Where can Americans go to work outside the country?

My wife and I have been discussing a few years down the road we would like to experience working in another country. She is well on her way to getting into CRNA school. Once she becomes CRNA she will be in insanely high demand globally. We are looking to take that marketability and transition it into another global environment. We have two children so safety is item of concern.

Any suggestions? She speaks French well and I have begun, but our decision isn't based solely on the language. The culture the opportunity etc. Canada has been a thought, although I am intrigued with EMEA.

Thoughts on these ramblings? I've sacraficed a lot for her and my one request is we give it a try. This is a few years down the road 3-4

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rwmidl

N2IT wrote: »

My wife and I have been discussing a few years down the road we would like to experience working in another country. She is well on her way to getting into CRNA school. Once she becomes CRNA she will be in insanely high demand globally. We are looking to take that marketability and transition it into another global environment. We have two children so safety is item of concern.

Any suggestions? She speaks French well and I have begun, but our decision isn't based solely on the language. The culture the opportunity etc. Canada has been a thought, although I am intrigued with EMEA.

Thoughts on these ramblings? I've sacraficed a lot for her and my one request is we give it a try. This is a few years down the road 3-4

I'd check out the Department of State. For IT they have the Foreign Service Specialist (FSS) in IT. They (State) also has careers for Health Care professionals.

dave330i

One of my cousin worked at Kuwait for several years. Their kids attended a school for diplomats. Made enough money to buy their new house out right and couple businesses.

rwmidl

dave330i wrote: »

One of my cousin worked at Kuwait for several years. Their kids attended a school for diplomats. Made enough money to buy their new house out right and couple businesses.

I know there were quite a few contractor positions open in the ME but I'm really not sure with things winding down now.

swild

This is something I am also wanting to do. EMEA or Japan will be my top choices. I will either be going for grad school or after grad school depending on where I get accepted. I have found a few jobs that were willing to hire Americans and sponsor their Visa, but they are definitely in the minority. Also, I don't have near the education and experience that are required, yet.

The Netherlands is actually our top choice if I can find something outside of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, Dutch is a rather difficult language and not really useful outside of that country.

I will probably be learning German since there are more countries that speak that language and IT jobs are fairly prevalent. I wouldn't mind Germany but it wouldn't be my first choice. Scandinavia is an excellent place to look if you don't mind the cooler weather. Their educational and health standards are second to none. If I had kids, that would be my first choice.

We spent a good 3 years researching all the things we would want and eliminating countries. I speak French fairly well and could easily pickup fluency, which would also aid in learning German or Spanish. My wife took Spanish but isn't all that fluent. She also know Latin, but that's not as useful as I wish it was.

There's a lot of options for highly educated people, but you have to know what you are wanting out of it.

YuckTheFankees

I really like the sounds of moving to Vancouver but every forum I read is about Vancouver being so expensive..blahh damn Canadians! (joking of course)

colemic

I'd look at at the United Nations too, French is in high demand.

Everyone

I've had offers in Ireland and Germany before. Germany was a DoD contractor position. Neither seemed high enough for what the cost of living was in the area, so I turned them down.

One thing you want to look out for is taxes. There are some countries the US has agreements with where you could live/work and still only pay US taxes. For those that don't, you could end up being double taxed, paying US taxes, and taxes to whatever country you're in. Or maybe it's the other way around, pay only that countries taxes, and no US taxes. I can't remember, been a few years since I looked into it.

I have a friend (former subordinate of mine actually) that lives and works in Norway now. He married a Norwegian woman, and has 2 kids with her now too. He's in IT. He's not from there at all, ancestry doesn't go back there either, can't remember how he ended up out there. Didn't know the language before going there either.

Iceland is one place I'd like to go back to, spent a day there once, wish I would have been there longer.

N2IT

swild wrote: »

This is something I am also wanting to do. EMEA or Japan will be my top choices. I will either be going for grad school or after grad school depending on where I get accepted. I have found a few jobs that were willing to hire Americans and sponsor their Visa, but they are definitely in the minority. Also, I don't have near the education and experience that are required, yet.

The Netherlands is actually our top choice if I can find something outside of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, Dutch is a rather difficult language and not really useful outside of that country.

I will probably be learning German since there are more countries that speak that language and IT jobs are fairly prevalent. I wouldn't mind Germany but it wouldn't be my first choice. Scandinavia is an excellent place to look if you don't mind the cooler weather. Their educational and health standards are second to none. If I had kids, that would be my first choice.

We spent a good 3 years researching all the things we would want and eliminating countries. I speak French fairly well and could easily pickup fluency, which would also aid in learning German or Spanish. My wife took Spanish but isn't all that fluent. She also know Latin, but that's not as useful as I wish it was.

There's a lot of options for highly educated people, but you have to know what you are wanting out of it.

Interesting write up

We have family that lives in the Netherlands, my wifes aunt married a very wealthy man. He is into restoring different pieces of art, we are talking Van Gogh, Gauguin, he and his team even restored General Mao's famous picture in China. Her aunt has offered to help us out on a number of occasions. I might have to tap that resource now that I think of it.

Webmaster

swild wrote: »

The Netherlands is actually our top choice if I can find something outside of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, Dutch is a rather difficult language and not really useful outside of that country.

The language issue shouldn't be much of a problem actually. We pretty much all speak English and it's tradition to adjust to the "guests" rather than expecting anyone to learn Dutch (which indeed besides not being very useful outside the Netherlands and some ex-colonies, is difficult to learn). It does help a lot if you know one or two languages besides English as most companies (especially those hiring people from outside the Netherlands) are very international oriented, but it certainly doesn't have to be Dutch. Many (local) jobs I run into ask actually require fluent English both spoken and written, and many (for example software dev shops) use English as the primary langauge on the work floor. Dutch is often a plus, but many IT companies here have customers and employees from all over the world, and just getting people from different European countries alone results in having to choose one language - English.

Finding something outside of Amsterdam is probably a bigger obstacle (I know the problem, cost of living is too high there, and I'd be stuck in traffic too long) but it does have the advantage that the language is not an issue in most cases. Try Indeed.nl for a fairly complete overview of available jobs here. And feel free to PM me if you want any more info or if you need help looking for a particular job (there are plenty in IT).

swild wrote: »

Scandinavia is an excellent place to look if you don't mind the cooler weather. Their educational and health standards are second to none. If I had kids, that would be my first choice.

Agreed, I do mind the (even) cooler weather though

demonfurbie

swild wrote: »

This is something I am also wanting to do. EMEA or Japan will be my top choices. I will either be going for grad school or after grad school depending on where I get accepted. I have found a few jobs that were willing to hire Americans and sponsor their Visa, but they are definitely in the minority. Also, I don't have near the education and experience that are required, yet.

The Netherlands is actually our top choice if I can find something outside of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, Dutch is a rather difficult language and not really useful outside of that country.

I will probably be learning German since there are more countries that speak that language and IT jobs are fairly prevalent. I wouldn't mind Germany but it wouldn't be my first choice. Scandinavia is an excellent place to look if you don't mind the cooler weather. Their educational and health standards are second to none. If I had kids, that would be my first choice.

We spent a good 3 years researching all the things we would want and eliminating countries. I speak French fairly well and could easily pickup fluency, which would also aid in learning German or Spanish. My wife took Spanish but isn't all that fluent. She also know Latin, but that's not as useful as I wish it was.

There's a lot of options for highly educated people, but you have to know what you are wanting out of it.

my sister lives in the netherlands and she loves it, Delft University of Technology: TU Delft where she works

Webmaster

demonfurbie wrote: »

my sister lives in the netherlands and she loves it, Delft University of Technology: TU Delft where she works

That's an awesome place to work (I edited the link to point to the English version).

bermovick

I'd love to work overseas - Scotland, Germany, etc. I'll never understand how people are able to just up and move though.

swild

I really haven't heard much bad about the Netherlands, and hearing about the language is even better. I knew a few people who studied there for a semester when I was going to a state school, but none of them were brave enough to venture off campus.

Anywhere I go, I really want to immerse myself in the culture, so I will be learning the native language of where ever I wind up.

You got it exactly right with the traffic and cost of living. I just can't handle a long commute. Actually, I don't even want to need a car. Where I am now (and the vast majority of America), there is no public transportation so to have a professional job of any kind you need a car.

I will be looking more closely at colleges in NL after I finish WGU.

Webmaster

Well, for one the weather is pretty "sad" here. It's sunny/good weather here two months a year tops, and not in row. It's also one of the most crowded countries in the world. That compactness also has it's advantages though, everything is nearby, including a WiFi spots and a fiber optics. And indeed a dense net of public (and silly-expensive) transportation.

swild wrote: »

You got it exactly right with the traffic and cost of living. I just can't handle a long commute. Actually, I don't even want to need a car.

There are quite a few smaller cities/towns around Amsterdam at a 10 to 20 minute train ride, which are popular amongst people who want to work but not live in Amsterdam. Many international companies are willing to assist with relocation, especially if you got the desired skills to offer.

swild wrote:

I will be looking more closely at colleges in NL after I finish WGU.

Many classes at universities in NL are in English too. Kids here start with English (British) in school at age 10 or so, so it's easier for them to switch to English than expect all foreign students to learn Dutch (they'd go elsewhere). And in a world where new information is being created constantly it just makes sense.

On a similar note, France is making the historical move towards undubbed English TV shows/movies (we've always had subtitles unlike the French and Germans who dub it in their own language) specifically to encourage the French to learn other languages (English in particular).

N2IT wrote:

Any suggestions? She speaks French well and I have begun,

Based on that specifically I think Belgium would be worth considering. You might want to see what's available in Antwerpen or Brussels. The southern part of Belgium, bordering France, speaks French, northern part borders NL, where they speak Flemish (a Belgian variety of Dutch). Especially in IT, English will do in Belgium but speaking French is definitely a plus in day-to-day life. Plus you'd be relatively very close to France, NL, train tunnel to the UK, Luxembourg, Germany, and Switzerland, all just a few hours drive away. Without considering the language a major factor, I think Germany is a good candidate for a working-abroad-experience as well. I never worked there physically but had several remote jobs and I enjoyed their professional no-nonsense work mentality.

nel

its funny you say this, because i am a UK citizen and even when ive seen/been contacted / had interest in jobs within the EU ive always ran into problems because i dont speak another language other than english. i would love to work abroad but dont have much idea of how to go about it.

Valsacar

I see the first reply stated DoS, which is one thing I would also recommend (and looked at myself). DoD contractor is also good, as most major Military bases have hospitals there will be somewhere for your wife to work as well. Cost of living isn't a huge issue as housing is provided as well as school for your kids (either the on base schools or foreign schools off base). If in a place like Japan, Germany, Korea, etc you'll be able to shop on base so again cost of living isn't an issue, food and gas on base are generally cheaper than most places in the US let alone locally. Only place to look at is doing things outside of work, like eating out, trips, etc.

I'm in Korea and love it, country is good (everyone has their own issues) and easy to travel around Asia from here (couple hour flight to most major places). Korea is cheaper than Japan, so travel in country and restaurants aren't bad in price.

Last year I went to Germany for a conference, that was a great place as well. Definitely want to go back there sometime, but we just won a 5 year contract so I'll be staying where I'm at for now.

N2IT

Valsacar wrote: »

I see the first reply stated DoS, which is one thing I would also recommend (and looked at myself). DoD contractor is also good, as most major Military bases have hospitals there will be somewhere for your wife to work as well. Cost of living isn't a huge issue as housing is provided as well as school for your kids (either the on base schools or foreign schools off base). If in a place like Japan, Germany, Korea, etc you'll be able to shop on base so again cost of living isn't an issue, food and gas on base are generally cheaper than most places in the US let alone locally. Only place to look at is doing things outside of work, like eating out, trips, etc.

I'm in Korea and love it, country is good (everyone has their own issues) and easy to travel around Asia from here (couple hour flight to most major places). Korea is cheaper than Japan, so travel in country and restaurants aren't bad in price.

Last year I went to Germany for a conference, that was a great place as well. Definitely want to go back there sometime, but we just won a 5 year contract so I'll be staying where I'm at for now.

Nice work!

Webmaster

nel wrote:

its funny you say this, because i am a UK citizen and even when ive seen/been contacted / had interest in jobs within the EU ive always ran into problems because i dont speak another language other than english. i would love to work abroad but dont have much idea of how to go about it.

You could search for English job ads on international/foreign job sites or check the job section of major companies you might be interested in working at. Mentioning you are looking for international job opportunities on LinkedIn could attract some recruiters.

Just to show the language doesn't always have to be an obstacle for you, with your CCNP for example, in the Netherlands in particular (I know that's different in some other EU countries) here's a random example I grabbed from Google ccnp english vacatures in Nederland | career-jet.nl Never heard of the jobsite before, but check out some of the results' English requirement. I often see jobs where English is a requirement and Dutch (or German, or just about any common language) is "beneficial" (but not as beneficial as the right skills/certs/education).

djfunz

Well, I'm an American that "did" it. I've been here in Germany for 2-1/2 years now and I can't wait to get back to the States. It's a great adventure and you'll learn and see a lot, but the weather in north western Europe is atrocious and very depressing. I've also been to the Netherlands, France, Austria and England and I've never seen so many days with clouds in my life. Italy is probably the nicest country I've seen over here so far based on weather, architecture and culture alone, not to mention the women.

Germany is extremely safe and the education and healthcare system is excellent. German is a VERY hard language to learn though, keep that in mind. I still have problems after all this time. Then there's the issue of attaining a work permit for non EU citizens. Not easy and you must speak at least B1 level German to have a chance. This, more than likely applies to most foreign countries I would imagine. If you can manage these few hurdles and disadvantages, Europe is great. I think one will always at some point miss ones country of origin though. Good luck though and if you have questions, ask away.

erpadmin

First of all, awesome thread. I really had to mention that.

I have a couple of questions to my fellow Americans who are working overseas: how do you handle taxes? I know one of things that sucks about expatriation is that the US is one of the only countries on the planet that will tax its citizens whether they live in the US or not. Also, would it be wise to be near the US Embassy, or would that not matter?

I think everyone gets curious about working outside of the US, which is why I really like this thread. But I know the tax situation would kill me, which is why I'd want to know how to best handle that.

djfunz

erpadmin wrote: »

First of all, awesome thread. I really had to mention that.

I have a couple of questions to my fellow Americans who are working overseas: how do you handle taxes? I know one of things that sucks about expatriation is that the US is one of the only countries on the planet that will tax its citizens whether they live in the US or not. Also, would it be wise to be near the US Embassy, or would that not matter?

I think everyone gets curious about working outside of the US, which is why I really like this thread. But I know the tax situation would kill me, which is why I'd want to know how to best handle that.

That's a great question erpadman. Honestly, I don't make enough over here to be taxed in America. I get all my "German taxed money" back as well because I'm a low paid intern basically. I found this site however that may be of help.

Ten Facts About Tax Expatriation - Forbes.com

Weather you live near an Embassy or not doesn't matter though. There are foreigners offices (Ausländerbehörde) in every major city here and most questions can be answered provided you can speak adequate German. I have never been to the German/American Embassy since I've been here.

ConradJ

I've lived in South Africa, Singapore, England and Canada. Don't go to England, don't go to South Africa, and don't come to Canada. I love the great white north, but as an old coworker said, we're the Mexicans of the IT world. IT pay here is VERY low compared to what I see you guys earning, the jobs are only for developers, not for sys/net admin, and the cost of living is way higher than there.

erpadmin

ConradJ wrote: »

I've lived in South Africa, Singapore, England and Canada. Don't go to England, don't go to South Africa, and don't come to Canada. I love the great white north, but as an old coworker said, we're the Mexicans of the IT world. IT pay here is VERY low compared to what I see you guys earning, the jobs are only for developers, not for sys/net admin, and the cost of living is way higher than there.

There is no way Canadians are paid less than Central Asians/Chinese (in Asia...not the ones who left Asia and by Central Asia, I mean both India and Pakistan, though mostly India.)

I do miss the days when the US dollar meant that I would be treated better than the Queen of Canada herself...lmao. Those days are pretty much over, though I do miss those days.

Essendon

Come to Australia, I've had colleagues that are/were Americans and they reckon there werent too many issues getting a permanent visa. The cost of living is HIGH in Sydney and Melbourne, but there are jobs out there that pay well too. I dont recommend Sydney though, crime is on the rise [moderated: keep in mind this is an international site] I dont want to live in that city. Brisbane and the Gold Coast seem to see floods every 2 years or so, I dont recommend those cities either. That leaves you with Melbourne, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide. Lemme know if you need further info. For visa information, see Department of Immigration & Citizenship

Everyone

Always wanted to visit Australia... Rumor has it "Aussie" girls like men with "American accents".

If that's true, I'd imagine it be a great spot for a single geek.

Essendon

Everyone wrote: »

Always wanted to visit Australia... Rumor has it "Aussie" girls like men with "American accents". If that's true, I'd imagine it be a great spot for a single geek.

I think that's quite true and employers seem to have some kind of fascination for anyone that speaks with a strong American/Canadian accent. They are like - Hey let's have this Yank onboard, then we can pick on him at work! The American is then addressed not by name, but by - the guy with the funny accent.

N2IT

Essendon wrote: »

Come to Australia, I've had colleagues that are/were Americans and they reckon there werent too many issues getting a permanent visa. The cost of living is HIGH in Sydney and Melbourne, but there are jobs out there that pay well too. I dont recommend Sydney though, crime is on the rise and with the increasing number of ME folks there, I dont want to live in that city. Brisbane and the Gold Coast seem to see floods every 2 years or so, I dont recommend those cities either. That leaves you with Melbourne, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide. Lemme know if you need further info. For visa information, see Department of Immigration & Citizenship

About time you chimed in!

MrAgent

Someone mentioned Dept of State jobs.
Heres a link to the IT Specialist vacancy announcement
Information Management Specialist - U.S. Department of State

onesaint

A note about kids... My wife grew up in the Philippines, West / East Europe, and then the States. Her Dad was USAF, DoD, then State Dept. Although she got plenty of culture and it's one of the reasons I fell in love with her, she has noted that she didn't much care for being uprooted every few years, moving to a new area, and being required to reestablish herself (friends, teachers, local community, etc.) due to her father's work relocation. She has siblings and family friends with the same sentiment (all military brats). Not ungrateful mind you, but her experiences have lead her to think that stability of that nature is important for a child's upbringing. Just food for thought.

I personally lived in Germany for a summer as a kid and loved it. I think I would move there if the opportunity presented itself. Just something to take into consideration (kids and all). The language is very similar to English and fairly easy to pick up sans noun genders.

Valsacar

On the tax question, the first 91.5k (last years rate, it changes every year) you make is untaxed, anything over that is taxed normally. That doesn't apply to federal employees (GS) or military. If your company provides a housing allowance (like most contracting positions do) then that is also untaxed (up to a specific amount, based off area).