Australia to U.S.

[scsc]

Hi, I’m a planner working in Sydney, Aus, and was thinking of seeing if I could get some experience in the States. I was actually born in the US, so I can legally work and stay as long as I want, and theoretically if I enjoyed it I would probably just stay, but it did seem a little aimless to just fly over and start a job in some unknown town. I was wondering if there are any sort of agreements where a company or council, or university even, would be willing to take on someone in my position for the short to medium term (6 - 12 months).

Ideally I’d like to work somewhere that undertakes some sort of research or looks at more left-field planning solutions/ projects (I can't pretend to know the country that well, but I've heard that Portland's quite progressive).

I don’t have any American relatives. The closest connection I’ve got is some family friends in Seattle, and some friends on Van Island, so maybe somewhere in Washington would best suit, but I’d be willing to look beyond this.

My experience is a mix of private sector and local government, mainly of statutory planning/ development control, with some minor strategic work. I have considerable planning experience in Australia (approx. 6 years), which I realise won’t be directly relevant, but I’ve got a good grasp of planning principles and am prepared to learn.

I hope that made sense, it's still just a tentative idea at this stage. Let me know if you've got any suggestions. Thanks - steve.

[Siskiyou]

So you want to try planning for a while in the US of A. I've done the opposite coming for the US to Australia but I can give you some advice. Before coming to Oz, I planned for 14 years in Oregon and can tell you that it would be a good place to investigate since I think the State is quite progressive. Portland does have plenty of great opportunities as it is a city in transition. I have not worked there because I prefer smaller communities 60K or less.

In the larger cities, you would be attached to either a "current planning" (statutory planning) or "long range planning" (strategic planning) section. In the smaller communities, planners generally get to perform all aspects of planning but at the end of the day, the current planning takes precedence.

If I had to recommend a few ways to get a position, the first would be to check out the employment section of The League of Oregon Cities at http://www.orcities.org/JobOpenings/...6/Default.aspx

As a second option see if some of the local councils in NSW have sister cities in the US and if so, establish a dialog. Some of the sister cities in the US might have some funds available to employ you as it is good for any organisation to bring in some new ideas.

If you find something over in the US, apply for it from Australia and see how it goes...you might be surprised.

Best wishes.

[wv06]

Hi, I’m a planner working in Sydney, Aus, and was thinking of seeing if I could get some experience in the States. I was actually born in the US, so I can legally work and stay as long as I want, and theoretically if I enjoyed it I would probably just stay, but it did seem a little aimless to just fly over and start a job in some unknown town. I was wondering if there are any sort of agreements where a company or council, or university even, would be willing to take on someone in my position for the short to medium term (6 - 12 months).

Ideally I’d like to work somewhere that undertakes some sort of research or looks at more left-field planning solutions/ projects (I can't pretend to know the country that well, but I've heard that Portland's quite progressive).

I don’t have any American relatives. The closest connection I’ve got is some family friends in Seattle, and some friends on Van Island, so maybe somewhere in Washington would best suit, but I’d be willing to look beyond this.

My experience is a mix of private sector and local government, mainly of statutory planning/ development control, with some minor strategic work. I have considerable planning experience in Australia (approx. 6 years), which I realise won’t be directly relevant, but I’ve got a good grasp of planning principles and am prepared to learn.

I hope that made sense, it's still just a tentative idea at this stage. Let me know if you've got any suggestions. Thanks - steve.

Il trade you! you can have my job in Maryland for your job in Sydney!
I wish

[scsc]

ahh, I'll swap with you.. sydney's not all that great, lots of traffic and grumpy people.. thanks for the tips siski, I'll try my luck with the Oregon Cities group and see how I go cheers..