
Ask HN: How to get a software developer job in Europe as an American? - mattyb678
I’m a US citizen but I’ve always wanted to live in Europe. It seems like the few times I’ve applied for a job in Europe I get dismissed just because I’m an American. Are there companies or countries that are more willing to hire someone from the United States.
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janbernhart
I've hired US citizens to the Netherlands frequently. Basically, only needs
for work permit & visa are A) company is whitelisted by the immigration
services and B) the pay for the job meets a certain threshold (which is the
main proof it's a 'highly-skilled' job). This threshold is a bit different in
different cases, but in most cases anything 60K and up is sufficient. If the
netherlands/amsterdam would be an option, connect with me and I'm happy to
help. (I know most companies that can & will hire from non-EU).
[https://nl.linkedin.com/in/janbernhart](https://nl.linkedin.com/in/janbernhart)

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Lausbert
Just send me your CV on Linkedin and I could connect you with some
companies/recruiters in northern Germany, if you want to :)

[https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephan-
lerner-301ba091/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephan-lerner-301ba091/)

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NicoJuicy
I don't think there is any discriminations against Americans, it's definately
not unrare to work with > 3 nationalities.

I think the issue is most likely that you are not living here yet, remote
isn't frequent for where i live.

Send me an invite in Linkedin and give me a PM with your cv. I'm pretty sure a
lot of recruiters ( that tried to recruit me) would be happy to suggest you to
their clients :)

[https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicosap/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicosap/) (
cfr. Belgium), recruiters are pitching me for Netherlands, Belgium and the UK
fyi.

If you want a job in the Netherlands or Belgium, Tweakers is a popular dutch
platform and for IT, most companies don't care about nationality:
[https://elect.tweakers.net/](https://elect.tweakers.net/)

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nocubicles
I've always wanted to visit Brugge after watching the movie In Bruges. Maybe
this summer I'll get to it :)

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NicoJuicy
Just give me a notice then, always happy to meet fellow HN'ers :p

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thenaturalist
Definitely seen quite some folks from across the pond in Berlin. Happy to
share your CV if that is of interest to you, contact details in profile.

In general, I'd recommend you check out platforms like [0] and [1], they are
used quite often by companies and as a developer, you talk to companies
directly, not recruiters.

I am by no means affiliated in any form with either of those companies and
solely post them here as advice I think is relevant to OPs question.

[0]: [https://www.talent.io](https://www.talent.io)

[1]: [https://www.honeypot.io](https://www.honeypot.io)

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mattyb678
Thanks, I'll check out those sites!

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olegious
Update your LinkedIn job preferences to list the cities that you're interested
in. Use your network. That's how I received multiple offers, I'm not an
engineer, should be even easier for an engineer. Be prepared to take a big pay
cut and get a new appreciation for the USA ;), although some things are much
better in Europe.

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temp99990
Interesting. I’ve gotten two offers from two European tech cos, one in London
and one in Amsterdam though did not end up accepting either. In both
situations I felt they were pretty eager/open to hiring.

The biggest hurdle they face in hiring non-Europeans is that I believe they
must somehow prove that you possess skills that are uncommon in the local
talent pool in order to get you a work visa. I think SWE, other technical
skill set, or having an advanced degree all would help there...

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world32
Out of curiosity, would you be happy with anywhere in Europe or are you
looking at certain countries / regions?

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mattyb678
I’m conversational in Spanish and have visited it a few times, so I’d love to
live there. I love the biking culture of the Netherlands. If not Spain, then a
place that I could get by with English while I learn the local language.

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world32
Other than Spain, I think the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and
most of the Scandinavian countries are ones where you could get by with
English while you learn the local language. Oh and of course, the UK and
Ireland (if you consider those as European). Though because of that, I think
its likely you will never really learn the local language because you will
have no need to. In most big cities in those countries people will probably
talk back to you in English even if you try and speak the local language. But
it really depends on what kind of experience you want.

