81–90 of 239 posts
>I have family in Europe Then if you specify country where they live may be you will get more specific answers.
London UK , and Italy Rome.
Prepare to be much worse financially. You will earn less, pay higher taxes (as percentage) and will feel much poorer. Cars, especially nice ones, are much more expensive (in absolute numbers, not only as percentage of income) to buy and own. Petrol is several times the US price. Rents are higher in most cities (at least compared to income). Maybe only SV is worse compared to Europe. All tech gadgets are more expensiv…
Are you trying to spread fud? Because everything you said is either plain wrong or made to sound worse than it is. 1. All prices in europe include tax, unlike in the US where it's customary to not include tax in the price and pay it at checkout. Stuff tends to be more expensive not just because of VAT but also because of shipping prices and extra consumer protections such as mandatory 2 year warranties. 2. Just like…
EU citizen currently living in the US here. Hugely recommended, if only for comparison purposes. From my own experience, English speaking countries are a must. If that's not an option, cities like Barcelona or Berlin should cover your bases for at least a year, but you won't survive for long without speaking Spanish or German. There are more things than work in life, and you'll soon get tired of only dealing with exp…
All or some of them? e.g. I've read on HN that there is a lot of software work in Sweden, but how about Norway, Finland and Denmark?
I dont know the specifics as i'm not a US citizen, but to my knowledge, i think if you earn a wage in another country outside the US, you will have to pay the local taxes and also tax back to the US Gov as well. Someone please correct me or clarify if i'm wrong.
http://www.expatinfodesk.com/expat-guide/nationality-specifi...
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/fore...
In the real world, unless you are a "top notch" executive or programmer, etc. it is not-so-easy to reach that amount with European wages.
This is my list:
- Berlin: cheap (getting expensive quick, but still cheap for a large city), multicultural (many, many people from all around the world, lots of people speak English, those who don't usually understand you), Germans themselves are very open and interesting as a nation. Berlin has a vibrant startup scene, which is nice for getting your first job as a young person with little experience. The downside is that there is not many serious software companies nor industry. Salaries are VERY low compared with the US. German is not required for normal life, but highly recommended. Some companies still prefer people with German.
- London: Has many, many companies and is usually on the bleeding edge technology-wise. Payroll is nice, although prices and rent are high. You won't have to learn a new language and will be able to compete for all the job offers as long as your profile fits in. The downside is the imminent Brexit, which might be good or bad, nobody knows right now.
- Zurich: once you are +30 and look for a more quiet, stable lifestyle, Switzerland is the place to be. Salaries are US-level, health care, security, public transportation and stability are the best in Europe (Norway might be better though, but very close). It's VERY expensive, although if you come from NY or from the Bay Area, rents are more or less in the same ballpark. The language barrier is comparable as in Germany, although Swiss people usually prefer when people speak English rather than standard German with foreign accent. Swiss people might be a bit tough to crack, but are not that bad once you know how to treat them. In the Zurich area there is tons and tons of companies, lots of innovation going on as well. Finance is very strong. Biotech is growing pretty strong.
I have 2 recommendations for you:
a) Go to Berlin, and then start looking around. It's a really cool place to be for 26-year-old.
b) Go to London, you will have a much easier start and there is enough companies for an adventurous career.
Man, you have a very vauable asset for a tech career - a US Citizenship. I am very envious of folks who have it. The tech career opportunities outside of US are really not that diverse and are heavily scattered across the world - i.e. maybe the rest of the world combined is as interesting tech-wide as US is - but with lower salary and language/immigration barriers (i.e. try job-hopping, over a span of say 5 years, fr…
In contrast, working in Europe or Canada is easier because getting a work or resident visa is smoother, but the salary cut is way too much.
EU citizen currently living in the US here. Hugely recommended, if only for comparison purposes. From my own experience, English speaking countries are a must. If that's not an option, cities like Barcelona or Berlin should cover your bases for at least a year, but you won't survive for long without speaking Spanish or German. There are more things than work in life, and you'll soon get tired of only dealing with exp…
Prepare to be much worse financially. You will earn less, pay higher taxes (as percentage) and will feel much poorer. Cars, especially nice ones, are much more expensive (in absolute numbers, not only as percentage of income) to buy and own. Petrol is several times the US price. Rents are higher in most cities (at least compared to income). Maybe only SV is worse compared to Europe. All tech gadgets are more expensiv…
Don't know why you are being downvoted - what you write is in general correct.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry, I only have my personal experience and that of my family and friends. And I didn't say "low". Usually it's highly bureaucratic - you have to "climb a ladder" of doctors. First your GP, then a specialist, then, maybe a hospital. You wait a lot (sometimes weeks and months, because you are not "emergency"). And sometimes you encounter outright incompetence and have to go to a private doctor/hospital to have your…
What countries? My experiences are excellent in Netherlands & Spain public healthcare. I hear people complain about NHS a lot but never used it so no idea.