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Are there any Americans working overseas right now?
I think it's time for me to get out of the US for a while. I've been planning on eventually going overseas for a few years anyway, and now seems as good a time as any.
My questions for anyone working out of the US:
Which country are you in?
Do you speak the language, and, if so, how hard was it to learn?
How difficult was getting a Visa to work overseas for your country of employment?
Any advice you would give or recommendations?
I already speak English, Spanish, and German. I used to speak some Ukranian, so it probably wouldn't take me too long to relearn it.

Between English and Spanish, the world is your oyster. German can't hurt.

In lots of places, English is the language that's used most in businesses, even though there are widely used native languages. Malaysia, for example has a majority language and two large minorities.

I see 2 main routes - get a job with a company in the US that will send you overseas or apply for jobs in the country of your choice.

Where do you want to work and live?

How much do you need to earn? My plan B was to get a job teaching English and use capital to pay for any difference between what I earned and the cost of the lifestyle I wanted. I didn't need a true living wage. If you need a true living wage (costs + savings), it's a lot harder.

I loved being overseas, BTW. I last worked in overseas in 1992, and good memories still come up several times a week.

I currently know three separate family units that are relocating overseas. I mostly follow their progress via their FB accounts.

Two of them are moving to Portugal and one is moving to Belize. The ones that are moving to Portugal are impressed with the ex-pat community there and found it very easy to connect with others as they began the process. One couple is able to work remotely for the U.S. companies they are currently working for here, and the other youngish woman intends to find a job there - she has desirable skills. But both families have fallen in love with Portugal - reasonable costs of living, great health care and again, a strong ex-pat community that is very supportive of new applicants.

The couple moving to Belize is probably close to retirement age, but again, have fallen in love with the country. I don't know if they plan to work remotely or are currently ready to retire.

I do know that all of their stories have included long wait times for application process and getting Visa appts., like many, many months if not a year. In the meantime, they travel to their desired country every few months to take care of needed business. One tip that one friend mentioned about getting her Visa appt. - she had tried for weeks on end to nail an appt. Then someone suggested she change the browser she was using on whatever website scheduled the appts., and she quickly was able to get an appt. 4 1/2 months out. So if you decide to proceed and have a problem getting an appt., try changing your browser.

I guess your only downside of Portugal would be they speak Portuguese, but as sisoon says, most people in Europe have at least a rudimentary grasp of the English language.

Good luck!

Belize is an amazing place. Official language is English.
They do speak a creole/French combo that I was able to get the gist of when listening. We dove 4 of 7 days there including the Blue Hole. It is an amazing place.
We stayed at a resort that was partial inclusive but went into town and definitely would stay at a place with a kitchen if we go again food was fresh amazing and reasonable.

Depending on your skillset, there are plenty of legitimate positions on USA jobs for the US government in some pretty nice locations. F saw one for his civilian skillset in Australia the other day.

I came looking for just basic information about how difficult it is to get a work Visa for various countries, and which countries may be best. And, I got answers to questions I didn't even know that I should have asked. Thank you everyone for the responses. I'm taking notes.
Keep the advice coming, im paying attention!

Ha! I didn't think about work visas because the receiving agencies took care of that.

Actually, in one case the receiving agency was a school. All I needed was a visa for entry, and the school told us what to write in our application..

The 2nd time I was on a gig for my company. Again, I needed a visa, but my company told me exactly what to write with my request.

IOW, it's easier if you have a job before you travel. If you travel without a job, you may need to leave the country in order to get a work visa. My reco is to check out the work requirements before you travel.

BTW, if you work overseas as an employee on your company's behalf, do not expect to be welcomed back. Your manager will probably have to scramble to find a role for you, and the role may not be very good.

Think about it - somebody will have to do your work while you're away, and they probably hired someone to do it. What do they do when you come back? After all, your old manager may have moved on, and their manager may have moved on, too. No one knows you. No one knows what you can do. You'll be on your own.

All you've gotten for your years overseas is one amazing experience after another....

[This message edited by SI Staff at 3:32 PM, Monday, June 23rd]

Sissoon. Thanks for the good info. I just graduated and im not working. When I was working, it was for the government in a totally different field, so im good.
I spent 21 years in the Army and almost half of it was overseas, but I never needed a passport, much less a Visa, so I know a little about living abroad, but its not the same as a civilian working in a non government agency. Thats the biggest reason im asking. But I love hearing about other people's experiences too. You never know what you're going to learn. I'm now looking to see if I can find any jobs in Portugal. Portuguese isn't that much harder to learn than Doanish and I already speak Spanish.