Had a job offer a few weeks back for work in the USA, but was too much a risk.

I am a Telecommunications Rigger, and have been working intermittently as one over the last year, with some work as a steel erection and construction rigger/dogger when not working with Telco.

I got a SMS offering me work and a 2 year work visa for Telecommunications projects in the USA upgrading some of the 3g networks to 4G using LTE cables (optic fibre) to connect the BTS to the antenna.

Now at home I have half a 4 bedroom house worth of furniture and white goods crammed into a 2 bedroom apartment. Add to this about 1500 Classic Battletech Miniatures, nearly 2000 40K miniatures plus vehicles, terrain, gaming table, as well as stuff for Dystopian Wars, DZC, and then there are the board games, and LCGs. Did I mention that part of the Apartment is a little cluttered.

Well the job is not guaranteed, and after a 3 month trial period, they can send me off and I have to find my own way back. I also have to get myself there in the first place, and the job takes me everywhere across the USA. I will not be able to take much with me, and I will get bored as hell. I also have to consider storage of my current gaming miniatures, books etc, as well as my furniture. I can not afford to keep them in this apartment, as the landlady will probably just get someone new in.

Add to all this, I do not think I can handle the language/terms in the USA. My cousin lived there for a couple years, and she found it very confusing for the first few months. She sent her son out the butchers for mince, and he was given fruit mince. They learned that they needed to order Hamburger meat, not mince meat. I was born and raised in a beautiful COUNTRY - part of Australia, called Queensland. Yes Queenslanders consider themselves better than most Australians because the sun shine out of our buttocks, and we wear white shoes after Labour day. LOL

Seriously though, I am not sure I can get used to some of the systems in the USA. You use 120 volts, measurements are different Pounds (weight) 2.2 pounds to the Kilogram. They work in Miles instead of Kilometers, drive on the right side of the road, where I drive on the correct side of the road, the left side. Distance are in inches, and feet, not Centimeters and Meters. I still can to get my head around converting those easily yet. 2.54 cm = 1 inch, while 30 cm is about 1 foot. Many of the terms used might get me in trouble, and I will probably fall back on some of my Australian terms like calling what yanks refer to as Peanut Butter as Peanut Paste and so on.

I think it would have been an interesting experience, but I think it is not worth the risk, and then get stranded there. Yes I get scared about moving there. Mainly because of what will happen to the USA when the Zombie Invasion begins, followed up by the Triffod attacks. Australia is a much safer place, and cross fingers, we have never been invaded by a foreign power (except Great Britain who deposited many of its convicts here).

The only thing that looks good about the USA is being able to shoot some of the nice weapons like Barret .50 cal sniper rifles, automatic assault rifles, etc. I handled a lot of weapons when I was in the Army Reserves attached to Infantry units (as a Clerk/ Signals corp soldier) and when I was a Recruit Instructor. Then I went into the Regular Army as a Linie dog (Comms Rigger/ Lineperson), and got to use the Steyer, and Minimi only.

I know a few people I used to work with who came from Britain/ UK and one was in the regular army there. They have their own way of talking, that I get confused listening to.

It is weird, but I do not think that I want to live anywhere else in the world. Holidays would be good, but only to places like Canada, the USA in certain areas, UK, and parts of Western Europe. It is daunting - the idea of leaving Australia and living somewhere else. It is strange, because I climb 40 to 150 meter towers for a living, and hang off them. (1m = 3' 3").

Oh well that was a nice little blurb about noting in particular. Just airing my random thoughts about life, well my life, and possible lost opportunities.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daemonette666

...(except Great Britain who deposited many of its convicts here)

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You're welcome :D

It does sound like quite an opportunity but as always with any new offer you have to try and balance the risk/reward. I think that you would convert quite readily to the unit conversion.

My brother-in-law amongst other roles also test drivers for Jaguar Land Rover and most of that is done either in Spain (summer testing) or Sweeden (winter testing) and some other places as the need requires. This is a week here or there and then nothing for several months to even a year and he is able to switch between the correct side and the right side so that isn't too bad.

The thought of leaving a life behind and engaging in a brand new culture without family/friends is a terrifying one and one that I probably would not make, though I know a number of people who have done just that, moving to Germany, Dubai, ZA or OZ and they are thriving.

I would think the scariest part of a potential move to another country would be the language barrier, and you do at least speak the same language.

As for terms/dialect, it is regional here. This country is so huge that moving from state to state results in the same thing. Not as extreme as terms between here to AUS/UK, but enough to get confusing. My wife grew up about 200 miles away and moved here, and they have different ways to refer to a few things than we do.

Also, for what it's worth, Australia seems like a terrifying place to us where all the wildlife has evolved to kill everything with poison, or at least that's the impression that I get from nature shows on TV.

Here are my two cents: go for it! It sounds like the adventure of a lifetime. Some things to consider...

• The language isn't THAT different. When I was in the US Marines many years ago we did some training with the British Royal Marines. We were all able to communicate swimmingly. Also, I've had Australian and Brit friends who've come to live here and they've all adapted quickly.
• This is a nation of immigrants. You'll meet folks from all over the world.
• There is more gaming going on around here than you can imagine. Most medium sized cities have game stores and game clubs. Invest in Warmachine (because it is so portable) and game from sea to shining sea. Alternatively, bring along a low model count, extremely powerful 40K army. I carry my Warmachine army in a small pistol case.
• America is HUGE. You'll be amazed at how much variation you'll find as you move from state to state.
• It sounds like it's time to get rid of some of the stuff in your house anyway.
• You've served in the military so you're most likely an adaptable person... the whole adventure will be easier than you think.
• Folks with Australian accents stick out pleasantly. You'll be able to strike up conversations everywhere and meet lots of new friends.

Anyhoo, that's all. Good luck! Cope

I love the fact that someone who lives in a country where pretty much all the fauna is hostilely opposed to human life considers the USA to be unsafe. :D You know yourself how much of a gamble you are willing to take, but personally I'd say go for it. If it doesn't pan out after three months, it doesn't sound like you would be much worse off than you are now and you could just view it as a working holiday.

I wouldn't worry too much about things like the measurement system or the dialect differences. As Chris said, we all love Australian dialects over here anyway (no, seriously, we do). And if Americans can learn to use the metric system (don't believe what you've heard; we absolutely can), you can certainly learn to use United States customary units.

That said, if the job doesn't sound worth it in terms of job security/payment vs. what you've got now ... then, you know, don't do it. I think there can be lots of good reasons not to take a job in a foreign country, but being afraid of the dialect barrier and the measurement system don't seem like good reasons.

Is it true you guys struggle to tell the difference between Australian and British? I'm guessing that stereotype is for comedy purposes, but I was just wondering if there is any truth to it. I certainly couldn't tell you the difference between American and Canadian, so I was wondering if there was a ring of truth to it.

Yes and no, I think. I think most Americans can tell the difference between some Australian accents and some British accents. Just like I'm pretty sure you could tell that somebody with a really strong southern American drawl wasn't from Quebec, not many Americans would think that Steve Irwin was from London, or that a really posh English accent was from Sydney. But I do think that the real-world range of Australian and British accents overlap to a considerable degree in most Americans' minds, yeah.

Popular culture has a way of confusing the reality of accents. The vast majority of people in the US probably can't tell the difference, and think everyone in AUS/UK has either the stereotype 'royal' accent, or Cockney accent. The same as for the US, where everyone is depicted as either having the New York accent or a Southern accent. I am from Philly, which has a unique dialect and pronunciation, but even shows and movies filmed locally normally substitute another accent. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_dialect[/url]

This video is win for understanding how we speak: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3lZFiyd_-0&list=TL4XOZvrkKiR0[/url]

I thought you all spoke like [URL="http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwrel&v=hBe0VCso0qs"]this[/URL] in Philly.