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      10-25-2021, 10:09 AM   #11
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Join Date: Nov 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hl0m4n View Post
for those of you who have expat experience, care to share your story ?

where are you originally from?
where did you go?
how long did you stay?
thoughts/experiences?
any regrets?

more technical question that's on my mind: social security benefits are calculated on your 10 annual highest earnings. if you work as an expat in a country with tax treaty with usa (for example korea), does your overseas salary qualify for social security benefits?
where are you originally from? US by way of Russia (living in US since 1995, 35 Y/O)

where did you go? Poland.

how long did you stay? 1.5 years

thoughts/experiences? Great experience, in just about every European country many/most people speak English so there is no language barrier. It's safe and friendly, definitely safer than most places in the US. I had great housing, car and gas paid for, so every weekend I explored different parts of Europe (26 countries in total). I wasn't born in the US and am very used to different cultures and traditions, so there wasn't a culture shock or standard of living adjustment that many coming from the US may have. The Polish are very direct, can be terse and don't kiss your ass, and being Russian, I can appreciate that. I also lived in China for 5 months during grad school and it was a similar experience. Overall, very financially rewarding, but I would've done even if it wasn't. There's nothing like an expat experience.

The one thing I would pay attention is on the way back to the US. Even though I had been working at my company for 5 years, I didn't have a job to return to, but I started my search early, worked closely with HR and they set me up for a pretty nice return role. Don't put that off, make sure you have a solid transition plan.

any regrets? None, would do again in a heartbeat, just about anywhere in the world.

Some things you may want to negotiate in your package...compensation for travel back home (1-2 times yearly) and hired on as a US based employee, not a local hire.
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