Becoming a park ranger in America.

thefinalstage

Please, I **** you not. I want to become one.
I know I have to become a US citizen first. Then what?. Anybody have information on this? Also, what about going to college in America?

Nody

thelastangryman wrote: »

Please, I **** you not. I want to become one.
I know I have to become a US citizen first. Then what?. Anybody have information on this? Also, what about going to college in America?

Become a US citizen first (which is very unlikely you will succeed with) before you worry about the job requirements.

cronos

thelastangryman wrote: »

Please, I **** you not. I want to become one.
I know I have to become a US citizen first. Then what?. Anybody have information on this? Also, what about going to college in America?

I am also interested in the idea of doing a post grad at some point in the future in the US. However the cost is the big issue with that. Ireland is far cheaper to go to college. Best to just go to US for holidays and study here in ireland unfortunately.

Very Very low chance of becoming a US citizen by the way. Unless you have won the green card lotto thing.

Could you be an Irish park ranger first for a while? If we have such things.

Saint_Mel

cronos wrote: »

Could you be an Irish park ranger first for a while? If we have such things.

http://www.parkrangersafc.com/

cronos

Saint_Mel wrote: »

http://www.parkrangersafc.com/

That website isnt a great advertisment for http://www.webspawner.com/

board om

thelastangryman wrote: »

Please, I **** you not. I want to become one.
I know I have to become a US citizen first. Then what?. Anybody have information on this? Also, what about going to college in America?

you could try applying to Jellystone Park. Park Ranger Smith must be nearing retirement. he has probably had enough of having to chase yogi and boo boo for stealing the picnic baskets

just kidding. check out these two sites.

http://www.parkranger.com/

http://www.ehow.com/how_8752_become-park-ranger.html

AARRRGH

Nody wrote: »

Become a US citizen first (which is very unlikely you will succeed with) before you worry about the job requirements.

I agree with the above ---^

thefinalstage

board om wrote: »

you could try applying to Jellystone Park. Park Ranger Smith must be nearing retirement. he has probably had enough of having to chase yogi and boo boo for stealing the picnic baskets

just kidding. check out these two sites.

http://www.parkranger.com/

http://www.ehow.com/how_8752_become-park-ranger.html

I shall take a look now

dublindude wrote: »

I agree with the above ---^

Why is it so hard to get citizenship?

Nody

thelastangryman wrote: »

Why is it so hard to get citizenship?

Because there are only three realistic ways:

1) Marry a American, stay in the country for five or ten years (I can't recall the requirement on the top of my head) and then apply for citizenship (you only get the right to live and work there at first you don't become a citizen)
2) Win the green card lottery (once a year), you have about a 1 in 25 chance of winning and that is assuming you made no errors on the form every single time. You now have the right to live and work in America but are not a citizen (see point 1)
3) Invest in the area of $20 million+ in certain areas (property and a few others as i recall in downtrodden areas)

Hence, become an American Citizen then worry about the job specs.

galwaydude

Basically its 3 years after marrying an american, you can then apply to become a citizen of this great country.

What part of America were you thinking?

thefinalstage

galwaydude wrote: »

Basically its 3 years after marrying an american, you can then apply to become a citizen of this great country.

What part of America were you thinking?

Colorado or Alaska but any part would be fine to begin with.

BTW: How do I enter this lottery? It has to be much higher odds then 1 in 25...

cronos

thelastangryman wrote: »

Colorado or Alaska but any part would be fine to begin with.

BTW: How do I enter this lottery? It has to be much higher odds then 1 in 25...

No I think thats the odds alright. Loads of people enter, even people who have no intention of going to live there.

board om

cronos wrote: »

No I think thats the odds alright. Loads of people enter, even people who have no intention of going to live there.

the odds of getting the green card lotto are pretty slim alright. they have say 50k green cards that they give out in a lotto each year and they alocate a certain amount to each country. up until a few years ago they used to alocate loads of green cards to irish citizens but in the last few years they havent been giving as many to irish citizens and they have been encouraging other nationalitys to apply. tbh you could get lucky and get it the first time you apply or you could apply for years and never get it.

for instance one of my mates applied and got it first time round. he went to california on the visa for a few months, then came back to ireland and has never been back over there since.

on the other hand my cousin spent many a year there on J1's, 1 year working visas, holiday visas, etc. she pretty much had a life over there and would only come back to ireland when it was necessary to reapply for another 1 years visa or whatever. anyway, she applied for the lotto every year and she was years applying before she eventually got a green card. and i dont think she even got it through the lotto, i think she had just spent so much time working and living there that she eventually qualified for a green card. but that was a good few years ago and they are a lot stricter now.

if you are applying for a green card directly you have to be qualified to do a job that they are in need of. like when california fell apart after the last big earthquake they needed plasters and carpenters so if you were qualified you could nearly be guarantedd to get a residency. you might have to be sponsored as well by a plastering or carpentry company. in other words if you apply for residency and you intend to go over and work in a cafe they havent much use for you.

its ironic that they only let who they want to in to their country, but they have no prolems invading any other country they feel like.

thefinalstage

board om wrote: »

the odds of getting the green card lotto are pretty slim alright. they have say 50k green cards that they give out in a lotto each year and they alocate a certain amount to each country. up until a few years ago they used to alocate loads of green cards to irish citizens but in the last few years they havent been giving as many to irish citizens and they have been encouraging other nationalitys to apply. tbh you could get lucky and get it the first time you apply or you could apply for years and never get it.

for instance one of my mates applied and got it first time round. he went to california on the visa for a few months, then came back to ireland and has never been back over there since.

on the other hand my cousin spent many a year there on J1's, 1 year working visas, holiday visas, etc. she pretty much had a life over there and would only come back to ireland when it was necessary to reapply for another 1 years visa or whatever. anyway, she applied for the lotto every year and she was years applying before she eventually got a green card. and i dont think she even got it through the lotto, i think she had just spent so much time working and living there that she eventually qualified for a green card. but that was a good few years ago and they are a lot stricter now.

if you are applying for a green card directly you have to be qualified to do a job that they are in need of. like when california fell apart after the last big earthquake they needed plasters and carpenters so if you were qualified you could nearly be guarantedd to get a residency. you might have to be sponsored as well by a plastering or carpentry company. in other words if you apply for residency and you intend to go over and work in a cafe they havent much use for you.

its ironic that they only let who they want to in to their country, but they have no prolems invading any other country they feel like.

What if I went over there to complete an engineering course I am doing? Would I be able to go to college there for five years on j1's (complete my course then learn horticultural sciences) or something and apply for residency?

The engineering is a fall back. But I really want to be a ranger....

board om

thelastangryman wrote: »

What if I went over there to complete an engineering course I am doing? Would I be able to go to college there for five years on j1's (complete my course then learn horticultural sciences) or something and apply for residency?

The engineering is a fall back. But I really want to be a ranger....

i am not sure what the story is with studying there. i worked with a guy years ago who got his degree in the states, and believe me he was nothing special. he definitly wasnt the brightest spark and he was in no way studying for a career that the US was short of (if i remember correctly he studied advertising and there is defintily no shortage of advertisers in the US). when i met him he was a casual labouror back living in dublin full time with no intentions of using his degree. a waste of an education if you ask me.

look into areas around being a park ranger like engineering, horticulture, forrestry, landscaping, architectural degign (of gardens), basically any other career you can think of that might lead into being a park ranger. remember, you would only have to do do this until you eventually get given permanent residency and then you can move career.

believe it or not when i was in california years ago there was a shortage of hair dressers. it cost a minimun of $25 to get a dry cut, and i mean just runing a razor over your head, and you had to book in for the haircut about 2 days in advance. funy to think it but if you had been a hair stylist applying then you probably would have got in.

regading the lotto, i hate saying this because it sounds paranoid, but i am in the strong belief it is quite money motivated. as in my friend who got it first time is very well off financially. he owns a few properties and business that were left to him years ago and he bascially lives a life of leisure. there were quite a few costs around applying, like doctors fees, big solicitors fees, etc. but the other people i know who have been applying for years werent as finacially secure because they were more into travelling and the love of the country than the were into money. and they were applying for years and getting no where.

Nody

thelastangryman wrote: »

What if I went over there to complete an engineering course I am doing? Would I be able to go to college there for five years on j1's (complete my course then learn horticultural sciences) or something and apply for residency?

Nope.

marktsang

re: the green card lottery,
you have already missed out on 2009 it took applications back in november of 2007. there is also limited timeframe to go to america once you win - i think about 6 months, and once there you can never leave for more than 6 months or the visa will be withdrawn

i applied myself back in november....

dont be fooled into paying for this lottery , it is totally free......

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html

regading the lotto, i hate saying this because it sounds paranoid, but i am in the strong belief it is quite money motivated. as in my friend who got it first time is very well off financially. he owns a few properties and business that were left to him years ago and he bascially lives a life of leisure. there were quite a few costs around applying, like doctors fees, big solicitors fees, etc. but the other people i know who have been applying for years werent as finacially secure because they were more into travelling and the love of the country than the were into money. and they were applying for years and getting no where.

dont know how you got that notion. they dont ask anything about your finances when you apply. it IS RADOMLY selected, no conspiracy here....

board om

marktsang wrote: »

re: the green card lottery,
you have already missed out on 2009 it took applications back in november of 2007. there is also limited timeframe to go to america once you win - i think about 6 months, and once there you can never leave for more than 6 months or the visa will be withdrawn

i applied myself back in november....

dont be fooled into paying for this lottery , it is totally free......

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html



dont know how you got that notion. they dont ask anything about your finances when you apply. it IS RADOMLY selected, no conspiracy here....

yes, you are randomly selected. but once selected you dont just all of a sudden have a green card. being selected just means you bypass a lot of Q's and red tape. in other words it is just the start of a very long process. plenty of people who apply are selectd, but it means nothing. only a very small amount actually get the green card. and at that stage they have all your information, so yes, it is possible for them to base it on the size of your bank account if they wish to do so.

once selected the costs start becuase you have to pay for things like full medicals, you have to have credit checks done, you have to get letters from the garda stating that you have never had a summons or a conviction and that you have no criminal record in any way what so ever, you need proof that you can financially support yourself fully and that you will not be looking for welfare assistance when you get there, and the list goes on and on. and if you want to make sure you get everything correct you need to pay a solicitor to put all this together for you in a neat package becuase if anything is wrong or they think you have lied in any way, you will be rejectd and not be considered again.

you are correct about having to go there within a particular timeframe though. once you have fully qualified and received your green card you must go to the US within 6 months and you must stay there for a year (i think it is a year you have to stay there for, but you defintily have to go there within 6 months). after that you can come home and travel back and forth as you please.

board om

and just to follow up on my above post, they require these financial checks, garda checks, etc from everyone. so even if you do all these checks there is no guarantee that you will get the green card. you could fail one or more of the checks, you could get all the checks correct but just not be picked, etc.

hence why it is called a lottery

thefinalstage

board om wrote: »

i am not sure what the story is with studying there. i worked with a guy years ago who got his degree in the states, and believe me he was nothing special. he definitly wasnt the brightest spark and he was in no way studying for a career that the US was short of (if i remember correctly he studied advertising and there is defintily no shortage of advertisers in the US). when i met him he was a casual labouror back living in dublin full time with no intentions of using his degree. a waste of an education if you ask me.

look into areas around being a park ranger like engineering, horticulture, forrestry, landscaping, architectural degign (of gardens), basically any other career you can think of that might lead into being a park ranger. remember, you would only have to do do this until you eventually get given permanent residency and then you can move career.

believe it or not when i was in california years ago there was a shortage of hair dressers. it cost a minimun of $25 to get a dry cut, and i mean just runing a razor over your head, and you had to book in for the haircut about 2 days in advance. funy to think it but if you had been a hair stylist applying then you probably would have got in.

regading the lotto, i hate saying this because it sounds paranoid, but i am in the strong belief it is quite money motivated. as in my friend who got it first time is very well off financially. he owns a few properties and business that were left to him years ago and he bascially lives a life of leisure. there were quite a few costs around applying, like doctors fees, big solicitors fees, etc. but the other people i know who have been applying for years werent as finacially secure because they were more into travelling and the love of the country than the were into money. and they were applying for years and getting no where.

Are there any preferred college courses? I mean if I go over there on a j1 I want to work towards my goal.

thefinalstage

What If I completed my engineering course here? If I found a company to sponsor me could I get a visa then? Work for them for five years and get my citizenship?

cronos

thelastangryman wrote: »

What If I completed my engineering course here? If I found a company to sponsor me could I get a visa then? Work for them for five years and get my citizenship?

Ya that would work however as I mentioned before it would be easier to work here for a year or two and get the company to transfer you to the US. Their is no good reason for a company to sponsor you to go over unless they cant get an engineer that lives in the US already. But I suppose that depends on what type of engineer you are.

thefinalstage

cronos wrote: »

Ya that would work however as I mentioned before it would be easier to work here for a year or two and get the company to transfer you to the US. Their is no good reason for a company to sponsor you to go over unless they cant get an engineer that lives in the US already. But I suppose that depends on what type of engineer you are.

Any suggestions? Computer engineering right now.Not related to being a park ranger at all but I imagine it would be in demand. What courses would get me to america and help with my plan?

cronos

thelastangryman wrote: »

Any suggestions? Computer engineering right now.Not related to being a park ranger at all but I imagine it would be in demand. What courses would get me to america and help with my plan?

I dont know if a course would help but working for any multi-national that is based in the US but with offices in Ireland would give you a better chance. You can ask the HR of the company to keep a look out for any opportunities within the company to allow you to transfer from the Irish office to the US. The more specialised the job the more likley they will want to transfer. Also working as a consultant often opens doors for travel. But to be honest I dont know loads about this so it might be worth approaching a recruitment consultant.

Tom Dunne

cronos wrote: »

I dont know if a course would help but working for any multi-national that is based in the US but with offices in Ireland would give you a better chance. You can ask the HR of the company to keep a look out for any opportunities within the company to allow you to transfer from the Irish office to the US.

I worked for one of the large US multinationals. Yes, there were plenty of internal jobs available in the US, but you still had to conform to the visa requirements. As crosnos said, unless it is a highly specialised position, why would they hire you over a US citizen for the job?

I was lucky enough to have got to live in the US at various stages with the company. But that was for a very specific reason - I (along with a load of my co-workers) was going to the development site to learn about new technologies and bring them back to Ireland.

So I got the various visas a number of times because I wasn't putting an American citizen out of a job, I was sent over with board and lodgings (so I wouldn't be a burden to the US economy) and I had a defined date I was coming back.

It's next to impossible to get legal residency, apart from the methods outlined above. I agree with what has been said first - research how to get citizenship and then worry about the job. I would move there in the morning if I could, but I simply can't for these reasons.

board om

Tom Dunne wrote: »

I worked for one of the large US multinationals. Yes, there were plenty of internal jobs available in the US, but you still had to conform to the visa requirements. As crosnos said, unless it is a highly specialised position, why would they hire you over a US citizen for the job?

I was lucky enough to have got to live in the US at various stages with the company. But that was for a very specific reason - I (along with a load of my co-workers) was going to the development site to learn about new technologies and bring them back to Ireland.

So I got the various visas a number of times because I wasn't putting an American citizen out of a job, I was sent over with board and lodgings (so I wouldn't be a burden to the US economy) and I had a defined date I was coming back.

It's next to impossible to get legal residency, apart from the methods outlined above. I agree with what has been said first - research how to get citizenship and then worry about the job. I would move there in the morning if I could, but I simply can't for these reasons.

i think that answers your question perfectly and sums up exactly what has been said to you already.

sounds like you had a great position Tom D. i would love to get the chance to go to the states with work. or maybe australia for a few months a year. now that would be nice.

OP, all the best with your search

starky

thelastangryman wrote: »

What If I completed my engineering course here? If I found a company to sponsor me could I get a visa then? Work for them for five years and get my citizenship?

You have to be legally in the US as a permanent resident for a minimum of five years to apply for US citizenship. And in order to be a permanent resident you have to be |green card holder. Being in the US on a non-immigrant visa does not count for your citizenship criteria either.

US immigration is a BEAST of a thing. For years I have been trying to figure out how I could get a visa, I actually decided to get a degree here in Ireland after being out of school for about five years as I figured it was the only way I was ever going to get my hands on an illusive H1 visa. After a few sponsorship offers Ironically I decided not to go to the US on a H visa. The reason being that a H visa is a company sponsored visa, you don’t like your job or your salary its very hard to find another job over there that will sponsor you, and you may end up having to come home. I felt like I would be treated like a second class citizen over there with this visa, and as it turned out I managed to get a job here in the end after college that paid well and that I liked. Of course I decided that if I ever had the chance to go to the US with a GC then I would reconsider. Cue the green card lottery ……

board om wrote: »

the odds of getting the green card lotto are pretty slim alright. they have say 50k green cards that they give out in a lotto each year and they alocate a certain amount to each country………….

I had as many millions of others have applied for it every year. I think maybe 5/6 times, anyway I won the DV2008 as its called. So I can fill you in on it if you have any questions. This year 1.2 million people from the European Region applied. 25,000 ish people won. When you win you are sent a number basically between 1 -25,000. The higher your number the longer you wait. Of course typical of my luck my number was 25,3XX. I had managed to get one of the last winner’s letters in the EU. So the odds were 1/48? 1.2 mil / 25,000 have I done my maths right here?

As I have a very high ranking number the chances of me getting called for an interview were very slim. I got this letter now almost a year ago now. As it turned out this year though the EU numbers are moving very quick and they are calling people for interviews up to 23,500 in may, so It looks like I will have my interview in June or July, if I decide to get the visa, I reckon its because not many Europeans are following up on their GC’s due to outlook of US economy.

Typical as it happens the year I win the lottery is the same year I get offered a fantastic apartment in D2 on the Affordable housing scheme. So No I am in a major dilemma about staying here and taking the apartment or not taking the apartment and giving America a shot. Anyway I Digress…

I have collectively spent about a year over there through J1’s and work trips and so on and have a good grasp of how US immigration works and the GC lottery if you have any questions let me know …..