Swiss electrician moving to the US

[bethel]

Good morning everybody,

I have a quick question about moving out to the US and getting a job in a electric company. I will present myself first, so my name is Konrad I currently live in Switzerland and I did an apprenticeship of 4 years as an electrician. Then I decided to do brevet (bachelor) which allowed me to be an expert of electric installation and safety. I was a journeyman electrician for 1 year after my apprenticeship and I’m currently a project manager and manager of one department in a electric company. I have a bachelor but here in Switzerland you have 2 types of bachelor. One is for an engineer and other is for an expert of electric installation and safety, I got the second one. As I know in the US there’s only one bachelor and I wonder if I can use my bachelor to be an engineer in the US? And my second question is what certificate, license etc do I exactly need to be registered and work as an manager/engineer etc in an electric company?

Best regards

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I knew a person from Hungary who came to America with degrees in electrical engineering and I believe the US did not honor those degrees. I am not sure who to contact about accepting those degrees. I would call the dept of education in the state you are moving to and see what they say

 

[bethel]

If they don’t accept my bachelor I would have to go back to school or what? Lol

 

[jim dungar]

Good morning everybody,

I have a quick question about moving out to the US and getting a job in a electric company. I will present myself first, so my name is Konrad I currently live in Switzerland and I did an apprenticeship of 4 years as an electrician. Then I decided to do brevet (bachelor) which allowed me to be an expert of electric installation and safety. I was a journeyman electrician for 1 year after my apprenticeship and I’m currently a project manager and manager of one department in a electric company. I have a bachelor but here in Switzerland you have 2 types of bachelor. One is for an engineer and other is for an expert of electric installation and safety, I got the second one. As I know in the US there’s only one bachelor and I wonder if I can use my bachelor to be an engineer in the US? And my second question is what certificate, license etc do I exactly need to be registered and work as an manager/engineer etc in an electric company?

Best regards

I have hired several people who got their engineering degrees in countries other than the US. We employed them as engineers and wanted them all to pursue their engineering license, however for most of them their bachelor classes were not sufficient and they needed additional schooling

Very few US employers would consider electrical installation training and work experience to be equivalent to electrical engineering experience.

 

[petersonra]

If they don’t accept my bachelor I would have to go back to school or what? Lol

The problem with European schools is they often do not correlate well with the way US schools do things. It is not that an engineering degree from a European university produces a bad engineer, but it is difficult to equate them with US style degrees, even if the engineer has had a solid engineering education.

My understanding is many European universities do not even grant degrees like we do here.

 

[ramsy]

Except for Jim Dungar's mention for entry-level engineers, the most common work US immigrants get in this trade is laborers, working for cash, under the table, willing to sustain insult & injury, hate on AFCI's, and live on rice & beans without complaint, to Worker's Compensation Insurance, Unemployment, or OSHA.

However, if you immigrated from a socialist country, contractors are not likely to believe you are willing to work like that, much less religiously avoid the government, the way Latin American immigrants can.

Working as a translator may be worth more.

See for yourself with the keywords, "translator Swiss" at monsterjobs.com, or ziprecruiter.com

Compare those job benefits between "entry level" "electrical engineer" or "apprentice electrician", perhaps the only offer you get in this trade.

 

[synchro]

... I’m currently a project manager and manager of one department in a electric company.

What type of business does this electrical company do? Electrical installations, engineering design, manufacturing, etc.?
From what you've mentioned the training and degree that you have would not be sufficient for electrical design. And as Jim said a PE is often required.
Project management skills could possibly apply across a broader range of electrical businesses.
Are you intending to go to a specific location in the US, or are you open to living wherever jobs might be?
Large companies typically have a wider range of job types available, but you might need to live near their headquarters or other specific locations.

 

[jim dungar]

The problem with European schools is they often do not correlate well with the way US schools do things. It is not that an engineering degree from a European university produces a bad engineer, but it is difficult to equate them with US style degrees, even if the engineer has had a solid engineering education.

My understanding is many European universities do not even grant degrees like we do here.

The issue is the breadth of the education. Foreign schools focus on the technical while US schools include more humanities and social studies.

 

[ramsy]

The issue is the breadth of the education. Foreign schools focus on the technical while US schools include more humanities and social studies.

US higher education has relatively little connection to industry, for jobs, or apprenticeship programs.

On the job training in the US is only available through trade-schools, unions, and other indentured programs

 

[petersonra]

US higher education has relatively little connection to industry, for jobs, or apprenticeship programs.

On the job training in the US is only available through trade-schools, unions, and other indentured programs

I think that is kind of an unfair assertion. Most US colleges and universities have internship programs that are pretty good, and generally include business interests in their planning for curriculum issues.

OTJ training is not something that is anywhere near as effective in some areas like engineering as it is with the trades, so why push something that is not effective? One problem with engineering education in this country is that it is not always directly related to jobs graduates take. You can get an EE degree but be relatively clueless about the NEC. Or never have seen a MCC. Or not know how to wire a light switch. Those kinds of things you just have to pick up somehow. It is not ideal but I don't know how you get past it short of reducing the silly requirements for classes that are well outside of the focus of study, in favor of maybe some classes that are more practical. But that would require a complete rethink of the university system, and that is a really tough thing to ask for. A lot of professors would be out of jobs if engineers were not forced to take some literature or philosophy classes.

 

[Electromatic]

I would suggest you contact whatever agency administers trade licenses where you plan to move. Though higher-education degrees might not transfer internationally, it sounds like your study involved actual installations. You might be able to apply that time/experience toward sitting for a journeyman or master license. That could help you get a job in the field without having to be a basic laborer, grunt, etc.

 

[bethel]

What type of business does this electrical company do? Electrical installations, engineering design, manufacturing, etc.?
From what you've mentioned the training and degree that you have would not be sufficient for electrical design. And as Jim said a PE is often required.
Project management skills could possibly apply across a broader range of electrical businesses.
Are you intending to go to a specific location in the US, or are you open to living wherever jobs might be?
Large companies typically have a wider range of job types available, but you might need to live near their headquarters or other specific locations.

So the company I work at provides electricity, water and heat to one of our regions in Switzerland. And what we do in electricity is electrical installations for houses, buildings and factories. We have engineers in the main department who do electrical design for us and we just put it to work. I supervise the work. Of course of there is a small electric installation to do I’m the one who will design it. I can’t design factories installations because I don’t have time for it.

 

[bethel]

The problem with European schools is they often do not correlate well with the way US schools do things. It is not that an engineering degree from a European university produces a bad engineer, but it is difficult to equate them with US style degrees, even if the engineer has had a solid engineering education.

My understanding is many European universities do not even grant degrees like we do here.

what I would like to mention is that the electricity in Switzerland is I would say 5 times more strict than in the US. Our electrical code installation book is almost 1 thousand page that I had to learn for my bachelor. 36% of apprentices fail their finals exams and there’s a big lack of people with bachelor in the electrical industry. I wouldn’t say the US bachelor is harder than the Swiss one.. Swiss diplomas are one of the most recognized diplomas in the world and they have a big value internationally. The most expensive schools are in Switzerland. One of my professors ended up in a depression because he was studying so hard and long for his Master that after the exam he had nothing to do and he just ended up in a depression. Sounds funny but well.

 

[bethel]

Very few US employers would consider electrical installation training and work experience to be equivalent to electrical engineering experience.

so what about people who graduate from the university as an engineer? They don’t have an hour of experience as an engineer and I have already 6 years of experience. 5 years in terrain and 1 year as an project manager/department manager. I think an electrical company would prefer me someone who has an experience with it already over someone who just sat in class and never saw a wire in real life. Engineers must work in terrain as well to supervise the work in big projects. Let me know what you think guys.

 

[bethel]

And we have learned a lot in school.
Everything you can imagine:
Every type of the electrical engine
How design an electrical installation
Generators
How to make an electrical plan
How to work with a client
How to manage budget
How to manage a department
How to check electric installations
Literally everything in electricity we have learned in school. So I had engineer designing but not that much developed like in Engineer bachelor. And if the company was small and didn’t have engineers then I would be the one who would design them.

 

[bethel]

Are you intending to go to a specific location in the US, or are you open to living wherever jobs might be?
Large companies typically have a wider range of job types available, but you might need to live near their headquarters or other specific locations.

thank you for your answer! So I have my mother in Florida. And my fiancé lives in Florida as well. I was looking to work for Florida Power & Lightning (FPL)

 

[suemarkp]

A note of terminology. When you say "electric company", many people will think of electric utility. In the US, the utility provides the high voltage distribution around the country and does the transformer and power drop to businesses and homes. That is where their work stops. An "electrical contractor" is a business that typically does electrical installation, upgrades, and repairs at or after the utility meter and within buildings (and between buildings if a business has multiple separate buildings). They both have electricians and electrical designers, but use different code books.

Generally, electricians don't have bachelors degrees, but must undergo an apprenticeship program (2000 hours I think) and pass a test. Electrical designers most likely have an electrical engineering degree, and ideally with a sub focus on power systems. However, most companies want their designers to also have a Professional Engineering (PE) certification. Most people do this by taking their Engineer In Training (EIT) exam right out of college and then a year after working under a PE you can take your PE test. I'm not sure if a PE license obtained in one state is always recognized in another. SO get it in the state where you want to work.

So this won't be fast, as there are mandatory time requirements. It will take even longer if your education is not recognized here. You may need 2+ years or so of schooling to get a US bachelors degree. I believe you can take the EIT exam whenever you want (no degree requirement), but many of the questions cover what you learned in school, so if it has been a while, or you didn't learn what US schools teach, you may not pass the test.

I have a bachelors degree (computer science, not EE, but took a lot of EE courses). You learn very little about the US National Electric Code when obtaining a college degree. Typically, it is the trade school electricians who learn the National Electric Code in detail. I have done enough electrical work and studied the code on my own that I believe I could pass the test to be an electrician. But I don't have the apprentice hours so I typically can not do electrical work for others. Its just the way it is here.

What you know comes later. Companies typically look at education and certification. I know many who are educated and certified who don't know anything. There are others who know quite a lot who have minimal formal education. You need the paper (degree, EIT/PE, and/or ELectrical license) to get in the door (get hired by a company). To stay in the company, you need to actually know how to do things properly. If you just want to be a designer, a company may hire you with a degree and ideally with an EIT and help support getting your PE.

 

[bethel]

A note of terminology. When you say "electric company", many people will think of electric utility. In the US, the utility provides the high voltage distribution around the country and does the transformer and power drop to businesses and homes. That is where their work stops. An "electrical contractor" is a business that typically does electrical installation, upgrades, and repairs at or after the utility meter and within buildings (and between buildings if a business has multiple separate buildings). They both have electricians and electrical designers, but use different code books.

Generally, electricians don't have bachelors degrees, but must undergo an apprenticeship program (2000 hours I think) and pass a test. Electrical designers most likely have an electrical engineering degree, and ideally with a sub focus on power systems. However, most companies want their designers to also have a Professional Engineering (PE) certification. Most people do this by taking their Engineer In Training (EIT) exam right out of college and then a year after working under a PE you can take your PE test. I'm not sure if a PE license obtained in one state is always recognized in another. SO get it in the state where you want to work.

So this won't be fast, as there are mandatory time requirements. It will take even longer if your education is not recognized here. You may need 2+ years or so of schooling to get a US bachelors degree. I believe you can take the EIT exam whenever you want (no degree requirement), but many of the questions cover what you learned in school, so if it has been a while, or you didn't learn what US schools teach, you may not pass the test.

I have a bachelors degree (computer science, not EE, but took a lot of EE courses). You learn very little about the US National Electric Code when obtaining a college degree. Typically, it is the trade school electricians who learn the National Electric Code in detail. I have done enough electrical work and studied the code on my own that I believe I could pass the test to be an electrician. But I don't have the apprentice hours so I typically can not do electrical work for others. Its just the way it is here.

What you know comes later. Companies typically look at education and certification. I know many who are educated and certified who don't know anything. There are others who know quite a lot who have minimal formal education. You need the paper (degree, EIT/PE, and/or ELectrical license) to get in the door (get hired by a company). To stay in the company, you need to actually know how to do things properly. If you just want to be a designer, a company may hire you with a degree and ideally with an EIT and help support getting your PE.

Thank you so much it cleared a lot. Basically when I move out to the US I have to get my electrician license. I read that my future employer will recognize my foreign degree. If he thinks that this is enough to give me an engineer job then it’s okay. I don’t have to be an engineer I feel good as a project manager. Do you know what certificate in the US I need for a project manager? Or department manager? Like supervise progress of work and a group of people.

 

[jim dungar]

Again, the English language gets in the way of our communications.

In the US if you want to sell your engineering services to anyone put your employer you typically need to have a license as a Professional Engineer. This PE license is probably earned by fewer than 20% of all people graduating with engineering degrees. However, anyone may call themselves an engineer, as long as they do not sell their services outside of their company, even if they have not attended any school at all. In general our National Electric Code is not taught in our universities other than as a one term elective course.

You would probably be qualified to apply for with any of the large electrical contractors or electrical service companies. There is no generally required certification, each employer has their own rules.

 

[hbiss]

Basically when I move out to the US I have to get my electrician license.

Yes and no. If you work for somebody you won't need a license. BUT if you are thinking of working on your own you will need to be licensed, most states require at least 7 years of verifiable work under a licensed J man then sitting for the written test. I doubt that they will recognize your foreign work experience.

I read that my future employer will recognize my foreign degree. If he thinks that this is enough to give me an engineer job then it’s okay.

The term "engineer" in this country is very different than what you have over there. Here, you are prohibited from using the title of engineer unless you complete a very difficult course of study and test that qualifies the person as a PE or Professional Engineer. On the other hand, if a company you work for wants to give the title of engineer that's OK, but know that in that case it is a name on their business card only and doesn't necessarily reflect any training or experience.

In short, if you want to come here, apply for work with companies you feel would be a good fit but expect to start out as an apprentice.

If you want to apply as a project manager you are going to have to show experience be able to run jobs like we do here. Often that doesn't translate well from the way you are used to doing things.

-Hal