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I happened to be in Russia when the Who's Hiring thread showed up. I have family there, so I was entertaining the thought of possibly moving there, or maybe st

I happened to be in Russia when the Who's Hiring thread showed up. I have family there, so I was entertaining the thought of possibly moving there, or maybe staying for a year or two. However, I noticed most of the remote locations were "US-only", and even the ones in other countries were usually local to that country -- "germany only", etc. I was wondering how many of the "US-only" ones would accept me, since I am a US Citizen, just not living in the US. Or is there some kind of tax reason they have to be US-only?

johnward 10y ago
I'm in the US and find that even within the country many of those jobs are listed as "remote" but then I will hear something like "we're not looking for people in your area". Do they understand what remote means?
pbnjay 10y ago
I assume it's for legal reasons. It's very hard/expensive to deal with international legal issues. Much simpler to stay within your own country.
skrebbel 10y ago
I think a combination of simpler tax/administration and timezones. Working with a distributed team across the world's time zones (f.ex. Bay Area and much of Europe are 9 hours apart) is an entirely different game from working with a distributed team in roughly the same time zone. The latter allows you to organise as a digital version of a colocated office, eg you can you standups, easily plan meetings without negotiating against half the team's evening plans. The first makes most sense if you manage to be mostly meeting-less. That's more challenging in my book, but maybe also more rewarding - and not only for hiring reasons (after all, meetings easily become a waste of time).
- nraynaud 10y ago
  no, because that's forgetting the entire Latin America that has timezones similar to the US.
  - skrebbel 10y ago
    I said a combination of that and tax/administration stuff.
jedberg 10y ago
It's legal. It's a huge pain in the ass to hire someone whose physical address is outside the US if your company is based in the US. Heck, it's a huge pain in the ass just to hire someone outside of a state you aren't already operating in.
- MichaelGG 10y ago
  Just ask the person to form a company and hire that company? I've never heard of anyone having any difficulty with this. And even if you're paying an individual you just need to get their W8-BEN or withhold 30%; it's not that difficult. Or, what are you referring to?
  - jedberg 10y ago
    Forming a company isn't all that easy. Also, now that person has to pay their own SS and Medicare tax, or if they form a C corp, they have to file incorporation papers and tax returns and filing fees and... Also, if I pay a person through their company like a contractor for too long, the IRS comes down on me because they assume I'm trying to skirt tax laws (and rightly so, because that's basically what you're suggesting).
    - itchyouch 10y ago
      LLCs and S-Corps are useful for their flow-through taxation. It's not a big deal if you're 1099'ing a contractor running their own business, no? When I did sidework, the side gigs all 1099'd me.
      - jedberg 10y ago
        It's fine if you do side gig's 1099. But if I have someone doing full time work for me where I set the wage, that's not a contractor anymore according to the IRS and they get really suspicious when your "contractor" has worked for you and only you for many years.
        10y ago
speeder 10y ago
I am from Brazil, since I graduated around 2009, I never got a 100% legal job, and never got a well paying job or contract. I keep hearing that I should move, or should work remote, I always reply: "How?" Because most countries only allow you to move into them if you get invited or is already wealthy. Most remote jobs I see, no matter where I look (I don't look only on HN) are US-only, or local only. Most jobs that accept foreigners, have written on them: "Must already have H1B or Greencard" So what I am supposed to do? People criticize me when I complain that my yearly income has been on average about 10.000 USD, and I have to expend 2000 USD to build an "average" computer (or 4000 USD if I do it with only 100% legal parts with all taxes paid), saying that I am "stupid" for not working remote or relocating. But I am yet to see someone offer me a solution. Even people that could hire me directly, sometimes say to me: "Oh, I loved your work, I am sure you will find work! Of course, I can't hire you, because it is against my company policy."
- spraak 10y ago
  A way to get experience might be to suggest that you're hired as a consultant or contractor. It's easier for the company to do, but be careful that they still treat you fairly. I know a company in the UK that does this for its remote workers.
  - speeder 10y ago
    I don't lack experience. I lack JOB. Or REAL contract. I've been working since 2009, I have lots of projects done, plus a startup. But most of this, is not legal, usually I had jobs pretending to be contracts (ie: it was a day job, but paid as if I was a contractor, highly illegal in my country, because the government consider this a way to avoid following labour laws... and it is exactly that), low-paying contracts that don't follow all laws correctly either, stuff paid off the books, and so on. But I found noone, in any country, willing to hire me 100% legally with fair pay, either as employee or contractor. (I did got some offers for legal work, but the pay was always less than my student loans, and later the loans I made to pay student loans, so not worth it at all).
    - 10y ago

johnward 10y ago

I'm in the US and find that even within the country many of those jobs are listed as "remote" but then I will hear something like "we're not looking for people in your area". Do they understand what remote means?

pbnjay 10y ago

I assume it's for legal reasons. It's very hard/expensive to deal with international legal issues. Much simpler to stay within your own country.

skrebbel 10y ago

I think a combination of simpler tax/administration and timezones. Working with a distributed team across the world's time zones (f.ex. Bay Area and much of Europe are 9 hours apart) is an entirely different game from working with a distributed team in roughly the same time zone. The latter allows you to organise as a digital version of a colocated office, eg you can you standups, easily plan meetings without negotiating against half the team's evening plans. The first makes most sense if you manage to be mostly meeting-less. That's more challenging in my book, but maybe also more rewarding - and not only for hiring reasons (after all, meetings easily become a waste of time).

nraynaud 10y ago
no, because that's forgetting the entire Latin America that has timezones similar to the US.
- skrebbel 10y ago
  I said a combination of that and tax/administration stuff.

jedberg 10y ago

It's legal. It's a huge pain in the ass to hire someone whose physical address is outside the US if your company is based in the US. Heck, it's a huge pain in the ass just to hire someone outside of a state you aren't already operating in.

MichaelGG 10y ago
Just ask the person to form a company and hire that company? I've never heard of anyone having any difficulty with this. And even if you're paying an individual you just need to get their W8-BEN or withhold 30%; it's not that difficult. Or, what are you referring to?
- jedberg 10y ago
  Forming a company isn't all that easy. Also, now that person has to pay their own SS and Medicare tax, or if they form a C corp, they have to file incorporation papers and tax returns and filing fees and... Also, if I pay a person through their company like a contractor for too long, the IRS comes down on me because they assume I'm trying to skirt tax laws (and rightly so, because that's basically what you're suggesting).
  - itchyouch 10y ago
    LLCs and S-Corps are useful for their flow-through taxation. It's not a big deal if you're 1099'ing a contractor running their own business, no? When I did sidework, the side gigs all 1099'd me.
    - jedberg 10y ago
      It's fine if you do side gig's 1099. But if I have someone doing full time work for me where I set the wage, that's not a contractor anymore according to the IRS and they get really suspicious when your "contractor" has worked for you and only you for many years.
      - 10y ago

speeder 10y ago

I am from Brazil, since I graduated around 2009, I never got a 100% legal job, and never got a well paying job or contract. I keep hearing that I should move, or should work remote, I always reply: "How?" Because most countries only allow you to move into them if you get invited or is already wealthy. Most remote jobs I see, no matter where I look (I don't look only on HN) are US-only, or local only. Most jobs that accept foreigners, have written on them: "Must already have H1B or Greencard" So what I am supposed to do? People criticize me when I complain that my yearly income has been on average about 10.000 USD, and I have to expend 2000 USD to build an "average" computer (or 4000 USD if I do it with only 100% legal parts with all taxes paid), saying that I am "stupid" for not working remote or relocating. But I am yet to see someone offer me a solution. Even people that could hire me directly, sometimes say to me: "Oh, I loved your work, I am sure you will find work! Of course, I can't hire you, because it is against my company policy."

spraak 10y ago
A way to get experience might be to suggest that you're hired as a consultant or contractor. It's easier for the company to do, but be careful that they still treat you fairly. I know a company in the UK that does this for its remote workers.
- speeder 10y ago
  I don't lack experience. I lack JOB. Or REAL contract. I've been working since 2009, I have lots of projects done, plus a startup. But most of this, is not legal, usually I had jobs pretending to be contracts (ie: it was a day job, but paid as if I was a contractor, highly illegal in my country, because the government consider this a way to avoid following labour laws... and it is exactly that), low-paying contracts that don't follow all laws correctly either, stuff paid off the books, and so on. But I found noone, in any country, willing to hire me 100% legally with fair pay, either as employee or contractor. (I did got some offers for legal work, but the pay was always less than my student loans, and later the loans I made to pay student loans, so not worth it at all).
  - 10y ago