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Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

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Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#11

Post by pg314 »

neximo64 wrote: post #2

Find a job in your country of choice and get your visa - then move, about as simple as that. If you're looking at a job on the continent make sure you know the local language fluently (not English). It is said that its ok to know English alone but it really isn't. You'll come to the reason that most Europeans in the tech space opt for the US - the compensation factor in Europe is relatively poor.

Lower compensation, but better social security (if you manage to get citizenship), better working hours, more holidays.

I second learning the local language. That is one of the most important requirements to truly integrate.

Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#12

Post by fulafel »

drakonka wrote: post #8

Does the US have a working holiday visa arrangement with Europe? This is how I moved, but I was moving from Australia. Got my Australian citizenship and applied for working holiday visa to Sweden. Visa documentation was emailed to me within a couple of weeks of the application. This allowed me to move with my savings and look for a job on-site. The employer I found then helped me out with the process of applying for…

Many (most?) countries will give you a work visa if you have a job offer, and will let you stay if that turns permanent. It's not tied to the US.

Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#13

Post by [deleted] »

drakonka wrote: post #8

Does the US have a working holiday visa arrangement with Europe? This is how I moved, but I was moving from Australia. Got my Australian citizenship and applied for working holiday visa to Sweden. Visa documentation was emailed to me within a couple of weeks of the application. This allowed me to move with my savings and look for a job on-site. The employer I found then helped me out with the process of applying for…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#14

Post by kowdermeister »

> what's it like out there comparing to America

It's totally different country by country. I never been to the US, but I imagine it's much more homogeneous than the EU. For example you can go to Berlin, Barcelona, Milano, Stockholm or Budapest and you can have radically different experiences. It differs radically financially, demographically and attitude wise.

I'd suggest to start with a Euro-trip and visit as many countries as you can and then make a "final" choice where to settle.

Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#15

Post by askmike »

taway_1212 wrote: post #4

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…

> a US Citizenship. I am very envious of folks who have it.

Not everyone wants to move to/stay in the US, the world has a lot of beauty.

----

I for one am very happy to live in Europe. But Europe is a very diverse continent so it's an extremely broad question. I've lived in a few places within Europe, traveled through others. But there is still so much hidden for me. If I were to move outside I would probably go to Asia.

Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#16

Post by askmike »

PaulHoule wrote: post #6

I think Europe is going just as nutty as the states, maybe more. I am betting that the national front wins in France and France drops out; after that the euro collapses and we see a monetary nightmare.

I would like to take you on that bet. I also wonder if you have ever been to anywhere in Europe.

Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#17

Post by johnomarkid »

If you are a programmer/designer you can get a 3 year freelance visa in Berlin, Germany. I currently live in Berlin with that visa.

Your standard of living in Europe will vary. Sure, some places offer free healthcare (not exactly free - see taxes), better public transportation, and decent quality food at lower tier supermarkets. That's all great. On the other hand, you'll likely take a huge hit in salary and pay higher taxes. That does make a difference in lifestyle. A personal anecdote: in NYC I paid $2500/month to live alone in a decent apartment in a vibrant area (East Village). That's a lot of money! In Berlin I paid $700/month for an apartment of similar quality, but because salary and taxes are so low, I wasn't able to save nearly as much as I did in NYC paying high rent, a lot of money for quality groceries, etc.

There are other benefits of living in Europe like 30 days of vacation, ample maternal/paternal leave, and some financial security if you lose your job. That said, it's harder to get these jobs. Because of the risk companies need to take when hiring new employees (ie paying for all the benefits above), there's currently a huge workforce of temporary employees. Everyone is aiming for the seemingly elusive "permanent contract."

I say make the move. You'll learn a lot about the world and yourself. You can always move back to the US.

FYI this comes from the perspective of a software engineer turned entrepreneur turned software engineer.

Berlin freelance visa: https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/305249/en/

Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#19

Post by qz_ »

Europe is big - not geographically, but culturally. As kowdermeister already said, you'll have _very_ different experiences in different parts of Europe. Amsterdam's culture is very different from Barcelona's culture, which is very different from London's culture. Go on a little trip: for Americans I'd suggest Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Madrid, or anything you're interested in.

Re: Ask HN: Thinking of moving to Europe from USA

#20

Post by wfleming »

I did this: moved to the U.K. for several years. To echo some of the other excellent comments here, I think the main takeaways should be:

1. Compensation is generally lower than in the US. That's worth keeping in mind depending on your age & long terms plans, if you have those already. Don't let it turn you off from the idea, because living elsewhere can be wonderful, but it's worth being clear that this probably isn't the optimal choice for your bank balance/savings. But it doesn't sound like that's your priority, so that's fine.

2. If the primary reason for the move is a lifestyle change, I agree with others that the best way to do that is figure out where you want to live & then look for jobs there (or freelance/work remotely if that suits you). From my personal experience & seeing friends go through it with various countries, it's usually fairly straightforward & a company that wants to hire you should be able to help out with the process.

I'll second Berlin as a really good choice for location: culturally very vibrant & has a rapidly growing tech & art scene. I know several people who have moved there in the last few years.

I'll also say I personally loved living in London, and already being fluent in the language has its perks, but that may not be as much of a change as you want.

Good luck!

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