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Curious...can you be a transcriptionist and not live in the US? sm - tiny

Posted: Jan 20, 2012

Does anyone know if I were to move out of the US, say to Costa Rica, would I still be able to transcribe for a company that is US based? I am assuming it depends on the company. But, I was thinking with the time zone being different, it might be a plus.

Honestly, I'm just curious because I'm reading a book about a couple who quit their jobs and moved to Costa Rica and now I can't stop thinking about it. So, I'm curious if there is anyone out there who is doing something like this or knows what the internet service, etc., is like in Costa Rica. If you have been there on vacation I would love to hear your experience. Thanks!!

I guess I should also say......sm - tiny

[ In Reply To ..]
I realize there is the outsourcing thing, I'm not really talking about that. What I'm talking about is being an independent contractor. I realize work is sent to India, but I'm thinking something like this is really not the same thing.

its totally the same thing - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

You should be aware.. - Reader99

[ In Reply To ..]
A couple of years ago a friend of mine and I looked into relocating to CR. He speaks fluent Spanish and took a trip over there just to check things out again (he has been there multiple times).

Some things you should know:

* You need to speak fluent Spanish. This is not optional.
* Real estate prices there are now sky-high, largely driven by American expats flocking there.
* Other prices are rising too, including taxes, food, and other necessities.
* Admission requirements have been strictly tightened up. You need to have a job lined up there as well as sponsorship AND cash on hand.
* Should you apply for citizenship, you are still subject to U.S. tax "laws" (actually they're only POLICIES enforced under "color of law") by reciprocity. What this means is that you can relocate and even become a citizen of your new country, and if the IRS here determines that you owe them money (whether correct/true or not), you can be snatched from your new country and extradited back to the U.S. Your new country can do NOTHING about it, nothing to protect you -- in fact, they will assist U.S. authorities in this "kidnapping" endeavor. This applies not just to CR but to ANY country on the globe, and the United States is the ONLY country on the planet to have this draconian policy on the books.

I should also caution you that someone's vacation experience is NOT a good basis on which to base relocation decisions. That goes for ANY country! Tourists (including medical tourists) are there to be entertained and "taken care of," and to a large extent they will be shielded from the realities of what it's like to actually live there.

I write this not to dissuade you but to inform. I encourage you to research, research, and do more research, and since things change rapidly make SURE that that info is current rather than dated. Also, keep in mind that websites, etc. are NOT going to give you the bad news, only the good news since most of them are selling books, etc. to people interested in relocating. In other words, they are SELLING.

Good luck to you!

Thank you for that info :) - Tiny

[ In Reply To ..]
Very interesting information and I am glad someone is informing me of the downside. If your friend has any other advice please feel free to email me privately, I would love to know the downside. I would hate to leave everything behind and find out later that it was a HUGE mistake. :) Thanks again!!

Tiny - Nick

[ In Reply To ..]
Why not stay in America and try to make things better here? Semper Fi!

Well.......sm - Tiny

[ In Reply To ..]
That is a definite possibility :) I'd like to weigh all my options though. I feel that I need to see what's out there and experience more than what I have so far. Maybe I should start out with a vacation, who knows, I might think OMG...what was I thinking? I think my first goal should be to simplify my life here. I'm also studying the concept of minimalism.

Tiny, somebody spoke on this a while back. The message I - took was that employers

[ In Reply To ..]
were not interested in taking on the extra research and paperwork that would be necessary to handle a foreign-based employee. Lots of companies in other industries have them, though, so technically I don't see why it wouldn't be possible, just perhaps a lot more possible than actually getting hired under those conditions. Maybe you could make friends with someone running an MTSO...?

I think it depends on the company, but - probably so

[ In Reply To ..]
I recently worked for a company where one of their QA people had moved to Portugal and still worked for the same US company. It worked out great for them, because she was essentially our overnight person, but it was close to an 8 to 5 shift for her.

A lot would depend on your company and your relationship with the company, though.

Been wondering the same thing lately - flmt

[ In Reply To ..]
DH and I have thrown around the idea of moving to Europe lately (lived there as an Army brat and would love to go back and let my kids experience the same things) and had been wondering how that would effect my work status and pay scale. I'd choose to keep my US citizenship so I'm not sure how that would work.

I'd be interested in finding out too.

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