Alaska is a rugged northern region that attracts people from different countries. Labor migrants from the Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and more flock here. Working in Alaska has been popular for a long time.
Alaska is a good place to make money
Here you can meet workers from Odessa or Irkutsk who agreed to do hard and painstaking work for a very decent remuneration.
Basic information about working in Alaska
In 2021, a flow of workers was recorded, the trend continued in 2021, even despite certain difficulties due to the pandemic.
The northern and very cold state of the United States of America is known primarily for its fishing. This is a seasonal job. After November, frosts set in and the sea becomes frozen. On average, the fishing season lasts about 4 or 5 months.
Work in Alaska for Russians and other migrants is limited in the choice of vacancies, but high salaries are offered. Basic fluency in spoken English is often required, but is not a required resume item.
Some American companies hire general workers without testing their language skills
The most popular vacancies for Russians and Ukrainians for 2021
Undoubtedly, the best places are given to the local hard workers. For this reason, Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians can count on employment, but in difficult conditions. Mostly, foreigners have no choice but to apply for vacancies for rotational work in Alaska.
The issue of accomplices in the fishing industry is acute. The work is designed for four months with the signing of a short-term contract.
What is meant:
- fishing for crab or other sea creatures,
- related actions:
- cutting up carcasses;
- cleaning of fish and seafood;
- redirection of the catch.
Vacant positions at gold mines are also widespread. Highly qualified specialists - engineers and drillers, mechanics and electricians are also needed.
Russians work in logging and transport.
In 2021, work in Alaska is relevant for immigrants from Ukraine and other CIS countries related to tourism. The region is popular among tourists. There is a chance to get a job as a guide or tour guide.
Ways to find a job
A work visa is issued only after receiving an invitation. Illegal employment threatens deportation, so not every company will agree to hire an illegal migrant.
It is best to search for vacancies remotely through specialized agencies that cooperate with employers. An agreement is signed, which clearly states the conditions for return and employment. As well as job responsibilities, salary and living conditions.
Intermediary firms undertake the search for a job, and the person who contacts them pays for the flight and accommodation. To start a new life you will need approximately $2000.
You can find work in Alaska and view vacancies through WORK and TRAVEL. It is very easy to find a job. The information is publicly available; there are groups on VKontakte and other social networks with detailed instructions and lists of required documents.
Work and Travel
What does the WORK and TRAVEL program give?
- The employer pays for the trip. Often this moment becomes decisive in making a decision, because not every candidate has free money for expensive tickets.
- According to the program, you can come and work for 3 months (less often 4 months), check-in is fixed on June 1. Most often, it is used to obtain positions in the sorting, processing and sorting of catch.
- Working locally with compatriots. Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Russians often come under this program.
After the end of the contract, the person has another 30 days to travel around America. Payment is based on the number of hours worked.
Popular job search sites
Vacancies are published on international web resources:
- indeed.com
- coolworks.com
- craiglist.com
- governmentjobs.com
If a person is already in the USA, then the easiest way for him is to go to the site and find a suitable vacancy. As a rule, last-minute advertisements are posted there.
The employer is already waiting for an employee who is ready to begin performing his duties. The main thing is that you have correctly executed documents on hand.
Fishing-related work in Alaska
Where to find a job
Finding a job in Alaska on your own is quite difficult. Basically, everyone turns to specialized agencies that provide assistance in selecting a vacancy and directly the employer.
You can also find a job through people who have already worked there. But it is worth considering the fact that not all employer companies agree to pay for moving from their home country to Alaska. It is possible to find a job while already in Alaska, but this will require considerable financial expenses. It is impossible to open a work visa without an invitation and in any case you will have to return home.
This is what a work visa to visit Alaska looks like
Working in the USA illegally is also not worth it. Not every employer will hire a person who could face deportation every day due to visa violations.
The most reliable way to find a job is employment through special programs. Today there are several of them, but the most popular of them is the WORK and TRAVEL program.
The advantage of the program is the fact that all transportation costs are borne by the direct employer. The conditions for return (at whose expense) are clearly stated in the employment contract.
Available vacancies
Most people are needed in the fishing industry. The shortage of personnel is especially acute during the Putin season. Jobs in Alaska boil down to the top openings for 2021:
- Fisherman.
- Fish sorter.
- Catch packer.
- Fish carcass cutter.
- Transporter.
Qualified motorists, fishermen and sailors have a higher chance of getting into high-paying jobs. Without qualifications and skills, they are most often taken to the conveyor belt of canneries. The position does not require special knowledge, the main thing is good health, patience, endurance and the ability to work on your feet for a long time.
Factories and factories accept all employees in good health, regardless of gender. Only men are involved in the physically hard work of fishing.
Their working day lasts up to 16 hours a day. This vacancy requires remarkable endurance and brute force.
In addition to fish factories, the state has construction, trade, and oil and gas production. In-demand professions include drivers, excavator operators, and oil workers.
Alaska attracts tourists, so there is a place for hotel workers, staff on cruise ships, and conductors.
How I got a job at a factory in Alaska
As I already wrote in a previous post, after the failures in Washington, we decided to fly to Alaska - two of our other friends were already successfully working at a factory there. We called them, they were just drinking after another day of work. Come guys, they say, we’ll meet you and arrange it. Well, without thinking twice, we went to the airport. Asan really refused - he said, I don’t care about this Alaska, I’ll go back to Atlantic, I’ll work as a rickshaw puller on the sly. We were left with the Korean.
There was one point - we had three hundred bucks of money each. The ticket costs 280 or so. The question was - either fly to Alaska one way, having a good chance of being left penniless there - and it’s cold there even in summer, especially at night - or call my parents with a request to send money for a return ticket to Kazakhstan. As you understand, we didn’t have much of a choice. And then our desperate heads (or asses) decided to try to hook up with one big guy. As you probably know, when you pay for a ticket using a card, the money is not withdrawn from it immediately - usually the next day or later - well, at least it was like that then. The most indifferent person we had was Asan, especially since he had no intention of returning here, and the following was decided: we throw our 600 bucks on his card, buy a ticket, fly to Alaska, and immediately withdraw this money from an ATM at the airport. In general, our operation was successful - in the end, instead of 20 bucks, we had 300 with us, which already warmed our hearts at least a little. Looking ahead, I will say that we simply did not get away with this outright scam. Our clever Asan later, neglecting our advice, managed to go to the bank and put this card in the ATM - he was immediately tied up in the bank and forced to give the money. I escaped with a slight fright, thank God. Later we returned this money to him. So the moral is: don’t joke with the laws in the states - most likely you will get caught, and the laws there are very harsh.
Further - even more fun. Already at the Anchorage airport (who doesn’t know, the largest city in Alaska), sobered up boys call us and say the following: the situation in Alaska is deplorable: the season of one fish is over, the second has not yet begun. Almost half of the people from the factories were fired and they are all without work. Already quite scared, we decide to call our parents. In the meantime, they will send money to try to get a job with the boys, at least to spend the night in their dorm for a couple of days. And they are on another island, and a taxi there costs 180 bucks. They also gave us a couple of addresses of Anchorage factories so that we could leave our resumes there. Well, we went to the first one, to the personnel department, and we said that work is needed anyway. She silently looks at the desktop, and there is a rather large stack of resumes lying around, about the thickness of a couple of books of the Soviet Encyclopedia - and half of the resumes say that they have already worked at fish factories for more than one season. Taking a deep breath, we leave ours on top and move on.
After learning about taxi routes, we decide to have lunch at McDonald's. Then, suddenly, a call:
- Hello, hello.
- Hello.
- This is from such and such a factory. You left your resume last week, right?
- Mmm... yes.
— You are from Ukraine and have all the experience of working at a factory, right?
- Mmm... yes, of course.
- Well, great, come today, we’ll take you.
- Ooo…. Okay, of course!
It was some kind of unearthly luck - it was just a rope, out of nowhere, that fell from heaven to a sailor drowning in the ocean. It is clear that this woman from the HR department apparently drank too much brandy yesterday (everyone drinks in Alaska, believe me) and confused two Asians who came today with Ukrainian guys who left a resume a week ago. It doesn’t matter that I lied - we simply HAD to not miss this opportunity, otherwise everything would be lost.
Having quickly finished the one-dollar burger, we rush headlong to the factory. We fall into the room and say that we were just talking.
“Didn’t you come today?”
- No, last week.
- Hmm, strange, it seemed to me that you were there today, I can’t figure it out at all anymore. Are you not from Ukraine?
- No, we are from Kazakhstan. But we have experience!
- I see, okay. Please, your recommendations and an invitation to work from the previous plant.
That was just an EPIC FAIL. We had no trace of any permission, let alone recommendations. There was no point in lying anymore. What is not there is not. I just decided to take pity on me; lies and arrogance have already done their job. Almost in tears, I told our whole story, that we were already trying to arrange things, that we only eat once a day, that we don’t have money for a return ticket, and if this woman gives us this chance, then we will pray for her, like the Mother of God!
After listening to all this, she asked:
— Do you have work clothes and rubber boots?
- Mmmm... they stayed in the hostel where we live. We can go.
- You have half an hour. If you can't handle it, I'll take others.
She didn’t have time to finish her sentence, and we were already catching a taxi - before that we were wandering around Walmart, where, by divine luck, we noticed a department with work clothes. In general, we arrived exactly half an hour later. And they hired us! I’m ashamed to admit, but tears appeared in our eyes - here it is, Nadezhda, Fortune, call it what you want, but I was convinced from my own experience that she turns to face you precisely at the moment when you have already lost all faith. So, my friends, never despair, fight to the end, like that frog in sour cream from a children's fairy tale!
PS: The photo shows me and the Korean at 3 am at the Anchorage airport.
- How I lived in a hostel in Alaska
- How I looked for work in the states
- Last day in the States
Salary by profession
In addition to the bonus for difficult working conditions, a person can count on good bonuses for qualifications and experience. According to official data, the salary level falls within the range of $2,000 to $4,000 per month. The rate for one hour ranges from $7 to $12. In one season you can get about $10,000.
Salaries for various professions
- A sailor on a fishing boat can earn up to $6,000 a month.
- Store employee – up to $2,300 per month.
- Accountant – $3,364 each week.
- Programmer – $3364 every week (same as accountant).
- Nurse – $38 per hour.
- Truck Driver – $21.
- Teacher – $20.
- Administrator – $18.
The state guarantees a minimum hourly wage of $9. Nobody gets less. Additional payments appeared for a reason. You may have to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag and get home through snowdrifts.
Standard of living in Alaska
You can earn good money here with honest work. The prospect of getting rich attracts people from all over the world, but living here is expensive. You cannot skimp on electricity and warm clothing, and food costs more than in other states.
If you look at official statistics, a loaf of bread in a store in a northern state costs $4, a liter of milk - $1.04, a kilogram of rice - $6.2, a liter of 95 gasoline - $0.72, a pack of cigarettes - $10.
Alaska attracts tourists, so there is a place for hotel workers, cruise ship staff, and conductors.
Business in Alaska
Alaska is thriving thanks to constant population growth, sound tax policy, thoughtful subsidies from the state budget, and active economic development. The authorities do not interfere with business development. If a migrant has received a green card, then he has every chance of starting his own business and getting rich.
Business in Alaska
Domestic tourism is well developed in America. More than a million people come to Alaska every year, and air transport is constantly evolving. The number of airports in this state alone is twice the number in Russia.
For entrepreneurs, local authorities have provided a number of privileges:
- Loan with an interest rate of 1% per annum.
- Reduced taxes.
Among Russians, residents of the Far East and Siberia will have a clear advantage in acclimatization. Alaska's weather means short summers, frequent fogs, and frost. Russian migrants usually go to work in the gaming and tourism businesses, recruiting companies, and providing personal services.
Leave via WORK AND TRAVEL
The easiest way to get from Russia to Alaska is with the help of special programs. The most popular is Work and Travel. Well-trained staff quickly select a location and contact the employer. The employment contract is concluded before arrival, the salary and conditions are agreed upon in advance. Work on this program begins in early June.
The advantage of this method is that the employees will be the same visitors from Russia or Ukraine. So communication will not be hampered by language barriers or cultural differences.
Taxes in Alaska
The harsh climate created difficult living conditions. To lure the population from the sunny shores of California and Florida, the government resorted to various tricks. Among them, it is worth noting unprecedentedly low taxes. In other states they will be much higher.
A true paradise has been created for working taxpayers without the government taking some of their money.
For Alaskans, there is no such thing as sales tax, personal income tax, etc. There is not even a tax fee for using a car.
The secret lies in the super profits from the gas and oil industries. In addition, local residents receive dividends from oil revenues. In 2021, each of them received a little more than one thousand dollars.
Given the worsening economic situation and falling oil prices, a revision of local tax policy is possible.
The state has federal taxes: a progressive scale on income, social and medical tax.
Working as a truck driver in Alaska
There is also a place for drivers, but this vacancy has strict requirements. The applicant must have extensive experience, high qualifications and a license from local authorities. Drivers for tanker trucks and trucks are in demand.
Working as a truck driver in Alaska
A foreigner must obtain an American driver's license; without it, they can only be hired to deliver food, nothing more. Truckers get paid very well, so it's worth taking the time to get a permit and retrain.
Work in Alaska at a fish processing plant
Shift work in Alaska is still an attractive option for Russians to earn big money. The largest industry is considered to be fishing.
A working day usually lasts 14 hours. Hired employees receive free accommodation, clothing and food. Nothing is deducted from your salary.
The employment contract stipulates one day off per week. Processing and sorting of the catch is carried out in workshops where the low temperature is maintained, which is necessary for the safety of the goods.
Work in Alaska at a fish processing plant
Some vacancies do not even require knowledge of English or special skills. The work on the assembly line is quite tedious, but it pays well.
How to find a job in the USA in Alaska
Considering that many American companies do not want to spend time searching and registering seasonal and permanent employees with foreign citizenship, including Ukrainian, many job seekers turn to intermediaries, with a database of current vacancies and a well-established employment scheme. You need to choose a recruitment company very carefully to avoid the risk of meeting with scammers.
If you decide to search on your own, first determine what industry you would like to find a job in and the city that has the most offers in your chosen field.
- Valdez – oil production and refining.
- Juneau is a tourist region.
- Anchorage is Alaska's most populous city with a wide variety of job opportunities.
- Kenai is a small town with developed tourism, oil production and fishing industries.
- Fairbanks is home to scientists, researchers, teachers and social professionals.
Popular job search sites in Alaska
- indeed.com
- monster.com
- coolworks.com
- governmentjobs.com
Advantages and disadvantages of working in Alaska
Before making a responsible decision, you need to study all the disadvantages and advantages of making money in the north.
Benefits of working in Alaska
Overtime is welcome, but is also paid with an increased coefficient, which reaches up to 1.5. There are other advantages:
- Official employment in America.
- A complete social package with all guarantees of respect for human rights.
- High pay and bonuses.
- Compensation for transportation, accommodation and food.
- There are vacancies for women and men of working age.
- Seasonality, which attracts students during the holidays.
A separate point is made about the pristine beauty of this harsh but beautiful region. The state is considered less often for permanent residence, but local authorities are more loyal to migrants.
Disadvantages of Working in Alaska
The state is in the north. Climatic conditions do not allow people with poor health to live and work. The offered vacancies imply that the person is ready for difficulties and risks. Future earnings depend on patience and perseverance.
Disadvantages of the job
