gbadev.org forum archive

This is a read-only mirror of the content originally found on forum.gbadev.org (now offline), salvaged from Wayback machine copies. A new forum can be found here.

OffTopic > Relocating

#106732 - sgeos - Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:33 am

tepples wrote:
sgeos wrote:
Take a tour of the "Help Wanted" forum. The job offers from EA and other companies are real. If you are 17 and in high school you won't get the job. If you've got your act together, interview well and are willing to relocate, you might be hired.

"Willing to relocate" even internationally?

Chances are slim a large studio will let you work from home in another country. Let's look at the tobert's (EA) post.

tobert wrote:
We are looking for talented programmers to work on an exciting new project at our Chertsey studio in Surrey.

I take this to mean "we expect you to move to Chertsey". I don't know where Chertsy or Surrey is. Google "Chertsey Surrey". It's in the UK.

The company that hires you may or may not be willing to relocate you (pay for the plane ticket). That depends on the company and how much they want your skills.

tepples wrote:
How many years does it take to 1. build the confidence,

To move? Some people can decide to move and be gone the next day. Other people could never bring themselves to move (homesick, etc.) Less time if you are adventurous.

tepples wrote:
2. learn the language (except among US/UK/AU/NZ/anglophone Canada),

A normal person will naturally pick up necessary basic communication skills within three months. At that point you'll be able to buy groceries, find washrooms and do anything else you consider critical (get to the train station). You won't be able to carry out complex conversations.

How long will it take to get really good at a language? The short answer is years. The long answer is, it depends on age, effort, relation to other known languages, natural language learning ability, and your definition of "really good". (Koreans seem to able to pick up Japanese in about six months. Takes longer for Americans.)

tepples wrote:
3. learn the laws,

Use common sense and you should be fine most of the time. Basic laws are the same everywhere (don't steal, don't attack people, etc). If your target country has a radically different culture from your home country I suggest reading a few books about that country's culture before you get on the plane. (You could read them on the plane.)

You should be notified of any entrance procedures either on the plane or after landing. Things like register with the city within 30 days, etc.

tepples wrote:
4. perform the paperwork to be able to relocate to another country?

This depends on the country. If you have a sponsor (the company that hires you) or another valid reason to enter the country, getting the visa should take about a month. Again, it depends on the country. You may need a return ticket before you are issued a visa.

Plane tickets usually want to be bought months in advance. Certain seasons are cheaper. These seasons may be destination specific. IIRC you can only buy plane tickets at a maximum of 364 in advance.

-Brendan

#107074 - OOPMan - Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:24 am

Just a little something to add...

When relocating a Visa is not your only paperwork worry...

In the UK, for example, you need to obtain a Social Security number and Bank Account. Depending on your means and situation when you arrive, this can be either very easy or a painful exercise in beauracracy...

So, the moral of the story (From personal experience):

Thoroughly investigate the paperwork side of things, don't assume that having a valid visa by itself is enough...
_________________
"My boot, your face..." - Attributed to OOPMan, Emperor of Eroticon VI

You can find my NDS homebrew projects here...

#107078 - sgeos - Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:56 am

OOPMan wrote:
In the UK, for example, you need to obtain a Social Security number and Bank Account. Depending on your means and situation when you arrive, this can be either very easy or a painful exercise in beauracracy...

It's similar if you come to Japan without a job. You need a cell phone to get a job. You need a bank account to get a cell phone. You need an alien registration card to get a bank account. You need to register with the city to get an alien registration card- and that takes about three weeks to clear.

Double checking is important. At the airport in Japan, they tell you that you have three months to register with the city. (If you don't you can be deported, or whatever the government does with illegal immigrants. =) People are surprised when I tell them that they should register ASAP due to the cell phone deal above. It would be nice if you could register three weeks before landing. =)

I don't really know about other countries. Evidently the USA is a pain for non-citizens. My brother will be getting married soon, and his wife has to jump through hoops to be able to work in the USA (she from Canada).

I have friends who are in Canada on a working holiday visa. Fantastic way of doing things, getting a job is easy. One of them has extended her stay and is still working. Frankly I don't know what kind of visa she has right now.

I had to open a bank account with XYZ bank and get an inkan (Japanese signature seal) to work at ABC company. The level of beauracracy is going to depend on the country, your visa, the company and probably a bunch of other things.

-Brendan

#107104 - poslundc - Thu Oct 26, 2006 4:48 pm

Canadians working in America (or vice-versa) is pretty easy with NAFTA if you have a professional degree and are only doing it on a temporary, year-by-year basis.

Anything else is a pain... and expensive. :(

Dan.

#107219 - gauauu - Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:36 pm

When I went to China, my company had recruited me from the US. It wasn't really much headache for paperwork...my company took care of all that for me, as long as I was willing to bring in about 37 passport-sized photos.

It's not hard to get employed in China if you are a native English speaker. The pay isn't great, and you have to learn to deal with some of the oddities of a culture that's SO different than our western culture, but it was fun.

So back to Tepple's 4 questions:
1. build the confidence -- well, that's a personal problem
2. learn the language -- I got by with English for the first few months.
3. learn the laws -- in China, the law is generally: use common sense and don't get yourself into trouble. There's lots of laws that get enforced, and lots that don't. The only trouble I ever heard of someone having was when someone being very loud about Christian evangelization.
4. paperwork -- your company will probably handle it for you

#107268 - sgeos - Sat Oct 28, 2006 3:45 am

gauauu wrote:
as long as I was willing to bring in about 37 passport-sized photos.

Wow, you only need about 8 at first in Japan.

gauauu wrote:
3. learn the laws -- in China, the law is generally: use common sense and don't get yourself into trouble.

In China you can also buy your way past certain laws. "No pictures allowed"? A little baksheesh will take care of that. (Ok, it's a flat out bribe.) I wouldn't recommend using this strategy with the Chinese government. Frankly, the Chinese government really scares me.

The above strategy does not work in Japan. In Japan, rules are rules (for the most part).

gauauu wrote:
The only trouble I ever heard of someone having was when someone being very loud about Christian evangelization.

What excactly, does Chinese customs do with people they catch trying to bring bibles into the country? (I, for one, do not want to find out first hand. =)

US customs officials make Canadian customs officials look friendly. Chinese customs officials make US customs officials look friendly.

-Brendan

#107352 - gauauu - Sat Oct 28, 2006 11:01 pm

sgeos wrote:

What excactly, does Chinese customs do with people they catch trying to bring bibles into the country? (I, for one, do not want to find out first hand. =)


We're getting a bit offtopic, but...I dunno. You can buy/sell bibles relatively freely within the country nowadays, so it's not as big an issue as it used to be. These days, at least in the part of the country where I lived, as long as you are making too much noise, it's not as dangerous.

Quote:

US customs officials make Canadian customs officials look friendly. Chinese customs officials make US customs officials look friendly.


That may be true to some extent, but we crossed the Chinese border MANY times (somewhere around 30-40?), most of the time with zero hassle at all. Only once was my baggage even searched. The people I dealt with at customs were never rude or unfriendly. Cambodia's customs was much less friendly. And Singapore's was ridiculously friendly. They even passed out candy as you went through the line... :)