

Ask HN: Working as a web developer in SE Asia - protek

I&#x27;m looking to relocate from the UK to SE Asia (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia etc). I keep updated on the &#x27;Who&#x27;s hiring&#x27; threads but just wanted to tap HN&#x27;s collective knowledge as well.<p>I&#x27;m 23 and have been working as a PHP Developer in London for a large fashion brand for the last 2 years but also have a lot of experience with front end technologies.<p>Just wondering what the best areas to look for work were, what are my realistic chances, any good resources to look at? In advance, thanks!
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woutr_be
I'm currently working in Hong Kong, and to be honest, tech companies here
aren't really that good, the startup scene is close to nothing at the moment
and finding a decent company that really cares about what they do is very
difficult.

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protek
That being understood, where would I begin looking for work in Hong Kong -
presumably there is a web industry there even though the startup scene may not
be as healthy as other cities?

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albahk
[http://www.88-gong.com](http://www.88-gong.com)

[http://www.startupshk.com/](http://www.startupshk.com/)

[http://www.hkcocoon.org/en/index.aspx](http://www.hkcocoon.org/en/index.aspx)

[http://hkcommons.com](http://hkcommons.com)

[http://jobs.webwednesday.asia](http://jobs.webwednesday.asia)

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ianpri
I'd look to freelance yourself out to London agencies on the proviso that the
majority of work is to be done remotely and that you'll be around for kick off
meetings etc. Once they trust you you'll be able to switch this to pretty much
100% remote (possibly look to reduce your rate as a sweetener) and then just
go to cheap SE asian country of your choice, doing visa runs every X months.

There is a large culture difference between different countries and you may as
well spend some time in each to see how they fit before looking for a full
time position

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robotys
Hi, Malaysian dev here (PHP too)

Stick to Kuala Lumpur area, particularly Bangsar for devs jobs. Most sexy
startup here is Mind Valley and they are super cool for us local devs.

Me myself based on Cyberjaya, working on ebook backend stuffs. I do not know
any openings but i'll ask around. So far i have many luck freelancing with
local jobs from Skillpages.com . You can try your luck there.

Glad to help fellow HN!

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nnash
Hong Kong, hands down. It's way more fun than Singapore (personal opinion) and
there are virtually zero local developers (A friend of mine works at an
incubator there and several of the startups have had open positions for months
on end).

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coralreef
Should probably specify what countries you're targeting, as there's a pretty
big difference between say, Cambodia and Japan.

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protek
Sorry, mainly Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia etc. Have now edited the original
post.

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joewandy
Is your university anywhere in the list on this page:
[http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/passes-visas/work-
hol...](http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/passes-visas/work-holiday-
programme/before-you-apply/Pages/default.aspx)? If yes, you might qualify for
a working holiday visa in Singapore. That would make getting a foot into the
country much easier.

~~~
protek
I don't have a degree, I have 3-4 years experience but part of me thinks on
paper (particularly to Asian employers) this wont look as good as a degree.

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benzesandbetter
geoarbitrage, my friend.

Work for clients in high cost-of-living countries. Spend your time in lower
cost-of-living countries.

Instant lifestyle upgrade.

Aren't you a little old to still be using PHP? ;)

~~~
protek
I have heard other people suggest similar, it does sound very attractive -
something to work towards maybe.

Re: PHP - I have front-end experience including some of the emergent
technologies such as Node.js etc.

Out of interest, what skills / technologies would make me more marketable to
employers (overseas or otherwise)?

~~~
benzesandbetter
In terms of technology skills, PHP is definitely at the low-end in terms of
what you can get on an hourly basis...
[http://tinyurl.com/lxsxp3n](http://tinyurl.com/lxsxp3n)

To make you more marketable to potential clients, I'd recommend focusing on
some skills that are complimentary to programming. That may include domain-
specific knowledge of a particular type of client you want to work with (e.g.
bioscience, healthcare, local government) or it may include things like
usability, SEO, or lead-generation. Find the profit centers in your clients
business and find a way to get as close to those as possible. Learn the
language they use to describe their work and make sure you use the same
vocabulary when speaking with them.

