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Author Topic: Digital Cinema Field Service Tech - Help Aleksandar Obradovic Expert Film Handler Posts: 125 From: Belgrade, Serbia Registered: Oct 2012 posted 09-19-2016 04:16 PM                     Hi Rick and thank you for your contribution in this matter. I've already done it (Google research), and also have checked NY Labor and *bla bla bla* website. Those searches are very rough as you can imagine. E.g. Google search gives me $17/Hr an up, NY Labor site gives minimum $11/Hr for Professional workers. Also i am not able to find does it required to get certified in this field of work and/or should i be a member of some Union (and which). When it comes to accommodation rentals variations are big which depends on many factors. I have some friends in NYC who told me the same thing and promised to help me in finding accommodation, walk me thru the city, etc. if I come to the USA. I have asked here for help because this forum is dedicated for people who work in this field (projectionists, cinema support, and other ground level) in hope that someone will give me more detailed answers to my questions like Leo and Scott already did. They also gave me some useful directions what should I ask employer during negotiations, where i can find useful data, etc. Please, don't get me wrong and also forgive me for my ignorance about USA laws, customs, etc. But, like it is written - Ask and you've should be answered.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 09-19-2016 04:17 PM                        Weird... That all sounds strangely familiar.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 09-19-2016 04:19 PM                     Speaking as someone who lives in Northern New Jersey between NY and PA, this entire area is considered one of the more expensive regions (after southern California). You can not live on minimum wage, you will starve and be homeless. Small apartments in Northern NJ tend to rent for around $1500/month plus utilities, outside of the poorer inner cities. NYC is even more expensive, but it has some relatively inexpensive rent controlled apartments. Unfortunately they rarely hit the open market. The weather in the summer is usually in the high 70's Fahrenheit to the high 90's. You will need to translate that to Centigrade yourself. In the winter, the temperature normally ranges from the high teens (Fahrenheit) to the low 40's (Fahrenheit). It snows here, some winters more than others. The road are not plowed very well in most of the area. You can not bring your family over on an H1B visa. This is a special temporary work visa for instances where an employer can not find an American (or legal immigrant) qualified for the position. H1B visa's are tied to a specific employer, and when the employment ends, you probably will get booted out of the country unless you have found another employer to sponsor you. Electricians do not have to join the union, but they do have to be licensed by whatever state they are working in. You need to verify with your employer if you are going to be doing electrical work. Most cinema field service techs are not doing electrical work, so this tends not to be an issue. I would re-read everything Scott has posted, especially about finding out why they are willing to bring you over here when there are a lot of USA citizens who would want this job. Like Scott, I suspect that they plan on paying you a lot less than the job should pay, and working you to death, since you can not quit and take another job very easily.  |  IP: Logged Aleksandar Obradovic Expert Film Handler Posts: 125 From: Belgrade, Serbia Registered: Oct 2012 posted 09-19-2016 04:27 PM                     @Martin, Thanks for this link. It shows me very valuable data. Just a question regarding this data. Can you tell me what are differences between median, personal and household income? According to this data and by the address of the employer median income is about $85k. It sounds to good to be true. Maybe it is for white collars @Mitchell, been there done that. On my last job I've trashed my car to the tree (from the cliff) because of exhaustion/fatigue because i have worked around clock 24/7/365 . But, on the other side that's me. When i have obligations I will do anything to complete it on time and with all of my resources. Some people call it dedication but my wife calls it foolishness. @Sean, Which part is familiar? Alex  |  IP: Logged Mark Ogden Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 943 From: Little Falls, N.J. Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-19-2016 05:01 PM                     Here in New Jersey, as in the entire Tri-State area, we have four distinct seasons, although the Spring and Fall seem to come and go very quickly of late. The average Summer temperature is about 82 - 85º Fahrenheit. In the Winter it usually stays 35 - 45º, you can expect one or two serious snow storms per year. If you live on Long island, especially along the southern shore, you can expect somewhat cooler temperatures in the summer and warmer in the winter. It is not especially rainy in the area, in fact we are in drought conditions at the moment, which is getting to be more and more the norm. Rent in the area is very expensive. Manhattan is unaffordable for most, but some of the outer buros may be within your reach, especially portions of Queens. In New Jersey, the next town over from me has rent stabilized apartments that start at about US$1500 for a one-bedroom, but there is a long wait for such housing. Expect to pay at least $1800 for a one-bedroom, more for larger. The one saving grace for New Jersey is that gas for your car is cheap, the Union 76 station on the corner is down to $1.85 a gallon today. Ironically, NJ is one of only two states where there are no self-serve gas pumps, everything is full serve all the time. If you are going to have a car and do service work in the area, milage will be an issue, it's very easy to run up 20,000-25,000 miles a year on a company car.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 09-19-2016 05:06 PM                        Alecksandar I will send you a private message. I can tell you when I worked as a service tech for a large national service company (now owned by a former manufacturer who was very strong in the film business and is now in the digital cinema business) in the New England region I was provided a company car and I worked out of my home. If I worked more than eight hours in a day I was reimbursed for meals and when traveling out of my area for installs or classes I was reimbursed for meals,hotel, etc... I was guaranteed 40 hours a week but eligible for overtime. I serviced locations in three states up to 3-4 hours away. I was expected to take calls from the answering service until 11pm I was provided medical, 401k, Salary in the high 30's. I was provided a scope, multimeter, amp clamp, Rta and Mic's, and general consumable spare parts to carry. I provided my own hand tools but was reimbursed for any lost, stolen, or broken tools. Mark, when I worked for the SVA Theatre on West 23rd I lived near Poughkeepsie and would drive home through NJ to get the cheap full service fuel. I paid 1,500 per month for a one bedroom condo 2 minutes from I-84 and 10 Minutes from the Beacon Metro North station.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-19-2016 05:35 PM                        Personal income is one person, or per-capita. Household is generally combined husband/wife income, though I guess it could also include working children living with parents, or a roommate situation. Combined income of everyone living under one roof. If the median personal income is $85K , half the people will be making less than that, half will make more, so you want to be in the upper half. Not sure what the white collar/blue collar split is in those areas. Given that firefighters can make over $100k (with overtime), blue collar jobs can pay.  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 09-19-2016 05:51 PM                       I would re-read everything Scott has posted, especially about finding out why they are willing to bring you over here when there are a lot of USA citizens who would want this job. Like Scott, I suspect that they plan on paying you a lot less than the job should pay, and working you to death, since you can not quit and take another job very easily. Listen to Mitchell. This is a very tough business here and most of the cinemas are run by children and no real booth staff so you will get no help, so lots of wasted trips. Not much hope for career advancement. Aside from any other advice, I would only consider a salaried position with a contract to make the move worth the effort. Otherwise you will be exploited and ultimately discarded. The only hope is you make a good name for yourself for your next job or you start your own service company. There is phrase in Hollywood and cinemas in general that applies. "They will never forgive you for carrying a screwdriver" That addresses the chances of career advancement to a "white collar" job. Sorry to be bleak.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-19-2016 08:47 PM                        One more point: immigration costs aside, you will need a good chunk of cash to get settled in the US. As a foreigner, you will have no credit record and no credit score. These are used by creditors and lenders to determine whether or not your are likely to pay your bills on time. As such, the electric company, the phone company, and so on will want an up front deposit of several months' worth of bills before they will provide you with service. Landlords will typically want the first and last months' rent up front as well as a security deposit equal to one month's rent. You will get the deposits back eventually, but you need the cash up front in order to move into an apartment or house. Additionally, you will need or want furniture and other items (pots, pans, sheets, towels, etc.) for your home. If you want to buy a house and do not have the full price of the house in cash, you will need excellent credit (which you will not have) and, typically, a 10-20% down payment. It may even be difficult for you to get a bank account at first. You might see if, as part of your relocation deal, your prospective employer will help by providing a credit reference as needed and perhaps provide you with a company credit card for business expenses, since it will be difficult for you to get credt without having credit.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 09-19-2016 09:18 PM                        Very, very good point, Scott, and one I completely forgot. When I first arrived, I was entitled to membership of my wife's federal credit union simply by being married to her: without that, even getting a checking account would have been an issue. I also had to put $2K into a secured credit card to get my US FICO credit score off the ground. It's now in the mid-700s (I have the Clark Howard show to thank for alerting me to the secured credit card route to getting it there), but as a newly arrived immigrant, you've got to get from unknown to functioning in a way that natural born Americans who start to wrap their heads around these issues in their late teens very quickly.  |  IP: Logged Aleksandar Obradovic Expert Film Handler Posts: 125 From: Belgrade, Serbia Registered: Oct 2012 posted 09-20-2016 01:09 AM                     I knew that I will got some good answers here During Google research I've made I've got same answers more or less accurate. But, regarding apartment rental I've already pointed that some of my Serbian friends will help me with this and also with households (where to buy them, how much to pay for them, etc.). Don't get me wrong and think that they will pay for me. I never asked that. Huge help for me is for example to find an apartment and landlord who will not ask for my credit score because of my friends who will explain situation. Heck, maybe I will be able to find some Serb to rent me a spare room if I have to come alone Regarding services like phone, Internet, electricity/gas/HW I also hope that I will be able to find some workaround in similar matter. About credit score... How much time does it take to bust it up to some average level? Also one important question. What's the procedure to exchange foreign driver's license for USA one. For obvious reasons I am going to need one so i can do my job. Can I drive with International Driver's license in the beginning? I believe that you had to go through this Leo. @Sam, there is no need to apologize. I am aware of those points and I appreciate any help and any word written here. Real life is the one that I am into and that's why I am talking to you guys. I have a family to feed (like many of us) and in my case (like in any other) day-dreaming is forbidden in today's economy. Fighting is everything and I am ready to fight (actually I'm doing this my entire life). Hm... New questions arising... How much free time does such personal have for themselves, family and friends? Is it possible to find some freelance jobs which I will be able to work during my spare time (I am also C/C++ programmer, and very very familiar with embedded systems and electronics at service/repair levels)? Alex  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 09-20-2016 07:06 PM                        Driving is regulated at state level, so you'd need to check the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) website for the state in which you'd be living to answer those questions. In California, foreign license holders visiting temporarily are supposed to have an International Driving Permit, and can drive on their overseas license for up to six months. Car rental companies also tell you that you have to have the IDP. On the first visit to the US I made in which I'd be renting a car I got an IDP and carried it around with me, but I was never asked for it - I showed Hertz my UK driver's license and that was all they wanted to see. Again, in CA, holders of a license from another US state can simply exchange it for a CA one, for a small fee, unless you have been convicted of any driving-related felonies, in which case you have to take the test. Holders of foreign licenses, though, have to take the test regardless, even if you have a flawless driving record for decades in your country of origin. Again, I don't know about NY, but the CA test really wasn't anything to worry about. The first part was a multiple choice question paper with questions like: "You are driving on a twisty, single track rural road in poor visibility. You come up behind a slow moving vehicle on the approach to a blind bend. Do you ... A - honk your horn and flash your headlights aggressively; B - put your foot down and pass him going into the bend; C - follow at a safe distance until you see that it's safe to pass, or D - point your .44 Magnum out of the driver's side window and take the f****r out?" The practical test involved driving around four or five blocks in light traffic in the middle of the day, and that was it. You'd have to work pretty hard to fail it. The NY test may be a bit more rigorous - I don't know.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 09-21-2016 11:13 AM                     You should probably ask your Serbian friends about driving licenses in NY. In New Jersey, International Driving Permits are only valid for tourist visas. If you are working here and living in NJ, you must get a New Jersey drivers license. Click Here for the NJ Department Of Motor Vehicles for the requirements. I assume NY has a similar web site. A driver license issued by any USA state is valid in all the states.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-21-2016 12:07 PM                        Also note that cars need to be registered and insured in the state in which they are normally parked. Registration is normally a purfunctory and inexpensive procedure that gives you a printed certificate of registration as well as license plates to put on the car. Insurance costs vary widely based upon the amount of coverage, type of car, location, yearly mileage, and your driving record. Since you will not have a USA driving record, you will probably pay more for auto insurance than someone who has been a licensed driver for many years and who has had zero accidents. Auto insurance is required in all (or nearly all) states. quote: Aleksandar Obradovic Is it possible to find some freelance jobs which I will be able to work during my spare time (I am also C/C++ programmer, and very very familiar with embedded systems and electronics at service/repair levels)? These are very marketable skills. Have you considered pursuing this type of work directly? You will likely find that these types of jobs will lead to more work, better pay, and more flexibility than cinema service, regardless of your location. Even if you pursue cinema service on a full-time basis, you can probably find a market for this sort of work in your spare time, either on your own or with another company. Be sure to clear this with your primary employer first, though, as some would see this as being a conflict of interest (which it really shouldn't be, unless you are doing work in the cinema industry).  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 09-21-2016 01:01 PM                        Also, your annual mileage makes a difference to your insurance premium, too. Racking up 35k miles a year, I get hammered (around $700 per six-month premium), though this is inching down as I build up a US driving record. But given that my last auto insurance premium before leaving the UK was £165 for a whole year, that came as somewhat of a shock! You also need to make sure that your insurance includes cover for driving on employer's business (as distinct from just commuting to and from a regular workplace), if you're going to be taking your own car on service calls, or that you're covered for that by your employer's policy.  |  IP: Logged

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