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Living overseas

Thinking about moving ovrseas for dh work- Azerbaijan??

14 replies

flipflopper · 07/08/2013 13:36

Dh works in quarrying and is currently stuck in a job with no hope of promotion without moving within UK. The next step up the ladder is not enough money to consider uprooting a family, so looking at jobs overseas.

He has only just started this process, but there is a suitable vacancy in Azerbaijan. Knee jerk reaction was NO! but maybe is not so bad? Is it suitable for families? Is the weather awful, have heard too hot in summer, too cold in winter!

I was hoping to find someone on here that has lived there, and looking for help/ advice.

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dyslexicdespot · 07/08/2013 13:46

A good friend of mine just returned after working in Azerbaijan for a year. She had a horrendous time. She felt unsafe and was frequently threatened by men while at work.

She was told not to leave her flat without a male escort and to expect men to challenge her if she was without one.

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butterfliesinmytummy · 07/08/2013 16:44

Dh and I lived and worked there a while back in 1999 - 2000. We loved it, didn't feel threatened at all, I took taxis by myself etc. Things might have been different then, but corruption was still rife (I taught at uni and was one of few lecturers who would not accept bribes for exam grades). Life was really interesting, it felt really foreign. We used to go 4 wheel driving at weekends and some villages were super remote and looked unchanged for 100s of years (no electricity, phone etc).

Azeris are keen to be seen as European rather than central Asian so there was more of a Turkish feel. It is hot in summer (and dusty) and cold in winter with ice but windy all year round.

Not been there with a family,know nothing about schools etc but would investigate carefully as its a long time since we were there and would take note of dyslexicdespots comments. Would you be able to visit before deciding?

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flipflopper · 07/08/2013 16:45

oh god that sounds scary. Was she living in a city?

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flipflopper · 07/08/2013 16:50

Thankyou also butterflies. That is interesting yes we would prob go and check out wherever we went before accepting the job. We would probably get help with the schools, housing etc from dh's company, but I just wondered if anyone had any first hand experience.

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butterfliesinmytummy · 07/08/2013 17:33

Assume the job would be in Baku though rather than elsewhere in the country?

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Oblomov · 07/08/2013 17:53

Have only worked in Ukraine. Not Azerbaijan. But I think there is an awful lot for you to consider here.

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PurplePaint · 07/08/2013 18:02

Is Australia an option for jobs? I'd much rather be there than Azerbaijan!

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dyslexicdespot · 07/08/2013 19:08

She was based in Baku but travelled a lot for work. I know she experienced harassment in Baku but I think most of the outrageous incidences happened in rural areas.

She is single and she thinks that this provoked a lot of the animosity she experienced. Most of her complaints had to do with sexual harassment at work. This might not be an issue for you if you plan on working from home.

Good luck!

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flipflopper · 07/08/2013 20:24

Thankyou, this is what worries me about contries like this.
He is really looking at developing countries as these are the countries where they are doing a lot of building and need experienced people.

Im not sure where we would be based.

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holidaybug · 08/08/2013 20:54

I once spent some time in Azerbaijan. I actually really liked it, although it was quite a while ago. I found the culture quite paternalistic - I was always treated very well and had no issues with harassment etc BUT I was always accompanied by male colleagues when I was out there. It was very definitely a corrupt place though and I'm not sure much has changed.

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BaskingTurtle · 09/08/2013 16:22

Having lived with school-aged children in the developing world, I would say it most definitely depends on the age of your children.

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znaika · 10/08/2013 14:34

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luvmy4kids · 10/08/2013 17:49

It's going to depend very much on where you live and the package you'd get, just like znaika says above. Find out where the job would be, where your kids could go to school, tap into social forums if they exist.

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flipflopper · 16/08/2013 11:17

Thanks again for your help, the job is now off, as it turns it they are after someone to fly in fly out. Probably for the best!
He is still looking, no doubt i will be back for more advice!