international jobs

neilperry

Has anyone had any experience with applying for jobs overseas/working overseas? Ideally I would like to be working in Germany in the next five years. I know German, spent a year 'studying' abroad and live in an area with a bunch of German companies thanks to a German automotive manufacturer having a presence here.

I've shot a bunch of resumes to the international companies here hoping to get my foot in the door but no luck yet. I'd like to start applying to positions in Germany but not exactly sure the best sites to hunt at. I know I'm also going to be facing an uphill battle with work visas.

tech123yo

I also have a question about having overseas working experience. Will American employer favor someone with 5 years of experience in the States than someone with same years of experience in Asia? How would it be looked upon?

MiikeB

Consider looking at a DoD or even GS job over there, we maintain quite a few military bases over there.

pumbaa_g

I believe the person in Asia will win hands down due to two reasons
1. Salary and conversion rate: Most cases the guy from Asia will be paid a fraction of the guy in States and still be happy as its much more then what he/she will get in a year in Asia.
2. No hang ups about working more or extra hours or relocation: Most are already working extra hours and have no hang ups on work front

However, having said that if you have any niche skills which are in high demand this will tilt in the reverse direction. The same with Govt/Defense/security type positions

Valsacar

Huh? That applies, maybe, if you're talking about a local national that's trying to move to the US. If it's an American that's been working overseas, they were being paid MORE overseas than they would be in the states for the same position (especially when you count in the no taxes part).

I believe they would prefer someone with overseas experience, at least if it's a big company. More and more companies are doing work internationally (even if they don't have a physical presence), someone that has lived in worked in that area can help bring perspective and cultural understanding that cannot be gained at home. Working overseas also teaches skills that are normally not easy to obtain, such as adaptability. Living in another country is very different, doing it for a few years shows that you can change and adapt to your surroundings, which can be beneficial to a company.

pumbaa_g

I agree, an expat overseas may be in a more responsible position compared to the position available at home. Seen a lot of expats now coming to Asia and are in huge demand.
I am not sure about the reverse side of things, it may be tricky situation for some.

MiikeB

pumbaa_g wrote: »

I agree, an expat overseas may be in a more responsible position compared to the position available at home. Seen a lot of expats now coming to Asia and are in huge demand.
I am not sure about the reverse side of things, it may be tricky situation for some.

I think expats are in demand for highly technical positions and managerial, not so much for low skill labor. This probably has to due with the education system being better than a lot of these asian countries.

Example - I would expect a company in India to highly consider an expat over a local for an Exchange Engineer role, but to completely pass him over for a desktop support position.

pumbaa_g

Ummm, think higher.
Usually expats come in very high positions in India (most as CXO's & Consultants) unfortunately entry and mid level positions are pretty competitive here. Plus they are a lot cheaper to hire locally how it works is, one guy doing a role in US = ability to hire 10 people with equivalent skillsets (notice I said equivalent ) either or 1 experienced guy with the right skillset and 9 entry level guys to do the grunt work. Either ways you save major $$$$
Thats why Outsourcing works

sratakhin

I heard that an experienced CCIE can make more than 200k in Moscow, Russia. I doubt that many CCIEs here make that much.

pumbaa_g

Most CCNP Experienced network admins/server admins can make a nice killing in the Saudi region too.

UnixGuy

I can speak about UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Arabian gulf. Depends on the opportunity, it's better to come as an experienced consultant. You will get paid very well, and life is cheaper than the US (plus no tax). Apply for jobs online.

varelg

neilperry wrote: »

I know I'm also going to be facing an uphill battle with work visas.

True, working visa can be a pain, but I think as far as IT is concerned, the Deutchland has a program they (used to) call "Blue Card" for atracting IT talent from other countries, now I read this and heared about from folks from Eastern Europe so I am not sure if it is applicable in your situation. The catch is to secure a job offer from a german employer where you are paid less than a german employee AND they can't find a german candidate with suitable skills. You mentioned you speak german, so for you an online job search on specialized german job sites would be that much easier. Again, this is from and likely for, Eastern European folks.