To hop the pond...
polycounter lvl 7
while engaged in my unending job search I have been coming across more and more positions open in the UK and places like the Netherlands. I live in California, and given my limited amount of professional experience I operate under the assumption that my stuff had better be amazing for any company that far away to go through the work and expense to get me there... I apply anyway, most of the time, but feel it's usually a long-shot.
I was just wondering if anybody would care to discuss their observations on people getting work overseas like that. I know it happens - I had a teacher move off to Amsterdam to work for Guerilla for a couple of years. but how common is it actually? How impressive does your resume or portfolio generally need to be to attract the needed interest? Are there regulations on required time in a related field (as i believe is the case with Canada)
more importantly, if anybody's experienced it (especially with children) how much of an adjustment was it?
More curiosity than anything else...but please...talk amongst yourselves
I was just wondering if anybody would care to discuss their observations on people getting work overseas like that. I know it happens - I had a teacher move off to Amsterdam to work for Guerilla for a couple of years. but how common is it actually? How impressive does your resume or portfolio generally need to be to attract the needed interest? Are there regulations on required time in a related field (as i believe is the case with Canada)
more importantly, if anybody's experienced it (especially with children) how much of an adjustment was it?
More curiosity than anything else...but please...talk amongst yourselves
Replies
As for regulation it depends entirely on the country, I tried to work in the UK after I left my first job in Europe and i wasnt able to get a work visa in the UK due to their points system. Because of my crap Art Institute education i fell short of the proper amount of points to be eligible for their first tier visas. Because of this no company would hire me because of the hassle and money it was to get a 2nd tier visa.
Germany on the other hand was insanely fast and easy, i got the job,flew back to the US to visit my family and expected to wait months but 2 weeks later i had a visa and was on my way back to Europe faster then i expected.
As for children i can not comment since i have none but most major cities have international schools which teach in english.
You're forgetting that over here there are also more and more courses (GLR, GLU, IGAD, QANTM) that spew forth competition. The entire industry is picking up over here, mostly smaller studios and self-starters.
Also, if you're having trouble finding a job in the US, I would suggest to work on your portfolio, it definitely won't hurt in your case.
haha! amused.
but in all honesty, California isn't all it's cracked up to be. The weather's great - that's certain. I have already come to the conclusion that I will never be happy with the weather anywhere else...ever. Aside from that it's just another place. Maybe it's because I grew up here and it's all hold hat now.
And just to clarify: I'm not actively TRYING to find work in a different country. I have, however, been seeing more and more jobs out there - and I've applied for a few - in addition to all the applications I put in to studios here in the states.
Just wondering how difficult it is, what the process is, what the adjustment was like, etc.
This is largely due to to the fact that I applied for a position at Interwave that got posted in the paid job postings here on polycount...then realized after submitting that it was in the EU.
And the fact that I've been eyeballing the Splash Damage art test for months and wondering if I should even bother. (I probably will eventually, even if just to do another project.)
Same for Canada. Same for the US... except here in the states they want you to have a green card.
Which in my mind tells you. Stay away, we only want to hire people around here for the time being.
I think Xenophobia is entirely too strong a word to describe the average American attitude towards people from outside the country..but i don't know a milder form of it.
it has been my observation that a person's nationality is generally viewed as their single most defining characteristic in the US. Not that people are scared of them or racist or anything, just that it's the first thing they see or use in a description or explanation.
Even in the way American's describe themselves to a lesser extent. Most people in the US were born here, most people's parents were born here. As far as culture is concerned we're all "Americans", but lots and lots of people describe themselves as "Irish" or "Italian"...which they're simply not in most cases.
This may have to do with the fact that almost everybody's ancestry came from a different country at some point around here, which leaves us with the problem of lacking a truly distinct culture of any significant age or tradition...Which i think a lot of people feel they want or need to define themselves as people (or excuse their habits and behavior) - so they grab onto what they know of in their ancestry.
I've even done this myself from time to time...and I don't even know where my last name actually came from. I've been told that it's Belgian...but my dad and I were drinking at the time and that may have been wrong or I may be recalling it wrong...
In a Etymological discussion I had with a friend from Ethiopia we were considering variations on it's spelling...but it's lost to me. I have no singular defining "nationality" to claim - just a few genetic percentages.
And (i'll probably get flamed for this) LOTS (not all. please don't crucify me) of Americans are Narcissistic asses when it comes to discussions of an international nature. The attitude that we're the "best" country in the world persists even while our own government does its very best to screw us and the rest of the world over...
but i digress...
I have a friend who went to Bioware in Edmonton directly out of school. They worked with him and he was able to pad his resume with some old Arch Previz stuff he had done after highschool in Mexico to get the required "related field" experience.
...crap. i hope this doesn't turn into a debate thread. they seem to follow me everywhere. maybe i'm too opinionated
you're already in the spot with the (seemingly) most enviable job opportunities. that being said i totally get wanting to see more of the world. however, if nice weather is really something important for you then stay FAR away from the UK! been there, done that and all. if you want sun, better look elsewhere.
generally the UK i find an uninteresting place for jobs right now - a few years ago it used to have a thriving console dev scene and a strong currency but many companies there went under in recent years and there's a now a lack of opportunities in a country somewhat circling the drain (imo).
I'm in California too, and I keep hearing people say they wanna go to Europe. Though the UK isn't usually the top of their list. Gotta say, I wouldn't mind it either, just for the reason of wanting to see more of the world.
There's a good volume of work in California, true. There's also a good volume of applicants. actually California would be ideal for me since I have a family to move - but i have to take what doors open up.
http://www.trcmediagroup.com/
I think, get a few years experience under your belt then consider changing countries. Or just apply for absolutely everything, cus you never know!
I don't know if that's really a fair statement. in my experience and observation one's success in a job search (at least in the first job or two prior to being well established in the industry) relies nearly as much on timing and luck (aka right place right time) as it does on skill level.
which isn't to say you can get the job without the skill...but the skill will usually only get you MOST of the way there. the rest is who you know and when you asked.
obviously not always the case...but something i've seen and experienced pretty regularly.
bingo! exactly what i've been doing and the reason i've started this thread.
Dundee has a booming indie games scene, might be a few jobs up there.
Dundee is okay. I studied there but generally the jobs there are the lowest paid you'll find combined with the longest hours. It's a cheap city to live in but it's a bit unstable still.
Travelling abroad and working for a year or so would be awesome
I love all the travelling i have gotten to do and all the places i want to see as well.
Career wise, the protections ive enjoyed as a worker have also been really good on the occasions i have lost my job,the benefits are much better then they are in the US.
Last job i lost i got 4 months of salary as compensation and that made a huge difference when it comes to stressing out about finding work