Seff

Hello once again, CO.

I have the chance to complete an internship period during my education as an Automotive Technologist. Given my US citizenship and my love for american cars, going to the US for an internship seems like a good idea.

My question is; do speed shops exist in the US that take interns? The goal of an internship period is to observe and participate in the work done at the shop, as well as offering to the shop the use of the skills learned during the education.

Skills are split 50/50 between technical and management skills:
Technical:
- Mechanical and electrical diagnostics.
- Engine mapping.
- Fuel system component sizing and calculations.
- Turbo sizing and calculations.
- Engine build calculations and optimization (picking the parts).
- Chassis & Vehicle dynamics.
- Driving dynamics (data logging analysis and driver feedback).

Management:
- Project management.
- Communication.
- Sales and service.
- Conflict resolution.
- Leadership, leading up to 40 people.
- Teaching, including planning of classes.


An internship period does NOT need to cover all the subjects above, but the student needs to work with at least one of the subjects, in depth.



Where would you guys start looking for such a place?

Thanks,
- Mark

gs72

Shaver racing engines, Keith Black, Banks engineering, maybe even edelbrock. These are all in so Cal. You can reach out to them and see if they have anything like you describe. I'm sure there are more across the country.

marxjunk

summit or jegs speed shop...reach out to them, see if they will take you....

youre over qualified really for a simple intern...interns in the US are the people that get coffee and do the things others wont...if ya think intern, thats what you'll be..make it clear you have higher goals..


...you need a position in lower management..but id start on the sales floor and work my way to the top with as much education as you have if you can...even if it starts sweeping floors or working on the dock/shipping department..learn it all, learn every position, then open your own speed shop...just an opinion...

owners make money, employees make a check...theres a big difference there...

Mike77

be careful about having the proper paper work before you arrive in the USA. Border services will not let you enter the country if you are working. Doesn't matter if it's for free or not. They can and will send you home.
Mike

Seff

Gs72: Sounds like a lot of promising opportunities, I will reach out to all of them.

Marxjunk: I will have to make sure that, for an internship, I do more than sweep floors. Otherwise I fail my exam. So observing and helping in technical and management projects is my goal.

Mike77: I thought about that, but I would think that my US passport means I automatically have a work permit, yes?

Thanks to all so far!

oldcutlass

I'm assuming since you have a US passport you are a US citizen. You can apply anywhere for an internship, be advised that in most cases they are unpaid.

ELY442

Another words...you be a "gofor", go for this, go for that....

Seff

Unpaid is okay, I'll live.

Mike77

If you have a US passport/citizenship your in. Do what you want including voting.
I never did understand "internship" fancy word for working for free. I don't think it's right. in my days it was called training, and you got paid minimum. California is not a cheap area to live. How are you going to eat? You must be well off to come all the way to US and not need a paid job.
Best of luck
Mike

Seff

Training implies, as I understand it, that you will keep working at the company once your training is complete.
Regardless, what I would like is about ten weeks of work helping with projects that are relevant to my education. Payment would be nice, but I have funds that allow me to live decently for the duration. The army still pays me, after all - that's how our GI bill works.

Alternately I can live with family in either Monte Vista, CO, Meadview, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, Albuquerque, NM, or just outside Los Angeles.

Olds64

Unpaid is not ok, it's illegal. Don't do anything foolish.

Seff

Come again? Are unpaid internships illegal in the US?

Olds64

Ok, this is comical but informative:


There is a minimum wage. BTW, are you a veteran? If so, that makes you a very desirable employee.

Seff

That's a good little video. At the 1:07 mark they mention the four terms there are for a legal unpaid internship - what I have proposed to the companies lives up to all four of these points. Now, they might try to make me do something else... But that's another story. :P

We agree totally that I should not be a go-getter for some company for free.


Yes, I served in Afghanistan with the Royal Danish Engineer Corps as a combat engineer. Later I became a sergeant and served two years in that role.

Olds64

That is cool that you are a veteran. Make sure you let prospective employers know that. Usually, when submitting an application for a job there is a voluntary section for ethnicity, gender, veteran status and disability status. Make sure you fill out the veteran status section. Employers get... bonus points... for hiring veterans.

Seff

I would hope they see the value in someone that has experiences relevant for the industry, and not just because it affords them a tax return or whatever?

Olds64

Agreed. Unfortunately, in today's world a lot of squirrely things happen in industry.

FWIW, I am a disabled U.S. Army veteran and I will use all of the benefits Uncle Sam will give me.

Seff

I'm not shy about using the government supplied benefits either. As mentioned I'm on army pay during my education at the moment.

Private business sometimes run discounts as well, I rarely take advantage of that though.

Seff

Alright, http://sincityperformance.com has taken me on for a ten week internship. Currently looking for cheap transportation, I already have accommodations in the LV area.

Olds64

Mark, that is awesome that you found a place to do an internship. Let us know how it goes.

Seff

We'll see what kind of work they let me do - hopefully most things within reason. There's going to be a lot of theory that goes with something like turbo sizing.

As for transportation, I'm combing Craigslist for every run-down car in the area that has a decent resale value. Even 90s Mustangs (please forgive me).

btw

Well you are in the right place. This is the Oldsmobile forum after all.

Really, congrats on your assignment. I have limited payroll or maybe we would talk. Hit a home run with your boss and get the offer to stay fulltime!

Seff

I'd love to, but my girlfriend and my cars are all in Europe. She's warming up to the idea of moving stateside, though...

It's actually an unpaid internship, so there's no real cost for the shop to have me, apart from the time wasted by employees that instruct me instead of working.

Olds442redberet

Very Cool.

I am thinking about working at an exhaust shop for a few weeks in order to gain some experience. Kind of like what you're doing but on a lower level. Exhaust and welding only.

Good luck and keep us posted.

oldcutlass

+ Guns and ammo, congrats.

Seff

Redberet: Always good with some experience.

Guns and ammo never hurts.

11971four4two

HI
MisterMark



BE safe
best you can
hope wounds heal fast

Seff

Thanks man.

Wounds are healing well. The stitches are coming out right before I get on the plane to come to the US. But I'll be sore, mentally and physically, for a good while forward.

MDchanic

Congratulations!

I hope your internship is a great success.

As far as transportation, I would advise placing a Wanted ad here on CO for "anything that runs and is cheap" - you never know what someone in the area might have lying around.

If nobody has anything nearby, then I would look into getting an older American car, or maybe an old VW, simply because they are easy to assess before you buy, and easy to diagnose and fix when they break down.

Also, check into minimum legal equipment and inspection requirements (if any) in Nevada. Some states have minor defects that they go nuts over, and you wouldn't want to buy a car that seemed good, but wouldn't pass inspection because of something stupid. (The first car that I bought in Maine had a little rust-through. No big deal. In NY, rust isn't an inspection point, and it wasn't unusual back before "modern rustproofing" to see cars driving around with almost no metal below the beltline. Turns out that in Maine, with a low average income and tons of rock salt, any rust through at all will get you failed, and it must be repaired with the same or stronger metal than original (no Bondo or fiberglass). Inspectors get into trouble if they are caught passing cars with visible rust, so you have to make it "invisible" before you get it inspected. The seller knew that, but I didn't.)

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

- Eric

Olds442redberet

I have an 89 Mustang Convertible I use as my daily driver. They're good cars and they hold their value. Fun as Heck to drive too.

Seff

Eric: Good to know! I'm looking into requirements now. Sounds like brake lines here - once they rust, you cannot repair and paint them - they have to be replaced.

http://www.dmvnv.com/nvregreq.htm
Cars newer than 1968 require smog, and as I understand it, I can't buy a car and drive it without having insurance coverage beforehand. (Here the seller's insurance covers the buyer for two weeks, to facilitate that one can get the paperwork sorted and still use the car.)

I've also spoken to my Uncle, and he says I can't drive his truck without getting my own insurance, so that's not really easier.

Redberet: Gotcha on the Mustang. How's the economy with a 5-speed V6 in one of those?

MDchanic

... Though I doubt you'd see much rust on brake lines in Nevada.

If you do need to do brake lines, they now have a copper/nickel alloy tubing that's legal and about a hundred times easier to bend than steel, and never rusts, which is only slightly more expensive.

And, of course, you've go one less thing to worry about if you buy a car that does not need to be tested for emissions.

I know that it's possible to get insurance with a European driver's license, but I don't know how easy or cheap it is. You may (or may not) find it easier to just get a Nevada license from scratch. You can check on line for identification requirements (they get more ridiculous every year) and what they'll ask you about on the test. US driver's licenses are immensely easier to get than European ones, and it could be useful later.

- Eric

Seff

I am not expecting much rust at all, no matter what I buy.

Copper brake lines are common here, for exactly that reason. Not on factory cars though, since it's illegal in Germany.

The demand in NV is that people get a NV license if they stay more than 30 days, so I'm getting one no matter what. I already have an international license, but I doubt it's enough.

Contacting an insurance company real quick might be a plan worth following through.

Older car is much more charming, and easier to work on - but I might grow a bit tired of it about the time I have to drive six hours to visit my girlfriend in Santa Barbara...

MDchanic

Then get an E36 BMW. They're cheap here nowadays.

- Eric

Seff

Oooh, that might be fun.

MDchanic

Check the want ads and the car value sites (NADA, Edmunds) - I suspect you'll be surprised at how low the values are. Even the (ugly) E46s are getting cheaper.

... And I'm sure you have some experience working on them.

- Eric

Seff

I've worked on one or two, but actually not much. Mostly US cars.

Seff

I have now completed the first week of my internship. There is a lot of routine I don't have yet, but I also see areas in this place that could be improved upon.

As for car, I'm driving a clapped-out 2001 Focus. Bought for $760. Thus far I've poured $71 into it in spare parts. It drives okay - at this point I'm waiting for the sensors to come online so I can smog and register it.

MDchanic

As we say in the US: "F*ck it - It runs!"

I hope you have a great internship!

- Eric

Olds64

Good to hear you started. Let us know how things go.