Working Abroad

dougal85

I'm reaching the end of my MSc and I would love to work abroad somewhere gaining more experience and seeing a new part of the world.

Do any of you know of any opportunities available? I was wondering if any of the big companies had some sort of recruitment program for foreigners.

My first (and only - unfortunately) language is English, So it'd have to be somewhere English speaking. US, Oz etc.

NogDog

Well, with the current weakness of the US dollar versus the Euro, this would not seem to be the best time to head this way. :rolleyes: In reality, though, I would not let that color your decision as it sounds like you want to do this more for the "expanding your horizons" aspect, in which case I'd go with whatever sounds the most interesting to you in terms of location and job description. Unfortunately, I don't really have any great contacts for you at this time, but if you make it over here to the Philadelphia/South Jersey area, I'll certainly buy you beer or 6. 🙂

dougal85

Your right, its more the experience (and maybe a bit of sun!) I'm looking for rather than money.

I just got back from a vacation in LA and I loved it... The biggest problem is I don't know where to start. I can't find much online (that is useful) but I've only just begun hunting.

I was hoping somebody on here might have done something similar already. Although I guess this usually happens with somebody getting a job and transferring to a different country.

I might just have to pop by for those beers if i end up on the east coast!

Elizabeth

Hey dougal, there are plenty of companies hiring over here... keep an eye on phpdeveloper.org and zend.com for job posts. Not to sound spammy, but there is also a Job Hunter's guide from php|a that also addresses where to find jobs and such: http://phparch.com/c/books/id/9780973862164

dougal85

Thanks. Thats really useful. I'll take a look at those.

On a side note, I'm not soley looking for PHP work but its the language I have most experience with.

Elizabeth

you might also try a new site developed by the author of that book: http://webdevjobs.com ... it's got other jobs besides PHP on there. Not many, because it's new, but you might find something.

foyer

If you want to come to the US, just pick a few cities in craigslist. I have found lots of php jobs through the cl

bpat1434

Philadelphia/South Jersey area, I'll certainly buy you beer or 6

where you at NogDog? Perhaps we can have a drinking night 🙂 You can head to Baltimore for a real night life 😉

Dougal, you might want to look into the NY office of OmniTI or even MessageSystems if you're interested in MTA (i.e. SMTP) work.

dougal85

I've been hunting around and contacting everybody I can.

It seems I'm just going to have to try and apply for places I'd like to work and then if I can get anything a visa shouldn't be too hard to get...

but I don't think it will be easy. Hopefully when I have my MSc under my belt it will help.

rulian

NogDog, how is the south jersey market compared to north, salaries up north are good but expenses and quality are disproportional. Is it better in the south?

bpat1434

You could always live in the south, work in the north 😉 Many Marylanders live in PA and commute to MD. Of course, there are more people that work in D.C. and commute from Frederick or the western part of MD.

It's cheaper to live in MD than DC, and even cheaper in PA than MD.

NogDog

rulian wrote:
NogDog, how is the south jersey market compared to north, salaries up north are good but expenses and quality are disproportional. Is it better in the south?

There are jobs here, but everything is pretty slow right now with the current economy. I'd guess the pay scales are around median to slightly above, with the same going for cost of living.

I know a number of people who live near here who take the bus from Mt. Laurel (Exit 4 on the NJ Turnpike) to commute to Manhattan every day. Makes for a long work day, but I guess it's worth it compared to trying to live up there. :rolleyes:

PS: I'm in Cinnaminson, NJ. If I walk a few blocks from my house, I can see the skyline of Philadelphia about 5 miles away across the Delaware.