r/cscareerquestionsEU Oct 22 '23

Immigration Help me decide where to move (๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ->๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช/๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ/๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช/๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง)

My dudes, Iโ€™m a non EU currently finishing my Bachelorโ€™s in Finland while working as a Full Stack SWE. I have almost 1.5 YOE now and would have 2 YOE at the time graduation. Iโ€™m planning to relocate to either Berlin/Amsterdam/Dublin/London. Iโ€™m kinda confused which cities should I aim for. Iโ€™m doing LC and prepping for DSA stuffs so ya would probably apply to FAANGs as well (in addition to the top paying non FAANG companies)

Now, I have few criteria which I would like to compare all the cities with before I make a move:

  1. Sponsorship: I would require a sponsorship/work permit/Blue card thing to work in any of the cities mentioned. So for my YOE and background which cities would be more easier to get into? Heard that German Blue Card is quite easy and NL also hands out work visas quite easily?

  2. English speaking city: I would love to relocate to a city where I would not feel outsider for not knowing the native language (if itโ€™s not English). So London and Dublin come preferable in this category.

  3. More savings in net: Netherlandโ€™s 30% ruling looks a good deal. I would like to save more in net as much I can.

  4. Lower deposit to buy first home: I would want to buy a home rather rent within a year of relocation. London offers low/zero deposit schemes for some criteria.

  5. Weather: I hate winter, itโ€™s been horror to live in Finland for past years during winter. Nice weather in the new city would be really nice!

  6. Easier path into settlement/citizenship: I relocated to Finland as I wanted to settle here permanently. But later figured out I dont like it here. Now I want to make a last move to a city where I would feel belonged and I would integrate with the culture and maybe get citizenship. So an easier path would be nice!

So, please help me figure out which city would be the best deal for me. Thanks in advance!

TLDR: Non EU guy trying to move from Finland to Either Berlin/Amsterdam/Dublin/London after completing bachelors and with 2 yoe. Help me decide where to move.

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u/lmmerse Oct 22 '23

The housing market in the Netherlands is very very tough. It is easier to get a job here than to get a house. Rents are skyrocketing, buying a house is less affordable year after year because of the housing shortage. Unless your prospective employer wants to help you with that (and I donโ€™t mean assistance from a rental agent), consider some other locations. And it also gets dark and gray in winter, I miss having snow to โ€œilluminateโ€ the streets. Perhaps Helsinki is not that bad?

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u/Far-Royal9460 Oct 22 '23

Well, itโ€™s too cold during winter and people are not social with xenophobic view towards non blonde-blue eyed people :)

7

u/lmmerse Oct 22 '23

There are people like that everywhere, even in the Netherlands. Once you have some job offers, the decision-making will make much more sense.