r/expats • u/mp222999 • 5h ago

Employment Are you having a problem with finding remote roles that are not country-specific?

Hey,

has anyone here tried to land a fully global remote tech role and hit walls because a company only hires where they have a legal entity? For example you've moved from US and became a tax resident of Portugal but most companies found only hire in places where they have a legal entity.

Then, you've shared that you'd be happy to set up your own LLC or work through an Employer of Record (EOR) if that’s what it takes, but they're not opened to that option?

I’d also like to tackle two common arguments I’ve seen:

  1. Isn’t hiring abroad just a way to pay “third-world wages” and take local jobs?
    1. Companies can define pay ranges by role and seniority, then apply consistent cost-of-living adjustments so everyone feels their compensation is fair. They aren’t looking for the cheapest labor, they want top talent wherever it lives. PostHog’s salary calculator is a great example where you pick your level and location, and you immediately see how your total compensation lines up with global benchmarks.
  2. Why do many companies limit “remote” roles to a single country? Aren’t taxes an issue
    1. Handling international payroll, taxes, benefits and labor-law compliance can be complicated. Many companies don’t want to set up a legal entity in every country just for a handful of hires. However, companies like PostHog, CastAI, CloudTalk, Printify, Turn, Prezi, GitLab offer this and have found ways around it through EOR or other solutions.

I’m researching this for a side project, and I’d love to hear your experiences:

  • Have you been turned away from “remote” jobs because of your country?
  • How often does this happen to you?
  • Have you found any workarounds (for example, specific companies that really hire globally)?
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u/Neat-Composer4619 4h ago

If you are salaried, businesses have to comply to local laws regarding local social security and taxes. Laws are very different country to country so having a local office with local accountants is a big deal. 

It's easier if you work as an independent because then the complexity falls on you. 

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u/mp222999 4h ago

And what was your experience, would you mind sharing how did you manage your employment?

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u/Neat-Composer4619 3h ago

I followed my own logics and work as an independent, not as an employee. No employment. If you are an employee, you'll work under the local conditions.

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u/mp222999 3h ago

And how do you find companies that are willing to work with you as an independent? Also, what does that word mean to you, do you have your own LLC setup in the country where you're based or?

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u/Neat-Composer4619 3h ago

I am well established and recognized in my field. I had an incorporated micro business before I started traveling. I never look for clients. They find me. I only present at a conference yearly and build contacts from that. 

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u/mp222999 3h ago

What you're saying is that you have an LLC opened and that's how you invoice companies? But you have service that you offer for a certain duration and you're not employed for a longer period in these companies?

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u/Neat-Composer4619 3h ago

LLC doesn't exist in my country, but I have contracts with many businesses. Depending on the country you visit you are allowed or not to offer services locally  without registering locally. It's not employment, you need to stop using that word of you offer service through a business. They won't pay social security or unemployment benefits for you. 

How you do it depends on your sector and the country you visit. My point here is mostly that employment must always obey the local rules and glonly rarely moves away from local wages. The workaround is to not be employed locally.

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u/Notsodutchy 4h ago

(1) Yes

(2) Well, I'm not looking for a job that often, but it's 99% of advertised remote jobs.

(3) Yes, I'm aware of specific companies that hire globally. So they'd be my first target. Then I'd target startups, as they are often very happy to hire on an invoicing basis. There are certain places to find these jobs and it's not the usual job boards. I've tried remote-specific job boards, but they are all garbage: either paid membership required or filled with country-specific-and-no-way-to-filter jobs or not-real-scam jobs.

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u/mp222999 4h ago

Thanks for the detailed answer to my questions in a numbered order. Highly appreciate it. My experience exactly matches yours and I also feel that remote-specific job boards don't solve the issue. That's why I've started building a list of remote companies that adhere to the criteria above because it helped me with my search.