Jon Roberts wrote:
Hi all,

I'm looking for a job in a studio in the very near future, I have no real ties to the UK (where I am now) so I'm seriously looking at work abroad, in particular the USA.

which leads me onto the point...... In the UK we have websites like fish4jobs and monster that hold a massive database of available jobs to search through nationwide.... I understand that America has monster too but are there any other large organisations that are similar to find work? I'm not location specific but would prefer North America

also........if you have (or know someone who has) any vacancy for a budding photographer please feel free to get in touch.

your help is greatly appreciated

Jon Roberts

Full time photo job here?
Good luck!

SLE Photography wrote:

Full time photo job here?
Good luck!

tell me about it

Jon Roberts wrote:
Hi all,

I'm looking for a job in a studio in the very near future, I have no real ties to the UK (where I am now) so I'm seriously looking at work abroad, in particular the USA.

which leads me onto the point...... In the UK we have websites like fish4jobs and monster that hold a massive database of available jobs to search through nationwide.... I understand that America has monster too but are there any other large organisations that are similar to find work? I'm not location specific but would prefer North America

also........if you have (or know someone who has) any vacancy for a budding photographer please feel free to get in touch.

your help is greatly appreciated

Jon Roberts

Plenty of photography jobs....if you like photographing drooling, spitting, squealing kiddies at WalMart for mininum wage and be on your feet 10 hours a day.....

Other than that it's make your own way....like most of us here do.

FKVPhotoGraphics wrote:
Plenty of photography jobs....if you like photographing drooling, spitting, squealing kiddies at WalMart for mininum wage and be on your feet 10 hours a day.....

Other than that it's make your own way....like most of us here do.

Only two problems with those suggestions:

1) He won't ever get a work / residency visa for that; and

2) Unless he has big bucks and beaucoup industry references and tears he won't get a work / residency visa for self employment, either.

The only other suggestion, not mentioned, might be to arrive as a freelance photo[journalist] - but he won't get an I visa - without some very significant hoops being jumped through and the hardest will be the evidence of pre-published material. He will also generally have to have the support of a publication that may have to guarantee his financial solvency while in the US.

Studio36

studio36uk wrote:

Only two problems with those suggestions:

1) He won't ever get a work / residency visa for that; and

2) Unless he has big bucks and beaucoup industry references and tears he won't get a work / residency visa for self employment, either.

The only other suggestion, not mentioned, might be to arrive as a freelance photo[journalist] - but he won't get an I visa - without some very significant hoops being jumped through and the hardest will be the evidence of pre-published material. He will also generally have to have the support of a publication that may have to guarantee his financial solvency while in the US.

Studio36

thanks for your post.... I have evidence of pre-published material from the UK, but I agree that I'm going to need to secure something before I go out there, which makes life difficult!!

I wouldn't move unless I had a job to move into, so hopefully that would help with some of the visa issues....although I know it's still going to be a nightmare!

Jon Roberts wrote:
thanks for your post.... I have evidence of pre-published material from the UK, but I agree that I'm going to need to secure something before I go out there, which makes life difficult!!

I wouldn't move unless I had a job to move into, so hopefully that would help with some of the visa issues....although I know it's still going to be a nightmare!

Yes, we have looked as some of the very same problems here on MM for models in the past... and encountered most of the same stumbling blocks in the visa process. You may actually be the first photographer to ask... or at least the first that I can remember.

At least you have a degree in the photography speciality so that is far in advance of what most models could offer as evidence on a visa application.

Studio36

Apfel photography wrote:
Little bit of USA employment information for you.  If you want to work in the US, you will need an H1B sponsorship which is not cheap and the company has to sign a legal document stating that they tried as hard as they could to find a equally qualified American for the same job and could not find one.

After taking one look at the available photogs on MM, they will kick you out and fine the hell out of the company that sponsored you. smile

Better off finding something in the Euro Union.

wow that seems a little xenophobic, surely 1000's of people must do this every month, from what everyones saying here it seems almost impossible. The document saying about not being able to find an equally qualified American photographer..... well surely to get the job I would have to be better than the other applicants anyway... so wouldn't that sort that out?

Europe would be intersting, but not fluently speaking many languages is kind of limiting

Michael pandolfo wrote:
Send me $200 and I'll print out a list of full-time, legit photography jobs available in the U.S. This one page document will be sent within 24 hours via Pre-Paid Freight through Nigeria. Oh wait...that's another forum thread

hehe, maybe not!

Mark Ellison wrote:
What area are you planning to move to in the United States? 

If you moved somewhere like NY or LA, you should be able to find a job assisting to start you off.  I'm near the Chicago market and while there are assisting jobs available, I feel that they're not as plentiful as the two coastal regions would have. 

You may want to look at sites that are specific to photography to find out what's open.  While monster.com and similiar sites will have jobs open, most will be of the Wal-Mart Portrait Studio type openings and I don't think that's what your looking for.  Contact photographers and see what they have available.  If nothing's open, ask them if they know anyone that may need an assistant.  Someone suggested ASMP.org and I think that's a good start.  Also make friends with someone in those areas and have them scout for you.  The grapevine can work wonders if used properly.  Just use it to your advantage.

Good luck on your searching.

I'm not 100% certain which area I'm looking at yet, I need to do alot more research before that becomes definate, I was thinking of either LA or possibly Chicago. I have also heard that there is alot of work available in houston and dallas, but I'm not 100% sure if that's where I want to be (again more research needed)

The grapevine can work wonders..... but it's difficult to get on it from another country!

I'll be on the scavenge for more American friends in the very near future!!

thanks for the tips....keep them coming

Jon