
Ask HN: Where to go after Brexit - europeansoft
I&#x27;m a European software developer, I&#x27;ve been living in the UK for several years now. We are very happy here, but after reading the latest Brexit polls I&#x27;m considering moving again with my family in the event leave wins.<p>Which other European cities are good destinations for software engineers these days?
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ISNIT
[https://nomadforum.io/](https://nomadforum.io/) is a good place to ask
similar questions.

[https://nomadlist.com/](https://nomadlist.com/) is a great way to filter and
search different countries and cities by various criterion.

I personally think that the UK leaving the EU would make it more democratic
and, in the long run, a better place to live than many EU countries which are
governed by un-elected individuals.

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ISNIT
On a similar note, those who want to leave if the UK stays should know that
Switzerland is one of the last democracies in Europe. (They also have nice
watches and an amazing quality of life)

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datalist
Switzerland is nice, but often overrated by expats ;)

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yeureka
I'm in a similar situation and I am thinking about the same thing.

Once Brexit happens I think there is a high chance that a lot of software
development jobs will be lost, specially in the City of London.

This will depress wages and mixed with a lower sterling will make for a bad
time for developers.

But even if this does not happen, xenophobia will most likely rise as it will
be given political backing by whoever comes into power. It could become nasty
for foreigners.

I hear good things about Scandinavia and Germany.

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ramtatatam
Get permament resident status :-)

I don't think UK will exit EU, it sounds like their government is trying to
get a better hand in negotiations that's all. UK leaving EU would destroy
post-WWII order.

Having that said - it's right of their society to vote whatever they feel is
right, permament resident status is the answer.

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europeansoft
I could get UK citizenship if I ask for it, and I would have done that if it
was the other way around (my country leaving the EU, instead of the UK).

The way I see it, the main argument to leave the EU is to reduce immigration,
it would be pointless if we stay in anyway :)

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ISNIT
As far as I can tell, the main argument is about democracy vs un-elected
individuals.

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europeansoft
I would rather not go into that, but I've heard this several times and I think
it misrepresents the situation:

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-
referendum-36429482](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-
referendum-36429482)

~~~
ISNIT
Unfortunately, the BBC is extremely biased. Far worse than it used to be.
Probably best to read from other inversely biased sources too :)

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Tomte
Tallinn is small, but seems exciting.

Estonians are on the forefront of trying digital services and e-government.

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EugeneOZ
It depends on what you need from cities. I'm traveling with family over Europe
while working and all I need is good WiFi.

I can recommend Barcelona and Prague :)

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pyb
If we have a Brexit, Berlin will quickly become the startup capital city in
Europe. Finance might be forced to partly leave London as well.

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datalist
What are the reasons you'd be considering this?

Any particular cities you'd consider?

~~~
europeansoft
Well, if the UK leaves the EU my rights would be affected. Also I expect a few
years of bad economy after the decision where it will be easy to blame other
European countries for every problem. So the future doesn't look very
promising if we stay.

I was considering Berlin, Amsterdam and Madrid (we are originally from there,
so it's the obvious place to come back to, even if the situation there is less
than ideal).

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datalist
I admit, I am not familiar with all the details, but I as far as I know an
exit should not affect the residency of foreigners already living there.

As for the economy, I'd wait and evaluate how things are going.

Have you considered Vienna as well?

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europeansoft
Yes, I've never been but I've heard that it's a beautiful city.

How is the job situation there? I don't know many software companies in
Vienna.

~~~
datalist
I am afraid I cant comment on the job situation. Its probably not exactly the
European counterpart of Silicon Valley :) but they nonetheless have a fair
share of IT companies. Maybe check out [http://www.karriere.at/jobs/edv-it-
organisation?states%5B0%5...](http://www.karriere.at/jobs/edv-it-
organisation?states%5B0%5D=Wien)

As for the city, yes it's quite a nice one, good infrastructure, lots of
cultural heritage, nice environment and so on .... for the past six years it
ranked #1 in Mercer's list of quality of living survey. Though to be fair,
last time I was there I do admit I had the impression some things changed and
it seems it has become less safe recently. So that might be something to
consider as well.

