1) I live in israel and there aren't any major game development companies here. I was thinking of trying my luck someday in the us or Canada (or possibly Europe).
2) how do you start interviewing for a position in a different country? 3) is it common to have interviews over skype or something like that?
4) do you actually have to stay for like a month in the country and try to get as much interviews as you can?
5) do you think game companies will hire someone from abroad?
6) why would they start messing with visa and stuff when they can hire someone local.
8) I wanted to hear people's opinions.[/quote]


#1: This is the kicker. If we assume you are only looking at America/Canada, and some parts of Europe, then everything Tom Sloper has said is completely accurate. Your chances are slim unless you live there already, and it is unlikely you can live there unless you have a job there already or you saved enough money and are willing to take the chance on losing all of that money while still finding nothing.

Instead, even if your goal is America, why not take a valuable detour? Your chances of getting a job in a country where English is not the native language are much higher.
There are game companies in Malaysia and Thailand. Look up Lumai Prod and Sanuk Games. These countries are also cheap living, so going there on a 2-month vacation is not much of a big deal. Go vacation, apply for jobs, win. Yes, this even works for entry-level positions.

For other countries such as Hong Kong, you will find them seeking overseas employees frequently on www.jobsdb.com.

This is probably the most important thing to point out. Non-English-speaking countries do frequently hire from abroad.


#2, #3: Yes, it is done frequently via Skype. My interview with Morgan Stanley was done via Skype from outside the country. The first interview was just a phone interview, then the next 2 were via Skype. I got a job in Hong Kong via Skype interview, but while waiting too long for visa issues to get cleared up, I was offered an immediate job in Tokyo, and was again interviewed via Skype.
I have interviewed 4 times for out-of-country companies via Skype.


#4: That depends on the country. I mentioned that as a good method for countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, maybe even Hong Kong. But I have also had interviews to companies in Japan and France that were done via Skype. I simply applied online and didn’t have to go anywhere.
But the chances are almost always higher if you are actually in the country, and you should do everything you can to maximize your chances.


#5: Yes, unless they are countries that already speak English natively.


#6: Because you speak English and the locals don’t.


#8: Most of the advice people give you makes it seem hopeless. They come from English-speaking countries and are so close to the English language they never stop to consider that English in itself could be your advantage. It never was for them, so when you ask #5 or #6, they never consider that English would be the reason a company would hire you from overseas.

My ultimate goal was Japan. I knew I needed to be in the country to search for jobs, but with my savings I would be able to stay in Japan for only 2 weeks, or Thailand for 2 months. Realistically, I knew my skills were not competitive enough for Japan at that time anyway.
I started in Thailand (I am from America) with a 2-month vacation.
No experience, but I had personal projects to show, and I didn’t ask for a hefty American wage (which you don’t need unless you are living in America).
And I spoke English.

I only had to apply at one place to get a job in game programming.


My goal was still Japan, although I later worked in France.
I made it a point to make as many Japanese contacts as I could, and it finally paid off when one of them asked me to be the head of their emerging iPhone department.
Interview was just a formality, and was done via Skype, as had some of my previous interviews been.

And I shipped off to Japan, which was my goal all along.

I just quit my last job in favor of an R&D position in a major game company in Tokyo. Want to know one of the requirements for the position? English.
They even posted that they don’t care if you speak no Japanese, or if you even live outside of Japan. They would have imported me had I been living elsewhere and passed the Skype interview.


Yes companies do hire from abroad.
Yes even if you aren’t actually in the country, but only very rarely (and if they have any applications on the stack who are local, even with fewer skills, they will get first shot at the job).
But you may have a better chance if you are willing to put it off for a while as you gain experience.
Use English to your advantage and get a job in a country where you will be “happy enough” for just a few years, and then you can consider America and friends a more realistic goal afterwards.

Trust me when I say that traveling the world is a blast. No other country was my goal except Japan, but I still had fun living in them, temporarily.


L. Spiro