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Ask HN: Any good resources for finding software jobs abroad?

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Re: Ask HN: Any good resources for finding software jobs abroad?

#231

Post by erikbye »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #158
rhblake wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not merely a lot (in Sweden, anyway) - I'd say the vast majority of Swedes are fluent in English; of course more or less so but I don't think I've ever met a Swede who couldn't at the very least hold a basic conversation in English. And that goes for authorities too. Had a non-Swedish partner for a few years who always communicated in English in all interactions with Sweden's governmental services - no problem. All i…

I'm in Norway, and it is similar here. Not all industries are so kind to non-Norwegian speaking applicants, but government and everyday life usually isn't an issue. Half of the official paperwork has English as well as Norwegian - and English transcripts and official documents are OK to turn into the government without further translation. That said, as soon as I started getting some actual Norwegian language skills,…

Where did you relocate from? Differences of note in regards to work culture?

Re: Ask HN: Any good resources for finding software jobs abroad?

#232

Post by jpkeisala »

chill1 wrote: post #90

You could try freelance work for clients remotely. That would give you a lot of freedom to choose where to live. I am an American living, working (as a freelance programmer) in Czech Republic -- good economy (especially Prague), low crime rate, low cost of living. Happy to answer questions.

Do you speak the language? I image in Czech Republic english is not very common. Have you had any challenges with the language barrier?

Re: Ask HN: Any good resources for finding software jobs abroad?

#233

Post by tristor »

tedmiston wrote: post #191
tristor wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in Prague for a short while as a digital nomad. It's a great city and I'm considering coming back more long-term and buying property there. Not only is the economy great, but it's a very walkable city with fantastic public transportation and is generally very clean. All of this was helpful in making each day I woke up a happy day, something that's hard to capture and definitely not the norm for most cities in…

Any chance you checked out the coworking scene while you were there?

Yep, I was at K10 the entire time. Was just opening when I was there. Very beautiful space and nice folks.

Re: Ask HN: Any good resources for finding software jobs abroad?

#234

Post by kevinofe »

jrockway wrote: post #33

You still have to pay for Trump's wall. For me, it's not worth moving. I was born here, and as a result I'm somewhat responsible for the actions my country takes as a whole. Moving doesn't change that. The grass looks greener on the other side, but other countries aren't really doing that well with human rights, LGBT issues, affordable housing, or constitutionally-protected free speech. No matter where you move, you'…

It is true that unless you are only in USA for 30 days of the year, you will still have to pay income tax in USA. I've been in Asia this year, working as remote freelancer and because I had to come back for about 6 weeks to deal with some business stuff, I won't be able to claim the foreign income tax excludion. I'll also have to pay the ACA penalty (still cheaper) because I cancelled my health insurance after leaving USA. But living in Asia has been a great experience and I would recommend it. However, time zones between here and west coast are weird. I'm either waking up at 5am or staying up til 12am if I have to do a call.

Re: Ask HN: Any good resources for finding software jobs abroad?

#235

Post by mattnumbe »

snowcrshd wrote: post #227
mattnumbe wrote: post #3

I recruit in Japan and we use DaiJob, Indeed, and GaijinPot. There are also quite a few on linkedIn (they seem to pay a lot better as well)

How difficult would it be to get a job in Japan without knowing the language? It must be imperative in daily life, but how about in the work environment?

Its actually the opposite. It is completely unnecessary for every day life. I know plenty of people here that don't speak any Japanese and get by just fine. As far as working goes, it depends on the type of job you want. Most of the people I know with low Japanese skills are English teachers. Most engineering jobs require business level reading/writing/speaking since you often work in teams.

Re: Ask HN: Any good resources for finding software jobs abroad?

#237

Post by groovy2shoes »

erikbye wrote: post #156
bpicolo wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rent is about the only thing in Norway that's cheaper, though. (And it's far more expensive in Oslo than most of the US, no?) That said, loved Norway when I visited

NA being so diverse I'm not sure which city I should compare to, but compared to the larger cities I'm not sure it's considerably more expensive, in terms of rent alone. E.g., NY is more expensive than Oslo. Rent prices in Oslo haven't boomed in paralell with the real estate market, so it's not that bad. And opting for something outside the city-centre, but still just a short commute (10-20 min by train/metro), is al…

You're picking regions in the US that easily have some of the very most expensive costs of living in the country.

Compare Durham, NC, for example: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...

Durham isn't some tiny village or one-horse town. It's part of the North Carolina capital metropolitan area; on the edge of the Research Triangle Park (where there are tons of jobs); in near proximity of 3 reputable research universities, offering first-class medical, engineering, veterinary, and agricultural programs, among others (Duke, UNC, and NCSU — thus, the "Triangle"); home to an international airport; birthplace of Clojure, while Epic Games and RedHat Headquarters are just down the road in Raleigh, and GamebaseUSA is just across the road in Chapel Hill, while hundreds of companies, many of whom you've heard of, either call the Triangle area home or have major satellite offices in the area. It's got mild weather, a fantastic craft beer scene, great culture, and frequently makes it on "Top 10" lists for quality of life and business climate.

Starting salaries for junior software engineers start at around $65-75K, but within 3 years in the industry, I was already earning 6 figures — and that money goes a long way in the area due to the low cost-of-living.

Re: Ask HN: Any good resources for finding software jobs abroad?

#238

Post by groovy2shoes »

rhblake wrote: post #125
janoc wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Scandinavia you could get by with English as a lot of people speak it, but for business dealings you need to learn the local language. If nothing else you will need to communicate with the authorities constantly - immigration/work permit matters, insurances, health care, etc. So don't expect English to carry you far unless you know at least the basics of the local language.

Not merely a lot (in Sweden, anyway) - I'd say the vast majority of Swedes are fluent in English; of course more or less so but I don't think I've ever met a Swede who couldn't at the very least hold a basic conversation in English. And that goes for authorities too. Had a non-Swedish partner for a few years who always communicated in English in all interactions with Sweden's governmental services - no problem. All i…

My wife and I spent two weeks in Sweden (well, two of those days were spent in Oslo...), and we only encountered one person who didn't speak English. He was a pizzaman/bartender in Nynäshamn, and luckily all the dudes sitting at the bar translated for us in drunken semi-unison :)

(Honestly, though, we probably would've gotten along fine without the translators, as we'd spent a couple months with Rosetta Stone before traveling... we were/are far from fluent, sure, but good enough to order a pizza, I'd imagine ;) ).

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