Working abroad

[BlackenedBiker]

What is the lifestyle like?

What is the market for contractors like when you are there.

Would you considered taking the family with you and live in Europe

[The Lone Gunman]

What is the lifestyle like?

What is the market for contractors like when you are there.

Would you considered taking the family with you and live in Europe

All subjective.
I love the lifestyle abroad mostly, but I am a bit isolated where I am at the moment.
The lake and the mountains make up for it and I do get lots of visitors because of that.
I have masive swings between loving it and hating it.

Market depends on skills, but I have worked in Europe for most of the last 10 years and only had one enforced gap.

Mrs Gunman came with me for 5 years. If you have kids then you have to consider their education. Contracting can not be regarded as long term in one spot unless you base yourself in the middle of your business (ie living near London with banking skills).
Having said that I know contractors who have been onsite for 15 - 20 years in places.

[ace00]

What is the lifestyle like?
.........

In Abroadshire ?
They talk foreign you know.

[Menelaus]

What is the lifestyle like?

What is the market for contractors like when you are there.

Would you considered taking the family with you and live in Europe

Since I started contracting in 2002 most of my time has been spent away from the UK.

The lifestyle is really what you make of it: if you go to a repressive society (e.g., KSA) you'll typically find people living in compounds or hotels and thus clustering in a community: alternatively, if you go places with long-term contractors (e.g., Amsterdam) you'd find people getting together a couple of nights a week.

As relates to the transient nature of contracting - some people totally get it.

Wouldn't consider taking my family with me, part of the attraction is getting out of domestic duties

[expat]

What is the lifestyle like?

What is the market for contractors like when you are there.

Would you considered taking the family with you and live in Europe

All depends where. Obviously if you go and live in Frankfurt you might find a good market, but if you go and live somewhere else you mught find yourself heading off to Frankfurt on a weekly commute like quite a few German contractors! OTOH at least you wouldn't have to go through LHR to do it.

Taking the family is far from easy, if the members of your family each have a life in the UK, possibly as important as yours. The children's education will certainly be highly impacted. Maybe for the better (our kids have later thanked us for the experience but I know - now - that it was very difficult for them). And your spouse or partner may not find it as easy to find work, unless they too are in IT or already know the language well.

[dang65]

I think it's one of the huge benefits of contracting that you can go off and work somewhere "exotic" (i.e. not England) for a few months or a year without any hassle. If you take permanent work abroad then you're instantly dragged in to all the bureaucracy and complexities of the local system, and you'll probably be expected to permanantly relocate there. A few months is like a holiday. You only see the good things and don't get involved in the stuff the locals moan about.

Looking forward to trying a few new places in the future anyway.

[BlackenedBiker]

Mrs BB and I are considering trying to find a contract in Switzerland for a year. She speaks the lingo perfectly and I can speak loudly and slowly so no probs there.

Just fancy the lifestyle and the experience (and those lovely alpine roads,and rock climbing and skiing).

However, is it very much the banking sector that is recruiting or are there other sectors. I have lots of finance experience but no banking.

[Menelaus]

Mrs BB and I are considering trying to find a contract in Switzerland for a year. She speaks the lingo perfectly and I can speak loudly and slowly so no probs there.

Just fancy the lifestyle and the experience (and those lovely alpine roads,and rock climbing and skiing).

However, is it very much the banking sector that is recruiting or are there other sectors. I have lots of finance experience but no banking.

Probably best speak to TonyEnglish - he's in Switzerland now I think.

Have you got SAP? I'd imagine that these skills are pretty much in demand.

[MrMark]

Mrs BB and I are considering trying to find a contract in Switzerland for a year. She speaks the lingo perfectly and I can speak loudly and slowly so no probs there.

Just fancy the lifestyle and the experience (and those lovely alpine roads,and rock climbing and skiing).

However, is it very much the banking sector that is recruiting or are there other sectors. I have lots of finance experience but no banking.

Are you not aware that more than one language is spoken in Switzerland? French will not be of much use in a German speaking canton

[BlackenedBiker]

Are you not aware that more than one language is spoken in Switzerland? French will not be of much use in a German speaking canton

Thanks MrM. Yes I was aware, but we were going to go for the French cantons.