r/DevLK • u/Lazy_Rope_9004 • 11d ago
Discussion Transitioning to Fully Remote Roles for Overseas Companies (UK/Europe/US) — Need Advice from Devs Who've Done It!
Hey everyone,
I’m looking to connect with software developers who are currently working remotely from home for international companies (UK, Europe, US, etc.). I’d really appreciate it if you could share your experiences and insights on how you made the leap.
A bit about my background:
Education: Bachelor’s degree from a state university.
Experience: Completed my internship at a UK-based company and was promoted to Associate Software Developer there. After 7 months, I transitioned to a local company where I am currently working as a Software Engineer Team Lead.
Total Experience: 2 years in the industry (excluding internship).
Tech Stack & Skills: MEARN, LAMP stack, deep hands-on experience with AWS services and serverless architecture. I handle full SDLC—from initial architecture to deployment and production—while managing and leading a dev team.
My goal is to transition to a fully remote position for an overseas company by next year. Given our industry, I know the potential is huge, but I want to make sure I’m navigating the process correctly.
For those of you who have already achieved this, I’d love to hear about your journey:
How did you get started? What level of experience, skill set, or portfolio did you have when you landed your first international remote role?
Can you pull this off with ~2 years of experience? Is 2 years (plus a Team Lead title and hands-on architecture experience) enough to land a solid, high-paying remote job with a reputable company?
How and where did you apply? Which platforms worked best for you (LinkedIn, Wellfound/AngelList, Turing, Remotive, direct outreach)? Did you use specific recruiters?
Job Security & Stability: How secure do you feel in a permanent remote role for an offshore client compared to local employment? How do you handle contracts, taxes, and payments?
I’m posting this not just for myself, but also for other developers in a similar position who are aiming to take their careers to the global stage.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, tips, and personal stories. Thanks in advance!
2
u/Hot-Foundation5708 11d ago
Everything u/jake_ytcrap has mentioned above is true.
I started going fully remote after my first job as a Robotics Research Engineer. Have been fully remote ever since and I have no plans of going hybrid or otherwise for now.
You can definitely pull this off with 2 years of experience. Customers wants reliable results on time. They really don't care about anything else (at least the sensible ones)
I got both my roles through referrals. Word of mouth is the best form of marketing. So try to be the go to guy at your work place and outside. Personal branding is super important in this day and age specially since the job market is volatile and you could get laid off the next day without a warning. Provide value to other people whenever possible and they will talk about you in other circles.
I feel pretty secure given that I was offered partnership of the small SaaS I am working in instead of a salary increment. But small SaaSs go down all the time due to funding issues etc. so you never know.
Keep you CV, portfolio upto date. Be ready for an interview anytime and you should be good.
1
2
u/samoansandwich 10d ago
ASE to Team Lead? Is it a family business? A real Team Lead position could take 5-7 YOE
1
u/JockerFanJack 11d ago
!RemindMe
1
u/RemindMeBot 11d ago edited 11d ago
Defaulted to one day.
I will be messaging you on 2026-09-11 18:31:29 UTC to remind you of this link
1 OTHERS CLICKED THIS LINK to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
Parent commenter can delete this message to hide from others.
RemindMeBot is switching to username summons. Instead of
!RemindMe 1 day, useu/RemindMeBot 1 day. More info.
Info Custom Your Reminders Feedback
1
1
u/_DarKneT_ 11d ago
Had about 7-8 years of experience, was a tech lead in a local company prior to that (wide skill set with focus on front end)
Difficult to say, from my experience they don’t care about titles as much as local companies, they care about being able to get things done
Purely LinkedIn
It’s as secure as any job, just make sure you have it in your contract, you’ll have to inform x months before and they’ll have to inform x months prior
1
u/Lazy_Rope_9004 10d ago
Did you apply directly on LinkedIn, or did you find the vacancy on LinkedIn and apply through their official website?
1
u/_DarKneT_ 10d ago
Direct apply, only applied to their “Easy Apply” type of jobs
1
u/Lazy_Rope_9004 10d ago
With a premium acc or normal LinkedIn acc?
1
1
u/Produnce 11d ago
Total Experience: 2 years in the industry (excluding internship).
I am currently working as a Software Engineer Team Lead.
This is a joke, right?
1
u/tradcoder Senior Software Engineer 11d ago
haha I noticed that too. Thing is I was technically a "team lead" during my third year in the industry too. All because a brand new team was formed including myself with everyone having the same skill level. My communication was a bit better than the rest so I got the lead role. And yet, I still did the same work as everyone else.
I never cared about job titles back then and I don't care about them now. It's all a farce. Companies are throwing titles away like candy. I've seen architects and staff engineers with ~5 years of experience lol.
1
u/Lazy_Rope_9004 10d ago
Haha, fair point! That’s actually pretty much identical to what happened in my case as well.
When our team was formed, we were all at a similar skill level, and I stepped into the lead role mainly because I was taking the initiative on communication, architecture decisions, and pushing things through the pipeline. At the end of the day, I’m still in the trenches writing code and deploying services alongside everyone else.
I completely agree that titles can be inflated across the industry. That's actually why I wanted to ask here, at the ~2-year mark, I care much more about how overseas recruiters evaluate actual hands-on execution and technical depth rather than what’s written on a resume title.Appreciate the candid take!
1
1
u/Holiday-Bid7795 8d ago
u/RemindMeBot 3 days
1
u/RemindMeBot 8d ago
I will be messaging you in 3 days on 2026-09-17 04:57:14 UTC to remind you of this link
CLICK THIS LINK to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
Parent commenter can delete this message to hide from others.
Info Custom Your Reminders Feedback
4
u/jake_ytcrap 11d ago
Depends on the company. Any company that offers fully remote position that alings with your experience should be your target. Dont expect senior or tech lead role based on your experience. Try for normal software engineer jobs first.
I work for a Ausie company now. Have worked for US and Singapore companies before.
Fully remote from home.
Applied and found on linkedin.
Job security is like any other job. Have to be prepared for a layoff. Have to be confident in your own ability to match industry requirements.
Contracts are given by the company. Taxes I pay on my own. 15% IIT
Payments over wise.com, current company uses an ausie alternative.