aozora13 wrote:djfourmoney wrote:aozora13 wrote:I am currently in that category with the other 95 percent expats. I think overall, I see that if you want to actually want to work in IT, you can work only in North America/Europe (Western) to earn a salary and good living but dealing with the expensive country issues.
I am thinking though you could get overseas contractor work (govt contractor) as well if you have certain qualifications in order to live abroad and be able to avoid high taxes and still see the world. I would not suggest it as a lifetime goal but as something as a way to save money.
However, DJ4M is correct. It seems for me at least I can only do a local business in 2nd/3rd Tier countries and possibly work in IT only in Europe and the European option if married.
1) To do import/export requires some capital and some faith in your abilities. It also requires you to be personable/friendly. That is not the job for sad sacks and people who have difficulty getting along with others.
2) The high demand jobs in computers is HTML/Java and Programing usually with servers and databases. Germany is overrun with these people and one of the few high skill careers with plenty of local talent. The places where they need people are welders, plumbers, bakers and engineering. I know right now Continental are looking for engineering students to intern with them.
Knowing the local language will go far here.
3) Teaching English is overlooked and looked down on at the same time, strange... In some countries its in high demand, like Brazil but expats don't consider it a prime expat country. The cost of living has gone up with the exchange rate. But that doesn't mean you can't live there for less than you do typically in America.
China has a large need for English teachers as well, but its overrun with expats...
4) Local business is possible especially in 3rd world countries who have poor competition. The only way you'll know is being on the ground.
Being married to a local helps a ton here, but like teaching English is looked down upon, why? Do you really believe in soul mates??? I think its nonsense so picking a country at random is just as effective as a chance meeting.
Still not quite clear you struggled to find somebody. I don't think you aimed to high, maybe you thought knowing German was an advantage. I suppose it is, in the right environment. There was also some ambiguity around the work you did, did you express this temporary position to the women you met?
My boy Kerwin confirmed as an expat living in Germany that the finest women are not regularly seen with Black men in Germany. I think you would have done better in a large city like Berlin especially if you didn't focus on native German women exclusively. Plenty of Russian women would be interested in a Black man.
I was just saying that it is difficult to find work in another country. No, I actually did date while I was in Europe. I was doing mainly web development for a small company in Vienna. However, they wanted more of a help desk position and with various project issues we had and the fact that some companies have an old way of thinking for ideas to better improve customer service (big issue in Europe), I could not stay in the company. Yes, I know that foreign women were better than women in Vienna. I saw how it was easy to be friends and actually do somethings with them without issues. Berlin, has in the last 5+ years been a place of high unemployment (arbeitlos).
Also from telling you earlier, I did not go into Germany on my trip. I guess I thought a 6+ hour train ride to Munich was a lot to do, even when I knew decent German. Plus getting a place to stay is not easy there.
I was not talking about finding a soul mate. I think that is not realistic. I was saying that if you find a job in your country and then marry, finding work will be much easier; especially in Europe in Germany and Austria. I had many job opportunities but they would hire a EU national, citizen of the country or a person who had a PR or unconnected working visa. I did not have any of those visas.
I did actually mention this to the women I met. Most thought that it would be difficult to be with them since I was not going to be in the country that long.
I am thinking possibly doing what Ladislav does is to work in one country and date in another to actually have a real expat type of life.
But wait, you just said that they would only hire EU citizens but you felt it was better to find the job first and then get married? That seems backwards to me. If you married a local, which isn't that difficult to be honest, as you know German, should be fairly easy as you can talk to the few women not confident in their ability to speak English.
You get married, become a German resident, get a EU passport = EU Citizenship, not German. Germany doesn't allow Dual Citizenship....
Citizenship is really overrated, you are subjected to that country's laws and tax polices.... You are as a permanent resident subject to the same things but you have ability of movement. Just because you stop living in Germany doesn't mean you have to give up your EU passport.... You are subject to whatever laws in whatever country your in, its not attached to citizenship.
This is called "Five Flags" large companies do this to avoid so-called "oppressive" tax polices and laws.
You just gave yourself a job idea without even knowing it...
You said Customer Service is lacking in Europe (which is it, American style Customer Service anyway) and that the company you interned for had old practices that were hard to break.
So what you do is open the same kind of business with German efficiency and American Customer Service.... You already speak English and German, if you wife is a German citizen or native German, you can easily get permits and loans to start your business.
Success is right in front of you. You just had to change some minor things. You should have taken the 6 hour train trip to Germany, it would have been worth it.
I didn't mention Berlin for its unemployment and employment issues, I mentioned it for the high amount of not only native Germans, but expats and immigrants.
In other words plenty of WOMEN to chase.
Stop looking for employment and create something yourself. If you want to get married, why not a German lady and its already in the natural course of things anyway.
I just gave you a job idea, you didn't see anything else that was done poorly????
It always puzzles me for men looking for the advantages of citizenship without doing what citizens do. They are born in those countries. Brazil for example give Citizenship to the parents of a child born in Brazil.... The other way is to marry a local, why are people so thick about that? Is there something horrid that I don't know about?
Mark went to Ukraine with the idea of marrying a Ukraine woman, he did it. Lots of men have went to other countries looking for brides (IE women to marry). Some have decided to stay in her country, how in the hell is that any different than going for the relationship first and then work on employment, you'll have many more options than just being an American somewhere.
