Where to go to live and work for an IT specialist

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Five cities with good conditions for career development.

Senior-level specialists often receive job offers with relocation, that is, relocation. Sometimes it is difficult to objectively assess how easy this step will be, and it is completely impossible to predict how justified it will be.

But if you want to try something new, but break away from your family and familiar life is not very good, then here are five good options. There is a beach, mountains, and the center of Europe. What all these places have in common is their proximity to Russia, the active development of the technological sector and a large number of open offers. An IT specialist is appreciated in every country, the only difference is how much effort will have to be made to move and long-term arrangement.

1. Minsk, Belarus

• From Moscow: 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Population: 1,949,059 people.
• In the international safety rating: 16th place.
• Decorating in a new location: very easy.
• The cost of a 1-room apartment in the city center is $ 347, outside - $ 242.
• The cost of a 3-room apartment in the center is $ 595, outside - $ 413.
• Average developer salary: $ 1,946

Work

The government of Belarus is now actively investing in the development of the technology sector: this is a high-tech park, preferential taxation, and other ways to attract foreign companies and specialists. In recent years, the country's IT sector has been growing by 25% per year and brings 5.5% to GDP.

If you measure in people, IT in Belarus is about 45,000 specialists, and every year tens of thousands of graduates are added to this figure. Such a boom means vacancies not only for programmers, but also for people working on product development and promotion. The average developer salary is $ 1,946 (in Russia - $ 1,653). A non-technical professional, such as a product manager, can expect to receive a salary of $ 2,000.

It is not difficult to find an interesting place of work. International companies in Belarus are represented by: Bell Integrator, Itransition, SoftClub, Artezio, Intetics, Oxagile, IHS. From local products - World of Tanks. But the cherry is the High Tech Park (HTP), founded in 2005. It stimulates the development of the sector largely due to preferential taxation. Employees of HTP resident companies pay a reduced personal income tax - not 13, but 9%.

Living conditions

For a person who is not very good with foreign languages, working in Belarus is one of the options for changing the situation. The country has a Russian-speaking population. The education system uses two languages - Russian and Belarusian.

It will also be easy to register on the spot. According to the law, it is only necessary to officially rent a house and provide an agreement with the company. And you can register in the country already on the basis of an employment contract and an employment contract.

Moving to Minsk, you do not have to rebuild to a new language, face a different dominant religion or cardinal changes. Even the currency is the ruble, but the Belarusian one, with its own jumps and peculiarities.

With a programmer's salary, you can count on a good standard of living. An apartment in the center of Minsk costs from 347 to 595 dollars, depending on the number of rooms. Outside the city center, a one-room apartment can be rented for $ 242, and a three-ruble note for $ 413.

If you look at the fundamental things, Belarus is in 16th place in the world safety rating. And if you want to switch from writing code to starting your own company, the country is in 29th place in the ranking of ease of opening and 37th in the ranking of ease of doing business.

2. Tallinn, Estonia

• From Moscow: 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Population: 395,392 people.
• In the international safety rating: 7th place.
• New location: medium difficulty.
• The cost of a 1-room apartment in the city center is $ 576, outside - $ 390.
• The cost of a 3-room apartment in the center is $ 973, outside - $ 670.
• Average developer salary: $ 2,242

Work

The IT sector in Tallinn is numerically not so large, but in relation to the population it is concentrated. IT professionals make up 4% of the working population. The sector is supported by the state and contributes 7% of GDP. The numbers are just an indicator that, if you wish, you can easily switch to a new place and another interesting product.

Among the notable companies in Tallinn are Skype, Taxify, Derivco, Vaimo. Average developer salary is $ 2,242. The exact amount, like anywhere else, depends on skill, language, and experience.

In Estonia, you have to pay taxes on all your income, wherever you get it. This is an income tax of 20% plus social security contributions. If you want to turn from an employee into an employer, then Estonia is in 15th place for the ease of opening and 16th for the ease of doing business.

Living conditions

Estonia is the European Union, salary in euros and the Schengen area. But these bonuses come at a price. The process of joining a company and settling on site is already more complicated. For an official stay in the country, you must apply for a residence permit, which is tied to the employment contract. And with a new employer, the process starts over. The registration takes about two months. There are special conditions for startups and a special Start Up Visa Program.

Estonian is not easy, but you don't have to learn it. Many companies use English as their workforce.

There are dozens of schools in the country where instruction is conducted entirely in Russian, although Estonian is still a compulsory subject (language proficiency test is a condition for obtaining a certificate). For a small town in Tallinn, there is a fairly large Russian-speaking community. These are chats, groups, sites, offline communities.

In addition to work and salaries, comfortable living conditions are largely ensured by a sense of security: Estonia ranks 7th in the world ranking for this parameter. Among all European countries, it is considered the most irreligious, and most believers adhere to Christianity.

And, perhaps, the main plus is the Schengen area. Estonia is not the center of Europe, but getting anywhere is pretty easy. There are regular flights, low-cost airlines, trains, buses and even ferries.

3. Yerevan, Armenia

• From Moscow: 2 hours 50 minutes.
• Population: 1,068,300 people.
• In the international safety rating: 11th place.
• Setting up in a new location: easy.
• The cost of a 1-room apartment in the city center is $ 352, outside - $ 189.
• The cost of a 3-room apartment in the center is $ 681, outside - $ 344.
• Average developer salary: $ 1,952

Work

Today Yerevan is one of the most active technological centers in the post-Soviet space. A country with a favorable climate for both people and the growth of the IT sector is also called the Silicon Mountains. Among the companies represented in Armenia are Synopsys with the largest engineering office outside the United States, Siemens, Oracle, National Instruments, Cisco, VMware, Deloitte. Global food companies are also registered in Yerevan: DISQO, Vineti, ServiceTitan. Among the products that launched in this country and entered the international market are PicsArt, 2hz, RockBite Games.

In dry terms, the technology sector in Armenia is 7% of GDP and 27% growth per year. IT specialists make up 5.3% of the working population of the millionth Yerevan. And 14 thousand children get acquainted with programming and new technologies in centers like, where education is free.

The average salary in Armenia is not as high as in Tallinn, but this does not affect IT in any way. Average developer earnings are $ 1,952. Going into details, the team lead gets up to $ 5,133, the data scientist up to $ 4,500. The salary may not differ much from the Russian proposals, but it should be borne in mind that Yerevan is 30% cheaper than Moscow.

Another important nuance: salaries on the websites of companies and in contracts are indicated in dollars, but paid in Armenian drams. The exchange rate of this currency has not changed significantly over the past six years.

Income tax in Armenia depends on the amount of money earned and is levied only on income from Armenian sources.

Living conditions

The Russian language is widely spoken in the country. This is the first foreign student taught in schools from the second grade. There are Russian schools, universities, books and services, and films in cinemas are left in the original or shown in Russian. In a professional environment, as elsewhere in the world, English is required. All official correspondence is conducted on it, the employment contract with the company will also be drawn up in English.

For Russian citizens there is one more bonus: in order to get a social insurance card, without which you cannot get a job, you only need a passport. In addition to Russians, citizens of Belarus, Ukraine and many other countries can stay on the territory of Armenia for 180 days without a visa and registration.

4. Prague, Czech Republic

• From Moscow: 2 hours 50 minutes.
• Population: 1,272,690 people.
• In the international safety rating: 19th place.
• Registration in a new place: difficult.
• The cost of a 1-room apartment in the city center is $ 803, outside - $ 593.
• The cost of a 3-room apartment in the center is $ 1,417, outside - $ 965.
• Average developer salary: $ 1,746

Work

The Czech Republic is another European country with Schengen bonuses. But membership in the European Union does not mean that the settlement process is identical to the Estonian one. No matter how much the country needs specialists, the vacancy must first be open for citizens of the Czech Republic and other EU countries within 30 days. Only then can foreigners apply for it.

The process is further complicated by the fact that obtaining a long-term visa can take four months. And what kind of specialist one must be for the company to be ready to wait so long!

Czech Republic is one of the largest IT outsourcing service providers in Eastern Europe. Hundreds of companies are registered in Prague, the country's main IT hub. Major local products include AVAST Software, Cleverlance Enterprise Solutions, Strix. If you want something bigger and more global, there are offices of Google, IBM, Oracle, Skype in Prague.

Salaries are comparable to those that a specialist of the same level receives in Moscow. The average salary by sector is $ 1,746, but the difference in programming languages is worth considering. Java programmers receive the most: 63,000 CZK or $ 2,749. Least of all - PHP-developers: about 40,000 CZK or 1,800 dollars.

The tax for individuals is 15%, regardless of the country - the source of income.

Living conditions

You don't have to learn Czech when you move. English is widely spoken here, especially in a professional environment. The country also has a large Russian-speaking community, but the local population does not speak our language. There are Russian schools and gymnasiums for the younger generation. Education at public universities in the Czech language is free for all students, regardless of their citizenship.

The issuance of a residence permit, as in Estonia, is tied to a contract of employment. The easiest way is to first obtain a residence permit, for example, as a student, and then look for a job and change your visa status.

It is more expensive to rent an apartment here than in Estonia. A one-room apartment in Prague will cost no less than $ 593, and in the center - $ 803. For a three-room apartment, you will have to pay from 965 to 1,417 dollars.

5. Limassol, Cyprus

• From Moscow: 3 hours 45 minutes.
• Population: 101,000 people.
• In the international safety rating: 22nd place.
• Registration in a new place: difficult.
• The cost of a 1-room apartment in the city center is $ 854, outside - $ 693.
• The cost of a 3-room apartment in the center is $ 1,520, outside - $ 1,174.
• Average developer salary: $ 2,829

Work

If the thought of moving to a beach, an office overlooking the palm trees and the distant horizon, you can go to Cyprus and check if the sun, heat and sea interfere with your work.

There are many offices of companies from the financial sector on the island: Exness, FxPro, ForexTime, IronFx, Alpari. NCR Corporation, Amdocs, Viber, Microsoft, Oracle also work here. Many organizations provide a relocation package and at least cover the cost of the flight.

The tax depends on the level of salary and ranges from 20 to 35%. And the cost of living is almost four times lower than in Northern Europe.

Living conditions

As in all countries of the European Union, in order to settle in Cyprus and apply for a residence permit, it is necessary to provide bank guarantees, a contract of employment or property, a police clearance certificate, education, a bank statement with a certain amount depending on the number of family members. medical insurance, additional documents, if there are children. Five years later, you can apply for permanent residence.

Despite being a member of the European Union, Cyprus is not part of the Schengen area, so freedom of movement throughout Europe is an illusory notion.

Many people choose Limassol for relocation - a small city with a population of just over 100 thousand. Residents of the CIS come here, you can find signs and services in Russian. There are private Russian kindergartens and the opportunity to get a Russian-style education. English is widely spoken in international companies. In general, there is no need to learn Greek or Turkish, the official languages of the island.

Like many countries on the list, Cyprus is quite safe: in the ranking for this parameter, it ranks 22nd. But the main thing is that the summer on the island lasts seven months. There are 340 sunny days a year and the Mediterranean Sea.