Working Internationally? (from USA)

Hello,

I'm from the US and I'm just curious about the IT opportunities that exist for expats outside of the US. My main focus for the next two years will be to focus on Cisco networking and intend to attain CCNP + NP:V while working in a networking position. How willing are employers willing to

A) Relocate

Give a working Visa

Trying to avoid danger zones ( M.E. / KSA / etc)

Anyone feel free to share their experiences as well.

Thanks

SG

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sammysame

IF you're thinking middle east, dubai...

easy and big bucks

Sounds Good

sammysame wrote: »

IF you're thinking middle east, dubai...

easy and big bucks

True, but I would of course rather not work in a danger zone.

Can anyone share their experience working in the M.E.? Is it really as dangerous as it's made out to be? And what an average day looks like to an expat there?

Thanks

olaHalo

I cant give you much info but my coworker (only held a ccna) was offered a job in Afghanistan and claimed they were paying him over 100k.
He just left a few weeks ago.

sammysame

Most expats that go to Dubai say its heaven on earth. A lot, I mean a lot of socialising, parties, making friends and just a grand awesome time. Doesn;t hurt that the pays are way above average.

GAngel

I've worked in Dubai and I certainly wouldn't call it heaven on earth. You can make alot money and you can also spend it just as fast. If your housing isn't fully covered I'd call it almost a waste of time. As for salary the reason you make more is you pretty much only get 5-15% in taxes wage wise if you're not senior you really don't get the perks that make living there worthwhile. if you have kids the costs of schooling is crazy so say goodbye to that extra tax money. The hours are really long as well no 40 hr work week in general.

Sounds Good

olaHalo wrote: »

I cant give you much info but my coworker (only held a ccna) was offered a job in Afghanistan and claimed they were paying him over 100k.
He just left a few weeks ago.

I would say Afghanistan is off limits for me unless I can be convinced it is safe. Did your friend have any experience or a relevant Degree?

sammysame wrote: »

Most expats that go to Dubai say its heaven on earth. A lot, I mean a lot of socialising, parties, making friends and just a grand awesome time. Doesn;t hurt that the pays are way above average.

The more I read and think about it, Dubai sounds like a very good place to work abroad. Any stories about whether or not it is safe?

GAngel wrote: »

I've worked in Dubai and I certainly wouldn't call it heaven on earth. You can make alot money and you can also spend it just as fast. If your housing isn't fully covered I'd call it almost a waste of time. As for salary the reason you make more is you pretty much only get 5-15% in taxes wage wise if you're not senior you really don't get the perks that make living there worthwhile. if you have kids the costs of schooling is crazy so say goodbye to that extra tax money. The hours are really long as well no 40 hr work week in general.

I was looking at housing and it looks like I can get a decent place for 5-8k AED. I'm single with no children so I have none of that to burden me. I would basically be living the bachelor life if I were to go overseas. What salaries can I expect with 4 years of general experience and 1-2 years of pure networking experience with CCNP + NP:Voice?

About the tax part that you mentioned, does that mean that the taxes are 5-15% and thats it? Also, when you go back to home country, would you have to pay taxes on the amount earned abroad?

How many hours can one expect to work in a given week?

Thanks for the help people.

Personal experiences working abroad are always welcome!

olaHalo

Sounds Good wrote: »

I would say Afghanistan is off limits for me unless I can be convinced it is safe. Did your friend have any experience or a relevant Degree?

The more I read and think about it, Dubai sounds like a very good place to work abroad. Any stories about whether or not it is safe?

he does not have a degree. i believe he had done contract work with the Air Force and that was his foot in the door

Trashman

Sounds Good wrote: »

Personal experiences working abroad are always welcome!

I've just turned 26 (from Scandinavia), but been working abroad for years.
It was pretty easy for me to find a job abroad as Norwegian is my native language.
I moved over to Ireland working Level 1 tech support for an American multinational IT company, supporting companies in my home country.

I had interview over the phone and the company paid for flights and one week accomodation, so I had time to sort my own place once I got there.

Multinational companies in Europe tend to have their business going in Ireland as there is very little tax there compared to most other countries.

After a few months as Level 1 tech support (way too easy for me), I passed the Level 2 interview and started working full-time Level 2 tech support for business end-users in US and UK from Ireland.

Stayed there for a couple of years, and then moved over to Australia and now work for another multinational IT company.
They just won a new contract and needed a bunch of people with previous experience to participate in setting up a new ServiceDesk (processes, procedures, AD structure, training new staff and so on).
I`m studying as much as possible for certifications at the moment. Already had the A+ and passed the Network+ yesterday

Sounds Good wrote: »

I'm single with no children so I have none of that to burden me. I would basically be living the bachelor life if I were to go overseas.

Same here. No kids, no wife, no debt.
Great fun as my stay here in Australia is a combination of work and travel (backpacking).

Deathgomper

Sounds Good wrote: »

I would say Afghanistan is off limits for me unless I can be convinced it is safe. Did your friend have any experience or a relevant Degree?

The more I read and think about it, Dubai sounds like a very good place to work abroad. Any stories about whether or not it is safe?

Been in Afghanistan for a year now, it is safe depending on where you are at. At a big base like Bagram you wont have much to worry about, however at a small FOB or COB out in the middle of no where then it can get a little rough.

Dubai is where a lot of people from here go for a small vacation, a lot of them plan for a couple days there when they are just passing through. Never been there myself but my friends have a blast when they go.

How many hours you work depend on the company you work for and the country you work in. All countries in the mid east have different labour laws and the company you work for have to abide by them. In Afghanistan I work 60 hours a week, but in Qatar only 48 which is mainly due to overtime requirments.

Sounds Good

Deathgomper wrote: »

Been in Afghanistan for a year now, it is safe depending on where you are at. At a big base like Bagram you wont have much to worry about, however at a small FOB or COB out in the middle of no where then it can get a little rough.

Dubai is where a lot of people from here go for a small vacation, a lot of them plan for a couple days there when they are just passing through. Never been there myself but my friends have a blast when they go.

How many hours you work depend on the company you work for and the country you work in. All countries in the mid east have different labour laws and the company you work for have to abide by them. In Afghanistan I work 60 hours a week, but in Qatar only 48 which is mainly due to overtime requirments.

Where are you from originally? What type of role are you working in? What is there to do outside of your job?

Thanks and more experiences are always great!

GAngel

Sounds Good wrote: »

I would say Afghanistan is off limits for me unless I can be convinced it is safe. Did your friend have any experience or a relevant Degree?

The more I read and think about it, Dubai sounds like a very good place to work abroad. Any stories about whether or not it is safe?

I was looking at housing and it looks like I can get a decent place for 5-8k AED. I'm single with no children so I have none of that to burden me. I would basically be living the bachelor life if I were to go overseas. What salaries can I expect with 4 years of general experience and 1-2 years of pure networking experience with CCNP + NP:Voice?

About the tax part that you mentioned, does that mean that the taxes are 5-15% and thats it? Also, when you go back to home country, would you have to pay taxes on the amount earned abroad?

How many hours can one expect to work in a given week?

Thanks for the help people.

Personal experiences working abroad are always welcome!

I was there before the housing bust so I can't say what it's like back then you had to pay for housing upfront if it's not part of your package. So you'd have a bill of 60k AED on signing. Debt there means jail, bounce a check jail, cross the wrong local jail. No idea on salaries currently i'd say use the expat boards and you'd be able to find the typical package for your experience. Try and land a multinational company in one of the tax free zones i've seen plenty of horror stories working for the local firms.

Tax wise yes that's it depending on how much the company picked up you'd only pay the rest. Depends on tax treaties between the two countries and how long you've been out of the country etc. I'm not american so someone else could probably go into more detail. If you do go get a very good int tax accountant they're worth there price tag.

I was working about 60 hrs a week on avg as a consultant could be as high as 80 and rarely under 50.