Anyone live in a different country before? What’s it like?

Just learned that one of my friends got an offer to join an office in Europe and she’s moving out there for at least a year. I personally can’t imagine working in a country other than the US. 
 

Anyone live in a different country before? What’s it like?

 

I’ve heard of a few people moving to US based companies in Europe before, unsure how people’s experiences are however 

 

Sounds cool but would probably depend on the specific team. Hopefully it’s not a super time consuming role so your friend can enjoy their time there outside of the job 

 

I know a handful of analysts that often make the transition to move back to India after their H1B isn’t selected. From what I’ve heard they continue to work on their US pay, and so to live in India with a 100K as a 22 year old would be quite the experience.

 

What’s the equivalent salary / purchasing strength of 100k in india vs in NYC in dollars? 

 

Visited India in 2021.
Everything was dirt cheap, I didn’t even think before spending on anything. Internet to food to travel costs.
Can’t speak for the equivalency as I was only there for a week.
Salary probably is slightly lower than US equivalent based on other posts here. 100k USD seems insane.

 

You can raise a family, very comfortably (house help, driver, entertainment, lavish dining, rent etc) in about $3000.

To adjust the pay for PPP, it’ll probably be closer to a couple of mil. I might be wrong but am confident about the math.

 

I went to university in the UK and so consequently now work in London and I HATE IT.

 

Everyone I’ve met who worked in the U.K. says it’s not as good as in the U.S. 

 

I live in Ireland, pretty phenomenal place if you have family and friends here.

Absolute hell on earth if you’ve emigrated to Ireland (extremely high rent, very hard to make friends, poor weather).

 
Controversial

I have, it made me so much more xenophobic as an american.  getting back on american soil after a few years overseas was one of the happiest days of my life (srs)

1. Europeans have such a parochial mindset (or "small island mindset" in the UK).  There's a reason they are not innovating or inventing top companies there like the US

2. Euros are so obsessed with class and "birthright"  / like I really don't get why its so important in a dying empire like France what lineage you come from.....at the end of the day you are still French.....

3. I find Euros to just be super whiny in general when you work alongside them (and overall entitled).   I really don't blame Trump for trashing NATO and saying they need to pay their fair share after working in a joint office in europe with a ton of NATO nations (i'm former military) - all those euro nato officers did was WHINE WHINE WHINE and expect America to just pay up to solve their issues

4. Silly stuff like not having central air or sink garbage disposals in supposed first world countries like Germany UK France etc.  Seriously?

5. super arrogant comments to americans from Germans/other Euros like "why are you guys so patriotic and LOVE YOUR flag so much - doesn't it make you uncomfortable?  its so wierd to me to see all you blokes flying flags so much saying "merica" etc...."     Oh I dont know, maybe try not starting multiple world wars and you won't have so much deep-seated self loathing about your own countries?

6. Terrible mexican food

Don't get me started on Asia (everyone there is a drone, same haircut, same style, same down padded jacket in the winter ; its like if the ENTIRE US dressed in the midtown uniform and was a financebro or something)

 

I also have, and from my experiences I fully agree with all your points - especially the first one. Definitely noticed a limited mindset from others when working in the UK. Their attitude towards America rubbed me the wrong way too a few times, clearly disrespectful.

Also observed that they hold unnecessarily negative perspectives that seem to stem from self-pity (and overall awareness about the UK’s declining power), which then leads to reduced innovation. What I’ve said is also taken from the writings by Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore and one of the greatest statesman of our time.

Felt tremendous joy and relief as well once back on American soil. I think one unique aspect of USA culture that’s underrated is our optimism and belief that the future will improve - really makes a difference.

 
Funniest

never felt so much joy seeing a sassy overweight customs official at JFK

"these are my people!"

 

I dno. I think us Europeans see the US as a social experiment. Like with all your guns and freedom and ‘Murican pick up trucks I feel like we don’t see you as equals. Is what it is. 

 

lol as opposed to the social experiment of europe

massive world wars

the holocaust

napoleanic wars

bloodthirsty kings and queens / french revolution (beheading etc)

just lol at european "superiority", while still begging the USA for money for NATO

 

I think the people who would do best working in other countries would be ones that have some sense of self to begin with, people who are more adaptable to different environments. I lived in Europe for a year mainly backpacking through different countries and it’s a much different experience out there. Some aspects that were appealing included general safety, affordable healthcare, low tuition for education, great food although depends on which city you’re in, and people are generally more friendly and relaxed 

 

Hi!! In the summer of 2021, I made the decision to take a leap into the unknown and relocate to Denmark for permanent residency. The beginning was challenging: a new country, a new language, and adapting to unfamiliar realities. However, with each passing day, I found myself falling more in love with Denmark - its stunning nature, culture, and people.

The following year of my adventure, as I started to settle in, my relatives from Ukraine decided to pay me a visit. It was a long-awaited reunion filled with joy and laughter. However, the joyous moments were short-lived as the war in Ukraine ( The Ukrainian Review) erupted with unexpected ferocity. It's hard to put into words how deeply this horrific event affected our family. We shared in the pain for our homeland and for all those suffering from the conflict.
Since then, we've been making every possible effort to support and assist our loved ones and all those affected by the war. Our family is united in this challenging time, and we hope for a better future for Ukraine and the world.

 

I relocated for work a couple of times (Europe and Asia) before coming back and was an incredible experience. If you have the opportunity to do so, I highly highly recommend. Why would you not want to experience the world before coming back to your roots? Def helped shape my perspective and open up my thinking, plus having global deal experience on my resume has been a HUGE plus. 

 

What was it like for you in each location? How has it helped shape your perspective and thinking?

 

It's just a different vibe working with a team of people from a completely new place. Europe obv Euro centric, Asia a good mix of people from the UK on one side and Oz on the other and everywhere in between. At work its different types of deals, different ways to execute, clients thinking differently, hell maybe even completely different macro drivers and situations.

Socially, man I absolutely loved getting a free weekend and booking tickets to Paris/Macau/wherever on a Friday and being out. No hate against home, but its a bitch and a half to get anywhere fun.

I was at a bulge and relocation was a breeze. They hooked me up with a real estate agent, immigration consultant, tax, etc. etc. I had people pick up my shit and the next time I saw it was at my new place. 

 

Sounds cool if you can find a role that lets you go to a different location for a few months or something 

 
Most Helpful

Lived in western european country from age 22-26 and the parochial culture was a huge adjustment. if you're fortunate enough to get one of these top jobs in a smaller market, your class of 50-300 will all be from the same 3-6 universities and have their cliques established. Many of these college cliques were formed as far back as childhood since there is not necessarily the culture to uproot 1000s of miles away for college and develop a real sense of independence from their hometown/family. In fact, amongst my intake it was common for locals to go home every weekend to see hometown friends/family and get their laundry done (colelge/post-college) - one never really leaves the comforts of their tribe in that scenario vs. the American university experience.
Americans are by and large open and eager to meet new people, and appreciate the value of networking, while Europeans remain quite clannish. This manifests in other ways in the US via the expectation of cold-calling, networking with industry insiders - all very accepted, while it is frowned upon in Europe. 

Having said that, by and large it was a hugely positive experience. There are undoubtedly pros and cons to being in the US and abroad. You'll appreciate the little things that each culture does better than the other. For one, the nightlife on average far exceeds the the average night in Manhattan (East Village/West Village cliche) and you can easily go out with 100 EURO and party pretty hard (excluding major cities like London, Paris). Brooklyn has a good scene now, but the likes of Williamsburg and Bushwick feels like an attempt to replicate the more artsy, sceney neighborhoods outside of America - contraversial take, i know.

From a career perspective, the brand of my US education was held with high regard overseas but I cant help but think that I was playing catch-up for the first 12 months w/ my sharper European colleagues. My theory is simple but I stand by it - In Europe, 70% is an A, 60% is a B and so forth. If you're stretching for 60-70%+ to do well in your studies, you're going to be pushed much harder and in turn, develop a deeper understanding of a topic. In the US, if you dont get an A its on you (excl Sci,Eng). This was a humbling experience but ultimately served me well in my career as I leveled up in both my work product and my future education (GMAT, GRE). 

In day-to-day work, the move abroad served me well. Frankly, I got access to better opportunities as there was less talent/competition vying for those opportunities, and I was able to stand out. What my job maybe lacked in deal reps, I gained in thorough training at a more moderate pace, enjoyed a relatively sustainable analyst+associate stint and moved back to the US as a VP. The downside of this was less reps (already mentioned), less compensation (no savings to speak of until late 20s), and a step behind on networking in the US market post-college

 

I've worked in Canada, US, and the UK and have noticed tremendous differences.

Canada Pros: EXTREME focus on work-life balance. Do not care WHATSOEVER where your degree is from/family you descend from.

Canada Cons: VERY politically correct culture. LOW-LOW pay in comparison to the other two countries for the same work. No economic diversity (effectively you cover subsidiaries of US-companies, oil & gas, or metals & mining). No drive to become tremendously successful (upper-middle class is viewed as a ceiling). 

UK Pros: Decent Pay for the Decent Work-Life Balance. HEAVY drinking culture with colleagues (nice as a foreigner).

UK Cons: Condescending to North Americans (although once they found out I was Canadian I was treated a bit better). Very much care where your degree is from/what family you descend from. 

US Pros: Pay was MULTIPLES of what I was earning in Canada/UK. WAY less snobbish than the UK or PC as Canada. Tremendous upward mobility.

US Cons: I work almost DOUBLE the amount of hours I worked in Canada/UK. People make their career their whole personality. 

Just my two cents!

 

Merica: country of immigrants
Merican: I got so nervous knowing I have to live in another developed, English speaking country for a year

直指人心,見性成佛
 

we are not a country of immigrants.  For most of this country's history (until basically 2008 onwards), this country was overwhelmingly native born (srs)

 

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