Thread: Working in russia

How do i go about working and living in russia as a web developer/programmer....

Do any of you know anyone who is looking for someone like me, if so let me know asap thanks....

I'm no expert, but do you plan on emigrating to Russia? If so, from what i've heard / read, thats normally pretty much impossible.

However, if you want to work in Russia, there are several things you need:

1.) A (Russian) company that has already hired you
2.) The company that has hired you to send you a letter of invitation
3.) Proof of financial stability
4.) HIV Test (if longer than 90 days)

Once you have all of that, you then need to fill out the appropriate paperwork and get that to a Russian consulate in your country. Then they'll probably get you some kind of 12-month Visa which has to be renewed on a yearly basis (If you plan on working there for more than 12 months). Of course, there are variations to this procedure, as I know sometimes you are issued a 3-month Visa and then a company will convert it into a 12-month Visa, etc...

tdk

Visit www.expat.ru - site of expats in Russia.

You don't even know the alphabet yet, don't get carried away. Maybe you should visit first.

Originally Posted by TATY

You don't even know the alphabet yet, don't get carried away. Maybe you should visit first.

Once again, TATY offers brutal, unsolicited advice that's correct. I think it's great that you want to learn Russian and work in Russia, but I think you're in for a rude awakening if you think you will comfortably adjust with virtually no background. Maybe I'm wrong -- I hope I am -- and this is something you're thinking about a few years down the road, but you better be well prepared. Simply visiting for a brief while is a colossal pain, but I can't imagine dealing with the bureacracy on a longer and more in-depth basis. What you have to understand is that it's a COMPLETELY different culture and language, and there are completely different understandings and nuances. All I'm saying is that we'd (probably -- I can't speak for TATY ) all hate to see you stuck with Khodorkovsky in a Siberian labor camp because, you say, botch a tax form.

I am quite a resilient person, but living in Russia for a month was hard enough for me. Not particularly becuase it was Russia, just being in a different country and emmersed in a language I am not fluent in.

Moving from the UK to Russia would be a big culture shock. I expect you haven't been, and therefore don't know what it's like.

So when you say

"Do any of you know anyone who is looking for someone like me, if so let me know asap thanks.... "

I'm sure there are pleanty of unscrupulous individuals in Russia who are looking for naive Westerners who don't speak a word of Russian.

Your right i should'nt go rushing into things, thanks guys. Does anyone want to penpal with me...

Iam 18/male living in england (liverpool) and iam a very good english speaker, even though iam from scouser land...

I would like to meet a russian man/woman age 17 to 25 who would help me learn russian language...also i would come and stay there for couple of weeks and meet you face to face..

Originally Posted by абернзи

Your right i should'nt go rushing into things, thanks guys. Does anyone want to penpal with me...

Iam 18/male living in england (liverpool) and iam a very good english speaker, even though iam from scouser land...

Who is Iam?

According to Google Image Search, this is Iam,

Tits!

Originally Posted by TATY

I am quite a resilient person, but living in Russia for a month was hard enough for me.

pluhease! A bunch of bullocks, if you pardon my English. Unless you are addicted to Western lifestyle you can easily live a year in Russia providing A) You have enough cash ($10k should do it)
B) You try to learn the language

Besides, the first month IS the hardest, after that it is a breeze.

Unless you're fairly adept at the language and you know how to negotiate the bureaucracy, you're going to pwnd on your own. I would imagine visa issues, residency permits, work permits?, taxes, etc. could be a real biiatch.

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Unless you're fairly adept at the language and you know how to negotiate the bureaucracy, you're going to pwnd on your own. I would imagine visa issues, residency permits, work permits?, taxes, etc. could be a real biiatch.

How about Russian people.

Russian people? Meaning they need to know Russian or that they can be really biiatchs?

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Russian people? Meaning they need to know Russian or that they can be really biiatchs?

Did I mention knowing Russian?

buy a business visa and sort yourself out when you get to russia - www. gotorussia.com (or .net,.ru, dont remember). there are HUNDREDS of russian programmers, you will need a new angle

Originally Posted by абернзи

How do i go about working and living in russia as a web developer/programmer....

Do any of you know anyone who is looking for someone like me, if so let me know asap thanks....

Our labour laws are not very friendly to foreigners. Our management (I work in an IT company) says it will take 4 months to hire a foreigner and there are other obstacles. So you must be a really valuable employee so that a Russian company would take the burden of hiring you.
Also salaries in Russia are much lower than in "reach" Western countries for equal work. That's the reason why software outsourcing is perhaps a primary business for IT companies in Russia.
But western IT companies that outsource their projects to Russia often send their employees to Russia to assist and supervise the work, so this is a good opportunity to work in Russia without actully being employed by a Russian company.

I believe the Russian income tax for foreigners working in Russia runs about 30%. Be prepared to eat a lot of plain kasha.

Pisces is probably on to something there; find a company that does business in Russian and work there. If you have good job skills combined with a Russian background, that's sure to bode well. That doesn't mean a permanent posting, but a shorter period of time is just as good -- let them worry about the paperwork and legality, and get paid a Western-sized salary in Euros/Dollars/Pounds/whatever instead of Rubles.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want to work in Russia?