Hi Everyone...new member here, hoping someone can point me in the right direction

[Guest cme4loanz]

Hi All,

My father was a member when I was a little girl and I grew up in Hershey so The Auto Show was a yearly event for our family, so I thought I would start here to see if anyone might have any advice or be able to point me in the right direction on my classic car question.

A little bit of a long story....but the short and sweet version is that I, and my husband, currently live in France (he's french, I'm American) and we are just starting the process of moving back to the states (hopefully sometime in the next 6-18 mos).

My husband is what they call here, an "Expert Automobile" who specializes in classic sports cars (he's done everything from complete restorations, repairs, appraisals, insurance adjusting, stunt driving, track and rally assistance, classic car transport and working with collectors).

He is a total car encyclopedia and lives and breathes cars (both of his grandfathers were mechanics).....but he's really nervous about being able to find work when we get to the US......he speaks English and has 30+ years experience, mostly with European cars, but we're not quite sure how to go about checking into options for such a specific type of work in the states.

We're looking mainly at East Coast (Philly to Ocean City, NJ area) but would consider other areas if needed.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions they would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much!

p.s. Sorry if I've posted this in the wrong section.

[dan at larescorp]

Welcome to the forum! With the experience your husband has I don't believe he will have too much trouble finding work. I'm not near the east coast so others will be able to give a recomendation. Good luck with the search!

[rocketraider]

Agreed. A top-notch foreign car mechanic or restorer will never want for work in the States.

[Fleek]

Hi, I agree he should have very little problems finding people needing his services. If you are open to other areas in the US, I live in Florida and feel there would be many opportunities in this area as well. Good luck on your move.

[Marty Roth]

He may wish to contact owners of Classic Car Collections..

The Mullin Museum specializes in French Classic cars, and is one we have recently visited

http://www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com/

It is in California, not the East Coast, but could be a good contact, and Peter or Patrick Mullin may prove to be excellent contacts, possibly providing other East-coast suggestions

Another suggestion might be The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia:

http://simeonemuseum.org/

Having owned, driven, and competed in many French cars over the years (especially Citroen), I recognize the benefit of an experienced and talented mechanic.

Bon Chance,

[Kimo]

He might want to contact these guys http://www.tuxedomotorsport.com/ to see if it is the kind of place that might interest him and if so whether they might be interested in him. I do not know this shop personally but I have heard of them. Maybe someone here has some experience with them and can let you know if they are worth talking to.

[nickelroadster]

One thing that is common overseas is requiring some special licences or permits. I have no idea if that is the case in France but over here, your experience is what counts. France is also going through some political changes that probably worry a lot of people about jobs. It ain't unicorns and rainbows in the job market over here but for someone with his kind of experience it should be easy to find work. It would seem to me that the biggest hurdle will be overcoming his trepidation.

[Guest cme4loanz]

Wow! Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond and share the encouraging words and helpful suggestions. All are very much appreciated!

Mr. Roth and Mr. Kimo, thanks so much for the links....some great ideas! The Mullin Museum is amazing and I never knew about The Simeone Museum, such a great discovery for us and so close to home....it will be a sure stop the next time we're home! When we looked at the museum website, he immediatly started naming off the cars in the photos and the races and years at ththey won....and the Tuxeudo Motor Sports is just the type of cars that he typically works on so a great suggestion! He's definitely more excited and a little less nervous now.

A BIG thank you again to all!

[bill pritchett]

I have an MG and know that in NJ there seems to be a shortage of mechanics to work on them. Some are around but not all have the expertise you might want. A person could do well in that line of work here in this area.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

I live in South Jersey between Philadelphia and Ocean City.There seems to be almost endless possibilities for somebody like your husband with his skill set but it's a risk to start a totally new life. Millions of people have made this move and they had a lot less to start with. If I were you I would be checking the myriad job sites,i.e Craigslist, Monster Jobs, Yahoo, Google, Linkedin. Don't forget us, we'd all like to know how you both end up.

[Guest cme4loanz]

Thanks Mr. Pritchett and Mr. Mellor...it's good to have info from the NJ / Philly area. We're hoping to end up as near to there as possible.

And I took your suggestion and worked up a Linkedin profile for him.....I'll add the link here just in case anyone is interested.

Thanks again to everyone and stay safe and warm over there in the snow!

www.linkedin.com/pub/franck-douziech/89/315/8ba

[auburnseeker]

I would also check Hemmings Motor News. They have a small business opportunity and employment section in the back with advertisers listing jobs. I've seen more than one right up your husbands alley in the last few months.