Moving Abroad, searching for opportunities, Note from an Elder Brother
Conditions: Living conditions as well as security/health/education environment for self & family are primary concerns. An environment where emigrant is seen as a healty development because of new perspectives & opportunity or a new way of seeing opportunity is better for you. Also a society that puts premium on competitiveness & therfore values skills over the colour of skin, language & pronunciation/ diction, race etc. A healthy company policy & a supportive boss & super boss often go a long way. It can be best adjudged by putting right questions (may be during Pre Placement Talk) to the prospective employer regarding existing levels of diversity in the organisation, stickness of employees of other countries in the country of employment. Note that if the concerned company operates in your own home country & has substantial operations (or planning to set up a large operations) there, then it is better for you because your perspectives & suggestions get more value. Also you need to look at Transfer policy of the organisation including your chances to get transferred at a location which is not so much of your choice.
Continuity: This needs to be studied from various angles. One, of course, is your ability to deliver which can be valued from your interest in the Role that is on offer. Second, is of course the stability & the size of the market & its absorption of people of foreign origin in the past (especially of your own country i.e. is India). Third is future developments that might occur like M & As & so you should be careful whether your employer is going to get acquired or shall be an acquirer & what policy would they have for protecting employees interests during such an event (especially foreign employees who are generally not covered under unemployment benefits by state). Fourth is policies of the country you are moving regarding employment visas, its renewal, naturalisation, benefits etc. You should also be careful that if your are in a local customer interfacing role, then what kind of challenges have the past employees of foreign origin faced, because your inability to meet the minimum norms might lead to your unceremonious exit. Continuing growth of profits & operations of the prospective employers is also important especially growth trend in number of employees especially in your department, location & of your qualifications. Training & development opportunity comes the next & you should be looking for prospective employer's investment in that direction as it shall help you remain on top of the fast changing world. As also are the employers policy on Holidaying, entertainment etc. because you need to stay in touch with Friends back home as well.
Cash: This is the next item on agenda. You have aptly said that all things being equal more cash is better than less. You would also like to look into Termination & retirement benefits, taxation & cash in hand rather than CTC. Also in evaluating jobs in two different locations you might want to look at cost of living at those two different location. A good measure is to look at Cost of a residential apartment 2 or 3 bedroom in vicinity of your office area i.e. within 2-3 KM distance i.e. if offered a job at Manhattan, do not compare down town NY rates with say a Long Island prime location rate (where you might land another job offer) & then compare Balance Cash in Hand after the Right Amount of Rent has been deducted from your post Tax salary. Also note that local levies like VAT/Sales Tax in Europe are 5-8% higher that in US & so effective USD salary needs to be adjusted by that level as well if comparing jobs in Europe & US.
Contentment: Now this is the most tricky of all. It is said that if an intelligent person is able to put his heart & soul in the job he would be able to overcome all barriers & deliver performance. However ability to put heart & soul on a consistent basis is a result of right kind of conditioning/nourishment being received regularly i.e. money, flattery, incentives, challenges that you like, Team to commandeer etc. while things like back biting, petty office politics (where your are at wrong end are dealt away with) & things that you donot like but are a part and parcel of any job should not be allowed to bother you. We might enjoy working for a particular industry say Investment Banking but many Investment Banker have left Jobs to become Restauranteers because we all like partying even more. It is important to note that employees are known to stick to the company where the continue to achieve success/ positive appreciation at regular interval rather than industry they wanted to be in, during their job hunt. It is often more important to evaluate your skill set & its synergies with opportunity offered by prospective employer rather than opting for industry of your liking. However, you may also like to take advise of your Friends, Relatives & co-Country men working with your prospective employer but make sure that he is talking truth rather than in mode of self aggrandizement.
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