Any US Citizens looking to transition to another country?

N2IT

Anybody getting tired of the 65+ hour work weeks and the high margins between management and the employees, not to mention all the other unethical nonsense?

While there are some major perks living in the states, work family balance is pure trash. It's only going to get worse.

If I had an out I would jump on it.

Let's brainstorm ladies and gents? I would like to see an outsiders perspective as well.

My strategy now is to get on with a huge SAP shop take an average bill rate and get 3 - 5 years experience mastering 1 or 2 SAP modules then going global.

JoJoCal19

I'd really like to move to Australia or New Zealand. Obviously everyone knows that's easier said than done. Right now I work for a very large global financial firm and do have the chance to move around globally, but I don't think they have positions for what I do there.

N2IT

Stick with it, your companies model lends well to your goals I would stay there for quite a while.

Might want to hit the breaks of certifications and start to grab a 2nd or even 3rd language. The only friend who I have who became an ex pat did so by learning Spanish and traveling to LATAM A LOT. Then eventually getting some work in Chili and Brasil learning Portuguese *not very well. But his Spanish after 8 years or so has really become a major value add.

For me I am still working the data angle trying to leverage my Excel, Access, SQL knowledge into a large global company that utilizes a global ERP system

In the meantime I have been working on learning French, barely grabbing traction though. Still working through the beginner nonsense, not make much headway.

Hopefully I can lock into a position CONUS and then really build my language skills up. We shall see!

JoJoCal19

Really good advice. I actually am also targeting France, in which I would learn French. As I am part Hispanic, I wouldn't mind moving to a LATAM country or Spain, in which I would have to learn Spanish (yes, I am part Puerto Rican and do not speak Spanish, shame on me, I know). I do have a decent grasp on the Spanish language and can generally tell what people are talking about. The only thing is, with having three small children, I don't know what LATAM countries are considered safe. I just know the ones to definitely stay away from.

da_vato

You probably should have submitted for that position in the Department of State as an Information Management Specialist. I know everyone pretty much talked down on the position while it was open because of the initial base pay but with an attrition rate of over 90% (DoS wide) there is obviously something very attractive about the foreign service.

N2IT

JoJoCal19 wrote: »

Really good advice. I actually am also targeting France, in which I would learn French. As I am part Hispanic, I wouldn't mind moving to a LATAM country or Spain, in which I would have to learn Spanish (yes, I am part Puerto Rican and do not speak Spanish, shame on me, I know). I do have a decent grasp on the Spanish language and can generally tell what people are talking about. The only thing is, with having three small children, I don't know what LATAM countries are considered safe. I just know the ones to definitely stay away from.

Being around the language and already understanding some conversations should really help move you along quickly. In your situation I would consider learning Spanish and if you take to that quickly moving onto Portuguese, that would give you a dominate trifecta of languages you could leverage into positions a lot of people don't have the skills to hold down.

My friend the ex pat thinks highly of Colombia, stating he feels comfortable and never threatened in the parts he goes to. (Several different cities).

He just recently travels to Brasil and said some parts freaked him out, he went into the cities located in the jungles though and not really around the coast line.

But by all means follow your dreams and if French is the direction you want to go then go for it.

tjb122982

How hard is it to immigrant to Canada when one only speaks English and not French?

gkca

tjb122982 wrote: »

How hard is it to immigrant to Canada when one only speaks English and not French?

Not a problem at all unless you're heading to Quebec.

tprice5

gkca wrote: »

Not a problem at all unless you're heading to Quebec.

I would assume pretty easy considering English is the primary language. French is only prevalent in Quebec, I believe.

jvrlopez

Wouldn't mind going back to Japan for DoD as a contractor. My wife is from Japan and this has been her end goal for the longest time

da_vato

N2IT are you talking about actual full naturalization or just working and living abroad while still maintaining American citizenship?

Params7

In threads like this I feel lucky I'm bilingual. I can hop between India and any of the English speaking countries.

jamesleecoleman

I would really like to go back to Russia and work there. I've been thinking about Iran, KSA and Egypt but I'm not sure. I've been checking out Indeed.com for positions in Moscow but I prefer to work in the city that I'm more familiar with.

tprice5

Anywhere but here ...

Jon_Cisco

If you are truly unhappy where you live you should focus on where you would like to go. From there many countries list the requirements for becoming a citizen. Some are trickier then others.

Keep in mind the human instinct to believe the grass is always greener on the other side.

Good Luck!

tprice5

Jon_Cisco wrote: »

Keep in mind the human instinct to believe the grass is always greener on the other side.

No grass here, literally and metaphorically.

Chitownjedi

I've considered this but I am thinking way down the line around 15 years or so... depending on which way we continue here.. I've though of Japan, London mostly, and with the USA insistent want to become a international country in terms of everything the old values that I was brought up aren't around any more.

There was always a pride about being a USA citizen and being the best, wanting to have the best healthcare and education(which is extremely important) and so on...

But wages have stagnated, the healthcare system is ranked at the bottom, education is an afterthought, corporations are running wild and buying politicians, the majority of the population seem to be plugged into the latest American Idol knock off, the politicians are playing their normal games and encroaching on constitutional freedoms, and the only reason why I work so hard (Pursuit of the American Dream) is becoming an afterthought.

I'm actually not seeing much pride of wanting to be a leader by example any more, and just a giant organization trying to make as many monetary connections as possible. Feels more like a Corporation of the United States than a place trying to spring the ultimate civilization of people I once thought we were.... so yes... Interested... but there are obviously a lot of obstacles in making that transition, a lot more for me as well... I'm black my lady is chinese we have a biracial kid, so I need to make sure all of us will be treated at least humanely, not every place is as progressive (relatively speaking) as USA.

If my Son can go to College in a different country I think it would be immensely beneficial. I wouldn't mind going back technology wise and living in a more socially healthy situation.

Chitownjedi

tprice5 wrote: »

No grass here, literally and metaphorically.

HA!, one of my biggest complaints was the concrete jungle I grew up in... barely any grass until I moved to burbs... literally. lol

tprice5

Chitownjedi wrote: »

But wages have stagnated, the healthcare system is ranked at the bottom, education is an afterthought, corporations are running wild and buying politicians, the majority of the population seem to be plugged into the latest American Idol knock off, the politicians are playing their normal games and encroaching on constitutional freedoms, and the only reason why I work so hard (Pursuit of the American Dream) is becoming an afterthought.

Man, this hit way too close to home. It is a sad state of affairs we find ourselves in. Hopefully things make a turn for the better, sooner rather than later. I can live abroad here and there for a few years but my parents would kill me if I deprived them of their grandchildren. Frankly, I've got too much invested in friendships back home to ever truly leave. I just figure I will leave for a few years until I start missing home; hop around here and there.

yzT

I wouldn't leave US thinking that I'd be better in another country.

I live in the "paradise", and yet if I had the opportunity to move to US I would do it without thinking it twice. The job market here is just ridiculous.

petedude

In many countries, it's harder to terminate employees than it is in the US. Other than that, workers' rights are generally worse. Sure, the cultures of many countries may make them seem better places to live, but I'm betting that as the global economy gets more competitive you'll see the advantages (real or perceived) of other locales slowly start to vanish.

N2IT

@ da_vito try before you buy so getting a work Visa for at least one year with the hopes of potentially renewing a few more years. I'm all about baby steps lol.

da_vato

N2IT wrote: »

@ da_vito try before you buy so getting a work Visa for at least one year with the hopes of potentially renewing a few more years. I'm all about baby steps lol.

Understood... I actually have an end goal of living in another country permanently (probably Spanish speaking since I speak Spanish) once I close out my time and retire. I have 13 years active federal service and am working on getting a job to finish that time and pretty much disappear...

Of course this is probably different than what you are talking about because I have no ambitions doing IT at that point. I personally love living in other countries I just have not tried working in their economy yet.

I remember a few people discussing on this forum about getting work visas in Australia, can't remember the names though. Perhaps they'll chime in and inform us what the grass really is like on the other side.

Kai123

If anyone in a helpdesk/junior sys admin role leaves the US let me know the company and HR contact for the remote chance they want a handsome Irish fella working for them.

Essendon

You guys can come to Australia all you want, in fact I'd like to meet some of you and have a beer with ya! But if I were you, I'd rather move within the US. I'd imagine it'd be far easier to move to states like TX/NC/WA/MN etc, people on here always talk about finding it easier to find work in these states. California may not be great to live in, but there're plenty of companies that always have work (Nutanix, Pernix, Simplivity, VMware, PureStorage to name a few) there.

The government here has clamped down on the number of imports coming into the country. There are now longer wait times, and fewer ways to get in. Of late, some TE members have been able to gain permanent residency in Australia but gained it before they came here. It's FAAAAAAAR easier to find work if you're already a resident. Most companies will NOT give you a sponsorship visa. UnixGuy found work in like a week after he got here because he was a resident before he landed. Another member, Sounds Good, found it much harder to find work because he is not a resident. A third member, nel, wasnt a resident when he landed and had to do small contract jobs initially. Now that he's a resident, he's finding it easier to find longer term work. A fourth member, GAngel, has worked here for many years, but is back in Canada now. So, if you came here on a holiday work visa, you can only work on small contracts upto a maximum duration of 6 months.

There's a lot more work in Sydney than anywhere else in the country, probably more than the rest of the country combined. Sydney is mad expensive to live in, there are a lot more people there than anywhere else too.

Hope this helps somewhat, lemme know if you need more info guys.

aftereffector

Depending on which part of the globe you have your eye on, work-family balance may or may not be any better. My wife is Korean and we will end up back there for a few years at some point in my career, either as a GS federal employee, a contractor for DoD, or a civilian, but I know that if I go there "on the economy" (as a regular work-visa immigrant), my hours are going to get much longer.

UnixGuy

Two things...

1) Relocating to a different country is tough. Not everyone can adjust.
2) The grass is always greener...

tprice5

UnixGuy wrote: »

1) Relocating to a different country is tough. Not everyone can adjust.

It is tough. Reasons:
1. Language barrier
2. distance from family and friends
3. unfamiliarity with basic things like obtaining drivers license, registering your car and dealing with police
4. loss of availability to things like alcohol (in some instances)
5. new taxes and fines that seem unfair
6. possible lower salary.
You may think you are going to travel through Europe on a vespa, sipping on wine and banging your way through every hostel you stay in, but when you're confronted with the reality that you're still going to be tied to an office just like you are at present, except now you have to deal with a load of other previously mentioned inconvenient bull, it may not be worth it.

JoJoCal19

Essendon wrote: »

Of late, some TE members have been able to gain permanent residency in Australia but gained it before they came here.

Do you know off-hand if I apply for residency in Australia and am accepted, do I have to renounce my US citizenship as part of that process?

UnixGuy wrote: »

Two things...

1) Relocating to a different country is tough. Not everyone can adjust.
2) The grass is always greener...

Heh, pretty sure I could adjust to not having to worry about getting shot everytime I step into a mall or movie theater, and especially not having to worry about the same for my kids when they go to school. Also, Chitownjedi said it best, when compared to our first world counterparts, poor healthcare system (and the insurance system as well), poor education system, politicians being owned by corporations regardless of party, poor infrastructure, etc.

Grass isn't always greener, but for the things that matter most to me, there are plenty of other countries that do it much better.

UnixGuy

JoJoCal19 wrote: »

Do you know off-hand if I apply for residency in Australia and am accepted, do I have to renounce my US citizenship as part of that process?



.

No, you don't have to renounce your US Citizenship.

zxbane

It is interesting to hear some venting about issues that I also am displeased with as far as the U.S. goes.. I wish I was born back when my Grandfather or even his father was born. Seemed like a much better place then..