This Swedish Jobs Web Site Is a Bit tvivelaktig (questionable)

This is not Simon Nordin

Note: there is a company in Australia named Swede Recruit. This post is not about that company. If you really want to get a job in Sweden, I explain the process here.

There are many people desperate to find work in other countries. There are, sadly, many others who are all too happy to take advantage of this. You'll find plenty of "we'll get you an overseas job" sites with dodgy credentials and it looks like there might be a new one in Sweden, apparently run by one "Simon Nordin, CEO".

It seems "Ecothegeek" on Reddit had his CV on Eures, the European job portal, and a company contacted him saying that they'd like to find him a job in Sweden for the low price of €195. Ecothegeek was a bit concerned and asked about them on Reddit's /r/IWantOut community. Something didn't seem quite right to me, so I started digging.

You Can Move to Pitcairn Island

Pitcairn Island Dock
Photo by Jens Bludau

On April 28, 1789, the crew of the HMS Bounty mutinied for reasons that are debated to this day. Some say it was harsh treatment by Captain Bligh; others claim it was debauched sailors attracted to the sexually liberal lifestyle of Polynesia. Whatever the cause, the mutineers split and some settled in Tahiti, while others settled on Pitcairn Island, perhaps the most remote settlement in the world. Today, over two centuries later, the descendants of the original mutineers still live there and they have a problem. With a rapidly declining population, they want you to move there.

Do It Yourself Expats

Nighttime shot of one of the towers of
The vieux port in La Rochelle

Note: click on the photos to enlarge them. They're photos of the town I live in and are unrelated to the post.

In a very interesting blog post, a man describes how moving to Thailand helped him launch a startup. The short version: by living somewhere that allowed him to keep his monthly expenses down to around $1,000 a month, he was able to have more money to build his business and because he didn't know people there, he was less distracted by his social life.

Here's the interesting bit: he didn't have a work permit. He just sold everything he owned and caught a flight. This is what I call a "DIY (Do It Yourself) Expat". We're going to be seeing more and more of them in the future.

Doing Business in La Rochelle, France

Afternoon on the Bay of Biscay

Click on the photos to see larger versions.

Life has really taken a strange and interesting turn. If you travel enough and leave yourself open to adventure, sooner or later things will happen. "Luck" usually involves hard work and perseverance, not just stumbling into good fortune.

Case in point, last Friday my wife and I were sitting in a boat, watching the last Olympic sailing trials in La Rochelle. We were surrounded by local business leaders, all of this paid for courtesy of La Rochelle and the local area governments.

It's a great time to be an expat

Get out there and explore the damned world already!
Photo by Hartwig HKD

Note: Today's post is more of a philosophical ramble of ideas that have been crossing my mind. It probably won't do a damn thing to help you become an expat.

Despite my writing about the doom and gloom that is the impact of the poorly thought out FATCA law, it's a fascinating time to be an expat, particularly one from the US. While times might seem hard right now, adventures are things that we often don't appreciate while they're happening, but create great stories to share after the pain has faded. And the world is going through a grand adventure right now and I fully believe that whatever emerges isn't going to be what was. The reason for this is simple: the world is finally reacting to a uni-polar world. The following will seem like a strange ramble, unrelated to expats, but bear with me.

Countries You Can (cheaply) Buy Your Way Into

Retire in Bangkok!
Photo by Mike Behnken

A few days ago I posted about countries that will let you live there if you show a modest income from abroad. I got curious and asked Reddit's /r/IWantOut community for more information. While many of the suggestions were unsourced, some provided references and they're awesome. Got $20,000 US? Are you 35 years old or older? Retire in the Phillipines via the SRRV program.  Hell, my wife and I could cash out our brand-new business and probably survive quite nicely in the Phillipines. (My wife would kill me for suggesting this, though).