use here.... I don't know what to do to help him... It's so hard when you're his age to start over.... we need to think of a business he can do on his own, but so far, I've not come up with an idea that won't take all my time... I'm working 10+ hours a day already running my own consulting business...

It's so hard on his Egyptian Machisimo Pride/Dignity.... I never dreamed it would be THIS hard to find something! ANYTHING!! Unemployment here is about 13% even the Labor Ready shop is closed... Soooooo depressing...

That is really ignorant and immature KH. Sad. I give H alot of credit for sticking with it and not letting a selected fews intimidation and insults mold his permanent view of all people and opportunities here.

It is not easy.

[caybee 21]

H is unemployed.... He finally reached his limit of tolerance and just threw in the towel... He's been working in a restaurant where he was constantly being harassed and called "the terrorist" by the Mexican employees who thought he didn't understand much English because they typically heard him speaking arabic with the manager who is from Jordan. Amazingly once the manager got wind that H was being harassed (the assistant manager told him, not H) the manager decided to make his work so hard that H would leave... Rather than deal with his employees harassing H it was easier to get rid of H...

...

I hate seeing stories like this. We haven't had one experience of a restaurant owner treating his employees fairly (or even legally), and three of the owners he worked for were immigrants themselves, two of them from MENA. Shame.

I didn't mention that my husband got the job in the plant after he attended a job fair and applied there. It took about six months from application to starting work, but at least at the fair he was surrounded by legitimate employers who were looking to hire and willing to give him an ear, and it was good experience for him. Now he'll be dealing with the Employment Security Commission since he will draw unemployment, so he'll have a caseworker to help him with the job search. The more he just gets out there for interviews and mini-interviews, the better he gets at it, but it's a long and tedious process.

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

H is unemployed.... He finally reached his limit of tolerance and just threw in the towel... He's been working in a restaurant where he was constantly being harassed and called "the terrorist" by the Mexican employees who thought he didn't understand much English because they typically heard him speaking arabic with the manager who is from Jordan. Amazingly once the manager got wind that H was being harassed (the assistant manager told him, not H) the manager decided to make his work so hard that H would leave... Rather than deal with his employees harassing H it was easier to get rid of H...

On top of all of that, one of the Mexican women who had done the loudest talking about "the terrorist" had male family members come to the restaurant and sit out side watching H and even followed him part of the way home, which is what made him decide the job just wasn't worth his safety...

I'm so depressed because it's his first and only job (other than working in our family business for a few weeks) and now he really can't use it as a reference because he walked out... So hard to explain on applications that you're his age and don't have ANY verifiable work history!

He wasn't too proud to work at any job that wasn't haram.... and for that I love him even more... He was so happy to just be making SOMETHING so he could contribute, and now the sadness in his eyes is killing me.

He has a bachelor's degree in Greek Philosophy (big call for THAT!!! NOT!!!) .... and was self-employed his entire life in Egypt... not a single thing in his work history that he can use here.... I don't know what to do to help him... It's so hard when you're his age to start over.... we need to think of a business he can do on his own, but so far, I've not come up with an idea that won't take all my time... I'm working 10+ hours a day already running my own consulting business...

It's so hard on his Egyptian Machisimo Pride/Dignity.... I never dreamed it would be THIS hard to find something! ANYTHING!! Unemployment here is about 13% even the Labor Ready shop is closed... Soooooo depressing...

I am so sorry to hear about all your difficulties. It is horrible that anyone should go through such troubles when they just want to work. Someone suggested to us this afternoon to try 7-11 (the convenience store) as they even have starting pay at about $11 an hour and always need people. We plan to check that out tomorrow. It isn't what we want, but it is a start so hopefully they will give him a chance and we can always work on finding something medical related later.

I wish you and your husband good luck. Hopefully he will find something better. It really does seem like such a long search.

He won't work at any job that requires him to handle, serve or sell alcohol. I really admire him for this... We both agree that any $$ that he received from something that is forbidden would be tainted money and we're not starving so this is out of the question... I couldn't believe how many men at the MOSQUE told him to apply at 7/11 !!!!! Even as a "Mini-Muslim" (more liberal, open-minded and less dogmatic than about 80% of the Muslims I know) I couldn't imagine or agree to him selling booze... (cigarettes, or lottery tickets, either!!!)

Thank God that I have a HUGE amount of work right now.. (God's blessing to us in a horrible economy) and I truly believe it ALL comes from God, so it's a blessing I'm supposed to share.

For us it's not the money literally, it's the principle... He feels he has lost his dignity through his loss of his INDEPENDENCE and is failing as a Muslim husband and father at his duty to provide for all of us. He has never "eaten from the hand of a woman" in his entire life. Since his father died when he was about 27 he has been the primary support and "head of household" for his 5 sisters (until they were married, or deceased), his younger brother, his mother, and after he married his (ex) wife and children.

It is hard to see the Lion I married in Egypt become a melancholy lamb, with a broken spirit. I don't know that bringing him here was the best thing. It was best for ME, but definately not for HIM.

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

He wasn't too proud to work at any job that wasn't haram.... and for that I love him even more... He was so happy to just be making SOMETHING so he could contribute, and now the sadness in his eyes is killing me. ...

It makes me very sad to read this. That manager's behavior was absolutely outrageous, not to mention illegal - there are very clear laws in this country against discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, religion etc. And it's heartbreaking that other minorities, who must face discrimination in other parts of their own lives, would turn around and inflict the same hurtful behavior on other minorities. I guess it gives them some kind of weird power kick. In any case, must be very hard not to take that personally and realize some people are just stupid and ignorant.

I hope your husband finds something soon, around good people who value him, even if it's volunteer work to start with, at least to keep him busy and productive until the economy improves.

My thoughts exactly Vivian... I work in an EEOC related position for the Federal Government... so believe me if he had let me I would have figured out a way to sue the ever lovin' #*(@^( out of them... Corporate America never learns lessons for free.. (and neither does the Government I've come to learn...) They have to PAY TO LEARN... But at first he didn't want to get the managers in trouble because he so appreciated their willingness to hire him and give him a chance... and then he didn't want to get the "girls" in trouble because he thought they probably needed their jobs (or they wouldn't work for minimum wage!!!)... that's when I got fed up and said if you aren't going to defend yourself, stop telling me about what they are doing to you!!!

The next day the manager told him he had to do about 3.5 hours worth of work in 55 minutes (including washing the floors and the entire CEILING of the place!!!) on his next shift or he wouldn't meet the "company's standards". Later that day his co-worker's invite the "gangstas" for a visit in their lo-riders. He flipped out and said his life came first and that being an "alive" father to his kids, no matter how much $$ he could send them, was better than being a dead father... and he just didn't go back...

I've always said that we have 3 choices in situations like this... Stay and fight for justice, stay and accept bad treatment, or LEAVE... I am the stay and fight type, he's the LEAVE... so I guess we're not all the same...

I wonder how many men who come here end up in a "lower status" than they were in their home country and how many become "upwardly mobile" because of their choice to immigrate.. For young men I am pretty sure it's upwards and onwards... not the case for H... it's over the pond and down the drain.. And I thought the Visa process was difficult.. Piece of CAKE by comparison...

[Staashi 371]

I wonder how many men who come here end up in a "lower status" than they were in their home country and how many become "upwardly mobile" because of their choice to immigrate.. For young men I am pretty sure it's upwards and onwards... not the case for H... it's over the pond and down the drain.. And I thought the Visa process was difficult.. Piece of CAKE by comparison...

That is so true Karmella - I always tell people that the visa process ain't nothing compared to what you as a couple will have to face once he gets here. It is so demeaning and frustrating to their psyche and yours too...and the amount of grief you suffer wondering if it was the right thing to do to be in this relationship...like you took them out of their comfort zone; out of a work environment where they were successful and had a sense of self worth. The work issue is one of the most difficult components to the assimilation process in the US. I can imagine that if someone didn't have a job, sat in a cafe with his friends, and just generally didn't give a rat's azz about the situation, well, they might not have too many issues - but for someone who is professional and earns a living - decent one at that, then this situation can bring on the depression. We're going through it right now and my hubby has been here more than 4 and a half years.

You know, I hardly even remember the visa process anymore (still do, but it has faded)...but I am hit with a constant 24/7 reminder of how sh!tty life can be when your spouse suffers from underemployment.

[doodlebugg 10]

Hmm, how about UPS? It's only part time, but it pays decently - $8-10 an hour I believe, and many places offer tuition reiumbursement.

https://ups.managehr.com/EarnandLearnProgram.htm

Good idea but don't you have to have a green card for that one or be a USC? I remember when Usama was first looking there were tons of jobs for the USPS and you needed one or the other. Not sure with UPS though. They have awesome benefits I hear. I always think of the show "King of Queens" when I see a UPS truck drive by.

H is unemployed.... He finally reached his limit of tolerance and just threw in the towel... He's been working in a restaurant where he was constantly being harassed and called "the terrorist" by the Mexican employees who thought he didn't understand much English because they typically heard him speaking arabic with the manager who is from Jordan. Amazingly once the manager got wind that H was being harassed (the assistant manager told him, not H) the manager decided to make his work so hard that H would leave... Rather than deal with his employees harassing H it was easier to get rid of H...

Usama's had a different experience. He is a waitor now at a restaurant and when he first started it was as a busboy and the kitchen staff would say, "hey it's bin Laden!" when he'd come in since his name is Usama but he would just go along with it and joke to them with things like, "watch out or you're next". lol. They all are friends and the one who started calling him that is teaching him Spanish on the side and hubby reciprocates by teaching him Arabic.

Eh, this is something that I'm worried about having to deal with. Ahmed has a degree in TOURISM (specifically Egyptian Tourism, Egyptology, etc) which is not particularly useful in the US. He's worked as an air traffic controller at the Cairo airport for the last 11 years, but again... not particularly useful in the US.

I'm just curious...isn't air traffic controlling the same no matter what country you're in? I mean do they fly on the wrong side of the sky or something?

s/s if your in OKC i see signs all over at the nursing homes wanting CNAs. If this is what i think as a job the OSU extention here gives a class only lasting like 10 days with free enrollment if you agree to sign with one of there jobs placements. So if he already knows all this even if it meant taking this class to refress then take them up on their openings (i may have this all wrong but i think this is how it works,) and if your here now where did you find your meats?

Do not ask me why but the minute my husband tries to apply at these nursing homes they become rude and hostile. I really don't get it. I am standing there so I see what happens. He explains he went through a three week CNA school in Tennessee and is licensed there. We have the license and certificate with us, but they want him to transfer the license to Oklahoma and said they would not even take his application until the license is transfered. You would think they could at least look at it. I called the office that handles CNA licenses and they told me what forms to fill out and said it would take 2 to 3 weeks to get the transfer complete. I mean he just finished this school a few months ago so no point doing it again, especially since we paid $1000 for it last time (Tennessee doesn't have all the vocational school advantages Oklahoma does).

He has also applied through Integris and Norman, but no luck though they were nice and sympathetic.

I'm sorry he's having such a rough time of it. My husband hasn't gone for the CNA test yet but he did take the course. (it was around $800 for 4 weeks here). You reminded me though that we need to look into certification in other states that we might want to be in in the future as well. My father is a periodontist, though retired now, and he was kicking himself when they wanted to retire to Florida because he wouldn't be allowed to practice there with a Mass license and would have to go through all of the studying for the exam again, which at his age then would have been cumbersome. It's always good to try to get certified in other states that you might want to move to later on. Of course I say that but I'm only licensed as a CPA in Mass.

Usama didn't work for the first three months. I'm glad too because it did take him that long to get acclimated to how things work here. It's a HUGE adjustment for them. Everyone talking in English, hearing other languages in the subway, navigating the subway/bus system, etc etc. His first job was as a temp working at the Boston University bookstore. He liked that very much but it was temporary and he was sad when it ended. Luckily though he wasn't unemployed since, knowing the temp job would end soon, he had found a job at the restaurant he's at now. Working as a busboy blew bigtime but he was persistent (I think it's an Egyptian trait! ) and nagged them so much that they finally made him a waitor. Everyone said this is the first time this has ever happened there, including my sisters and brother since they worked there in the 70's.

He is going to just work at the restaurant for the summer since that is when it's really really busy (overlooking the ocean, deck outside, etc.) and since the prices are through the roof his tips are pretty good. He usually comes home with about $400 to $500/week after taxes and although that will almost double when the summer really hits us it will be cut by 1/4 when fall/winter arrive since that's when it's dead there.

He only has his work permit and hasn't fully adjusted status yet so that is priority #1 to save up for. After that he will get his certificate, God willing, and will work both at a nursing home and the restaurant. Nursing homes here are always looking for cna's and I can get him into some of ours here if he wants, though he'd rather stay close to home.

Good lord I'm a chatty cathy today but #1 is patience. They want it NOW and sometimes can't understand that although they might be 36 yrs old, they are still brand new here.

[brnidokiegurl 0]

s/s if your in OKC i see signs all over at the nursing homes wanting CNAs. If this is what i think as a job the OSU extention here gives a class only lasting like 10 days with free enrollment if you agree to sign with one of there jobs placements. So if he already knows all this even if it meant taking this class to refress then take them up on their openings (i may have this all wrong but i think this is how it works,) and if your here now where did you find your meats?

Do not ask me why but the minute my husband tries to apply at these nursing homes they become rude and hostile. I really don't get it. I am standing there so I see what happens. He explains he went through a three week CNA school in Tennessee and is licensed there. We have the license and certificate with us, but they want him to transfer the license to Oklahoma and said they would not even take his application until the license is transfered. You would think they could at least look at it. I called the office that handles CNA licenses and they told me what forms to fill out and said it would take 2 to 3 weeks to get the transfer complete. I mean he just finished this school a few months ago so no point doing it again, especially since we paid $1000 for it last time (Tennessee doesn't have all the vocational school advantages Oklahoma does).

He has also applied through Integris and Norman, but no luck though they were nice and sympathetic.

i sent u a message of a name and place in norman to call

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

Sofyan sold cars for a year, then drove a taxi, and now has been working as a chemical engineer for the past year. He basically started as a helper filling bottles and packing and now makes his own formulas for batches of industrial soaps, chlorine, cleaning products etc. He works his ####### off and barely makes about 500$ a week, but its work, and a steady paycheck. He works 6-330pm M-F so the consistency in schedule is nice. Come july he is eligible for a weeks paid vacation, which he is really looking forward to.

My best advice would be to network. He found all these jobs thru people who knew people, etc. Also make sure your SO is openminded. If they are picky about what they do, chances are they may never find work.

[a1angied 0]

Hasan started in construction and then they where short of work and he got laid off. A month later he got a job at Foster Farms and chicken plant. He start off as a stacker and then he just kept applying for different positions and he moved to sanatation and he still applies for positions that are better all the time.

He took ESL classes when he first arrived and that has really helped him to move up.

[ANONYMOUSXXXXXX 0]

I wonder how many men who come here end up in a "lower status" than they were in their home country and how many become "upwardly mobile" because of their choice to immigrate.. For young men I am pretty sure it's upwards and onwards... not the case for H... it's over the pond and down the drain.. And I thought the Visa process was difficult.. Piece of CAKE by comparison...

That is so true Karmella - I always tell people that the visa process ain't nothing compared to what you as a couple will have to face once he gets here. It is so demeaning and frustrating to their psyche and yours too...and the amount of grief you suffer wondering if it was the right thing to do to be in this relationship...like you took them out of their comfort zone; out of a work environment where they were successful and had a sense of self worth. The work issue is one of the most difficult components to the assimilation process in the US. I can imagine that if someone didn't have a job, sat in a cafe with his friends, and just generally didn't give a rat's azz about the situation, well, they might not have too many issues - but for someone who is professional and earns a living - decent one at that, then this situation can bring on the depression. We're going through it right now and my hubby has been here more than 4 and a half years.

You know, I hardly even remember the visa process anymore (still do, but it has faded)...but I am hit with a constant 24/7 reminder of how sh!tty life can be when your spouse suffers from underemployment.

Lucky you and the others!! My hubby has now decided that life was much better in Morocco and that he didnt' worry about food, work, etc like he does here. They know they can always go live with/off family or friends. I don't know if he will stay here or not. He resents making car payments and not having money left over to save. He envies his friends who have sat at home and not had to work for the past year while their wives paid the bills cuz they can't find jobs. He quit his first job cuz he hated it. He likes this job, but resents having to drive. Thinks we should move to where he works and I CAN drive to my work. Appreciate what you have, ladies, if he wants to bust his butt and gives you the money to pay the bills. I appreciate my life--just wish he did too. This is taking its toll on me, for sure.

I wonder how many men who come here end up in a "lower status" than they were in their home country and how many become "upwardly mobile" because of their choice to immigrate.. For young men I am pretty sure it's upwards and onwards... not the case for H... it's over the pond and down the drain.. And I thought the Visa process was difficult.. Piece of CAKE by comparison...

That is so true Karmella - I always tell people that the visa process ain't nothing compared to what you as a couple will have to face once he gets here. It is so demeaning and frustrating to their psyche and yours too...and the amount of grief you suffer wondering if it was the right thing to do to be in this relationship...like you took them out of their comfort zone; out of a work environment where they were successful and had a sense of self worth. The work issue is one of the most difficult components to the assimilation process in the US. I can imagine that if someone didn't have a job, sat in a cafe with his friends, and just generally didn't give a rat's azz about the situation, well, they might not have too many issues - but for someone who is professional and earns a living - decent one at that, then this situation can bring on the depression. We're going through it right now and my hubby has been here more than 4 and a half years.

You know, I hardly even remember the visa process anymore (still do, but it has faded)...but I am hit with a constant 24/7 reminder of how sh!tty life can be when your spouse suffers from underemployment.

Lucky you and the others!! My hubby has now decided that life was much better in Morocco and that he didnt' worry about food, work, etc like he does here. They know they can always go live with/off family or friends. I don't know if he will stay here or not. He resents making car payments and not having money left over to save. He envies his friends who have sat at home and not had to work for the past year while their wives paid the bills cuz they can't find jobs. He quit his first job cuz he hated it. He likes this job, but resents having to drive. Thinks we should move to where he works and I CAN drive to my work. Appreciate what you have, ladies, if he wants to bust his butt and gives you the money to pay the bills. I appreciate my life--just wish he did too. This is taking its toll on me, for sure.

[Donna A 4]

i cant beleive he is having problems getting jobs as nurses assistents. ohio has such a turn over they always are hiring. alot of the time the welfare office finds these positions and sends people out to them. my friends daughter gets them and quits them as fast as she can then move on to the next one. she has no problems at all. i think even some of the nursing homes pay for the classes. they are called stna's and only take like 4 weeks to get thru.

[amysaid 9]

I'm just curious...isn't air traffic controlling the same no matter what country you're in? I mean do they fly on the wrong side of the sky or something?

Haha. No, it's more an issue of an airport being willing to hire an Arab for a job controlling the landing of airplanes. I am not even sure if his education would be transferable, he might have to go through school again here if he really wanted to do it. But the way he has expressed it to me is that he has spent the last 12 years doing something he loves, so he doesn't mind making a living doing something that he doesn't love quite so much if it means he can support his family. Even with that, though, I'm not sure that pure drive and determination is going to be enough to get a job for a new immigrant these days.

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Well it seems to be official... his relatives keep offering him work in another state and today it sounds like he's made up his mind to take them up on their offer... and not only does he want me to give him my blessing to accept the offer, he wants me to be HAPPY about it too!

I know he quit smoking before he came here... but he must still be smoking something if he thinks he's going to actually see me HAPPY about being left behind as he travels half way across the country for a $10 an hour job...

I keep telling him if he wanted a wife who didn't care if she ever saw him (as long as she had $$$ in her pocket), thought sex once a month was MORE THAN ENOUGH, and just wanted to know how much money he made each cay he could have stayed with his ex-wife. I think I've made his life so comfortably "Egypt Like" since he came here that he thinks I AM Egyptian and that my expectations should be the same as an Egyptian wife... Boy is he mistaken...

I didn't ask for a GADZILLION Dollar Shabka, I refused the outrageous amount of mahr he tried to give me... I didn't expect him to fully support me (with my expensive American lifestyle) here OR in Egypt... I knew that because we have no kids together he would leave everything to his kids...

All I wanted was his companionship. So if he leaves... what the HECK would make me want to stay married to him???

Why couldn't I marry a lazy slacker who sits on his butt while I support HIM... Oh wait, I already DID THAT!!!! And that's why I am divorced!!!! And that's why I married HIM.. And where am I now? Back to square one...

God Grant me Serenity....