pay rate

I'm continuously amazed by the amount of cheap owners out there who farm out everything regardless of how critical to the lowest bidder. Down in Florida, a lot of in water work like electrical, electronic installation, engine room/engineering and any above water work gets done behind the house so there is no issue of the yard keeping out the riff raff. I can't tell you how much household grade wiring I've pulled out of boats, usually after the untinned guts had corroded and melted it down.

You're best to stick to Florida, very little required in the way of licensing for unclassed vessels, and there's plenty of work even if you are illegal, as most people dayworking in South Florida are. Classed boats typically will require their society's approved tradesmen. If you can get Lloyds, DNV and ABS certifications, you have pretty much everybody covered. Getting legal working rights for the US is more difficult, typical cost of a "Green Card Wedding" is about $20,000.

Very different. Most of those rules were driven by unions, Florida has never been a Union State. IIRC, the only time a licensed electrician is required in Florida is on a public building. I may be wrong on that, but I have never seen an electrician working on a house in FL with anything but a basic business license.

You will need first and foremost MONEY! It takes some money to get a visa that will allow you to work. If you have $250,000 to stick in a US bank and tell the Immigrations man, "I want to start a marine electrical contracting business and WILL EMPLOY 6-10 PEOPLE", you will find the process rather easy. You can also have an established business in your homeland and look to open a branch office in the US THAT WILL EMPLOY 6-10 PEOPLE...

Are you getting the drift? If you are coming in with money to support yourself and invest in the US and ARE GOING TO EMPLOY PEOPLE, that is what the immigrations office is looking for.

You can also marry some broke gal for about $20k, thing is she has you by the balls because you have to stay married for 2 years or you lose your Green Card status. If she turns you in, you also are committing a crime. As low as the likelihood of that happening is since she would herself be admitting to a crime, you never know what some gal may do, and if she has her sob story right, you're cooked, so she basically can blackmail you for whatever.

Let's not forget alimony and community property.

I'm already an American citizen, but this sounds pretty good to me. Will she take a check?

Boats, airplanes and women, the price of acquisition is only the start...

Which certifications are those?

IACS members may require some technicians to meet certain standards to certify the operation or condition of certain equipment, or to weld, repair, or perform certain other tasks on specific equipment but they do not certify those technicians. They approve firms or organizations that require their technicians to meet those standards and they can witness certification tests for craftsmen such as for welders where the IACS surveyor has specialist knowledge. It is up to the approved firm to maintain and publish lists of technicians who meet those standards so that those responsible for meeting class requirements can ensure only properly certified technicians perform the work according to class rules.

Otherwise, they just accept the trade certificate, license, or specialist training that is required by the approved service facility.

Correct, I misused "certification" where I should have used "acceptance" or "approval", though he is talking about being an independent contractor, so he will have to jump through the hoops of meeting and showing acceptance or approval standards and status.

Not unless he wants to certify lifesaving equipment, safety radio gear, EPIRBS, liferafts, weld skin plating, conduct UT gauging for class surveys, or a few other specialty tasks.

It just isn't that complicated, there are no "hoops" and unions have nothing to do with it. The state has nothing to do with it, the CG has nothing to do with it, ABYC and IACS has nothing to do with it. The guy can set himself up as an electrician and if he can do the work he will probably be as hungry as all the rest of the freelancers. There really isn't that much drama involved in his scenario.

And going back to the state requirements for licensed house electricians, it has nothing to do with unions, it has everything to do with making sure contractors know what the national and local building codes are and will follow them. It is about not burning down your house with you in it. It is far from some protectionist BS. Furthermore, since close to 70 percent of licensed electricians are NOT union members I don't think they are responsible for the imposition of the Uniform Building Code.

No, that is not a fee at immigrations, (but that will end up a couple of thousand dollars....) it is your seed capital that you have available to you locally to invest locally and enter the economy as a + rather than a -.

The great travel career for the world is Nurse, especially NP level. Everybody wants you, you are on every-bodies "need" list of "let em in and put em to work".

You would think that wouldn't you.....
In PA there is no state license. Every township and burg requires a license per year and a permit per job. Now there is a business privilage tax added in some towns also.
There is NO on-going education requirement in PA and if you have a license from another township it is usally honored by every other township because they not only DO NOT want to test but also they do not have anyone that would be QUALIFIED to test you.
In PA it is a money grab.

Delaware, Maryland,and Virginia have a state wide license which requires on-going education. these states are reciprocal.
NJ reqiures a State license and I do not know if it is reciprocal.

Every county in MD and DE, and every township and burg in PA can have addenda to the National Electric Code (NEC). Most don't but you need to check before you submit your estimates.

The NEC addresses " Marinas and boat yards " in art 555. Nothing I can find addresses ships, yachts, or boats except " house boats" or floating homes w/o engines.

I have worked on yachts, boats and commercial ships.
I've never been asked to produce any license data and insurance data only in marinas, plus 10 to 30 %.
On refridgerated commercial ships, I was only asked to have the method of my repairs approved but I cannot remember who approved it, though I am sure it was not the Coast Guard.

I have worked in MD, PA and DE with no problems and no issues other than once the ship,yacht,boat leaves port your chances of getting paid dimish greatly.

Also the Small business administration is a place to look for finances.
I've never used them but it is there for your reference.

Unions have nothing to do with with it but they would like to.
For the record we are not union affiliated.