How to move to New York: five stories of our immigrants

A chef, director, marketer, entrepreneur and student from Russia talk about how to get permission to enter and work in the United States, to get housing and necessary acquaintances in the largest city in America. This publication writes RBC.

More and more young people from Russia are leaving for the United States to study, be creative, work with large brands, and develop in the field of IT and innovation. Others - to open their own business, develop professional skills and build a family.

Despite the fact that there are a lot of Russians in New York, those who have recently moved try to avoid clichéd places like Brighton Beach. Often they choose Williamsburg, Bushwick, Brooklyn, Soho, West Village and the incomparable Upper East Side.

Five expats from Russia talked about their own experiences moving to New York and living in this crazy metropolis.

Apollinaria Bakhanova

Marketing Director Jacob & Co

Apollinaria received the right to work immediately after moving to the United States. She moved to New York with her husband, who works for BMW - he was transferred to lead the strategic direction for brand development in North America.

“The company issued a work visa not only to her husband, but also to me, which, by the way, is extremely rare. Lucky! ”- the girl shares her story.

She decided to take this opportunity. Since she had a rich background in marketing in Russia and Europe, she began to look for herself in this area. However, I still encountered some difficulties.

“In New York, it’s not easy to get a good job. Firstly, the resume should match the job description by at least 75% by keywords, which is practically impossible, ”says Appolinaria.

This is probably done to filter out unsuitable candidates. However, in this way you can skip the ideal, she believes.

Secondly, in Manhattan, you can get work only through friends - it is much more effective than finding a job on your own or through a recruiter.

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“Usually, when HR receives a resume, he does not know the gender, nationality or age of the candidate. Naturally, companies want to have a clearer picture of those people who come for an interview and apply for a position. Therefore, many of them listen to the recommendations, even if in absentia, ”Apollinaria said.

She also managed to get an interview thanks to acquaintances. Just three months after the move, she was promoted to Marketing Director at Jacob & Co.

“Now I’m sitting in the main office, planning and coordinating PR in all countries where the brand is represented,” the girl taught.

She noted that in America a good education does not guarantee that you will get a decent job in the future. At the same time, you can enter a prestigious university only after graduating from a private school, and getting there is not easy, because sometimes they ask "to demonstrate exceptional talent or indicate family ties."

It’s not easy to get into a good kindergarten here - they require recommendations, and the interview is conducted not only with the child, but also with his parents.

Among the minuses that Apollinaria voiced were the mismatch of price and quality in the service sector, their high cost, cleanliness in the city leaves much to be desired, traffic jams, and in winter - real collapses on the roads.

At the same time, she noted the “amazing energy of New York”, a vibrant round-the-clock life, an incredible number of museums, galleries and interesting people.

Mikhail Libman

Co-founder of Snark.Art Creative Lab

According to Mikhail, "New York is a country within a country."

He has been living in this metropolis since childhood, where he moved with his family.

“New York is a city of immigrants, so you can always make Russian-speaking friends here even at school. But the education system is not simple: children begin to study at the age of four, ”he said.

At the same time, the schools here are very different - there are both ordinary and prestigious, private. He confirmed Apollinaria’s words that getting into a good school is not easy here: when the school is crowded, they will not take a beginner.

“Therefore, if a family moves to New York with a child, I would recommend choosing a district based on which schools are nearby - so the likelihood of getting into a classroom becomes much higher,” Mikhail noted.

The main question that arises after moving is housing. It all depends on the financial capabilities of the person, he notes.

For example, you can live in the very center - in Soho, in Manhattan, but then get ready for very high rental prices.

Over the past 10-15 years, more remote areas have risen dramatically. For example, northern Brooklyn - Williamsburg or Bushwick. Now there are all the youth, a creative party, a lot of energy and interesting projects, and the prices are much lower.

If you want a more peaceful life, pay attention to the Greenpoint area: on the one hand, it is quiet and beautiful, on the other - there are a lot of good cafes and restaurants.

“I live in a very unusual place: in the southern part of the Williamsburg district, dominated by Jewish Hasidim. When I go outside, I immediately find myself surrounded by people in black - I like this cultural shake-up, - Mikhail shares his impressions. “I walk through a couple of blocks and find myself in a completely different area, where there are a lot of coffee houses, youth and hipsters.”

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He noted that New York is a very mobile city, and there is no single center in it. Moreover, in each area there is something interesting that attracts many people.

In addition, many areas are becoming better and safer every year, the entrepreneur said.

But the main value of this city is people. In New York, you are constantly surrounded by interesting personalities.

This is one of the capitals of world art, so the number of artists and artists per square meter here exceeds all possible expectations. What to do with this is a personal matter for everyone.

“I decided to experiment, and last year, together with my business partner, we opened Snark.art art production studio in New York, on the platform of which we implement art projects using blockchain technologies. Before that, we both did completely different things. I developed financial and statistical IT applications, but at some point I decided to finish the film school and wanted to work on video art projects. For a long time I lacked the determination to try something new, and finally I realized that that moment had come, ”said Mikhail.

Now, together with his partner, he is studying the concepts of collective ownership of art objects and is developing a new innovative direction.

Kirill Olkhovsky

Chef

Before moving to New York, he worked as a chef in one of the famous restaurants in St. Petersburg.

“I traveled a lot: first around Russia to study Russian regional cuisine more deeply, then around the world to get acquainted with the culinary traditions of other countries. I found inspiration in the Basque Country, in France and Italy, but I decided to leave for the USA - at the invitation of the owners of one of the restaurants in order to develop a menu for them, ”Kirill said briefly.

He later received a "very interesting offer."

“Now I work as a chef at the Frankie restaurant in Jersey City. The owner and sous-chef of the restaurant is an Australian, we met him before the opening, so I again had the opportunity not only to come to the finished kitchen, but to create it from scratch and assemble a good team, ”he said.

The cook did not have any problems with moving: Cyril arrived in the United States with a work visa. Two years later, he won the green card lottery.

“You should not be afraid of obtaining a visa: if you are a really good employee, then the employer will easily help you complete all the necessary documents for further stay in the country,” he recommends.

Out of hours, the guy arranges "Russian dinners for foreigners right at home."

“Even when he lived in Russia, he came across the Eatwith portal and proposed his candidacy. Such a resource is a cool alternative to going to a restaurant, with its own atmosphere and advantages. I always try to make the guests feel comfortable, at home, without unnecessary formality and embarrassment, ”Kirill explained.

It happens that such dinners are visited by Russians who live in the USA, but miss their native cuisine. Although, as the culinary specialist notes, there are much more restaurants with Russian cuisine here than in Russia.

“There are an incredible number of restaurants in New York, but finding good ones among them is not an easy task,” he said.

For this reason, Cyril visits already verified, beloved areas and places. He also recommends them to his friends who visit New York.

According to him, gastronomy is well developed in the Soho region, where you can find restaurants and bars for almost every taste.

“I would highlight the French restaurant La Mercerie - I even got acquainted with the chef in it and asked to spend one day in the kitchen to see how this place works from the inside. In the same area there is a rather famous restaurant Dante - I consider it one of the best in the city. You can go to West Village - the place where the heroine of the series “Sex and the City” Kerry Bradshaw lived. There is a cozy restaurant of authentic Italian cuisine Epistrophy, ”recommends Cyril.

He also shared life hacks on how to go to an expensive restaurant for reasonable money. To do this, it’s better to go to an institution during lunch and use the “happy hours” promotion, use various mobile applications, such as the Open Table - this involves discounts and bonuses.

“And most importantly - always book a place in good restaurants in New York, otherwise you risk being left hungry,” advised Kirill.

Albert Rudnitsky

Director

Rudnitsky received an offer to move to the United States from a friend.

“At one of the short film festivals in Italy, I met the artistic director of a small theater in South Carolina. We talked with him, and he suggested that I come to America to stage a play for them, ”Albert recalls.

At that time, he was finishing GITIS. However, after six months of correspondence with a foreign friend, the guy announced to the master of his course that he would stage the final performance in the USA.

“He, of course, reacted without enthusiasm, especially to the fact that the complex play of Daniil Harms“ The Old Woman ”was chosen as the material. The idea was crazy: not knowing the culture and mentality, I went to stage the play in English in South Carolina, ”Albert said.

At first everything was fine, the atmosphere at the rehearsals was inspiring. However, the final run, according to the director, "went just awful." He already began to regret that he took up this work. But as a result, the premiere was successful - "with a lively reaction and stormy applause."

Albert also noted the differences between the Russian and American theater.

“In America, there is practically no repertoire theater and state subsidies. They perceive the theater, most likely, as a business project: there is a platform, a producer who is the art director, and invited actors. Performances outside Broadway are played for no longer than one to two months. It was like that in South Carolina: the performance went on stage every day until the viewer simply stopped attending it, ”he said.

Albert later returned to Russia and defended his diploma. Then he again received an offer from South Carolina.

“I was not sure that I want to continue to study theater there, but there was practically no doubt that I should return to America. I flew to New York, where I already had a few friends, and settled not far from Brighton Beach, ”Albert recalls.

According to the director, the choice of area for life was very unsuccessful. Therefore, after three months, he moved from Kings Highway to Bushwick, where progressive young people live, and "everything, finally, fell into place."

“It turned out that what kind of people will be surrounded by you depends very much on the district. Here I often meet artists, actors and directors, ”he said.

Albert noted that in the United States it is difficult to live without the right to work. Without it, it is impossible to integrate into society and become part of a large project.

“For me, the O1 category visa was the best option - this is a specific visa for talented people. I needed to prove that I have some outstanding abilities that explain why I should stay in the USA. It was not easy to get a visa, but everything worked out, ”he said.

A visa gives him the right to work as an actor and director of cinema and theater with any companies in his field. However, there is a catch: major film projects still do not run the risk of hiring immigrants who are in the United States on a visa. For an ordinary person to get an opportunity to get into a big movie, he needs to become the owner of a green card.

Albert recommends that those who want to go to the movies “go to auditions from morning to evening”; “It’s best to monitor ads on the Internet, on sites like Backstage. But you need to be mentally prepared for the fact that the castings will eat all your time. In America, the competition is incredible, which means that breaking into a good project will be much more difficult than anywhere else, ”he says.

And most importantly, without which you cannot succeed in America, it is an advanced English language - even a novice actor should know it.

“To make the language cleaner, it’s best to take lessons or go to extra acting classes. Language is one of the main conditions to take place in our profession, ”summed up Albert.

Ekaterina Ladik

Student, Department of Criminal Law, New York University

Catherine came to America on a green card, an application for which she filed "just out of boredom, completely counting on nothing."

“Many acquaintances tried, and I decided to follow their example - I won the first time. My impressions were very strange: I sent a screenshot of the message from the embassy to my friend who lives in the States and asked what that means. The answer was concise: "You won." It was hard to believe, ”the girl shares her memories.

This was followed by a long test, medical examination, vaccinations. Then - filling out the questionnaire and collecting documents.

“The interview took place in Moscow: the officer asked several questions about what I was going to do in America. She replied that I would be singing in Broadway musicals in New York, and promised him a free ticket. He laughed and put the long-awaited stamp - the countdown to the move began, ”said Catherine.

“When it was reported that in less than six months I should leave the country, it became a little scary,” the girl recalls.

Her relatives supported her, although they considered America a "land of the enemy."

“Mom even tried to dissuade me, but quickly gave up,” said Catherine.

She moved to the largest city in America alone and immediately started to look for work.

At first it was difficult due to the low level of English. Relations from employers also left much to be desired, she notes.

“Random dating helped: for example, when I got lost in the subway, I asked for help from a girl who also turned out to be Russian. As a result, we got into a conversation, and she offered me to work in a coffee shop, ”the girl says.

She was also lucky with housing - she quickly found a room on social networks. It was a "small but decent room in the vicinity of Brooklyn in the quarter of Russian immigrants", which cost $ 800.

After a while, the girl began to visit gloomy thoughts more and more often, because everything was settled at home, and here I had to engage in low-skilled labor. At some point, Catherine needed the help of a specialist.

“Then I found a psychotherapist in Moscow, weekly practiced with him on Skype - it helped a lot. And over time, I learned to treat it differently, ”she said.

According to Catherine, a legal immigrant in New York has many educational opportunities.

“The state takes care of us and is trying to educate ourselves on the American system. Its cost starts at $ 6 thousand per year, and green card holders can still count on government subsidies and discounts up to 50%, ”said Catherine.

Since in Russia she did not have time to finish university, she decided to get an education in America. Moreover, with an American diploma more likely to be profitable to find a job.

Today, Catherine categorically does not want to return to Russia.

“I love the USA. This is my new home, ”she explained. “And though not everything goes smoothly and is still often not easy for me, I decided for myself: Russia will always be my homeland, but now the house is in America.”