Duane Dibley

If so what do you do for a living? Getting a bit bored @ work @ the moment and fancy working abroad for a couple of years - want to earn some decent money for once!

Just wondered what people did, and how/why they ended up working away/abroad?

Nice One.

wakeboardar

Easy to work in europe nowadays you need a form to show you paid all your n.i.contributions up to date this will also get you hospital treatment in many countries not sure of the name of the form someone here will know.
I worked in Holland in the building industry about 7 years ago I went on a 3 month contract and ended staying for 2 years

waky

jason4656

just came back from working in thailand for 5 years, dont expect to earn any money, but you will come back spangled with a new outlook on life, crying out for sanity to be restored in your life thats for sure!!! i didnt do to badly for money working in IT but i was lucky, most guys out there get next to nothing

bashful

Duane,

Just moved to Canada a week ago. I'm in IT, and was transferred within the business I work for. Lots of paperwork required to get the essential work permit - I can't imagine how hard it'd be to get in without a firm job offer, etc.

Being paid at a rate comparable with my old job, but as everyday stuff is half the price of the UK, despite higher taxes, I expect to make out like a bandit.

Lovely place, lovely people.

Markus

Yup, I work abroad, have done since April. I'm currently living in Toronto, and apart from it being a wee bit nippy at the moment, it's rather nice. Why am I here? The job, pure and simple. Our biggest market is North America, and we needed to be here. Why not the USA? well, The USA decided that we were not worthy to have Work Permits, so that scuppered that idea, their loss really, Canada was only to happy to invite us in.

So I'm here as part of an Intra-Company transfer, which means it's no problem at all with getting a visa/work permit. However, if you're coming over to look for a job, they might be slightly harder, so worth talking to the local immigration people to ask for advice.

What do I do? I'm Technical Manager for a Software Developer. We develop security software for Apple Macintosh computers. What do I do? well, manage the tech department, which basically means I head up the support team, provide on-site suppot, install and training for our products. I also help out with R&D for the software, plus I manage the beta test programmes. I also manage the internal network infrastructure, which means I have to deal with PC's and Macs, so it's not too bad. I also look after the maintainace of our website.

So I do quite a bit, but still find time to post on here

Do I like it? well, the job, yeah, the place, it's ok. There are things that do pish me off and this is something to consider when thinking about moving. Canada does not respect your driving history (mine is 11 years) or your insurance history (8 years claim free) so I'm considered a new driver, same as a 17 year old, and this means that ANY car is expensive to insure. Dream of owning an STi? Forget it, unless you are loaded, I'm paying 280 bucks a month for a 92 Passat, in comparison, I had a 94 WRX Wagon, modified, all for 87 quid a month. So I'm a little pished off. Other thing to consider, credit history is ignorned too, so unless you have an AMEX card you will find it very hard to get a credit card, most places either flat out refuse, or want a $1000 deposit, and have some strict guidelines as to what you can do! Banks too, don't think that because you're with HSBC in the UK you will get special treatment at HSBC Canada, it;s tosh, you don;t, been there, seen it, experienced the pain.

Oh and for things like mobile phones, they'll probably be bitchy and ask for huge deposits too. Same for cars, no credit history, bit deposit, unless you manage to be really hard with them and tell them to stuff their sale until they let up, which sometimes works.

As for living? well, it's pretty cheap, but you have to stop converting things back into pounds at some point, which is hard.

Bottom line, think very very seriously about it before you do it. Check out things like banks, driving licences, credit history, dentists, health care, stuff you take for granted back home.

If you have the chance to do it, then do it, you might never get another chance. Yeah, there are days that I want to be back at home with friends and family, but I'm building a new life here, and that is the idea. I know I am very lucky to be here, even though I don't always seem to appreciate that.


bashful - whereabouts in Canda are you working? Not anywhere near Toronto are you?

[Edited by Markus - 2/1/2004 10:03:14 PM]

J S W

Markus forgot to mention his other job is trying to get laid by any of the moderating team.

His lifetime ambition is to get into bed with webmaster

Brendan Hughes

Makes a change from most, who complain they get shafted by the Mods and webbie on a regular basis...

I've been abroad for 9 of the last 10 years (came back to do a Masters to change direction) and love it. Seeing life from a different viewpoint from the island mentality of the British is, um, different Not to say there haven't been days when I'd like to jack it all in and come back to a place I (sort of) understand. It started as a) I enjoy learning languages (though am crap at them) and b) I couldn't find a job in the UK in the early 90s when I had no idea of direction and no experience; too many other people in the same boat. Snowballed from there. Russia, Belgium, Mongolia, Russia, Portugal so far...

letdown

Im currently working and Living in Tokyo. Hated it as first but will not be going back to the UK now other than to visit friends and family.
Cant fault the place, and am looking into OZ as the next step in my plans.




Its not always greener but you can always hop on a plane. And I have found that no matter how excited I am to be coming home.........I hate it with a passion within approx 4/5 hours of landing at Heathrow.

Brit_in_Japan

Clue in my UserID....

Yep working here in Japan. Been here less than a year so far. I'd always been interested in working abroad. I got an unscheduled career break at the end of 2002 (a.k.a. make redundent) and was lucky that a former colleague in the US was looking to hire someone, initially to work in the US but then to come out to Japan for a minimum of 1 year. Japan wouldn't have been my first choice of country, but opportunities like that don't come along often and I'm happy I made the right choice.

I'm working for a small engineering consultancy mainly working on projects with automotive companies, but some aerospace as well.

You need a work permit to work here, and that has to be applied for by a Japanese company. You can only stay 90 days on a tourist visia (granted automatically to UK citizens on arrival). Plenty of work here if you want to teach English, but not a big earner. Apart from engineers and English teachers, not met any other Brits here (not counting the peeps from the British Embassy the other week). Language is a bit of a problem for me, different language structure to most latin-germanic languages and the 3 writing systems (katakana, hiragana, kanjii) make things difficult too. An intermediate proficiency of Japanese would help no end.

Japan is not as expensive as it once was. I don't live in Tokyo, which living cost-wise is relatively expensive in the same way London is to other parts of the UK.

+
(comparitively) cheap scoobies/other performance cars etc
100+ octane fuel @ 50p/litre
low crime rates (scooby has no alarm, immobiliser, tracker or blackjax)
different culture
J-babes
Ski slopes within easy range

-
language
language
toll roads
hot and very humid summers
national health insurance only covers 70% of costs, you pay the rest
bureaucracy
language

(editted 'cos remembered the bods from British Embassy)

Jerome

I moved to Canada last June and would confirm everything Markus just said.

I would also say that if you are a smoker, then Canada is probably not a good place to move. Toronto bans smoking in all bars and restaurants on 1st June this year. Standing outside when its -45 for a ciggie is not much fun!

I also had to start from scratch with respect to driving (18 years of experience). I've got a C+E licence and that counts for diddly squat. Also, I almost failed the car driving test for going too slow on the highway!!! The examiner actually told me to break the speed limit FFS!

You will also get a shock with certain things that are much more backward or expensive than the UK - no free banking, mobile phones are a rip off with very poor service etc. Car insurance is astronomical.

Canada is also very bad at recognising the qualifiications and experience of immigrants. You may have to pay for equivalency certificates. For many occupations you will have to sit an exam. I know of a guy who was an electrician in the UK for 25 years and failed his Ontario electricians exam really badly - despite taking courses and studying.

Canada also has a nepotistic system of recruitment. Its all about contacts and who you know here. The last method of recruitment managers use here is the internet - even for IT jobs. I only got the job I've got now because my manager had exhausted all of his contacts looking for an IT bod. Recruitment consultants here also are a lot different from the UK (read absolute crap). I sent out 50 odd CVs (resumes here) to recruitment consultants and only one even acknowledged me. Also expect to earn a lot less than you did in the UK for the same job. It is a lot cheaper to live here but, for your first job in Canada, you may actually be worse off (I certainly am). Get yourself a North American resume guide - resumes are very different from UK CVs.

If you can get a job in Canada from the UK then you'll probably be laughing.

I can't help with immigration advice - I was born in Canada and am therefore a Canadian Citizen - but Canada has a huge influx of immigrants each year. 42% of all immigrants end up in Toronto.

Oh, one last thing. Red Bull is illegal here.

Despite everything I've said above, I do love it here. I can't imagine moving back to the UK anytime soon.

jason4656

i always said when i was living in Thailand for all those years, im never going home, but there comes a time or there did for me, I just had to leave, it was to much and i needed to go home..

Suresh

Groetjes!

Just like the chap above, I too have been working abroad for 9 out of the last 10 years and also went back to the UK to do a Masters! Did it to ensure employability rather than for a change of direction though.

I've stayed in the same industry - moving to Switzerland to join the head office of the company I worked at in The City. Lived there for six years. Now am comfortably resident in The Netherlands where life is relaxed but the rewards not great (certainly comfortable though). Hardest decision I ever made - to give up cash but gain quality of life. No regrets so far. Anyone for a 40 hour week with a 20 minute commute?

One of the success factors is making an effort to learn the language and appreciate the cultural differences. I am not quite fluent, but have no problem attending foreign language meetings, even if I usually have to contribute in English. Culturally I know about all the festivals, appreciate the music (di-rect, blof and even Fransje Bauer, for example) and know the customs on special days such as birthdays. It might help that I am married to a local though....

Good luck!

Suresh

Diesel

Jason were you in BKK? Looks like there may be something like that coming up for me. It sounds idyyllic as I love the place and have worked there many a time (get away for weeekends of course...) I speak about a 100 words already which I'm sure helps with the settling in!