and if you DID take a job like that, do you have some story you could share with me, about some dilemma you faced re: local customs

yes, i'm trying to help someone start up a community, looking for specific seed ideas for them. *grin*

so also - any specific dilemma or diff situation you faced as far as career choices. not so much WHAT career, but proper course of action

I'd like to provide you with some valuable insight but I'm Fricker, so I cant. other than the US, I've only lived in the state of confusion

that reply!!!!! omg, you are so funny!!!!!!

*hug hug hug* even tho' you probably just totally derailed this thread. *grin*

Derailing is my thing. Now I will attempt to get this back on track. Hey people, please provide valuable insight only. Lets review.

Taken a job out of the US, things you wish you would have known, stories or local custom insights. Any input helps. (not frickers)

health care A friend went to live in Japan and discovered that medicine dosages were strictly controlled - but he's 6'4" tall and

ah, good point. but - your corporation is helping you with this assignment, so what specifically re: taxes?

they didn't work for him when he got sick

ah, also good point Honour.

nothing to offer to this conversation but i can bring chocolate and merlot to sustain those of you doing real work here

ty janey! choc and merlot ALWAYS welcomed!

taxes, health care. my husband worked in costa rica for 6 months and those were the two main things. and know where your embassy is.

oh these are great! ty. anything about work problems? things that were diff between working in your native country and working abroad?

well another friend went to work in Singapore and discovered the work week was Mon thru Sat

ouch to that.

work day was longer. also my husband is an electrician and we discovered that the standards were quite different than what we are used to

what do you mean by "standards", SheBear?

find out about the cost of living

standards for electrical work wouldn't pass north American standards

Always got o work in a country where women don't have the vote, if you're a man *whistles innocently*

(JUST KIDDING! Sheesh.)

In all seriousness, check on the availability of short and long term health care and if working out of the country will affect your

eligibility for health care if/when you come back to the home country

I moved to Spain once for a job. The taxes are one thing, but first you must look into visas! Don't assume you're allowed to work there

just because you showed up. Your visa status will dictate a lot about how your taxes are paid and where.

I worked in an office with people from all around Europe, and culturally, it took a while to adjust to different working styles and

expectations... as an american I found it odd that there were so many long lunches, and that people wanted so much time off for holidays.

Another practical thing is to look into how you will do your banking while you are there. I was with Citibank, which had branches in both

the US and Spain but they were totally separate entities, which meant I couldn't really access my account and once when I lost my debit card

it was almost impossible to get it replaced without having someone in the states act as an interim. It was horrible.

But you might not be allowed to open a bank account in the country you work in if you are not an official resident, so look into it.

my experiences with a temporary stay in spain versus a permanent stay in the UK are totally different. I could go on forever, but the last

thing I would say is never, ever go work in a foreign country unless you have enough money and brains to get yourself out if you have to.

as in, if your company goes belly up, will you be stuck there? will you have something to go home to?

oh VERY interesting about the banking.

for several of these, often your corporation handles it (taxes, some of the medical stuff, not all). i was wondering about

things like the lunch hours, work days, banking, more/less separation of work-personal than you are used to

you folks are great