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I was looking for new work this year and found a company which hired me for +40% salary increase and remote/timezone free. Personally I have young kids and the

I was looking for new work this year and found a company which hired me for +40% salary increase and remote/timezone free. Personally I have young kids and therefore prefer flexible times, fully remote etc. Being in Europe, I think fully remote is getting embraced. It‘s the third company where I get US level salary plus all the benefits (30 days vacation, unlimited sick leave etc). I see a strong trend from young families moving to the country side and paying off a house from one tech salary. At least in my circle. I hope it stays. Thus being said, I am a bit nervous moving away from tech hubs and having to hope this remote trend truly stays. What if there are no good remote jobs in a few years or I get laid off? Being in a tech hub still seems, somewhat, more secure to me.

idiotsecant 4y ago
I think remote work is definitely a double-edged sword. For the time being wage pressure is high but as large organizations find out that they can recruit talent that would have accepted a little bit less and done just as good of a job they will begin to lower wages for these remote positions, which will lead to people being willing to accept a little less, which will lead to lower wages, etc until an equilibrium is reached a little bit above what typical tech wages would have been remotely but well below what US tech wages are now. This will be a moderately good thing for workers outside the US, a moderately bad thing for workers inside the US, and a fantastic thing for the companies who reduced the cost of their labor pool substantially. I feel like there is definitely a little bit of job security in staying with a place that insists on local work only, but those places will become less attached to that position as they see industry peers successfully migrate away from it.
- mech422 4y ago
  I heard the same thing when off-shoring was the rage, and salaries are higher then ever for tech workers. I also suspect that with declining birth rates in 'industrial' countries, the market for tech workers could get even more competitive as people retire. I've also been fully remote for 20 years now, and it just gets easier/better all the time...
DoingIsLearning 4y ago
> Being in Europe, I think fully remote is getting embraced. It‘s the third company where I get US level salary plus all the benefits. But this is as an actual employee not as a contractor? Most of the US roles I've seen, that would consider EU ppl, the expect contractor arrangements where you deal with your own taxes.
- drakonka 4y ago
  Some places provide the opportunity to choose between being a contractor and an employee through a third party local company. In my country, my accountant and financial advisor strongly recommended I stay a contractor through my own company for tax reasons, so that's what I'm doing, but the other option also sounds very nice.
- milosmns 4y ago
  Side note: being an employee in Europe comes with a degree of job security (being a contractor doesn't unless you somehow insure yourself privately). But, employment benefits come with massive paperwork complications for remote people (like who pays if you fall from your chair during work). Pros and cons, as always.
- recvonline 4y ago
  Twice it was a US based company (San Francisco), who are used to SF salaries, and found out the the "same quality" engineers in Germany can be hired for much cheaper (cost of living much cheaper etc.). So for both sides, its a win-win. I see many more companies doing this. It's not really good for the local economy, since you leverage the (back then) super liquid SF bay area market from within Germany. They usually have a European/German office for the paper work, just pay much better but have to obviously comply to German labour laws. I am happy this works so well so far, but don't count on it being like this forever. From what I heard from these two companies, that they stopped hiring SF engineers (because too expensive) and looked for other places in the US with the same timezone.
  - DoingIsLearning 4y ago
    Yeah I suppose my follow up question is how does it work for you w/ async comms for companies with HQ in Pacific Standard Time? Or are you just working with a completely separate CET team, and there is no Pacific time interaction?
mettamage 4y ago
Is your company looking for other people? It sounds awesome. Email is in profile :)
- recvonline 4y ago
  If you are open minded, there are tons of Blockchain companies out there who offer great perks, latest tech and amazing salaries. Caveat: You have to know which company is legit and which is not. I am getting approached by 2-3 companies a week and found 2 (out of maybe 20-30?) which were legit.

idiotsecant 4y ago

I think remote work is definitely a double-edged sword. For the time being wage pressure is high but as large organizations find out that they can recruit talent that would have accepted a little bit less and done just as good of a job they will begin to lower wages for these remote positions, which will lead to people being willing to accept a little less, which will lead to lower wages, etc until an equilibrium is reached a little bit above what typical tech wages would have been remotely but well below what US tech wages are now. This will be a moderately good thing for workers outside the US, a moderately bad thing for workers inside the US, and a fantastic thing for the companies who reduced the cost of their labor pool substantially. I feel like there is definitely a little bit of job security in staying with a place that insists on local work only, but those places will become less attached to that position as they see industry peers successfully migrate away from it.

mech422 4y ago
I heard the same thing when off-shoring was the rage, and salaries are higher then ever for tech workers. I also suspect that with declining birth rates in 'industrial' countries, the market for tech workers could get even more competitive as people retire. I've also been fully remote for 20 years now, and it just gets easier/better all the time...

DoingIsLearning 4y ago

> Being in Europe, I think fully remote is getting embraced. It‘s the third company where I get US level salary plus all the benefits. But this is as an actual employee not as a contractor? Most of the US roles I've seen, that would consider EU ppl, the expect contractor arrangements where you deal with your own taxes.

drakonka 4y ago
Some places provide the opportunity to choose between being a contractor and an employee through a third party local company. In my country, my accountant and financial advisor strongly recommended I stay a contractor through my own company for tax reasons, so that's what I'm doing, but the other option also sounds very nice.
milosmns 4y ago
Side note: being an employee in Europe comes with a degree of job security (being a contractor doesn't unless you somehow insure yourself privately). But, employment benefits come with massive paperwork complications for remote people (like who pays if you fall from your chair during work). Pros and cons, as always.
recvonline 4y ago
Twice it was a US based company (San Francisco), who are used to SF salaries, and found out the the "same quality" engineers in Germany can be hired for much cheaper (cost of living much cheaper etc.). So for both sides, its a win-win. I see many more companies doing this. It's not really good for the local economy, since you leverage the (back then) super liquid SF bay area market from within Germany. They usually have a European/German office for the paper work, just pay much better but have to obviously comply to German labour laws. I am happy this works so well so far, but don't count on it being like this forever. From what I heard from these two companies, that they stopped hiring SF engineers (because too expensive) and looked for other places in the US with the same timezone.
- DoingIsLearning 4y ago
  Yeah I suppose my follow up question is how does it work for you w/ async comms for companies with HQ in Pacific Standard Time? Or are you just working with a completely separate CET team, and there is no Pacific time interaction?

mettamage 4y ago

Is your company looking for other people? It sounds awesome. Email is in profile :)

recvonline 4y ago
If you are open minded, there are tons of Blockchain companies out there who offer great perks, latest tech and amazing salaries. Caveat: You have to know which company is legit and which is not. I am getting approached by 2-3 companies a week and found 2 (out of maybe 20-30?) which were legit.