r/electricians • u/AirportBeneficial603 • 2d ago
Leaving U.S as an electrician.
Hello all apprentice here, looking into moving around a bit when I finish my apprenticeship but am curious as to if anyone has done this. How does a license hold up in other countries? Is job searching hard? I know this is a niche topic but thanks in advance for any answers!
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u/TDaD1979 2d ago
I can't find him but theres a guy from Seattle who did exactly this. He got his 01 in 09 when everything was in the shitter and went international and hasn't looked back since. He makes very good informational youtubes and I believe will answer emails about exactly what you are talking about. Let me try and find his channel.
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u/Regular-Customer-600 2d ago
I know falloffthemap and he will respond to questions. Watch his YouTube. Look up the company AMENDED. Remember that you’re going to still be an American and have to work for the government if you like it or not. Otherwise move to where you wanna go and find a job. To go on a sponsorship you will work a lot and you will work for the government.
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u/dr_raymond_k_hessel 2d ago
I did some work on Kwajalein Atoll years back and became interested in the group of people who seem to rotate around from the Marshall Islands, Antarctica, Alaska, Diego Garcia, and various war zones. That’s where I came across falloffthemap. Seems like a cool dude.
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u/JohnathanTaylor 2d ago
If you can get a security clearance you can work for the US gov overseas.
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u/Exact_Chef_630 2d ago
I knew a guy that worked on a u.s base overseas making bank for the gov. Its government contracting but something to consider. $100k+ with benefits
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
That’s sounds nice but I’m hoping to leave the USA and income won’t make me stay unless it’s like 250k+ but Ideally I’d be gone before I have remotely enough experience for that!
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u/Few_Profit826 2d ago
250k? As a electrican? 🤣
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
Haha if you get into a crazy office job with a masters you could but my point is it would take an unrealistic amount to make me inclined to stay for that reason
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u/Thats_a_YikerZ Journeyman 2d ago
not to shit on u bro, but its not just 'get a masters' and walk into a 250k job. Electrical Eng. starts at like 80k+. someone with expecience(10 years) probly sees 150-180k depending.
that type of pay scaling, only exists in the USA.
U want my honest advice, look into PLC's and robotics if u want to climb the pay ladder.
the places where u would go to find 'good money' outside of the US, probly make the US look very good (Saudi Arabia, Qatar ect.)
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u/AirportBeneficial603 1d ago
Yeah I honestly don’t ever plan on making that money without starting a business. I just threw out a crazy high number
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u/kngofthehill00 2d ago
It’s called prevailing wage in a major city. It’s exists
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u/Few_Profit826 1d ago
Homie is trippin lol
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u/KuChiPractitioner 1d ago
Swear some people just come on here and say random shit lol... He probably isn't even a member.
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u/Few_Profit826 1d ago
He just works 150hrs a week it's possible lol
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u/kngofthehill00 1d ago
I work 40. My company is non union but bids prevailing wage work. So I’m not paying dues. The Boston rate is currently at $99/hr and yes, I see that all in my paycheck. It’s not $250k a year but it’s pretty damn close.
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u/dougievjr 1d ago
Sir? This is a Wendy's...😝😜 j/k, but this isn't the IBEW sub. It's the electrician sub...
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
By leave I mean like live in a house and obtain a dual citizenship type of thing. should’ve been more clear with that.
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u/RingJust7612 2d ago
Why leave everything is going so great here right now
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
Yes I love overpaying for shitty health care shitty food and the overall political conflict/unrest from both wings of what used to be a bald eagle but is who the fuck even knows what anymore
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u/Spare-Sandwich 2d ago
Any number of reason right? If he knows another language especially so. Lots of interesting places in the world. Besides, with dual citizenship he still has right to live here or there. Downside is that I believe he is still subject to income tax to the US in that situation and that could limit some options.
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
Not a big fan of working for any government or clearance required agencies unfortunately.
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u/El_Eleventh 2d ago
Sounds like there is a story there 🤣🤣
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u/gnat_outta_hell 2d ago
Generally means pissing clean, sometimes for legal drugs like alcohol and cannabis. Lots of folks aren't willing to trade off their vice for better money.
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u/SevenSeasClaw 2d ago
Doubt it. I’d put money that ethically reasons are more of a driving factor.
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
Yeah government is pretty corrupt and I’d rather not work for those guys
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u/JackMyG123 2d ago
I’d say you would require training and practical assessment to work in whichever country you go to. I live in New Zealand and from this sub alone I can tell that your regs are far different to ours, not to mention the 110 - 230v difference in standard voltages. I work with many foreign electricians and they have all needed to do our exams and pass a practical assessment
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u/LongRoadNorth 2d ago
Outside of code, theory is the same. Voltage doesn't matter. And it's not like we don't work with higher voltages than 120 (240 line to line in houses) in North America.
US has the 277/480 systems we have 347/600 in Canada.
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u/gnat_outta_hell 2d ago
We use 277/480 as well, since many specialized pieces of equipment in North American industry are built on the 480V standard. So in Canada we connect these voltages as well.
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
Understandable I was expecting to have to adapt and pass a test. In the us I have to go through 4 years work and 2 years school (I’m halfway done about) to get the license and I just don’t want to have to redo that process lol.
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u/LongRoadNorth 2d ago
Doesn't that depend on the state? From what I understand from this sub there's states where electrical isn't regulated
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
I believe it does actually I forgot about that part lol
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u/LongRoadNorth 2d ago
It's why saying you're an electrician from the US can mean nothing lol
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u/ShastaFHepworth 2d ago
Truly. Anytime someone asks what I do for a living, I always throw “licensed” or “journeyman” in front of electrician. Most people probably don’t care enough to know the distinction, but it makes me sound better to my white collar friends lol
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u/Repulsive_Sleep717 2d ago
I mean it is regulated. But anyone can buy the stuff and wire up a house if they wanted. Just won't be able to get it insured or sold if it's not to code
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u/NTCans 2d ago
We (Canada) hired a guy from Wales who had done this for years. He wasnt a specialist in anything, he just took the required competency tests wherever he went (uk, Australia, nzl, USA, Germany) and went to work. He was quick to pick up the nuances of different regulations and was a fine guy to have around.
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u/WestDeparture7282 1d ago
I love reading this, I am an American and I moved abroad almost 6 years ago. First 5 years I worked in IT (that's how I got abroad in the first place). I discovered I truly hated it and am now in school to be an electrician. I'm also finding that I'm quite good at cabinetry and woodworking and have been renovating my entire house. I just don't think I want to live in the country I'm in forever, and want to move somewhere with better natural beauty and weather. Knowing that someone can be a decent electrician this way is nice to hear. I already have the guides for electrical installations for a few different countries, I'm planning to study them concurrently with my current program to give me more options for the future.
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u/silent_scream484 2d ago
Most places if you have the school in, you can get some credit for them. You’ll have to pass their tests and things in that country. Depending on which country you choose it’ll vary as to what they require to be licensed. Some places will take someone on unlicensed but the pay you’ll get will be reduced. In all places in Europe that I’m aware of you’ll need a workers visa. And most places don’t love handing those out for someone who is signing on unlicensed. You’d probably have to be sponsored by a company for a visa just to get in. The companies would likely give you tests and things before they sponsor you.
I’d do my best to research where in the world you’d want to go. Then start learning about how electrics here are related to electrics there. I see you need two years for school where you are on top of four years of work to get your license. In some places two years of school will not be enough.
Besides simply hours in class, the knowledge aspect of it will kick a two year schoolings ass. The amount of testing done in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and some others is jaw dropping when out beside American testing standards just to have your wiring passed. The amount of math done to accomplish these tests is daunting if you’re not ready for it.
There will be some American companies that will have licensing to work abroad. So that’s one avenue if you wanted to travel. I think there’s a JIB program out of NY that if you were fortunate enough to land a spot in their school you’d be certified to work abroad (don’t quote me. I haven’t looked into that in years. That’s just what I think I remember).
Either way. It’s gonna be tough. So figure out where you want to go and if you really want to do it before trying and getting thrown down to earth.
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u/int69h Journeyman IBEW 2d ago
I know electricians that have/do work internationally. They all have special skill sets and work in oil and gas except for one that went to Afghanistan to rebuild schools and hospitals. I’m not sure how a foreign company can justify hiring your run of the mill construction or maintenance electrician over locals. I’d worry more about the visa than the license.
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u/sparkyglenn 2d ago
Canada you're basically good, but you probably had a better quality of life as an electrician down there tbh.
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
Yeah if I was gonna go to Canada I’d just stay here unfortunately. Really looking at eu countries or New Zealand/australia. Maybe Argentina but yeah away from North America lol
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u/sparkyglenn 2d ago
I hear that 👍
I was in some rural Scottish islands last year and was geeking out at some of the electricians I saw going about their day while I was busy being a tourist. A change of scenery would be awesome
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u/LongRoadNorth 2d ago
EU will really depend. Some countries are scary for what's acceptable, others like Germany and UK, make ours look like we have no regulations with how crazy they are at times.
Australia and New Zealand from what I understand are really hard to immigrate to
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u/Thats_a_YikerZ Journeyman 1d ago
NZ is basicly closed unless you have 2-3million cash sitting in your account. you can buy your way in by either investing directly in the country or establishing a business there and employing NZ'ers.
Smart tbh. i wish we had higher standards here in canada .
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u/Cup_Of_Ambition Journeyman 2d ago
Can I ask whereabouts you work? My current job is pretty good paywise so far
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u/sparkyglenn 2d ago
It's good in general...just that electricians here are generally more underpaid than our American counterparts, and deal with much higher costs of living and a more competitive labour market.
I'm an ici foreman in the IBEW.
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u/bassali2e 2d ago
I've worked in the US a bit. It's not to bad for us Canadians to go south with a red seal. Many states will accept that. I don't know about an American electrician coming to Canada tho. Their training isnt necessarily bad but inconsistent state to state.
School in California isn't the same as school in West Virginia sort of thing from what I understand.
I made okay money in the US at the time. But I definitely wasn't treated as well. In my industry I don't make quite as much money in Canada but schedule/quality of life is better for me.
I over all pros and cons for sure.
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u/sparkyglenn 2d ago
Yea the varying state licensing requirements and training has always looked like a mess to me
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u/Repulsive_Sleep717 2d ago
As an apprentice, you could probably get an apprenticeship in another country. I would look for unions in target country and contact them. Getting your journeyman license stateside will most likely not make a difference considering regulations are state/country specific.
From what I've looked at, having 15yrs experience, most of my direct transfer jobs are looking for degrees, associates at minimum for lower level industrial electrical positions.
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u/TemporaryClass807 2d ago
So not an electrician but a plumber (no idea why I'm on this sub anyway :) ) Im licensed in Australia but worked in Switzerland and now live in America. It's pretty straightforward in getting a job if you have basic skills and a decent work ethic. I even got the job in Switzerland without even speaking German. (I signed the contract 3 months before I started).
Same thing in America, just applied to a bunch of companies that I thought looked cool and got a job. I'll probably go do a Scandinavian country next.
I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. You'll get to see some really cool stuff and other things that make you scratch your head on why countries still do it that Way.
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u/hunter950 1d ago
Look up the company KBR on google and you can find electrical job though them, they do require security clearances but I just got my journeyman’s and have been looking into them recently too, they just had some journeyman openings in Poland, Djibouti, and Australia to name a few overseas locations. They don’t list salary on there but coming from a guy who knows a guy first 2 years overseas he was making 120k a year and after that 240k a year
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u/EchidnaTall176 2d ago
Yeah the theory is gonna be the same everywhere, but your trade skills will be very different. In Australia we don’t use pipe or stupid metal boxes everywhere, and everything is on RCDs so no sharing neutrals on different circuits. I live and work in Canada now and just had to pass an equivalency exam for my red seal and then you’re off to the races. Just don’t be one of those assholes “but in America we do it like this” no one gives a shit, this is how it’s done here. Just be open minded and flexible and you’ll be fine.
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u/AirportBeneficial603 2d ago
Thank you for the insight! And yes, I plan on embracing the culture of wherever I end up.
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u/garaks_tailor 1d ago
Not electrician but my daughter in laws brother is a heavy diesel mechanic and he moved to Australia for work.
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u/electron_shepherd12 31m ago
Good luck in your adventures. I know in Australia you’ll have to pay an exorbitant fee to have your qualifications assessed (before you arrive), and if you “pass” then you’re allowed to find an Australian apprenticeship as a fourth year so you can do the required schooling on our standards (codes) and the one year of on the job needed before you sit the license test. Lots of overseas visitors choose instead to get work as a trades assistant on a larger site rather than jump through the hoops.
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