Hey all, I know this topic has come up in one form or another but I still have some specific questions. I am new to all this (applying to work abroad + even asking for advice on a forum) so please bear with me. So my questions largely concern the topic about housing when working abroad. While some firms mention that they would pay for healthcare, housing, etc...some remain ambigious. (This may be a silly question) but do I assume the firms will not help me find housing and only care that you are in someway able to get to their facilities? I assume that is the case. I was wondering if any of you fellow archinecters had any tips/advice/past experiences you can share with me as well as to the rest of this forum?
-Should I try to ask firms abroad to help me in some way to pay or find housing?
-How/where do I find housing abroad? (especially without even knowing how it looks or if it is safe/appropriate/etc?)
ask for help and or advice. am sure it will be offered along with the job. if not then you are going to work for some pretty iffy people. i would not expect offices in london to pay your rent. don't know about china.
it is very difficult to find a place long distance. come to think of it that us is not so different to moving across the usa except that customs are different in different countries and sometimes they can be quite a pain - a fine addition to the pain of moving within your own culture. i have moved to 3 countries(Canada, UK, Japan) in last few years and it is always nerve-wracking to find a place while also trying to find your way in a new job...
but it always works out and in hindsight was always much easier than expected. i wouldn't worry too much over it, just be diligent and am sure you will be fine. enjoy the adventure of being in a new country!
Thanks Jump I really appreciate the quick response! I am definately going to remain diligent in the process but I have to get a job offer first haha....
yeah i second jump's comments...i moved to netherlands, china, and denmark, and never had big issues finding a place and always received help from the companies (or more often their employees) i worked for and usually a hotel for the first few days or week while looking, so ask for that. also once you find out where you are going you can find people who lived there before who can recommend brokers and/or websites to help find apartments.
unfortunately it's rare in architecture to get the full expat package complete with housing, etc, but sometimes it happens...usually that would be with larger firms for more senior employees.
i wouldn't worry too much about it, things tend to get taken care of much easier than expected.
I can give some advice about London as I am an American currently living/wokring here...
firms are hiring again but there are so many qualified, talented, motivated and most importantly, unemployed people here, it is tough going to get a job... and thats if you are already living here... second, the salaries are not what you would expect at most places given the abundance of skilled people willing to work for less than you.... third.. the governemnt has all but eliminated the sponsored work visa and non-U citizens who are already living and working here are being forced to leave because of the lack of Visa options...
my advice is go for China... and what the above people said applies.. doubt they will pay for you unless you get hired by a US office and sent to China.
Agree with what's been said above. Many places have customs similar to the US, where you'll have to put down a deposit and first (maybe 2nd) months rent. Where I am (and I imagine in London as well), gumtree substitutes for craigslist.
I wouldn't expect a firm to pay for your housing unless you've got some pretty unique background / skills. You'd have to be pretty exceptional to get that kind of treatment in London.
I've heard those kind of perks are fast disappearing in China as more and more westerners flock there. I don't know about Shanghai, but in Beijing the expat community was pretty tight when I visited (this was four years ago so maybe everything has changed) and so you could find places through friends or workmates pretty easily.
Four years is about 30 years when it comes to china. tides can change weekly with the flick of a communist government wrist. i recommend looking at this other thread about young architects in china:
Questions about working/living abroad
Hey all, I know this topic has come up in one form or another but I still have some specific questions. I am new to all this (applying to work abroad + even asking for advice on a forum) so please bear with me. So my questions largely concern the topic about housing when working abroad. While some firms mention that they would pay for healthcare, housing, etc...some remain ambigious. (This may be a silly question) but do I assume the firms will not help me find housing and only care that you are in someway able to get to their facilities? I assume that is the case. I was wondering if any of you fellow archinecters had any tips/advice/past experiences you can share with me as well as to the rest of this forum?
-Should I try to ask firms abroad to help me in some way to pay or find housing?
-How/where do I find housing abroad? (especially without even knowing how it looks or if it is safe/appropriate/etc?)
-Any Advice?
I appreicate all of your help. Thanks!
I forgot to mention I am American and currently reside in the U.S.
I was looking to work abroad in places such as CHINA or LONDON
ask for help and or advice. am sure it will be offered along with the job. if not then you are going to work for some pretty iffy people. i would not expect offices in london to pay your rent. don't know about china.
it is very difficult to find a place long distance. come to think of it that us is not so different to moving across the usa except that customs are different in different countries and sometimes they can be quite a pain - a fine addition to the pain of moving within your own culture. i have moved to 3 countries(Canada, UK, Japan) in last few years and it is always nerve-wracking to find a place while also trying to find your way in a new job...
but it always works out and in hindsight was always much easier than expected. i wouldn't worry too much over it, just be diligent and am sure you will be fine. enjoy the adventure of being in a new country!
Thanks Jump I really appreciate the quick response! I am definately going to remain diligent in the process but I have to get a job offer first haha....
yeah i second jump's comments...i moved to netherlands, china, and denmark, and never had big issues finding a place and always received help from the companies (or more often their employees) i worked for and usually a hotel for the first few days or week while looking, so ask for that. also once you find out where you are going you can find people who lived there before who can recommend brokers and/or websites to help find apartments.
unfortunately it's rare in architecture to get the full expat package complete with housing, etc, but sometimes it happens...usually that would be with larger firms for more senior employees.
i wouldn't worry too much about it, things tend to get taken care of much easier than expected.
I can give some advice about London as I am an American currently living/wokring here...
firms are hiring again but there are so many qualified, talented, motivated and most importantly, unemployed people here, it is tough going to get a job... and thats if you are already living here... second, the salaries are not what you would expect at most places given the abundance of skilled people willing to work for less than you.... third.. the governemnt has all but eliminated the sponsored work visa and non-U citizens who are already living and working here are being forced to leave because of the lack of Visa options...
my advice is go for China... and what the above people said applies.. doubt they will pay for you unless you get hired by a US office and sent to China.
Good luck!
Agree with what's been said above. Many places have customs similar to the US, where you'll have to put down a deposit and first (maybe 2nd) months rent. Where I am (and I imagine in London as well), gumtree substitutes for craigslist.
I wouldn't expect a firm to pay for your housing unless you've got some pretty unique background / skills. You'd have to be pretty exceptional to get that kind of treatment in London.
I've heard those kind of perks are fast disappearing in China as more and more westerners flock there. I don't know about Shanghai, but in Beijing the expat community was pretty tight when I visited (this was four years ago so maybe everything has changed) and so you could find places through friends or workmates pretty easily.
Four years is about 30 years when it comes to china. tides can change weekly with the flick of a communist government wrist. i recommend looking at this other thread about young architects in china:
http://archinect.com/forum/thread/12191943/young-us-architects-working-in-china
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