And then it got painful...

OK friends, I know some of you have been waiting a LONG time for this update, so I hope you enjoy it - trust me, every minute of the last year has been a hellish roller-coaster ride of agony, ecstasy, fear and expense. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin.... Just a very short precis, I had passed my FPGEE, passed by iBT-TOEFL, received my FPGEC certificate, applied and received my Florida deficiency letter, and had the rest of the year free to find an employer willing to sponsor me for an H1B application. Good, and if you recall both Walmart's and CVS's autoresponders asked me (in April 2007) to contact them at the very end of 2007 or early 2008. I also started to talk to people, on the net and through friends, who had experience of US internships. Some, if they are to be believed, appear to have some horror stories that are quite frightening. I heard of "pharmacy graduates" doing nothing but filling trays with meds for a whole year and never seeing a computer or a customer. I heard of "pharmacy graduates" on wages that waitresses would refuse. And I heard of "pharmacy graduates" in care home settings that don't really dispense medication, never see prescriptions and have to sell their soul to the devil for a few years after qualifying before being released from their chains. I have also heard of Pharmacy Graduates who earn very very good incomes (well over $60,000 whilst training) and are throughly trained, and have excellent terms, conditions, perks and benefits. So be careful who you go to people, there are good and bad employers out there. The net result of about 6-months of chit chat was basically, in total, and when you look good and hard at it, about nothing. I got to October 2007 with the same two email addresses for CVS and Walmarts to contact, and not a lot else to show for my efforts. Near the end of October 2007 I emailed both CVS and Walmarts. Walmarts auto-responder will always say "thanks for calling, we'll contact you in 7 days". I got that, and after 7 days I got nothing else. CVS I had already obtained the area recruiters direct email address back in May (I have kept these emails - and I recommend you all do to - keep them ALL, the positive one's, the negative one's and the one's that don't answer - because 6 months later when you want to make contact you'll want to remember which one's were positive towards you, etc). So anyway, I actually ended up phoning the area recruiter for Florida (her title to be correct is Manager, Professional and College Relations,CVS Caremark - whoever/whatever they are). We had a good chat, and I left it that she would direct me to the actual manager for the area I wanted to live in, for me to arrange an interview directly. Tick, tock, tick, tock. November, and I contact Walmart. Auto-responder still on. I contact my "friend" at CVS and say I haven't heard from the local man. She eventually gets him to communicate with me via email and I am starting to think about a trip to Florida to meet up for an interview. End of November and I chat on the phone with the CVS Pharmacy Supervisor. Again this goes well and I am starting to look in the calendar for a chance to take a weeks break (obviously just after Christmas/New Year) to have an interview. -- Interlude: I have since spoken with many foreign graduates who have been interviewed over the phone. I couldn't possibly say whether it was in my interest to meet up in person or not, but it does seem to me now, that my perceived need to go and meet them in person was not as essential as is actually the case. But I wanted a holiday too, so what the hell. -- And then, as if by magic, come December, the lines of communication with my contact shut down. I can't get him to answer an email. I email the original contact. nothing. I email Walmarts: You will be contacted in 7 days. I email Walmarts again, with a simple question: Are you sponsoring H1B's in 2008? I get a response! "Please contact us in January 2008". Fantastic. I once more email the original CVS contact and ask her if they are sponsoring H1B's? I had had a horrible feeling that perhaps the pharmacy chains had decided to shut shop on the H1B lottery for the year as a kind of dispute against the expense they are forced to bear. -- interlude: The H1B application fee must, by law, must be paid for by the sponsor. They can either be applied for as a regular petition or, for an extra $1,000 can be premium processed, which means the results are offered (as a yes or a no) within 15 days from the close of the annual H1B window. The overall costs (see http://www.newh1.com/newh1b_pricing.html for the facts as I know them, are around $3,000 for regular and around $4,000 per premium petition - so no cheap affair. I am also aware that at least one of the most well-known chains demands their foreign applicants to pay the $1,000 for premium processing, even though I am not completely sure they are legally entitled to ask for this, but I guess they know the laws better than little old me) -- Anyway, finally the "Manager, Professional and College Relations,CVS Caremark" - responds to me:

Unfortunately we aren't able to offer you a position for this coming year. We do sponsor visas and will be in 2008, but we have reached our quota of how many we will be offering for Florida.

Gulp. Spit. Punch. I immediately go beserk with activity on the internet. I Google for every flipping pharmacy chain small and large, up and down the length and breadth of America. I send my resume to any pharmacist fool enough to put their email on the internet. I literally email anyone and everyone I can find, specifically mentioning I am looking for an H1B sponsor. -- Interlude: If you don't tell them you need an H1B you will get hundreds of responses, but they will all eventually come to nothing. So save yourself the agony, and tell them the truth first, so they can be honest back, and say they don't want you, and save you both a lot of emails. The only other advise is that wherever they are, tell them that is exactly where you want to be! -- By mid December, from all my emails, I had 3 responses. A New York based company say they are not taking on H1B's this year, but wish me good luck. A regional manager for a South Eastern Chain store offers me some hope. And a chap in California also offers me some hope. Walmart's are still offering to contact me in 7 Days. Next up, the fruit of all my hard labours! Good luck to all, Farmacyst.