Yes. I am aware of which countries are in the Schengen zone, and that U.K. is not.
I see jobs posted in various places with phrases such as: “must be U.K. Based” , “must have U.K. Visa,” or “must be EU citizen”.
I see other European ads that say “must have Schengen visa”. I’ve also seen ads that say “Sorry, Norwegian only, client preference,” or “must speak a Scandinavian language.” And yes, there are ads that say “must speak excellent English.”
I’m sure there are all kinds of requirements and preferences being branded around by those who are hiring. The requirement for Schengen Visa may be minted at those who do not have visa free entry to EU and/or UK?
I’m not sure if US citizens require visa in advance, or get visa on arrival, but any kind of work will require a different visa from that for tourists or business travelers.
Crew on a ship is a different thing again. Most countries allow seafarers to enter and leave on their Seaman’s Book, thus not require a visa. But I believe the US is not issuing Seaman’s Books, nor allow foreign seafarers the right to enter without a visa?
Although US statutes and the CFRs authorize the issuance of Seamen’s Books, and refer to a USCG Form number, we have not had any seamen’s books for several decades. Apparently, the USCG screwed this up by policy— a long time ago. This puts US Mariners at a big disadvantage in the global employment marketplace.
Whether foreigners can enter the US without a visa depends on what country they are from. The US “Visa waiver program” applies to most countries. There is also the Global Entry System “Trusted Traveler” program that can be reciprocal with certain countries, including U.K. and The Netherlands among others. This requires a background check and a very clean record. It also costs time and money.
Shore leave for seamen is a different issue. I hear horror stories about the treatment of foreign, and sometimes US, sailors that want to go ashore in the US. It depends not only on the visa or citizenship status, but also the polices of the terminal operator. I do not have any firsthand experience with this.
US citizens have “visa free” travel privileges to all European countries, including the U.K. In fact, to most countries in the world.
Well if you don’t carry a Seaman’s Book you should still not have a problem. As you probably already know, if you arrive to join ship the Agent usually have to meet any seaman on arrival with a “letter of guarantee”, or some such formality.
Likewise, when signing off, the Agent has to guarantee that the seaman will be gone within 24 or 48 hrs. in many places.
PS> Those who have arrived in Lagos, Nigeria will be familiar with “Uncle Thomas” who was the “Met & Greet” service for nearly all foreign companies, at least in the Drilling industry.
The HR girls at the foreign company or manning agent office want a copy of your seamen’s book. It’s on their checklist. Without it, you usually will not be considered for employment. The don’t want to hear, or believe, that America does not have seamen’s books.
Unless they’re still getting paid whole deferred there’s no difference between these two options.
There is a difference in the Norwegian system of permanent employment, versus contract work.
When someone in permanent employment is laid off for a period of time, until there are work again in their company, they are not dismissed and have to go looking for work elsewhere. This applies to work ashore, such as in the shipbuilding industry etc. as well as to seamen and those working in seasonal jobs.
What is the difference between being laid off and being permanently dismissed?:
In both cases they go on unemployment benefits, which is not too shabby I understand:
To fire somebody from permanent employment is not easy in Noway, or most other European countries, but that is an entirely different discussion.
Could it also have something to do with the problems Americans have with opening bank accounts in foreign banks? Many banks do not want the hassle of filing forms required by IRA for every US customer.
Any excuse will do if they do not want to hire a person of a specific nationality, or whatever.
In my young and tender days I applied for a job as Master on a ship that carried passengers and some cargo between Fremantle, WA and Singapore/West Malaysia. They found that my maritime credentials and experience was acceptable, but the marketing people said; the passengers wants to see somebody with more years behind them, more pondus and preferably a “white beard”.
That happens sometimes here as well but if you’re not getting paid you’re not getting paid. So what if you are guaranteed work again a few years in the future?
In theory age discrimination is illegal in the US, but it still exists. I see it at bigger companies, but not much at smaller companies However it is common to see foreign job listings that say age under 40 or 50.
The banking issue is definitely another obstacle for Americans. However, it can be sidestepped by setting up a foreign company with a bank account that then contracts out your services.
Layoff applies more to shorter periods, such as if a boat is idle during the winter, but goes back to work in the spring,when activities pick up again etc. In the meantime, the unemployment benefits kick in.
Dismissal is not as easy in Norway/Europe as in USA. Here is the basics: http://www.nyinorge.no/en/Ny-i-Norge-velg-sprak/New-in-Norway/Work/Employment/Dismissal/
It looks like McCain is going through a Lee Atwater phase. He has yet to abandon his willingness to destroy the American merchant marine but at least he made it known he doesn’t want the Cheeto at his funeral.