Ask HN: Is taking a US based job not a good idea nowadays as an European? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Is taking a US based job not a good idea nowadays as an European?

2 pointskecupochren4 comments

Hi. I'm from Europe and recently got a remote job offer for a US based startup. The offer is good and I was ready to sign it.

But looking at the exchange rates it seems I would be losing like 3% every month. That's really quite a lot and I have second thoughts. It doesn't seem like the wisest idea to go for it, even though I believe in the company and the team is great.

No idea what to do. I'm making the same money at the moment, but don't really enjoy the work, the team, there's no vacation nor equity. I'd love to take the new one but this is something I did not consider properly.

Is there someone in the similar situation - being paid in US dollars? How do you adjust for that?

Would it be too ridiculous to ask to be paid in euros? Sounds like I'd want to have my cake and eat it too.

Thanks for any advice or insights.

p.s. not sure if Ask HN is meant to be used for questions like this, apologies if not.

3% currency fluctuation in a month is high, but it's more of a random fluke. In the long term I'd expect the trend to be mostly interest rate diff - around 2% per year for EUR/USD.

You should be a lot more concerned about the crazy price frenzy going on with asset prices: stock market doubled in a year, real estate prices break new highs every month, even food prices are all time high apparently. You've lost way more than 3% of your purchasing power there already.

if 3% is a concern, just get a local job. Working for a company in a different country has many challenges. 3% currency exchange is nothing. This may go up or down way more, you may also face additional taxes or filing requirements.

Perhaps you should consider negotiating a higher salary.

One of the attractions of tech jobs in the US is that their salaries tend to be a fair bit higher than in Europe, so if you're already earning the same amount, it might be worth it to research what other people in similar positions are earning in that area.

Another thing you might consider is getting a bank account denominated in US Dollars, and finding a method of transferring the money that has a lower spread and / or lower fees. But currency fluctuations between USD and your local currency may still be much greater than 3%, which could have a significant impact.

3% is nothing. Look at historical charts, you are basically gambling 20% of your salary.

https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=EUR&view=5Y

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