Working Overseas

[M0ND0]

I live in Canada and I'm considering would like to moving to the US or Europe (the UK preferably) to work as a concept artist in the film industry.

I'd like to know, if there are any concept artists/illustrators etc. out there who have relocated to another country. What sort of challenges/problems (if any) you faced. Why did you feel it was necessary to leave your country of origin. What mistakes should I avoid... What Visa? Do I need a Visa?... And, finally, was the big move worth it?

Advice from fellow Cunucks would especially be appreciated.

MonDo

[egerie]

Not very usefull advice, but just a little comment.. Most of my UK friends just want to get far FAR away from Great-Britain. Some of my coworkers also expressed the sheer joy of just "getting the hell outta this wretched place"..
Just be carefull when moving somewhere, the grass always seems greener.
Personally, I moved from Europe to Canada and persist in thinking it's better here. Of course everyone feels nostalgic and every country has its pros and cons. I guess it all depends on what you want / tolerate, etc.

Oh I just thought about something : try going to the closest English embassy near you. Maybe even checking them up online or calling them. I'm sure they have a ton of info for fellow comonwealthians (?!?!??! lol).

Good luck mate ;)

[M0ND0]

Hey, what you said is Tottaly useful... getting the hell out of britain? Is the weather that bad? Or, are there no opportunities whatsoever there? Well, it does make me wanna do some more research and I will check out the English embassy.

Anyway, I did check out your website Egerie, and, am I correct? You live in Montreal? Why did you chose Canada over, lets say, the states? Is it really "greener" over here?

Me, Mondo

[egerie]

Glad it was useful !
I can't talk for the expatriated Britons but what I gathered from what they say is that the cost of life is waaaaaay too high -especially around London, opportunities aren't as plentyful (?!) as in North America, weather was mentionned too but mostly how people are, politics and such.
I suppose a country cannot please all of it's citizens..
You're right I live in Montreal. I use to live in France and tried parts of Africa for a short while.
I can't really compare the states and Canada mind you.. And by mentionning "greener" places, novelty often sounds like it's better. For instance, a new country to live in that has all these great points and cultural scene and and...
Get as much info as you can ! :)

Hope this won't derail your plans..
Aline who should stop talking that metaphorically.

[Travis Charest]

I'm not sure if this applies to your situation but here's some visa info: I'm a Canadian working in the US with a temporary work visa. The downside to this is that you are only allowed to work for the company or entity which sponsored the visa, this can be a problem sometimes when you have to turn down work from other companies. If you do decide to work and live permanently in the US, start the Green Card process early, it takes a long time and strangely enough Canada is one of the few countries not eligible for the Green Card lottery that they have each year.

[Leopoldo]

Hi folks,

Here's my advice –

Never, ever "just go there". Make sure you have a job and a decent place to live at before you pack your bags, break up with your lover and sell your pad. Some places in the world, like London, Paris, NYC and Stockholm it's damn difficult just to find a decent pad – never minding finding employment. Most countries have high unemploymeny in general and the games business is starting to level out here in Sweden. At least four of circa 12 companies went belly up 2003, flooding the market with good talent.

So always get a signed contract in your hand before you hop on the next plane.
And make them pay, don't go dumping your salary just because you can.
Look at the animators from Budapest that went to India. Now noone can go to India, because the salaries just dont motivate it. They dumped their rates and killed the market.

I trying to make a living doing this, so people, plz keep those rates up, where ever you go.

Bon travail,
Leo