PhD Psychology International Student

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Psych01

New Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2013
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I am a PhD Psychology from India and am living in the US for the last 5 years. I want to get back to work, but am unable to decide the route to take. I am currently volunteering in a research lab, I do not have a work permit as I am on a dependent visa. I would really appreciate if someone could help me understand my options. I cannot apply for a Psychologist, as the state license board only recognizes APA graduates and there is no APA in India. Further, my chances of teaching in a reputed university are bad as I am not a post-doctorate. I would appreciate if anyone on this forum could suggest what options should I explore to get back a career.

Thank you for your time.

Members don't see this ad.
 
This is tricky. How long do you plan to stay in the U.S. ? If you're here for a while I think the first thing to do is to get a visa which will allow you to work - or be a student. You'll have to find someone who will help you with this (- is there someone on the lab who'd be willing to write letters for you?-) if you're in a university setting the international student office is a good resource. I was in a similar situation back in the dark ages and unless things have changed a great deal, there are various "catch 22's" to negotiate. For me, I had to get a student visa of my own to get away from dependent status but to get this I had to prove I had a job (to finance my education) but couldn't get a job unless I had a non - dependent visa . It worked because people were willing to help me and write letters to INS and the INS officer was receptive at my interview. Your situation is obviously different since you already have a doctorate but I think the visa is the first issue to address. If you can afford it a consultation with an immigration lawyer might be helpful.
 
Thanks for your suggestion. I am thinking of applying to some course as well, however, I don't understand what course should I register for. I don't want to do MS again or register for PhD as that would be a long term commitment and I don't want to study all over again. I am exploring courses which could help me find a job in research, but then I see that here not many people have research oriented PhD jobs. By this I mean, the only PhD jobs are for a university professor. I don't want to do something that will take all my time as I have two kids, at the same time I don't want to take up a job which does not utilize my PhD. Your right I am in catch 22 but I need to find a way out. Would appreciate if you could suggest some certification courses which are job oriented. Thanks
 
Top