Want to work in another country? Here’s what you need to consider
In 2013, Heidi Schmidt moved to London to spend nine months opening an office for her employer. Seven years later — with several visa extensions and six office openings in Paris, Madrid, Milan, Stockholm and Berlin — she returned to the Upper East Side, where she’s now vice president of client services at advertising-technology agency Hybrid Theory in Noho.
“I felt like I had an international MBA in experience in all those different countries, [being] exposed to how each market does business,” said Schmidt.
Flexibility was key when cultural or language barriers emerged. In Madrid, she leaned into high school Spanish. “My brain would hurt at the end of the day,” she said. “We’d meet halfway — Spanglish.”
Wanderlust New Yorkers now have many choices beyond traditional work to move across borders. Options include relocating with a company, working remotely, taking a gap year, a sabbatical, studying abroad, the Peace Corps and more, with a choice of countries across the globe. According to InterNations’ Expat Insider 2021 working abroad index, Taiwan ranked first for job security, followed by New Zealand for work-life balance and the Czech Republic for working hours.
After graduating from the School of American Ballet in 2021, Nolita’s Clara Cantor, 19, pursued a gap year planned through the Center for Interim Programs, a gap year counseling company helping people of all ages. Her itinerary included structured external programs of three months in Peru, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, as well as Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, among others.
“The purpose was to throw myself into the wild. I was so goal-driven with grades and ballet . . . a self-imposed pressure cooker,” said Cantor, who’s heading to Brown University this fall. “I learned way more about myself and the world we live in from not having tasks to do.”
International adventures like these can be metamorphic, but they need proper planning.
Chad Ellsworth, a partner at global immigration services firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, with offices in Midtown, says work authorization is imperative. “They’re a contingency plan — a right-to-travel document that’s increasingly critical,” he said. “If you’re not compliant, it opens scrutiny for the company and everyone else at the company. Anything over 90 days would typically require a formal work permit.” And if you’re looking to work remotely, take a breath before hopping on the next flight to Costa Rica.
“Speak to your manager, speak to HR. Do it in a compliant fashion so that you protect your employer, but most importantly yourself, from any tax, employment, labor issues that could arise,” said Ellsworth.
Work permits, including for internships, are usually issued on a temporary basis for six months up to three years; it can take three to four months to secure them from the host country.
For independent contractors, scoring work authorization is also country-specific. The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Greece and Estonia top the popularity list using methods such as Portugal’s D7 residence visa and the Dutch American Friendship Treaty. Each allows entrepreneurs to live and work in the country, although investment money is required, with costs ranging from $3,000 to $5,000