Is there any chance of getting a job in America with just a BTEC?

I tried posting this in the BTEC forum, but got no response, so I figured I'd try here. I'm currently doing a BTEC in engineering and when I'm done I would like to move to America for work. When researching potential jobs I noticed that pretty much everything required some kind of degree, even jobs that would never need a degree in the UK. I'm not planning on getting a degree currently so I'm wondering what my chances are of getting a decent job in America with just a BTEC? I have looked this up but I couldn't find much info about what a BTEC is worth there. I found one website that claimed some companies accept it instead of a degree, but I'm not sure how true this is.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Reply 1

ajj2000

20

Do you have the right to work in the US?

Reply 2

londonmyst

19

Are you an american citizen?
Do you have access to accomodation or family support in the usa?
What type of jobs are you open to doing?

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

A BTEC is not equivalent to a degree in the US. It would be equivalent to going to a trade school there. It's unlikely you would be able to get sponsored for a working visa there with just a BTEC - US immigration requirements mandate any employer sponsoring someone for a visa prove there are not suitable qualified American applicants for that job. Unfortunately, jobs that can be done with just a BTEC in the US will be filled with people with equivalent qualifications there pretty quickly.

Unless you are an American citizen already, it's not realistic. If you are an American citizen I still wouldn't suggest it, as while you could of course move there, you'd struggle finding a half decent job, and you'd have much lower pay due to minimum wage being much lower on the whole in the US, and you'd have far fewer legal protections as a worker to boot compared to the UK.

Reply 4

ChrisM35

OP

4

Original post by londonmyst

Are you an american citizen?
Do you have access to accomodation or family support in the usa?
What type of jobs are you open to doing?

Yes, I have citizenship, along with family who could hopefully accommodate me, so moving there wouldn't be an issue. I'm interested in anything to do with engineering really, although I'd rather work in a more hands-on role rather than a desk job.

Reply 5

ChrisM35

OP

4

Original post by artful_lounger

A BTEC is not equivalent to a degree in the US. It would be equivalent to going to a trade school there. It's unlikely you would be able to get sponsored for a working visa there with just a BTEC - US immigration requirements mandate any employer sponsoring someone for a visa prove there are not suitable qualified American applicants for that job. Unfortunately, jobs that can be done with just a BTEC in the US will be filled with people with equivalent qualifications there pretty quickly.

Unless you are an American citizen already, it's not realistic. If you are an American citizen I still wouldn't suggest it, as while you could of course move there, you'd struggle finding a half decent job, and you'd have much lower pay due to minimum wage being much lower on the whole in the US, and you'd have far fewer legal protections as a worker to boot compared to the UK.

Thanks for the info. So basically, I couldn't actually work as an engineer there, only in a trade?

Reply 6

ajj2000

20

Original post by ChrisM35

Yes, I have citizenship, along with family who could hopefully accommodate me, so moving there wouldn't be an issue. I'm interested in anything to do with engineering really, although I'd rather work in a more hands-on role rather than a desk job.

That makes the world of difference! I suspect you have some decent options over there. Perhaps look for some guidance on US forums, and check for jobs which look for an 'associates degree.

Original post by ChrisM35

Thanks for the info. So basically, I couldn't actually work as an engineer there, only in a trade?

Yes, a BTEC will be a trade level qualification over there. You'd have to do further study in the US, though I believe they have many more routes that in the UK.

Reply 8

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by ChrisM35

Thanks for the info. So basically, I couldn't actually work as an engineer there, only in a trade?

Engineer is a protected title over there and requires an engineering degree, so no.

If you already have citizenship you could work as a tech somewhere maybe depending on your BTEC subject and what professional experience you have. But as noted, you'll be paid less, have fewer legal protections as a worker, and spend more money on commuting and health insurance than I'm the UK. So not really a sensible choice financially.

Reply 9

ChrisM35

OP

4

Original post by artful_lounger

Engineer is a protected title over there and requires an engineering degree, so no.

If you already have citizenship you could work as a tech somewhere maybe depending on your BTEC subject and what professional experience you have. But as noted, you'll be paid less, have fewer legal protections as a worker, and spend more money on commuting and health insurance than I'm the UK. So not really a sensible choice financially.

Kind of a shame, really. I get that they don't see a BTEC as equivalent to a degree but it sucks that you can work for 2 years studying engineering and they consider this qualification basically worthless. Seems like America has a a problem with requiring every job to have a degree when in most other countries it's not necessary.

Reply 10

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by ChrisM35

Kind of a shame, really. I get that they don't see a BTEC as equivalent to a degree but it sucks that you can work for 2 years studying engineering and they consider this qualification basically worthless. Seems like America has a a problem with requiring every job to have a degree when in most other countries it's not necessary.

To a point yes, and it is an issue - the joke that "you need a degree to pump gas" in the US is unfortunately not too far from the truth (especially when you remember some states make it that by law an employee has to pump the petro for your car for you, and you can't do it yourself...), and there are definitely wider issues with it overall devaluing bachelors degrees in the US in the first place.

For this specific context though I would note it's more around engineer being a protected title in the US, unlike the UK. So it's like "nurse" or "doctor" - only people who are appropriately qualified can call themselves that. It then just standardises the requirements and hence expectations of clients and employers of people with that title. Which is not in of itself a bad thing, and in the UK the lack of that protection does mean the term "engineer" itself has been blurred considerably to encompass roles which are fundamentally not engineering roles, but roles that support engineers.