Moving to a different country in a food safety role
Hello!
My family and I are considering making the move from America to hopefully the EU but willing to go to Australia/New Zealand area. Has anyone ever moved internationally and maintained their roll in food safety?
Some of the questions I have in particular are:
- How different are the systems between the different counties? Is being PCQI certified generally enough to get my foot in the door?
- Are companies likely to sponsor for this roll or did you have to move and apply after you went in?
- How difficult are VISA's to get when you have a sponsor (or don't)?
- What qualifications would you recommend to obtain before applying to be the best candidate possible?
Thank you so much!
Hi LSquared, welcome to the forum. From my experience moving from Ukraine to Canada 17 years ago, I can say that all the companies I've dealt with were looking firstly for an experienced person having been practical in QC/QA duties. And secondly, of course, credentials. Your PCQI certification would work I guess as food safety rules are pretty much the same in Western countries. However, you may consider taking some courses on GFSI schemes to enrich your portfolio.
Regarding businesses' willingness to sponsor immigration - not sure as I started from scratch (my college & university in food technology didn't count much). Try to contact food industries in the country you're aiming to move and get them interested in you by presenting your credentials.
RE: Visa - you'd better get info on the immigration website.
Thank you so much!
I had a feeling it was going to be very country dependent (mostly looking towards The Netherlands). I think I'm just going to have to hunker down and search and see what I can get. Have a great weekend!
Hello!
My family and I are considering making the move from America to hopefully the EU but willing to go to Australia/New Zealand area. Has anyone ever moved internationally and maintained their roll in food safety?
Some of the questions I have in particular are:
- How different are the systems between the different counties? Is being PCQI certified generally enough to get my foot in the door?
- Are companies likely to sponsor for this roll or did you have to move and apply after you went in?
- How difficult are VISA's to get when you have a sponsor (or don't)?
- What qualifications would you recommend to obtain before applying to be the best candidate possible?
Thank you so much!
Hi L2
Few comments -
Every Country often has its own Regulatory requirements/viewpoints. Even in the EU (aka Sovereign Rights).
HACCP in different Countries also can significantly vary dependent on the individual Public Health setups although (like BRC, SQF !) they often claim to follow Codex.
If you try searching for a few Countries here, you can often see indications of the variety of FS flavours.
Plus even in the good old USA, FSIS and FDA are not 100% harmonised, eg think "Labelling". (+ major differences to both EU, ANZFA). :smile:
There are also quite a few English speaking international companies here!
I have a few international friends in QA who moved here a few years ago and still don't speak Dutch :giggle: .
Smaller family businesses usually require that you speak the Dutch language.
Thank you so much!
I had a feeling it was going to be very country dependent (mostly looking towards The Netherlands). I think I'm just going to have to hunker down and search and see what I can get. Have a great weekend!
Thank you both! I've been working on my Dutch in Duolingo (not as good as a course but it's something!) and heard that not knowing Dutch isn't the death sentence I always thought it was.
Thank you for pointing me in the direction of searching on here for different countries. I'm going to be going down that rabbit hole later!
Thank you both! I've been working on my Dutch in Duolingo (not as good as a course but it's something!) and heard that not knowing Dutch isn't the death sentence I always thought it was.
Thank you for pointing me in the direction of searching on here for different countries. I'm going to be going down that rabbit hole later!
Almost every Dutch person speaks English really well.
Maybe the older generation not so much.
So a lot of expats find themselves trapped in a English-speaking void; people speaking English to make is easier to someone who doesn't speak Dutch well, not getting practice, getting spoken to in English instead of Dutch because you don't speak it well.....
Thank you both! I've been working on my Dutch in Duolingo (not as good as a course but it's something!) and heard that not knowing Dutch isn't the death sentence I always thought it was.
Thank you for pointing me in the direction of searching on here for different countries. I'm going to be going down that rabbit hole later!
I've been told by language teachers and others - to learn a language (besides moving to that country) - soap operas are really good. Also Disney/children's movies. Then use subtitles. The reason being - the language used is more simple. Once you get there - try to find conversational groups where others are trying to do the same.
Another thing to look at - cultural norms and body language/gestures.
Good luck.