If you could contract in any country, which would you choose?

[jamesbrown]

Seriously? I get it that gun violence and other violent crime levels can be mitigated by choosing some specific areas of this fast country. But how would you handle their healthcare system and lack of food standards?

You've never lived there have you?

If you're rich, healthcare is excellent, food is excellent. Better than the UK. If you're not, well...

No contract market analogous to the UK, but salaries are way higher, in general.

[ladymuck]

Awwww...really? a full year? there has to be a way around that. Extended family kids growing up too fast. At my age I could pop off any minute. Can't risk more than six months.

I didn't mean it quite like that. Sure, do six months if that's all you can manage (and to be fair the summers are awful there), it's just that you would still be tax resident in the UK. Whereas if you could do a full year, it makes things cleaner / simpler

[ladymuck]

That's because you and I hang out in very different places.

Most people hang out in different places to Tarbs

[Benny]

. You need to do a full tax year and plan for how you get the money back into the UK...

Gold bullion?

[Whorty]

I'd probably go down under - NZ is a bit too quiet but I do like Sydney / Melbourne (when it's not on fire).

having worked in both cities I'd concur. Probably choose Melbourne over Sydney, but, to be honest, I'd be happy with either

If I had a free run, I'd choose Singapore. Never worked there, but visited quite a bit. Excellent city to base travel around the region from

[herman_g]

Greece. Bear with me.

Great climate, great people, great food, great culture.

Easy access to the rest of Europe / EU. Good infrastructure for remote working.

Living expenses 30% less than most other EU countries.

Property is cheap.

English widely spoken.

Economy turning around from the crash and likely to continue to do so.

That's precisely where I am now (island of Rhodes where I've owned my home for 16 years now).

Been on the bench since September not been too bothered as I live off about 2000 euro / month here.

Just signed a new contract back at my previous client in Bratislava (550 euro/day). They don't mind 50% remote work and in summer it's 2:10 flight back and forth (winter is about 4 hours).

No work worth performing in-country as my niche market has a small group of Athens contractors who bill out at 150 / day.

Agree with DaveB about everything he says, pretty much. However infrastructure can be a bit dodgy - 1/2 day or so per month no electric and a few hours per month no internet. Last month I had to reschedule a video interview twice as a huge rain storm took out a local bridge and my ISP had their fibre optics running underneath. Bit hard to explain to recruiters in the first world!

[BR14]

anywhere except singapore.
it attracts too many towrags for my liking.

[ladymuck]

having worked in both cities I'd concur. Probably choose Melbourne over Sydney, but, to be honest, I'd be happy with either

If I had a free run, I'd choose Singapore. Never worked there, but visited quite a bit. Excellent city to base travel around the region from

Singapore would be another one I'd go for. Hong Kong would be contender if it were independent but not while the Chinese are running the place.

[oliverson]

If I were to move, it would be based on lifestyle choice, not contract.

As a contractor you tend to travel for work, one role in one place, a year later another role somewhere else (unless you're one of the disguised permies who stay at the same client for a few years). If you limit your contracts to being "close to where I live", then you're limiting your opportunities.

I'd choose somewhere where I could afford to live comfortably that was close enough to the sea to go sailing, close enough to the mountains to go skiing, where I can take my dog for long walks, take my wife for long lunches, with a climate suitable for growing vines, along with other fruit and veg.
Somewhere I could drive an Alfa Giulietta Spider in the summer and a Stelvio QV in winter.

Rate & Demand don't really feature that highly.

I'm there right now, working! Andalucia. Just don't take the Alfa down to Puerto Banus or you'll be laughed at!

[MonkeysUncle]

Lol, I saw more alcohol, hookers and drugs in Dubai than anywhere else I’ve worked


Sent from my iPhone using Contractor UK Forum

I did a gig where I had to go to Dubai for a week. I remember speaking to the clients there, one of their reps had to come back to England to detox because they were drinking so much in Dubai.

When you get see past the shiny building the glitzy life (which fades quickly)....dubai is not a nice place to live.