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Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

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Re: Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

#21

Post by codegeek »

devoutsalsa wrote: post #9

I see three paths here: 1. Get a degree. Sign up for something like Western Governor's University or anything you can complete at quickly as possible. Burn the the curriculum by working your ass off to get that degree. This path makes sense if getting a degree is, as you state, the only thing from preventing you from working locally. 2. Get a USA job. Update your CV to make it look like you've been doing something ov…

"Don't tell them you're working from Europe."

Please don't do this. Honesty goes along way. It can also have legal, tax and compliance imitations for you and your employer.

Re: Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

#22

Post by washedupsysadm »

sokoloff wrote: post #7

We have many EU-based employees, all working remotely. Our working time zones span from Sydney through India, EU, EST, and a couple of outliers in MST and PST. We do care (and check) that you’re legally allowed to work where you live, but other than that, I’d expect there are high hundreds (likely thousands) of companies hiring remotely who are in a similar boat.

Where are you based out of?

I'm not in the EU, but rather in Turkiye. I'm a US citizen, and though it's legal to work here for companies who don't have a local presence, the HR departments at American companies tend to get cold feet.

I'm curious how you check? I ended up hiring a lawyer to research legality here. A site that explains all of these for any region would be pretty sweet.

Re: Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

#23

Post by washedupsysadm »

Nextgrid wrote: post #11

Do you need a work permit to open a company? If not, just do that and work as a contractor or consultant.

I have an American contracting company, but rather the problem is a lack of customers.

To start a company here I have to hire two or three local employees before I am allowed to conduct business. It's a fairly anti-business country.

Re: Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

#24

Post by eatbitseveryday »

devoutsalsa wrote: post #9

I see three paths here: 1. Get a degree. Sign up for something like Western Governor's University or anything you can complete at quickly as possible. Burn the the curriculum by working your ass off to get that degree. This path makes sense if getting a degree is, as you state, the only thing from preventing you from working locally. 2. Get a USA job. Update your CV to make it look like you've been doing something ov…

> Don't tell them you're working from Europe.

I’d argue they’d need to know due to income tax withholding for a given state.

Re: Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

#25

Post by washedupsysadm »

codegeek wrote: post #21
devoutsalsa wrote: post #9

I see three paths here: 1. Get a degree. Sign up for something like Western Governor's University or anything you can complete at quickly as possible. Burn the the curriculum by working your ass off to get that degree. This path makes sense if getting a degree is, as you state, the only thing from preventing you from working locally. 2. Get a USA job. Update your CV to make it look like you've been doing something ov…

"Don't tell them you're working from Europe." Please don't do this. Honesty goes along way. It can also have legal, tax and compliance imitations for you and your employer.

Agreed. At my last job, we offshored all of our development to Belarus and Ukraine. One example we couldn't contractors living in Russia, and a few times we had to chew out our account manager at the offshoring company for being dishonest, and for risking us violating all of our largest customers.

Re: Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

#26

Post by washedupsysadm »

eatbitseveryday wrote: post #24
devoutsalsa wrote: post #9

I see three paths here: 1. Get a degree. Sign up for something like Western Governor's University or anything you can complete at quickly as possible. Burn the the curriculum by working your ass off to get that degree. This path makes sense if getting a degree is, as you state, the only thing from preventing you from working locally. 2. Get a USA job. Update your CV to make it look like you've been doing something ov…

> Don't tell them you're working from Europe. I’d argue they’d need to know due to income tax withholding for a given state.

They don't actually. I still own a home back in the states, and still pay local taxes. From the state's point of view, I just work remotely for Californian startups.

Re: Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

#28

Post by sokoloff »

washedupsysadm wrote: post #22
sokoloff wrote: post #7

We have many EU-based employees, all working remotely. Our working time zones span from Sydney through India, EU, EST, and a couple of outliers in MST and PST. We do care (and check) that you’re legally allowed to work where you live, but other than that, I’d expect there are high hundreds (likely thousands) of companies hiring remotely who are in a similar boat.

Where are you based out of? I'm not in the EU, but rather in Turkiye. I'm a US citizen, and though it's legal to work here for companies who don't have a local presence, the HR departments at American companies tend to get cold feet. I'm curious how you check? I ended up hiring a lawyer to research legality here. A site that explains all of these for any region would be pretty sweet.

I’m personally based in the US, but we have local entities in several EU countries and a “mobility team” (part of HR) that does the research for us, using a mix of in-house expertise and outside counsel. We have a list of countries for which we’ve already done the research (for our own facts and circumstances) to know whether and how we could employ people there and if I want to hire someone in a new place not on the list, they research it and make recommendations.

It’s not something easily amenable to a definitive and simple chart (as I understand it, but that’s coming from the experts we pay a lot to to answer these questions).

Re: Ask HN: Remote-Friendly for International Timezones?

#30

Post by washedupsysadm »

shafyy wrote: post #19
washedupsysadm wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sadly, it is not an EU country I live in, or the issue would have solved itself, and I'd have citizenship by now. I can't actually get a work permit in the country I live (turkiye) through marriage, but need to get sponsored. At this point I could get citizenship, if I improved my language skills, but it's more hassle than it's worth. I have more freedoms as a foreigner.

I'm confused, how have you been staying and working legally for the past 8 years in Turkey?

As long as I'm working remotely for a company that doesn't have a presence in Turkiye (unless that presence is in one of the international development zones) then there's nothing for me to worry about. At least that's what my lawyer says when I ask him every year to see if the law has changed.
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