Any suggestions ????

[NYTIMES]

My wife is finding difficulties in finding a job, it's been 2 years she is not working and staying home her English is not good enough to find any kind of job which involves interaction with money or sales. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions which might help her to get her foot in the door as I am running out of things for her to try and look at. She worked at Kohl's for 5 months and then quit, worked as a baby sitter temporarily. Anyhow I call her at 11:30 am and she still sleeping and we definitely need to get 2 incomes as she has very little money and my income is ok but not enough to save much money.

 

Anyone have any ideas, we live in Queens NY near Flushing, even there is very little work for her to find.

[Guest Tony n Terrific]

What kind of work experience does she have? If she gets a job in a Chinese Restaraunt the hours will be long and her English will not improve very much.

[NYTIMES]

Very little work experience.

[Guest Wuhan4me]

Is she any good at 'cleaning' ??? Maybe it's time to set her up with her own small business, and then have her go door to door in the neighborhood, dropping off her flyers.

 

But it doesn't have to be 'cleaning' - it could literally be anything that she feels comfortable to do. To get some ideas, take a look at www.craigslist.org in the 'gigs' section...

 

I do note there is always a demand for 'home health care' workers, and it is possible to get in without any certification (no, don't lie) then go forward with any needed certifications. I assume you can at least do a google search on 'flushing home health care agencies' and then make a call list from there. (IF you can't, let me know, I'll send you a PM with a list).

Edited July 15, 2009 by Wuhan4me (see edit history)

[NYTIMES]

Yes, thanks for that info on Craigslist.

[Guest jin979]

i suggest Chinese Restaraunt . as her english is poor she will feel better there.

[Guest Wuhan4me]

I don't know squat about commuting from Queens to Long Island, but - Brookhaven Hospital has a FREE training program for CNA, they will want a 2 year committment AFTER she passes her exams -

 

see http://www.brookhavenhospital.org/careers/...st_Brochure.pdf

 

A CNA cert is useful, there are many places in Queens that employ CNAs.

I guess what I was trying to locate for you, was a facility similar to Brookhaven, that is IN Queens, offering the same free training program.

 

The New York Hospital-Queens is in the area, maybe she should start in either food services or (if she's knowledgeable) the tai chi instruction classes (can she teach this?) I don't see a CNA program at NYH-Q, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. see http://www.nyhq.org/ - the HR phone is 718.670.1333 . Once her english skills improve, she could move around with various positions - be a clerk somewhere inside the hospital, etc etc.

 

If she wants to try to improve her english skills by being immersed in an 'english only' envorinment, then I suggest she VOLUNTEER at the hospital for about 3 weeks - see http://www.nyhq.org/oth/Page.asp?PageID=OTH000172 and aim for clerical. One of the cool things about being a volunteer is that she will LEARN about the 'unposted jobs' at the hospital, and can apply for them, quickly...

Edited July 15, 2009 by Wuhan4me (see edit history)

[george lee]

chinatown manpower, http://www.cmpny.org/, is a non-profit agency that helps people to find a job. they also provide training, such as computer skills and office skills.

 

my wife is starting school in university settlement in september, http://www.universitysettlement.org/, and she is enrolled in ESL class. click on the family literacy under what we do.

 

wife is working in a chinese bakery store to pass the summer, tuesday to sunday, 7am to 6pm, pay is 3 dollars an hour. yes that is right, 3 dollars an hour. i know its a rip off but what can you do when you don't know english. you can only stay in chinatown and let people take advantage of you. we're in manhatten, ny.

[NYTIMES]

Hi

My name is Ben and i understand what you and your wife are going through. It's tough and sometimes frustrating re: her speaking English. I contacted Chinatown Manpower and they are not doing anything right now to help people get jobs, I guess due to budget cutbacks. But I will still try and find something for her to do, and not give up hope.

 

Thank you,

Ben

[NYTIMES]

Thank you again, my wife is going to them tomorrow to register for ESL classes, maybe your wife and mine can make friends there?

 

 

 

 

chinatown manpower, http://www.cmpny.org/, is a non-profit agency that helps people to find a job. they also provide training, such as computer skills and office skills.

 

my wife is starting school in university settlement in september, http://www.universitysettlement.org/, and she is enrolled in ESL class. click on the family literacy under what we do.

 

wife is working in a chinese bakery store to pass the summer, tuesday to sunday, 7am to 6pm, pay is 3 dollars an hour. yes that is right, 3 dollars an hour. i know its a rip off but what can you do when you don't know english. you can only stay in chinatown and let people take advantage of you. we're in manhatten, ny.

[Guest Wuhan4me]

Any idea to hang out at the New York Hospital-Queens ? Either to volunteer or get a job in either food service or clerical?

 

I also recommended hanging out at Toastmasters - you can find a local chapter close to you at www.toastmasters.org - she can prep a small speech, and practice it there, getting feedback from people who are interested in helping her. Membership is NOT free, but IMO, there are LOADS of people there who go there for BUSINESS and JOB Hunting NETWORKING. It's a good thing... (sorry, Martha)

Edited July 16, 2009 by Wuhan4me (see edit history)

[credzba]

I have told this story before, but in short, my wife had same issues your wife (and I dare say MOST immigrants) had.

My wife had great job and experience in China, but come to America, and she could not even get interview at local grocery store.

 

Finally we looked into these things:

1) nail training - cost was about $2,000 and pay was commission based. My wife thought she could get certified, but thought the nail lacquer was not good for health, and washing peoples feet was more demeaning than other jobs. Also, we had another Chinese friend who's english was very marginal. She could not pass the required exam because of this.

 

2) kindergarten / child care. These places often like to have a foreign speaker because the children benefit from a mix language during development. English can be a problem with this. My wife didn't like to deal with 20 children all day, so this was out. She quit this job in 2 weeks. pay was about $10 per hour.. maybe less.

 

3) Chinese restaurant. My wife found the american chinese looked down on the immigrants, and treated her like a second class citizen. She was asked to do the worst work, and in the end she quit this job after 2 days. pay was about $7 per hour working in kitchen. dont know about waitress.

 

4) Hair stylist - This cost more . maybe 5,000, but finding a job is not too difficult. Even in recession people need hair cuts. This was not a bad option other than the 5,000 for certificate. This was a contender but not what she chose. Pay is usually commission. you pay x dollars for a chair in someones business, and then a percentage of every haircut you do. Unless you own your own shop this doesn't make much money.

 

5) Massage - 5,000 training fee, but income much higher than other jobs. Pay is up to $40 per hour, but only when you work. After looking into this 3 problems showed up. 1) Jobs are not that easy to get, and a single female running a massage business runs a risk of her clientele wanting to buy more than a massage. 2) The anatomy required to get the certificate was outrageous. As an English speaker from birth it scared me, and learning anatomy terms for a foreign speaker is just not worth the return on the hard work. 3) it is very strength intensive. My wife was not strong enough to do this job.

 

6) Medical aid - This is basically the receptionist at a doctors office. Seemed not too difficult, and should be a reasonable number of jobs available. Turns out no. These are pretty cush jobs, and not readily available openings. This also had a small amount of medical terminology, but not too bad. Don't know pay on this one, but I think it is 8 - 12$ per hour range.

 

7) Dental assistant - This was a high contender. The jobs are reasonably available, but the interaction with english speakers is pretty high. The certificate was about 1,000 at a local community college. This would not be a bad job, but not what my wife chose. Pay was in the 8 - 12$ per hour range.

 

8) Finally what she DID choose. CNA - Certified Nurse Assistant. The training for this took 4-6 weeks and cost about $800 at the local community college. They have longer duration courses available. The classroom hours are identical (by law) but you have more time to study and convert english to chinese between the classes in a longer duration class.

You MUST have all immunizations including hep-b which takes 6 months to complete the series. You can not get a job or complete this course until you have all immunizations up to date.

After getting her certificate my wife applied at 3 places. 2 offered her jobs, and the 3rd was interested, but didn't have an immediate opening.

From not even an interview in 6 month, to having people jump at the chance to hire her was great .. in fact too great and I had to help guide her to not jump at the first offer.

 

Now the down side right ?

 

In the first 2 weeks she came home exhausted every day, and in tears some days. She really HATED the work because it is hard, dirty, even a little demeaning work.. though she still says she would rather wipe peoples bottom than wash their feet.

After 6 weeks, she likes the job better, she has learned to regulate herself, and not work so hard she kills herself.

She will STILL tell you it is not a job for humans. She was thinking of quitting today, but decided to get her 3 months experience, then move to another place. Make no mistake this job is hard, mentally and physically, and our Chinese spouses find it even more difficult than most (I think) to help people with the very private details required for the job.

 

There is a follow-on certificate she is now going to community college for called Certified Medication Aide. This job has fewer openings, but all you do is hand out the medicine to people in residential homes. Much better job. The downside to this one? You HAVE to be a CNA, you HAVE to be employeed at a residential center when class starts. The amount of medical terminology is really high, and she isn't sure that even with an electronic translator, me, and computers she can keep up with all she needs to learn.. This is an unfinished attempt so I can't give you the trade offs yet. we will see

 

 

Best of luck. I hope this or some job related post gets pinned.

If I had know how difficult it would be for my wife to get a job here, I would have looked for a job in China instead.

Edited July 16, 2009 by credzba (see edit history)

[samsong]

Our (my wife's) story is too depressing to talk about. She's been here over six years and cannot find a job.

She's a remarkable woman. She's a caring soul and that's what I love about her the most.

[Guest Tony n Terrific]

chinatown manpower, http://www.cmpny.org/, is a non-profit agency that helps people to find a job. they also provide training, such as computer skills and office skills.

 

my wife is starting school in university settlement in september, http://www.universitysettlement.org/, and she is enrolled in ESL class. click on the family literacy under what we do.

 

wife is working in a chinese bakery store to pass the summer, tuesday to sunday, 7am to 6pm, pay is 3 dollars an hour. yes that is right, 3 dollars an hour. i know its a rip off but what can you do when you don't know english. you can only stay in chinatown and let people take advantage of you. we're in manhatten, ny.

Report this scum of sweat shop labor to the Minumun wage and hour law of both the Fed and the state agencies. Also the Workman Comp people of the state you know they are not paying the insurance for these people. I forgot to add the 1 1/2 law. This person could force these slave drivering filth to repay her $344 per week she has worked there based on the minumum wage. In Manhattan it would cost her an hours pay just to buy a coke.

Edited July 16, 2009 by Tony n Terrific (see edit history)

[warpedbored]

Hit the temp agencies. Many have entry level manufacturing jobs and don't shy away from foreigners. My wife started at a printer manufacturing plant through Volt Temp Services and eventually got hired on permanent. Pay is about 12 an hour and the benefits aren't bad. It is difficult for them to find work unless their English skills are very good. My wife was a lawyer in China so this is quite a step down for her. She never complains though. There is honor in what she does and even more honor in how she accepts it. She's a hard worker and her co-workers and supervisors appreciate it.