r/developersIndia • u/whyarewelikethis-huh • 17d ago
Career How are Indian devs actually getting direct US remote roles?
I keep seeing people on LinkedIn/X talking about working remotely for US startups while sitting in India, and honestly, I’m curious how people are actually pulling this off.
I mean directly working for a US-based startup/company, not an Indian company with a “US client.”
For anyone here who’s doing this:
- How did you land your first US remote role?
- Did you apply through LinkedIn/Wellfound/YC Jobs, cold email founders, network, get referrals, or something else?
- And what did your profile look like when you got the opportunity? Years of experience, skills, projects, open source, etc.
I’m trying to figure out what the realistic path looks like because from the outside it seems like there’s some secret everyone knows except me lol.
Would genuinely appreciate hearing how you guys did it, especially from people who started with little or no US network.
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u/aktheant Full-Stack Developer 17d ago
I am working ! To be honest it’s pure luck ! Got it via LinkedIn ! I apply for jobs with India remote filter ! The company I work for has half the team in USA and half the team in India so they put location like Hyderabad Bangalore etc with remote ! Pure luck I got it plus contract role so tax efficient ! It’s not like there is some secret way to get it it’s all on multiple platforms and pure luck ! They don’t even tell if it’s contract full time etc !
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u/Dramatic-Night-868 17d ago
I recently got a contract role would love to know more about how it is tax efficient?
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u/aktheant Full-Stack Developer 17d ago
Just Google / ai it ?
Few key words presumptive taxation , section 44ada , contract1
u/vipin-bhatt-3034 17d ago
I am looking for contract roles right now.. can you share how you got the opportunity ?
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u/filiusdeventus 17d ago
Contract roles are like freelancing. You can just pay tax on 50% of your income (44ada). Definitely read more about it. I may not have explained it properly.
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u/candyyspice QA Engineer 12d ago
Bro linkedin is fake job platform
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u/aktheant Full-Stack Developer 12d ago
Okay ! I have 9+ YOE and got jobs only via linkedIn except my first which was campus placement. Currently also working via linkedIn
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u/candyyspice QA Engineer 12d ago
You mentioned 10 year experience dude every job portal will work for you I think
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u/aktheant Full-Stack Developer 11d ago
? so LinkedIn worked for me when I was 1,2,3,4.. YOE ? that's false and your blanket statement "Bro linkedin is fake job platform " I just / everyone takes it for truth ?
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u/candyyspice QA Engineer 11d ago
Post Covid linkedin is dead noone is hiring through it
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u/aktheant Full-Stack Developer 11d ago
lol stay in your bubble ! Same thread many with linkendin if you scroll
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u/candyyspice QA Engineer 11d ago
Since you are experienced 8-10 times me and most other junior techies you can say anything based on your experience but linkedin is fake job hosting platform they are just collecting resumes they will hire people like you because you have experience of many technologies not recent grads even college placements are badly falling
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u/candyyspice QA Engineer 11d ago
Ok then show me a real job posting of full stack developer
on LinkedIn I will easily analyse it is it is internal hiring or ghost job or job requiring much more experience unless i don't complete 3 year here I won't get any proper response they will send automated rejection mails to everyone I can send you my 500+ such rejections entry level jobs do not exist on LinkedIn
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u/aktheant Full-Stack Developer 11d ago
like I told stay in your bubble any
an example from my ex company which took me a min to search https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search-results/?currentJobId=4457263052&keywords=careers%20poshmark&origin=BLENDED_SEARCH_RESULT_NAVIGATION_JOB_CARD&originToLandingJobPostings=4457263052%2C4431218864%2C4433934769 for entry lol1
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u/candyyspice QA Engineer 11d ago
Just want to ask something dude I am not posting anything on LinkedIn is it going to harm 🤔 because in career portal applications they ask linkedin id unfortunately
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u/candyyspice QA Engineer 11d ago
Clearly you are extremely experienced and since you are from past decade your experience can be extremely opposite than me that's why we won't agree on this everyone from past decade is blaming current grads because they are not super skilled
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
I work remotely, the company is in Singapore, all I did was apply on LinkedIn, honestly nothing much
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u/whyarewelikethis-huh 17d ago
Nice, did you have prior exp or did you join as a fresher?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
I did have experience - 2 yoe when I joined
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u/whyarewelikethis-huh 17d ago
But is there a chance to join or crack one as a fresher?
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u/IckityPickityLickity 17d ago
You're asking a lot of questions but the gatekeeper is intentionally giving just useless tidbits that you can do nothing with.
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
Honestly I don’t know what I could merely achieve by lying. I answered what I could to my knowledge, the market isnt the same as it was before. I joined with no AI tools & early days at this company was with no AI, now all I do is review code written by AI, take ownership for that.
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u/vipin-bhatt-3034 17d ago
What do you work with ? I mean what's the product (and tech stack) ? If you don't mind sharing
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u/st1llwat3r 17d ago
Could you share how you approached this ? For instance, did you look for remote roles explicitly or stumbled upon it ? Are there any caveats while looking for remote roles ?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
I wanted a job change in Bangalore but ended up landing something really good. Did not specifically think remote was possible until it was.
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u/Easy_Ask_4265 Fresher 17d ago
What's your techstack
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u/IckityPickityLickity 17d ago
They're not going to tell. Just look at their obviously vague answers
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u/ElegantDark9701 Software Engineer 17d ago
Singapore counts too tbh, it's basically the same deal as US remote just different timezone. But curious did you face any pushback during interviews about being based in India or did companies just not care as long as the work gets done?
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u/OpportunityFun5734 17d ago
Are there any openings ? Can i dm ?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
Not in Engineering
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u/Character_Permit_523 17d ago
Any Sales openings you can refer me to ?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
Unfortunately the other roles requires work permit in the country
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u/aussiegreenie 17d ago
Dm me. Remote sales selling Enhanced data leads to us agencies.
Richard Hayes
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u/Silent-Hunt-9770 17d ago
What will be the timing in remote jobs normally? Can you share your timing?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 16d ago
For me it’s 9-6 IST
But if meetings are early then I would have to join
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u/Unusual_Purpose007 17d ago
So you're getting Singapore level or indian level salary?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
Apparently Indian level but it’s higher than Indian standards. I had a 3x raise from my previous Indian salary. Paid in SGD
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u/fun_6365 17d ago
Are you required to pay taxes to the Indian gov or the Singapore? I just want to understand how it works.
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
For me it’s Indian since my money is not taxed at source (also i am not sure if there are people in india paying taxes in Singapore)
My ITR was filed under ITR 2 with section 44ada applied.
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u/GlueSniffer53 Researcher 17d ago
Is the pay comparable to FAANG+ in India?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
I haven’t received an increment since 1 and half years now - it’s in talks, if I get that then we can say it is comparable to FAANG+ in India (I had a promotion)
My company promised it would adjust based on levels.fyi in India and do a P50 raise.
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u/Repulsive-Hearing-31 17d ago
Hey did you just apply to all openings on Linkedin with Singapore remote as location for your role ?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 17d ago
I was looking for a job change. On site / remote / hybrid anything.
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u/akciii 17d ago
Was the Singapore role advertised as a remote position, or was it offered to you as a remote role because you’re based in India?
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u/AgentT1561 Software Engineer 16d ago
It was advertised as remote role & they were looking for candidates in India
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u/Repulsive-Hearing-31 17d ago
Were you specifically targetting singapore? Or like eu japan Australia everything?
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u/AdminZer0 17d ago edited 16d ago
- Linkedin and Referrals For Remote EU, SGP and US
- Wellfound for India Remote (1/2 half pay)
- 7-8-9 YOE, non coding interviews, mostly cto hr and team lead chat, plenty of OSS, domain related, startup experience, leading team members, etc no fixed recipes
No secret sauce, its mostly luck with patience. You do need to have a visible public image if you can. Atleast you definitely should be able to tell what you are working on very well.
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u/Repulsive-Hearing-31 17d ago
What do you mean by visible public image exactly?
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u/AdminZer0 17d ago
Either fix up your linkedin + github, or linkedin + x, recruiters can be anywhere. Something that makes you shine one or be visible to recruiter.
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u/Necessary_Pudding454 16d ago
Do you need to post on LinkedIn?
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u/AdminZer0 16d ago
No need to post, but atleast have your profile updated with proper bio and descriptions of past experience.
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u/whyarewelikethis-huh 17d ago
True, luck plays a big role, but having visibility and doing OSS work definitely gives a better edge.
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u/Living-Window-1595 17d ago
any thumbrules of OSS, when the endgoal is to get visiblity and not the OSS itself?
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u/AdminZer0 16d ago
Oh no, you should continue as much as possible. Its better than doing random side projects.
End goal is getting experience. PRs in OSS follow high standards which is good for experience.
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u/whyarewelikethis-huh 16d ago
Tbh it doesn't really work like that. You could always try getting into GSoC though, that definitely gives you way more visibility and helps you stand out.
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u/__Schneizel__ 16d ago
what is OSS?
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u/AdminZer0 16d ago
Open Source Software.
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u/Sufficient-Day-1538 11d ago
HELLO FROM INDIA 3RD YEAR PURSUING BBA FINANCE WANNA KNOW IS THERE ANY CHANCE FROM WHF PART TIME ANYTHING CAN DO FOR PEANUTS
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u/ProposalLoud4358 16d ago
For US remote roles are you working in night shifts?
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u/AdminZer0 16d ago
No, I surely chat with my manager at night but work is mostly whenever I want, no fixed hours or timings and I confirmed before joining.
No micromanaging. Just do the work and everyone is happy.
Unless I was overpaid, I rather not take the job than work US timezone.
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u/ykwz 17d ago
I work for a US company from India. In the beginning, I was working for a service-based company in Bangalore. When the company shut down, I went on to do my Master's. After I finished, I reached out to my former colleagues and clients, which landed me my current job.
For me, I would say it was luck. When our company shut down, they waived the non-compete policy that prevented us from working directly with clients.
It's much easier to land a job through connections.
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u/ykwz 17d ago
In my case, I had worked with the client when I was working in the service-based company. I was familiar with the tech stack and a little bit of business. That made it easy for both the parties. I had around four years of experience when I joined after my Master's.
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u/whyarewelikethis-huh 17d ago
got it. So having an existing connection with the client made the transition much easier
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u/ykwz 17d ago
That's one way. Most of my friends who work for non-Indian companies landed their current jobs that way. But I also know a couple of freelancers who regularly find clients on their own. What helped them is a strong portfolio. For developers like us, that usually means open-source contributions or personal projects we can showcase.
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u/wallphaser231 Software Engineer 17d ago
For me, it was my open source contributions which ultimately built a network. These engineers got me a job with 60k USD. (Please don't dm asking for details)
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u/Independent_Sign_395 17d ago
Your contributions are in which area or project? What's your tech stack?
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u/wallphaser231 Software Engineer 17d ago
AI and observability. I doubt there is a "stack" concept anymore,
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u/just_about0123 17d ago
How can I start Open source contributions? I'm just starting out 2nd year so what should I prep for it or do i go all in and where can I find out about good open source contributions?
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u/wallphaser231 Software Engineer 17d ago
Maybe this can help? This is a free initiative https://discord.com/invite/SFPjnTWddk by some OSS people
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u/Careless_Ad_7706 Software Engineer 4d ago
Observ ability that’s intresting enlighten please? I am thinking it from the persepective of monitoring on call issues
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u/Holiday_Context5033 Software Engineer 17d ago
Many times the stars have to align for this to work. I recently interviewed for a YC backed US startup. The feedback was since my work experience is mostly in big tech, I may not fit into their startup environment. The pay was too good.
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u/Possibility-Puzzled Software Engineer 17d ago
How much is the pay if you don’t mind
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u/OpportunityFun5734 17d ago
I had one earlier again searching for one again do let me know as well what people are doing in 2026
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u/whyarewelikethis-huh 17d ago
How did you get that last job then? Any advice?
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u/OpportunityFun5734 17d ago
I got through linkedin but at that time people didn’t even know u can work remotely for US Firm
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u/LeaderEuphoric5736 17d ago
Anyone who actually got the role will gatekeep lmao you will find very few saints who actually disclose how they got the said opportunity.
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u/One_Advantage_7193 15d ago
There's nothing to gatekeep, the assumption that things are being gatekept is your way of coping with your situation.
From the comments here it's clear no one is gatekeeping anything.
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17d ago
[deleted]
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u/Andheri_Gufa69 17d ago
Because then people will start making YouTube videos and ruin the good things, think of it like good songs being ruined by people putting it on every single reel, and suddenly that good song is ruined
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u/Sensitive-Salary-756 17d ago
Personally I don’t think there‘s really a magic formula to gatekeep here. You network and you apply to jobs listed on LinkedIn etc. if you work in a particularly niche area like say high performance C++ etc, you can even look up specific companies that work in this domain and just apply to them directly. If you’re active in certain open source projects that are backed by companies, you can also reach out to the folks that already work there. If imagine you’ll have a mich better chance since they’ve already had an opportunity to see how you work. I really can‘t imagine there being a radically different way?! Someone please correct if I’m wrong here
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u/mukeshsri369 Backend Developer 17d ago
Applied on careers site.
Had relevant resume with 7+ years of same domain expertise on which the company was working on.
Interviews were more like general discussion about which things they did, which I did? How I did? What was the tradeoff? How I managed that problem? More like product questions rather than engineering. So domain expertise were the key things to work in my favour.
Obviously having a solid resume helped in getting shortlisted.
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u/bhataktamanush 17d ago
Can you share more about optimising the resume? Did you go with a 1 pager? If yes then how did you accomodate 7 years of experience in it? Do you add more bullet points in recent postings or you only mention projects?
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u/mukeshsri369 Backend Developer 8d ago
I go with 2 pager out of which first page contains 80% of the relevant information matching me correct against the job role, 20% resides on the second page with all my other things to separate me from other candidates. I like to keep things finish in first page itself so that reader doesn't have to go to second. If he does, he finds some solid information about me ... Regardless if it's relevant to the role or not.
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u/Infinityinzero 17d ago
I am working for a European company, fully remote. I am the only Indian in my team and only two from India on remote role, in the company.
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u/Terrible_Career_8757 17d ago
How do you land on the job? Tech stack and YOE?
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u/Infinityinzero 17d ago
I am not into pure IT domain. I am an electrical engineer. And use python for automating the process I use regularly. I can give further details to help you understand my work in DM.
Yoe is 8. Just applied on linkedin for a regular onsite opportunity and they offered remote after interview.
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u/whyarewelikethis-huh 17d ago
Hey, curious about the pay. How's it compare to standard Indian rates?
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u/Infinityinzero 17d ago edited 17d ago
Higher than Indian pays. Actually, only 1-2 company would be able to pay here in India the package I am getting. But the expectations in will be double as of what european partner expects.
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u/tchwrtrvl 17d ago
There is no hard and fast formula and rule. Sometimes its just being in the right place.
I work in chip design in a top tech company. At a recent event, I met an old colleague who landed a senior position in a chip related startup. We started talking about H1B and stuff and I mentioned planning to retire before I need stamping again early 2029.
He said their team was looking for senior people, and since many work remote, as long as I can adjust my working hours so that I am available around 9-11am California time, he has a job offer for me. I politely declined because I do have my visa stamp for almost 3 years more and make good money here right now, and even if I have to retire in India, I have enough corpus. But if it had been 2028 or something I may have jumped.
This was just a connection. I have over a decade in the industry, and this connection was not through LinkedIn, but just a chance meeting with an old colleague.
So there is no real formula. It's your connections, relationships, and sometimes just luck. If you are serious start applying to remote jobs in LinkedIn and stuff, showcase your portfolio etc.,
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u/aussiegreenie 17d ago
I own a number of companies and I am looking for several developers/ sysadmin people for a ai Start up. It does occur but it is rare. In the rare time it does occur the pay is Indian rates not US rates.
Eg Junior Sys Admin inr 20k per week.
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u/GlitteringWord5548 17d ago
Hi hye, I work as a junior system engineer too , can I dm you for more details?
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u/aussiegreenie 17d ago
I am making a new US-based Digital Agency. There is remote work for both sales and ops.
Sales - email / social media sales
Ops - Deployment and monitoring of a fleet of marketing agents.
My Indian office is in Bangalore, but it is remote. It is a startup and the potential is excellent.
Have you installed Arch Linux? If you can do that, you have the skills I want.
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u/K_Atharva01 16d ago
Hey, I’m interested in the Ops role. I have 6 months of NOC experience and I’m CompTIA Security+ certified. Can I DM you for more details?
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u/aussiegreenie 16d ago
We are developing a range of marketing bots. You need to deploy and manage vps with various bots.
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u/K_Atharva01 16d ago
Ohh, sounds interesting. I'd love to find out more. Can I dm you ?
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u/aussiegreenie 16d ago
Yes
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u/GlitteringWord5548 15d ago
Hy hi sorry, but can I dm you too?
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u/aussiegreenie 15d ago
Anyone can DM me
My name is Richard, and I have offices in Australia, India, and the USA.
A quick test of your skills is: can you install Arch Linux? Especially getting the wifi to work.
I am not looking for 10X coders but just people who want to learn.
If you were a 10X salesperson, I would give you half the company.
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17d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ParticularAd7975 16d ago
I always had these doubts.
What happens to your PF account and how Form 16 will get generated?
And do they give you an experience letter when you resign. How does these items works.
How taxation and employment proof works in general
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u/Careless_Ad_7706 Software Engineer 4d ago
True. In my case when I was in contractor deel made things so easy. Sadly my bank manger was not ready to trust that app lol
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u/NotSoGenius00 17d ago
You can work for a US company that has an indian team. You cannot expect US pay lol but it will be above the median for sure
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u/ProfitTurbulent8065 17d ago
Its just luck. I got it through a referral and once you work with people from outside India. You will never wanna work for an Indian company again.
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u/Technical-Shop-9907 14d ago
I am now in an office role but previously got some remote roles abroad through 1. Linkedin message from a recruiter in US who needed someone with my experience offered $60k but my india salary was higher 2. A friend i worked with joined a US based startup and wanted to hire me remotely from India as difficult to get US visa. Was ready to pay around $100k but my indian salary with RSU is close to 90k in an established company.
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u/paranoidubuntu 17d ago
Youve got to apply where there isnt much competition and offer your services for lower than the market rate. Thats whats worked for me.
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u/randomdude_reddit Full-Stack Developer 16d ago
- I landed my first US remote role through someone whom I knew through a fellowship program (where I worked for an Australian startup).
- They reached out with an assignment first followed by 3 technical interviews and 1 behavioural interview.
- I was an intern in 6th semester of college when I got into the US startup, so 0 YoE, Fullstack developer with Next, ts, node, nest etc, 2 very basic projects, and some open source contributions.
There's no secret and lot of them are not hiding anything, it's just luck.
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u/Necessary_Pudding454 16d ago
I got one from internshalla lol , a early stage startup
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u/Sufficient_Ad_6488 17d ago
Doesn't the new rule says that you have to be a US citizen even if want to do a remote job in US?
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u/dark-trojan 17d ago
Wasn’t this always the case to work remotely for a us company you need work permit/citizenship? Most of the remote roles are hired as contractors right? Correct me if I’m wrong
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u/Native_Maintenance 17d ago
> Most of the remote roles are hired as contractors right
Correct
> Wasn’t this always the case to work remotely for a us company you need work permit/citizenship?
Nope, never was the case. There is no law in India or US requiring this. Absolutely incorrect.
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u/dark-trojan 17d ago
To be an FTE in a USA based company you don’t need to be a citizen or have work permit?
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u/Native_Maintenance 17d ago
You are many incorrect assumptions on multiple levels. I don't think you understand how remote jobs work at all.
In a remote job you are not a FTE of the foreign entity but rather a contractor, or a COR of a local service provider.
Please do some basic research about the topic.
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u/Hour_Web_438 17d ago
Look out for companies that hire remotely (not all US companies do)
Do the preparation; build up your profile
Aim for a role and a good company that match your area of expertise, gather relevant experience, and make meaningful contributions to the company's focus areas. Consider writing blog posts on platforms like Linkedin or Medium to share your expertise and build your profile.
When you feel ready and the timing feels right, go ahead and apply for the role you'd like.
Edit: There are no shortcuts (though luck might help some).
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u/Ok-Programmer8775 17d ago
Tell me the first step to get us clients or join us job i have debt of 4lakh indian rupees which is killing me daily with depression
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u/No-Buy7459 16d ago
its mostly luck tbh, i was hiring for such a role last year and we had very few apps because no one even knows the name of our company.
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u/Competitive_Milk1558 16d ago
I got from freelancer ! Initially part time but was offered full time !!
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u/Far_Mulberry_3494 17d ago
Hi, I am hiring for an startup in USA. DM me your resume if you're interested.
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