Roadmap · Career
Tech jobs abroad (East Asia)
FreeFor students, graduates and working engineers who want to relocate for a tech job in the Gulf, Germany and the EU, the UK and Ireland, or East Asia. By the end you can decide whether and where to move with real numbers, read the visa rules from official pages, get your documents attested, present a profile employers abroad shortlist, find employers that sponsor, compare offers and settle in safely.
Curated by Tauseef Fayyaz7 stages, 38 topics~4 months at a few hours a weekBy the end, you will be able to
- Decide whether moving beats a remote job from home, and pick a destination on net savings, family rights and your experience level
- Explain the main work routes for your destination from official pages, with dated salary thresholds and conditions
- Get your degree and documents attested, apostilled or recognised in the order your destination needs
- Present a CV and LinkedIn profile that fit local norms and answer the visa question up front
- Build a list of employers with evidence that they sponsor, and recognise job and visa scams before they cost you
- Compare offers on what you keep, read the contract and relocation terms, and time your notice and visa without gaps
- Finish registration, find housing safely and protect yourself with savings and a plan for your next permit
The path
7 stages, in the order to learn them. Open one to start.
1Decide if, and whereBefore you polish a CV for another country, decide whether moving is right for you now and which destination fits your skills, experience, family and money. This stage turns "everyone is going abroad" into a decision with numbers behind it.6 topics · ~2 weeks
- 1Your reason to moveWrite down in two or three sentences what moving for work should change.
- 2Net gain, not the gross salaryA salary abroad looks huge once you convert it into rupees, taka or naira.
- 3Family, partner and the life around the jobA move changes more than your desk.
- 4Why most routes want experience firstEmployers abroad pay to sponsor a visa, wait weeks for it and sometimes pay to relocate you.
- 5Japan, Singapore and Korea: three different marketsEast Asia is three markets, not one.
- 6One destination, one planBy the end of this stage, pick one main destination and one backup, and write down why.
6 in this stageOpen this stage2Visas and work permitsLearn the work routes for your destination from the government's own pages: who applies, what the job and salary must meet, how long it lasts, whether family can join and what happens if you change jobs. Write every rule down with the date you read it.6 topics · ~2 weeks
- 1Employer-sponsored and job-seeker routesAlmost every work route abroad falls into one of two groups.
- 2Official sources, datedVisa rules change every year: salary thresholds rise, occupation lists are revised, fees go up and new routes open or close.
- 3Japan: Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International ServicesMost software engineers in Japan work under the status of residence called Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services.
- 4Singapore: Employment Pass and COMPASSSingapore's Employment Pass is for professionals, and the employer applies.
- 5South Korea: the E-7 visaSouth Korea's E-7 visa covers foreign professionals employed by a Korean organisation in occupations designated by the Minister of Justice, which include many…
- 6Family rights and changing jobsTwo conditions of your permit matter as much as getting it.
6 in this stageOpen this stage3Degrees, attestation and documentsGet your degree, transcripts and other papers into a form your destination accepts, before an offer arrives. Attestation, apostilles and recognition checks run through offices you do not control, so they belong early in the plan.6 topics · ~2 weeks
- 1Why your degree must be recognisedA degree that every employer at home knows means nothing to a visa officer abroad until it has been checked.
- 2Pakistan: HEC, IBCC and the Foreign OfficeIf your degree is from Pakistan, the usual chain starts with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), which verifies and attests degrees and transcripts from…
- 3India, Bangladesh and other countriesEvery country has its own version of the chain, but the shape is similar.
- 4Apostille or embassy legalisationAn apostille is a single certificate, issued by your own government, that every member of the Hague Apostille Convention accepts without further stamps.
- 5East Asia: certificates for the visaIn Japan, your employer applies for a Certificate of Eligibility on your behalf, and the immigration office checks that your degree or work experience matches…
- 6The rest of your document kitBeyond the degree, most moves need the same set of papers, and several have long lead times.
6 in this stageOpen this stage4A profile employers abroad will shortlistRecruiters abroad spend seconds on each CV and know little about your university or employer. Make your CV, LinkedIn and portfolio fit local norms, show your work in terms they understand and answer the visa question before they have to ask it.5 topics · ~2 weeks
- 1Explain your context, do not assume itA recruiter in Dubai, Berlin or Singapore may never have heard of your university, your employer or the clients you served.
- 2The visa status lineThe first question a recruiter abroad asks is whether you can legally work there and what it will take.
- 3CV norms in Japan, Singapore and KoreaInternational and English-speaking tech companies in Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul accept a standard English tech CV of one or two pages.
- 4LinkedIn set up for relocationRecruiters abroad search LinkedIn by location, skills and title.
- 5Proof of work they can checkWhen a recruiter cannot judge your university or employer, checkable work fills the gap.
5 in this stageOpen this stage5Find employers who hire from abroadMost employers abroad never hire from another country. Find the ones that do: companies with a track record of sponsorship, relocation-friendly job boards, honest recruiters and your own network, and learn to spot fake offers before they cost you money or your documents.5 topics · ~4 weeks
- 1Who actually sponsorsSponsorship costs an employer money, paperwork and waiting time, so it is concentrated in certain companies.
- 2Where to search: Japan, Singapore and KoreaFor Japan, English-friendly job boards such as Japan Dev list companies whose engineering teams work in English, many of which sponsor the visa and help with…
- 3Recruiters, agencies and referralsThree kinds of people can get you to an interview.
- 4Scams and fake offersOverseas job scams follow a pattern.
- 5Hiring rounds across bordersHiring from abroad usually runs over video: a recruiter call, one or more technical rounds, a conversation about past work and behaviour, and a final round…
5 in this stageOpen this stage6The offer and the moveAn offer abroad is a package, not a salary. Compare offers on what you keep after tax and living costs, read the contract before you resign at home, negotiate relocation support, and line up notice, visa and travel so nothing collides.5 topics · ~2 weeks
- 1Comparing offers properlyPut every offer, including staying where you are, into one table in one currency.
- 2Contract terms that matterBefore you resign from your current job, read the contract abroad line by line.
- 3Negotiating a relocation packageA relocation package is what the employer pays to move you: flights for you and often your family, visa and permit fees, temporary housing for the first…
- 4Negotiating salary in a new marketNegotiate from local data, not your home salary.
- 5Notice, visa and travel without collisionsThree clocks run at once: your notice period at home, the visa or permit process, and the start date abroad.
5 in this stageOpen this stage7Your first 90 daysLand well: finish your residence registration on time, open a bank account, find somewhere safe to live, learn how your new team works and build the savings and network that protect you if anything changes.5 topics · ~2 weeks
- 1Residence cards in Japan, Singapore and KoreaIn Japan, you usually receive your residence card at the airport, then register your address at the city or ward office within 14 days of finding a place to…
- 2Finding housing without getting scammedBook temporary housing for the first few weeks, ideally paid by your employer, so you can view flats in person.
- 3How your new team worksWorkplace culture differs more than code does.
- 4Money home, savings and a safety netSet up your money properly in the first months.
- 5Network, community and your next permitBuild your network from the first month.
5 in this stageOpen this stage
Build a project
A finished project proves more than a certificate.
- Start with this oneintermediate2 semesters · 2 to 3 studentsEmployment Contract and Offer Letter Clause Explainer for Job Seekers
Read the probation, notice and repayment clauses this roadmap warns about, and build something that helps others read them too
- Python
- Hugging Face Transformers
- DeBERTa or Legal-BERT
- PyMuPDF
- FastAPI
- advanced2 semesters · 2 to 3 studentsIn-Browser Document Redaction for ID Cards, Bank Statements and Medical Reports
Share passport and document copies safely with employers and landlords, and show careful handling of sensitive data
- TypeScript
- PDF.js and pdf-lib
- Tesseract.js or ONNX Runtime Web
- Transformers.js
- WebGPU and WebAssembly
Related on Sefism
Picked from the other libraries by shared topics.
Checklists
See all- Relocating Abroad for a Tech Job: Developer ChecklistMove abroad for a developer job step by step: research visa routes on official sites, check the offer and sponsor, avoid immigration scams, prepare documents and money, and settle in.
- LinkedIn Profile Checklist for DevelopersCheck your LinkedIn profile section by section: photo, headline, About, Experience, Featured, Skills, custom URL, Open to Work, posting and privacy.
- Remote Developer Job ChecklistLand a remote developer job safely and do well in it: spot fake employers, read the contract, get paid across borders, set up your workspace, work across time zones and asynchronously.
Career questions
See all- Can a fresher get a software job in Dubai?It is possible but harder than social media suggests. Most UAE tech hiring is for experienced people, and employers usually prefer candidates who are already in the country or have regional experience. Freshers do best by applying from home to companies with UAE offices, building strong proof of work, and treating a few years of experience as the most reliable route.
- How do I negotiate a relocation package?Work out what the move will really cost before you negotiate, ask what the standard package includes, then negotiate the items that matter most to you in writing. Treat base salary and relocation as separate conversations, and ask about repayment clauses before you sign.
- Is a UK master's still worth it in 2026?It can be, but the maths has changed. Graduate tech jobs in the UK are harder to find, the Graduate visa drops from two years to 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027, and sponsored jobs have salary floors many junior roles miss. A UK master's is worth it if you want the degree itself, have a realistic plan for sponsorship, and can afford it without crushing debt.
Cheat sheets
See allWork with me
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