Indians living abroad-is it really worth it?

[abhijit_reddevil]

Yes, we are speaking of the so-called NRI's here. People go to countries like USA, UK, Australia, NZ and many others, many for the sole purpose of studying and then return back from India. Others, after finishing their studies and getting their college degrees, get a job and settle down in that country, and after that, apply for permanent citizenship in that country. Still others, in mid-career, go, for example, to USA on H1 visa, apply for green card and then settle there.

I am currently on a project for my company and living, not in a well-known place in the USA. Well, if you are lucky, you can get settled in a big city like Chicago or New York or San Francisco or any other. But majority of the projects to which companies send people from India are in far off places, like me. It's not that whatever I save is 40 times when I get back to India (US $1=Rs.40.25 a few days ago). That cannot be the only motivation. I was not doing so bad back in India, salary-wise or whatever. If you live in a far off place like me, the hardships of life can hit you very hard. Example: You MUST have a car here to commute as these so-called towns do not have a proper transportation system. There is no social life in the evenings and the weekends, you just have to sit at home, watch TV or surf internet, or rent a DVD and watch movies. There's no one to talk to, if you are new to this country or any other country and no place to go. Travel is expensive and then again, you must have a car to take you to nearby places for weekend travel. If you are married and you are stuck in small towns, then there is not much your spouse can do career-wise (your company's project is one of the very few places for employment and that too, if she is appropriately qualified) and she is wasting her valuable time. Additionally, the craze for using exclusive foreign stuff is not so much at present as things got here are also easily available back in India. These are just few examples.

Back in India, you have a social life, family and friends, you can do much on the weekends, do not have to worry about employment anywhere, do not have to worry about getting your spouse a work permit in order to get employment, etc. And above all, the point I like the most is you do not have to worry about plane tickets for getting back to your family. Like from here, getting back to my family will cost me US $2000 approx for a single round trip. Even if you wanted, you cannot visit your family every year.

Is it really worth the trouble? I am getting sick of this place. Are people living abroad year after year unsocial? I do not know what joy they derive out of living alone abroad year after year, without family, friends and without the enjoyment they could have got had they settled back in India only.

These trips are only good for a short term, say 4-6 months, make some dollars, euros, pounds or whatever, and convert the money back to INR and enjoy back in India. I feel my wife and myself would surely become mad if my company tells me to stay here even for 2 years. We are looking forward to getting back after 1 year. It has been only 3 months and I am really sick of staying so called 'abroad'.

[FilledVoid]

am currently on a project for my company and living, not in a well-known place in the USA.

I'd prefer this over city life anytime. Further more you'll be charged less taxes at the same time and have access to pretty much all amenities you would have access to if you were in some Metropolitan City.

You MUST have a car here to commute as these so-called towns do not have a proper transportation system. There is no social life in the evenings and the weekends, you just have to sit at home, watch TV or surf internet, or rent a DVD and watch movies. There's no one to talk to, if you are new to this country or any other country and no place to go. Travel is expensive and then again, you must have a car to take you to nearby places for weekend travel. If you are married and you are stuck in small towns, then there is not much your spouse can do career-wise (your company's project is one of the very few places for employment and that too, if she is appropriately qualified) and she is wasting her valuable time. Additionally, the craze for using exclusive foreign stuff is not so much at present as things got here are also easily available back in India. These are just few examples.

I worked in USA for four years and I'm pretty sure that having a car is nice but 90% of the time chances are that there will be some form of public transportation to reach your destination. I tell this to everyone who goes there who I know. When you get a house always take one where public transportation is accessible.

The point about Social Life you make is so untrue. You make your social life what you want. Go outside get a drink , Go to the mall. Visit the Y. There are numerous places you could go to with some searching on the internet or checking with friends. Find out Indian organizations like churches , temples or whatever religious place you prefer etc. You won't meet people staying in your house. You need to take the initiative of going outside and meeting folks. Check out if there are people in the forum who live near by etc.

The spouse part may be correct to a certain extent. The optional choices you have is having her go for further education , part time jobs etc. You could even check with HR at the company and check out if they do have part time jobs open which your spouse might be able to fill.

Back in India, you have a social life, family and friends, you can do much on the weekends, do not have to worry about employment anywhere, do not have to worry about getting your spouse a work permit in order to get employment, etc. And above all, the point I like the most is you do not have to worry about plane tickets for getting back to your family. Like from here, getting back to my family will cost me US $2000 approx for a single round trip. Even if you wanted, you cannot visit your family every year.

Yes this is the point I was looking for. Its the same reason why i came back from US. I have a huge family here in India. From my point of view I have much more fun here than I do over there. Yes , unless you're some filthy rich person theres no way you are going to be able to visit your family frequently.

Is it really worth the trouble? I am getting sick of this place. Are people living abroad year after year unsocial? I do not know what joy they derive out of living alone abroad year after year, without family, friends and without the enjoyment they could have got had they settled back in India only.

These trips are only good for a short term, say 4-6 months, make some dollars, euros, pounds or whatever, and convert the money back to INR and enjoy back in India. I feel my wife and myself would surely become mad if my company tells me to stay here even for 2 years. We are looking forward to getting back after 1 year. It has been only 3 months and I am really sick of staying so called 'abroad'.

Personally I would say no . If you have a good way of earning your livelihood here then why go outside at all? Any time I try to convince my best friends or family members not to go they think I'm insane . I don't blame them though.As I said above its more like a certain persons perspective. Some people wouldn't mind the trade offs made above.

PS: Earning and saving that much money to come back home and enjoy isn't really smart. Cause you waste ALOT of your time earning it and you'll be too old to enjoy it anyway.

[amitava82]

Since I'm not a socialized person, I do not have any problem living abroad alone... But again who knows what will happen in next five years down the road.. After all, life is ever changing.

[Count Dracula]

Yes,Why go in abroad,if everything you want is here?.Just study and come back.I'd better watch my India improving than US or something.They just get those qualified guys to the US because they find it that,they can make you work for cheap.

[esumitkumar]

very gud topic digitized ...i share and respect ur sentiments ...even i was onsite for two times ..once in London ..another time in HK ..and i njoyed only when i go out wid frnz ..for some sight seeing etc ..after that it become pretty dull .....

but the fact is that u have to work ..kahin bhi offshore ho ya onsite ....

when i was @onsite ..i needed my parents ...not money but now ..
mind is so confusing..here @ offshore ..i want to go onsite again ..i need money ..better lifestyle ..but i need family,friends also

lets see +ves n -ves

+ onsite :

1. better salary
2. better wrkg culture (very less politics ..if ur on client side)
3. sight seeing opportunities
4. better infrastructure

-ves
1. In asia (HK,singapore,china) long wrkg hours usually 9am to 9 pm
2. You can be racially abused in Europe
3. Feeling bored n lonely without family,frnz
4. Have to do all manual work urself (no bai etc)
5. Country n cultural differences

+ves of offshore :
1. Ur family n frnds are always near
2. Wrkng in apni country is always smwht comfortable

- ves offshore :
1. less salary
2. longer wrkg hours (if boss is sitting, u also have to sit)
3. politics bahut hoti hai (ur prmotion depends on how much r u buttering ur lead)
4. worst infra (bad roads,traffic jam,dust,electricity probs)

so my suggestion is that when u have to work ..work @ onsite ..better salary + better work culture

and rgd emotional probs ..read gud books, see movies (dload by torrents),do a lot of sightseeing, make frnds, go to pubs , take a car etc ..and once in 6 months take a 15 day leave and go to India to rejuvenate urself

MOTTO is NJOY to the maximum wherever u are !

[amitava82]

If you get good salary, why pirate movie? Buy it or rent it..
My time pass is Play online, #Digit IRC (Till 6AM everyday) and Sleep..

[FilledVoid]

Yes,Why go in abroad,if everything you want is here?.Just study and come back.I'd better watch my India improving than US or something.They just get those qualified guys to the US because they find it that,they can make you work for cheap.

There are WAY better places than America for Education. If I recall correct I saw some site that places America at rank 18 ? Ill have to confirm this btu Im sure its the best place.

1. better salary

Says who? The only people who get Top Dollar are people who are really good in their respective fields. You also have to compare this with the cost of living with here.

3. politics bahut hoti hai (ur prmotion depends on how much r u buttering ur lead)

Any job anywhere depends on the way you act / contribute / establish yourself among your team / team leaders. THis is mainly a flaw with the various Management structures in place in an organization rather than anything to do with geographical facts. Althought there might be some rascist in companies offshore which might give you a hard time. Although you won't find many of those now a days.

[Tech_Wiz]

I did had the oppurtunity to go abroad but I refused only on the grounds that I want to live with my parents.

Leaving parents for "US" life when they need you most is pure selfish. Besides all that one may need is here in India then Why go abroad [Apart from free sex ]

[gxsaurav]

East or West, India is the best.

No matter where u r, nothing beats the social & caring life of India. Most people are attracted towards abroad & western countries by watching them on TV. Well, Real life city of New York (example) is not the one they show in Heroes or any other TV Show.

[victor_rambo]

I did had the oppurtunity to go abroad but I refused only on the grounds that I want to live with my parents.

Leaving parents for "US" life when they need you most is pure selfish.

+1

[abhijit_reddevil]

East or West, India is the best.

No matter where u r, nothing beats the social & caring life of India. Most people are attracted towards abroad & western countries by watching them on TV. Well, Real life city of New York (example) is not the one they show in Heroes or any other TV Show.

Correct.

What I get mostly from people's ideas are that the main motivation is high salary. This is where they are most mistaken. I think they convert it, e.g. times 40 to Indian INR and see the difference. E.g: A person getting $3000-$3500 here is no big deal. Big deal is made when we convert this $3000 X Rs.40=Rs.120000....Arrey baap re, month end mein Rs.120000....!!! But that is not the case. We tend to forget that if a person gets $3000 p.m, then he also has to give, say $1000 for apartment rent in a metropolitan city, $300-$400 p.m. for car loan installment, $700-$800 for groceries, if you live with your wife and other miscellaneous expenses. That leaves you a maximum of maybe $300-$400 to save per month. Considering all the trouble you have to go through staying so far away from home, I do not think this is worth it. If your job in India is paying reasonably well, then I think you can save that amount converted to INR. (The average salary for persons with 3-4 yrs experience is around $3000 here).

Well, somebody did mention here that take a house/apartment where it is accessible to public transportation system. If public transportation is good, say every 15 minutes, then it is all right. But when it is every 30 minutes for peak hrs and every 1hr for off-peak hrs, it does not make much of a sense. My apartment is right next to the closest bus route. In Chicago, I have seen buses plying all night and day, every 7 minutes in peak and 15 mins in off peak and every 30 minutes throughout the night. Well, public transportation should be like that, so that you do not have to depend on car all the time.

[hullap]

its the persons choice. u can talk and shout all u want here but it wont stop Him/her from going or settleing

[ancientrites]

i dont know since i am here in india for a long vacation.i find Gulf countries to be excellent for making money.no taxes,nothing only save,save and save.although i miss my family for every year.at the same time i can call them.big companies provide family allowance etc etc.Now dont get me wrong ppl I feel dubai is like my second home even muscat(oman).TBH I never felt home sick.

[club_pranay]

i think it's all about what an individual think or believe.
1. to say staying in america is not social, well i dont think so.. these people work hard during the week, and enjoy as much during the weekends. TO HAVING A SOCIAL CIRCLE IS OUR CHOICE!! i have very good thai friends, loads of american locals! there is a mental barrier we make around ourselfs that these people are different, we keep telling ourselfs that "i dont belong here". thats what makes things difficult.

2. talking about salary, i am getting $10 per hour for working 20 hours per week. equals $200/week = $800/month. i mean in how many countries u can buy a nice moderate car from your one year PART TIME SALARY??

3. about america's education standards? i am not sure, considering quality, placements, and salary i dont think anyone can come close.. one site may say so, but all other sites put america on top.. (i am talking about overall package)

leaving our home, our country was never easy.. it's not just our home, it's our identity. our country is the one who has given us our passport.

remember the time we cried when leaving for the school for the first time! it's the same feeling!
but sometimes, we have to take tough decisions, for the sake of our parents and future generations.

[NucleusKore]

.......but sometimes, we have to take tough decisions, for the sake of our parents and future generations.

I may not be in the U.S.A. (not yet ) but you sure have a point there.

[abhijit_reddevil]

i think it's all about what an individual think or believe.
1. to say staying in america is not social, well i dont think so.. these people work hard during the week, and enjoy as much during the weekends. TO HAVING A SOCIAL CIRCLE IS OUR CHOICE!! i have very good thai friends, loads of american locals! there is a mental barrier we make around ourselfs that these people are different, we keep telling ourselfs that "i dont belong here". thats what makes things difficult.

2. talking about salary, i am getting $10 per hour for working 20 hours per week. equals $200/week = $800/month. i mean in how many countries u can buy a nice moderate car from your one year PART TIME SALARY??

3. about america's education standards? i am not sure, considering quality, placements, and salary i dont think anyone can come close.. one site may say so, but all other sites put america on top.. (i am talking about overall package)

leaving our home, our country was never easy.. it's not just our home, it's our identity. our country is the one who has given us our passport.

remember the time we cried when leaving for the school for the first time! it's the same feeling!
but sometimes, we have to take tough decisions, for the sake of our parents and future generations.

America's education is top class, I agree.

Speaking of tough decisions, I think when people go to the US to make money, they may be already 26-28 yrs old. Calculating backwards, parents may be at that time around 60 yrs old. Being the only son of my parents and my father, 63 yrs old, recovering from a brain haemmorage a few days ago, leaving was never easy. However, our only motivation was to recover the cost of the hospitalization expenses and perhaps the cost towards our marriage a few months earlier.

I think we are missing a point here. Short term trips are okay, like us. My question was the effectiveness (maybe this is not the correct word) of staying for a long term, or perhaps becoming a citizen altogether, of another country.

[club_pranay]

America's education is top class, I agree.

Speaking of tough decisions, I think when people go to the US to make money, they may be already 26-28 yrs old. Calculating backwards, parents may be at that time around 60 yrs old. Being the only son of my parents and my father, 63 yrs old, recovering from a brain haemmorage a few days ago, leaving was never easy. However, our only motivation was to recover the cost of the hospitalization expenses and perhaps the cost towards our marriage a few months earlier.

I think we are missing a point here. Short term trips are okay, like us. My question was the effectiveness (maybe this is not the correct word) of staying for a long term, or perhaps becoming a citizen altogether, of another country.

i agree with your point and respect your reason for going..
that's what i said.. it's all about the reason.. you didnt go there to party, i didnt go for spending fortunes at the casino.. we have a purpose to be here.. that's what drives us, and trust me, if we're following that reason, it's realy worth it!

[FilledVoid]

A person getting $3000-$3500 here is no big deal. Big deal is made when we convert this $3000 X Rs.40=Rs.120000....Arrey baap re, month end mein Rs.120000....!!! But that is not the case. We tend to forget that if a person gets $3000 p.m, then he also has to give, say $1000 for apartment rent in a metropolitan city, $300-$400 p.m. for car loan installment, $700-$800 for groceries, if you live with your wife and other miscellaneous expenses. That leaves you a maximum of maybe $300-$400 to save per month.

For a $1000 apartment you better be getting free amenities like heat , electricity and water cause that sounds like alot of money . For $800 we were living in an apartment in Philly with the above free. Anyway leave that as it is . I guess it might be higher in Metro's. Remember this if you plan to stay long term. Rent is sunken money. You gain no benefit from it. The best option is always to buy a house. (Yes I know you're screaming bloody murder by now, but it really isnt that hard tog et a house in US). I'm guessing you went and bought a new car? When you are new to US and you buy a car on installment your credit rating is taken into account for and the interest is calculated accordingly. Thus you end up paying alot more than you should. The same is the case for car insurance usually. If you haven't been driving in US for a long time or a kid you're insurance rates will be atrocious. I tell my friends always to get a used car for a few years and then get a new car only. Hence saving you the money on Insurance and the car.

Well, somebody did mention here that take a house/apartment where it is accessible to public transportation system. If public transportation is good, say every 15 minutes, then it is all right. But when it is every 30 minutes for peak hrs and every 1hr for off-peak hrs, it does not make much of a sense

There are certain things you need to understand. If you are living in a remote area then city taxes don't apply. You might not have frequent rides to work . But the point is you DO have rides. Just not as frequent as YOU would like them to be. You can't have everything all at once. When you make a house taking decision you need to first prioritize what you need and then take a house accordingly. I'm sorry to say that if you are paying 1k $ for a house in some remote hick town then you've made a HUGE error.

By the way where do you guys get these stats that American Education is the best???? I agree that in the Top Universities theres quite a few in the USA list but if you consider schooling over there . There are quite a few countries way better than USA as far as I can recall.

[vish786]

I too wanted to discuss this topic seriously, but couldnt find the right person to trust on & talk too...

@digitzed thanQ for bringing up this issue... & thanks to others for their sincere & honest response.

Hope Kiran_tech_mania gives his inputs.

[priyankarules.com]

I dont like going US..

I like INDIA..

Hindustan zindabad..

[nix]

indians should stick to their own country. its better to be here rather than losing out on family life, social function et all.. you will really miss al this when you go there. + you can never feel comfortable there as you know that you dont belong to that place. the ppl always see you as talking away their jobs.. i will stay here.

[amol48]

Firstly Good topic !!

Here's what I have to say:

* You should ask this to only those who have lived a life or atleast know someone there.
* Others can never give you the right answer
* The choice will depend on the individual and rather than going by the number of people saying yes or no, I think you should ask like minded people what they think of and consider their opinion.

In every case you can't count number of votes and take a decision. According to me, YES it's WORTH the EFFORTS (would like to replace your word 'trouble') you give in. This thing is totally dependent on what you want to do in your life ! Just like someone here listed +ves and -ves (I liked it) offsite and onsite work, similarly I listed the +ves and -ves for me and found that for me US would be a better option any day than India.

[esumitkumar]

^^ GOT IT FWD AS A MAIL RECENTLY ...very true indeed------------->

ONE BEDROOM FLAT... WRITTEN BY AN INDIAN SOFTWARE ENGINEER..
-A Bitter Reality

As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in Soft ware Engineering and joined a company based in USA, the land of braves and opportunity.
When I arrived in the USA, it was as if a dream had come true.
Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I would be staying in this country for about Five years in which time I would have earned enough money to settle down in India.
My father was a government employee and after his retirement, the only asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat.
I wanted to do some thing more than him. I started feeling homesick and lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and speak to my parents every week using cheap international phone cards. Two years passed, two years of Burgers at McDonald's and pizzas and discos and 2 years watching the foreign exchange rate getting happy whenever the Rupee value went down.
Finally I decided to get married. Told my parents that I have only 10 days of holidays and everything must be done within these 10 days. I got my ticket booked in the cheapest flight. Was jubilant and was actually enjoying hopping for gifts for all my friends back home. If I miss anyone then there will be talks. After reaching home I spent home one week going through all the photographs of girls and as the time was getting shorter I was forced to select one candidate.
In-laws told me, to my surprise, that I would have to get married in 2-3 days, as I will not get anymore holidays. After the marriage, it was time to return to USA , after giving some money to my parents and telling the neighbors to look after them, we returned to USA .
My wife enjoyed this country for about two months and then she started feeling lonely. The frequency of calling India increased to twice in a week sometimes 3 times a week. Our savings started diminishing. After two more years we started to have kids. Two lovely kids, a boy and a girl, were gifted to us by the almighty. Every time I spoke to my parents, they asked me to come to India so that they can see their grand-children.
Every year I decide to go to India .. But part work part monetary conditions prevented it. Years went by and visiting India was a distant dream. Then suddenly one day I got a message that my parents were seriously sick. I tried but I couldn't get any holidays and thus could not go to India.. The next message I got was my parents had passed away and as there was no one to do the last rights the society members had done whatever they could. I was depressed. My parents had passed away without seeing their grand children.
After couple more years passed away, much to my children's dislike and my wife's joy we returned to India to settle down. I started to look for a suitable property, but to my dismay my savings were short and the property prices had gone up during all these years. I had to return to the USA..
My wife refused to come back with me and my children refused to stay in India.. My 2 children and I returned to USA after promising my wife I would be back for good after two years.
Time passed by, my daughter decided to get married to an American and my son was happy living in USA... I decided that had enough and wound-up every thing and returned to India. I had just enough money to buy a decent 02 bedroom flat in a well-developed locality.
Now I am 60 years old and the only time I go out of the flat is for the routine visit to the nearby temple. My faithful wife has also left me and gone to the holy abode.
Sometimes I wondered was it worth all this? My father, even after staying in India, had a house to his name and I too have the same nothing more.
I lost my parents and children for just ONE EXTRA BEDROOM.
Looking out from the window I see a lot of children dancing.
This damned cable TV has spoiled our new generation and these children are losing their values and culture because of it. I get occasional cards from my children asking I am alright. Well at least they remember me.
Now perhaps after I die it will be the neighbors again who will be performing my last rights, God Bless them. But the question still remains 'was all this worth it?'
I am still searching for an answer...... ......... .!!!

... WRITTEN BY AN INDIAN SOFTWARE ENGINEER..-A Bitter Reality

[ancientrites]

oh boy that mail is sad but i am not affected muhahaha.i dont want dollar all i am happy with my current Dirhams

[int86]

Story of film Namesake

[FilledVoid]

That post is sad.....and very hard on the eyes . Why does everyone post the whole topic in bold and red, blue , flashing neon colors .

As I said in the beginning

PS: Earning and saving that much money to come back home and enjoy isn't really smart. Cause you waste ALOT of your time earning it and you'll be too old to enjoy it anyway.

The letter is a standard story of People going and settling in US. If I got a Rs.1 for each time I heard a simlair story I'd probably had enough money to get me a new laptop.

oh boy that mail is sad but i am not affected muhahaha.i dont want dollar all i am happy with my current Dirhams

Not to burst your bubble. But most likely you will . Not now probably after a few years or when you grow old.

[abhijit_reddevil]

Story of film Namesake

+1...I too have seen the film. Has some similarities with Irfan Khan's character.

For a $1000 apartment you better be getting free amenities like heat , electricity and water cause that sounds like alot of money . For $800 we were living in an apartment in Philly with the above free. Anyway leave that as it is . I guess it might be higher in Metro's. Remember this if you plan to stay long term. Rent is sunken money. You gain no benefit from it. The best option is always to buy a house. (Yes I know you're screaming bloody murder by now, but it really isnt that hard tog et a house in US). I'm guessing you went and bought a new car? When you are new to US and you buy a car on installment your credit rating is taken into account for and the interest is calculated accordingly. Thus you end up paying alot more than you should. The same is the case for car insurance usually. If you haven't been driving in US for a long time or a kid you're insurance rates will be atrocious. I tell my friends always to get a used car for a few years and then get a new car only. Hence saving you the money on Insurance and the car.



There are certain things you need to understand. If you are living in a remote area then city taxes don't apply. You might not have frequent rides to work . But the point is you DO have rides. Just not as frequent as YOU would like them to be. You can't have everything all at once. When you make a house taking decision you need to first prioritize what you need and then take a house accordingly. I'm sorry to say that if you are paying 1k $ for a house in some remote hick town then you've made a HUGE error.

Well, I was speaking about rent in metropolitan cities. For me it is around $550 per month including gas, heat and electricity.

[FilledVoid]

Well, I was speaking about rent in metropolitan cities. For me it is around $550 per month including gas, heat and electricity.

Much Much better

[amol48]

^^ GOT IT FWD AS A MAIL RECENTLY ...very true indeed------------->

This is very common forwarded mail an even I received it way back. I don't see a SINGLE reason to think twice after reading that mail. I know perhaps more working people in US than in India in IT sector(since it's in your mail) and hence can surely say that only a fool or mis-managed person will face the situation as mentioned in your mail.
Also, I stated in my post and I would like to remind you that ONCE again that I am not saying that US is good for everyone, but to only those who prefer its positive points more than its negative ones which apply to them !!! I hope this clears your confusion !!

Offtopic:
@ exx_2000
Your siggy says: "Join the Revolution! Format c: !" well for me it's no revolution. It's like weekly task more

[ancientrites]

exx_2000 wrote Not to burst your bubble. But most likely you will . Not now probably after a few years or when you grow old.[/quote]

Gulf is different from USA.When i say Dubai its SPECIAL.Every thursday i call my parents every 6 months i get vacation allowance,retirement benefits,free transportation,Free accomodation(sharing room)the only expense is incurred on food and personal expense.Life in dubai rocks and goes on.