Post: #1

I did a few searches and didn't find anything substantial. This may be my mistake if it is trash this thread.

The goal of many if not all people on the Travel board is to have passive income streams and financial freedom to go wherever whenever.

Of course the best solution is to start a business that can be run from anywhere.

As an optional interim step though (which I am very interested in at this point in my life) I don't remember seeing a strong thread on the forum that provides information on country to country work visas and good international companies to target if you want to quickly start living abroad. This also may serve many as a great test run to see if they really want to live abroad that can be executed more quickly than starting a successful business that is profitable and wealth building over time.

So the purpose of this thread is to be able to find guys stable, high paying jobs, that are resume building abroad in our favorite countries hopefully.

Valuable pieces of information:

• Interational companies that are easy to get hired into an international office in one of our favorite countries with the right qualifications
• Job postings by RVFers that own business abroad, or know friends or locals in that host country that do and need new employees
• Work visa issues country to country, which countries are easy, which are difficult
• Fields and specific positions that have the most options for finding lucrative, stable work abroad
• Language ability needed for the country and position in question
• Best forums or websites that have good job postings or valuable info on companies, industries, and so on.
  

For instance I have heard that as a U.S. citizen it is hard to get a job in Canada.

Say if I wanted to work in Montreal at an international how difficult would it be? I don't know yet, but this is a example situation I am interested in learning about.

Another is I know Romania and Cluj in particular is a hotspot for tech and large corporations. How easy and what is the pay like if a U.S. citizen wants to go try and work out of one of the branches there?

Post: #2

Off the top of my head for international companies:

IBM and Google have many international offices and seem to be able to transfer people around a lot.

Post: #3

You're not thinking about moving to Canada if Trump wins are you?

Post: #4

^ Yes I am going to spread the good word up there with my MAGA hat on and teach those Canucks how to win at something other than hockey!

Post: #5

From what I've seen, it's probably going to be either:

1) Sales Experience. (If you know the foreign language, even better)

2) Finance knowledge (Asset Management).

I thought a software background would be useful, but I think there are already so many tech shops and programming/mathematics is somewhat language independent so while they may hire you, you will get paid like a local, and that would not be good. Might be good for the Visa requirement.

Post: #6

^ Depends many times they may want a Anglo country lead dev or manager to run things down there and communicate back as a trusted overseer.

My friend has offered me a manager type position, good pay, it is in Kuala Lumpur though and I don't want to work or live there.

Also technical sales can be a mix of both. Helping sell and integrating systems where native English, plus tech knowledge can be a big plus.

Post: #7

What do you guys think of a Business degree, masters in logistics/supply chain?

Post: #8

@Travesty: It's not that a US citizen would have it hard to get a work visa in Canada, but that it is generally difficult to get a job in Canada as a foreigner regardless of where you are from. The same applies for others getting into the US. The same requirements by the hiring company at face value needs to be passed in both countries, which is a proof that the local market does not have a person who is qualified to do the job. The small companies who are most in need of such talent do not usually have the legal means/expertise to bring in a foreigner to do the job, as I'm sure you know in the States itself.

I have to add to Onto's point 2 above: Finance knowledge so long it is relevant to the new position. If you were a NY based analyst covering say German equities and you moved to Berlin, that experience would be better received than say had you covered Midwest shale oil drillers.

In Vancouver, mid-large/international tech firms are scrambling for developer talent. Salaries are lower than in the US by about 10-15%, but it's easier to get in here than H1-B to the States. If you want to try your hand at starting up in Thailand, the Board of Investment will now let software companies be 100% foreigner owned, they see software as a strategic investment.

Important note: In Canada, it is not a heavily qualification driven hiring experience. In other words, it is not what you know but WHO you know. Quals will be more highly regarded in say Asia, where the power hierarchy is more stratified.

My suggestion would be to make a shortlist of where you want to live, then see what the dominant industries are in the local area and if you could bring value to a company. You will likely have to compromise between location and jobs. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Post: #9

I was just wondering why asset management instead of investment banking. There are only so many portfolio centers in this world . Zurich and Singapore are the main ones.

Post: #10

Google sounds nice, but they receive literally some 10 million applications per year, that is like one every 2-3 seconds. You must be truly world class to be hired by them. If they just call you back it is quite an achievement.
That said, if you pass round 1 and 2 in their job interviews over the phone, they easily fly you in from wherever you are and put you in a nice hotel for 3 days. I once spoke to them and they flew me from Zurich to Mountain View. Also depending on the job at Google, there *might* be different possibilities. Most topics are covered in more than one location. But maybe Google is a rather extreme example since they expect you to work a lot of overtime that leaves little time for chasing chicks.

In general I'd consider the following:
A. There are jobs where it is very hard / almost impossible to work abroad. Imagine you study swiss law. How much demand for that would be in BKK? Could be one law firm, but that's it. If at all.
B. There are jobs that seem quite international, but they aren't because your degree won't be recognized. Example: a German physician doing brain surgery every day in a German hospital has to redo his degree to be allowed to work in US.
C. Some jobs are truly international, e.g being a programmer. If you know your stuff you can work either in Zürich or in Manila or in Johannesburg. Key question is, would you like to live with a local salary, e.g. in Manila. Also there people care less about official qualification / certificates. If you know what they need they will hire you.

So maybe opt for C. and make sure you get sent over by a big company. This way they won't pay less, but more.

(03-17-2016 06:58 PM)Travesty Wrote:  ...
IBM and Google have many international offices and seem to be able to transfer people around a lot.

Post: #11

A very interesting and good post.

I am currently living in Norway and have the freedom to get a job in other big cities in Europe without many difficulties. However, my ambition and dream is to move to USA and one of the major cities. I would love to have worked there and lived there for some years. It seems very difficult to get a job in USA as a non-green card citizen. Does any of you people have advice how to approach this problem? With a Master’s degree and management position in an IT company, I should be more then qualified to something out there.

Post: #12

(03-17-2016 06:58 PM)Travesty Wrote:  Off the top of my head for international companies:

IBM and Google have many international offices and seem to be able to transfer people around a lot.

Google has a very interesting program employees can take advantage of. You can go work in any of their international offices anytime you like for as long as you like. They also hook you up with local employees who you can stay with and will serve as a tour guide which means you cut down on days you take off and hotel costs.

If you are have to be in the corporate world there are worse places to be than google for sure.

Post: #13

The types of overseas jobs I see being posted online are typically

IT (literally everything under the sun)
TEFL/ESL
Management (incl. Project/Account Management)
Finance/Sales (to a lesser extent)

Post: #14

Perhaps consider overseas marketing.

I recently got offered a job doing marketing for a Korean IT company (marketing Korean products to other places like USA).

If you are say American but have roots elsewhere and can speak your ancestral language, consider this route.

At least for Korean people, they would rather work with a Korean-American (still the same ethnicity) than say an American-American.

Or in the reverse direction, you could work for an American company who is looking to set up shop in a foreign market but wants someone who can speak the language and possibly has some experience working there. China would be the biggest example that comes to mind if you are Chinese-American.

Post: #15

(03-17-2016 07:33 PM)Travesty Wrote:  My friend has offered me a manager type position, good pay, it is in Kuala Lumpur though and I don't want to work or live there.

I agree KL isn't the best city on earth but its a good launchpad for the rest of SEA and Bangkok is just an hour away. With budget flights making your weekend away highly affordable plus you would live pretty comfortable in KL if your salary is anything above USD2500 which I'm pretty sure it is. Its actually something you might want to consider. You don't have to stay in the country all year round, make weekend trips to BKK, Jakarta, Manila or even to E. Asia too if you have time.

Are there any specific reason why you wouldn't consider KL?

Post: #16

^ I can't live where I think the girls are ugly. I like the USA, other than women's personalities. So if I don't think I am getting a large upgrade in my local dating life it is a no go.

Aren't there also retarded drinking rules?

Only places in Asia I would consider are Vietnam, Taiwan, or maybe China.

Post: #17

Alcohol is more expensive so if booze is a big part of your game then KL probably isn't for you.

I think for women, you get a variety of tourists in KL and like mentioned above, jetting off to Vietnam isn't that difficult from KL.

Still, if that is your stand, I will respect it, all the best man, hope you get what you want soon!

Post: #18

I'll try to keep an update throughout the year as I plan on transferring to a different country soon.

I'm a material engineer but I also have experience in aerospace science as well. Currently working for a company that is based in Europe but has offices around the world.

Post: #19

What sort of finance and sales jobs are you guys seeing internationally?

Post: #20

A few years ago, my employer was opening an office in Switzerland. They had two people in mind to get the office started. They transferred one guy easily who was born and raised in Germany. The other guy was American. They had to take in resumes and prove that no qualified Europeans were available. After a time I can't remember, they did transfer the American for two years.

I don't think it just applies to foreign countries. A local candidate is always going to have preference over a candidate who is from out of the area.

Back in 1998, I was in West Virginia and looking for a job in Columbus, Ohio. I went to Columbus for interviews many times and got nothing. Then I opened a box with Mailboxes, Etc., and got a personal 800 number. I found a job easily once I created the presence in Columbus. Keep in mind this was when most people still used land lines for phones. This was also when the economy was actually good.

Post: #21

I don't see alot of highly paid expats these days in places like shanghai or Beijing. Most multinationals are all filled with locals and its extremely rare unless u are in some technical area with years of experience and understand the market and customers
15 years ago you could just walk into a fortune 500 Beijing office and say you just graduated from xxx business school in the states and drop your CV. Nowadays its impossible.

Post: #22

Does anyone have experience working in Colombia? From what I understand it is hard to find gainful employment here (Bogota). I'm only looking for somthing that will add an extra 500-1000 USD extra to the income I already have. Looking into English teaching gigs (reading some info in other threads) but looking for any other ideas you guys might have.

Post: #23

(03-17-2016 07:33 PM)Travesty Wrote:  My friend has offered me a manager type position, good pay, it is in Kuala Lumpur though and I don't want to work or live there.

I might digress, I'm assuming you've been to KL and didn't like it. If you haven't been there, you should really check it out.

Post: #24

A lot of other countries aren't as liberal as the US is in terms of allowing foreign workers to come in, especially for high and semi-skilled jobs. For example, a few years ago I read an article about a guy from the US who tried to get an IT job in India, he was firmly rejected for a work visa.

Your best bets of work abroad are the following:

1. Find a way to get citizenship for the country you want to work in.
2. Find US companies that have oversees offices and let them know your intentions. Many will hire you with the intention of sending you abroad
3. Teach English. Generally a safe bet especially if you have a neutral US accent
4. Go to one of the many countries that embrace entrepreneurs. Once there you can make connections as a backup in case your business fails.
5. Apply for internships that have a global rotation
6. Work as a contractor on a US military base
7. Hit the USA job website
8. Be willing to work in one of the Arab countries
9. Be willing to take a slightly higher than local salary (I got offered a sales manager job in Laos a few years ago but it would have been a fraction of what I would make in the US. I think it was 30k and no stipend)
10. Go to university in the country you plan to move to.

I'm not sure how plentiful international sales jobs are. Even for highly technical products, most companies invest heavily in on-shore teams (governments like this). If you have deep industry experience you may be able to get in though.

One caveat to international assignments is that they can be expensive for companies. They have to get you authorized to work in the country and at times they give you a stipend as well as a salary equal to what you would have made back home. For those reasons the jobs are usually highly coveted and often not direct hire from the outside.

FWIW, KL is not that bad especially if you have a job that pays well. There are tons of foreigners and because the locals are from 3 distinct ethnic groups there is no shortage in regards to variety, especially as you venture away from the Beach Club or whatever that night club was called. Depending on your industry Singapore may also be an option. Apparently most companies give bonuses around Chinese new year and a lot of people quit leaving them hurting for talent.

Post: #25

I used to think I wanted to do find a job abroad in that way as well, but settled more on finding a job after graduation in my own country, then get stationed abroad through that company to keep my high salary and benefits.

However, top international companies in Norway: Aker Solutions, Statoil, Telenor, + a whole bunch of oil and shipping related companies, wouldn´t bet all in on the oil sector nowadays though. In Denmark you can look into Maersk (shipping++) and Novo Nordisk (Pharmaceuticals)

I am in no way affiliated with this site, but when I was looking at options I found this through my career portal at my university. I was looking at it for quite some time and it has thorough information about everything from culture, visa, top companies, climate, accommodation and so on in a lot of countries: http://www.goinglobal.com/