Immigration to Bulgaria
Hello! At one time, reading the stories about emigration to country N, I dreamed that someday I would do something similar, and then I would describe my experience. Well, obsessive dreams come true, and now the turn of my story has come - and this time it will be a question of immigration to Bulgaria.
Of course, before you have to say a few words about yourself, because everyone who cherishes the dream of ever moving will want to compare his experience with mine and assess his prospects. So, I am a front-end developer, the last 5 years before the move worked in an excellent IT company in Moscow. Formally, my level is defined as senior, but I met seniors with a much more serious background than me. In short, I am not a fan of programming, I am not ready to study a new framework in the evenings, so my level is determined solely by practice at work.
My English two years ago was completely bad. True, I could read documentation and simple texts, but only forcedly, when there was no Russian version; I spoke quite badly and understood even worse by ear. However, I was able to understand this only after the first interviews - and up to them, having no experience, I did not guess the problem.
Initially, I considered more standard relocation options within Europe - Holland, Germany. My first interview was with Booking.com. I submitted an application to which I responded and scheduled an interview for a specific day. On that day, X, I spent a long time looking for a room where extraneous sounds would not interfere with me, recalled all the advice that my acquaintances gave me — however, all this was useless when, during the conversation, I became aware that I understood very little, and I spoke in slow slow-motion English - although I tried to train a week before the interview. It is logical that the first interview was failed, and I was politely refused, offering to try myself later.
')
Then I realized that I needed English lessons - and found some small office teaching English on Skype. These were unproductive lessons, as I see now - but at least something is better than nothing. In addition, it increased my confidence. After 3-4 months, I again applied for Booking.com. However, this time the girl that interviewed me spoke very quickly and with an accent incomprehensible to me - so I was expected by another failure, doubly offensive after the preparation that I undertook.
Passing the description of unnecessary details, I will say that I changed the courses of English, re-interviewed on Booking.com and Backbase - another office from Amsterdam. And if in Booking this time I got to the technical interview, where I was refused (which I was glad, because I hated the developers for various questions about IE6 support - and this was in 2015 ...), then in the second one I went through all the remote stages interview and was invited to the final stage in Amsterdam - at the expense of the company.
Amsterdam made a very painful impression on me. Perhaps if I visited him as a tourist, I would be delighted with this cozy town, numerous bike paths and general cleanliness and order. But considering it as a home for me and my family (and I was planning to move with my wife and daughter for 7 years), for some reason I was uncomfortable. However, this could only be a first impression. In any case, I failed the final interview - partly because of the level of English, partly because of technical issues that I did not expect. It was a hard defeat, especially considering that everyone was talking - if they were invited to Amsterdam, then the case is actually a matter, and it remains to settle the empty formalities.
Continuing to study English, I also updated my profile in Linkedin, and now invitations to work in a foreign company began to drop in two or three a week. It was a variety of countries - Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary - and I tried out some, however, without much desire, rather, to pump skill. Questions on js became familiar and familiar, and it became even easier to answer in English for technical interviews than in Russian - because in a foreign language for the interviewee and the interviewer no one expects lengthy answers about closure details, for example.
And finally, leafing through the news in Linkedin, I saw an offer to work in sunny Bulgaria. After consulting with my wife, we both immediately fell in love with this option, and everything in it looked attractive. Mountains, sea, excellent climate, cheap country (and at the same time a decent salary), not far from Russia (we planned to visit our relatives), not far from the rest of Europe (thanks to cheap flights, it is easy to visit other countries), and finally, Slavic language. I submitted an application, went through three stages of an interview, and finally got an offer to work in Sofia.
From the moment of receiving the offer to the immediate move to Bulgaria, 3 long waiting periods have passed. At that time I received various certificates, translated them into Bulgarian, visited the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow. All this is rather dreary and long, despite the support of the company in this matter. The Bulgarian Embassy, for example, works poorly, starting with disgruntled employees of the embassy, who are not always competent, and ending with an online service for checking the status of the application, which not only lagged behind the weekly status, but just ended up working (and it was impossible to get through the phone). In detail about the shortcomings of the embassy, you can write a lot and for a long time, perhaps it was the worst, although the last step in the overall process of obtaining Visa D.
The moment of obtaining the visa is sign, from that moment you can go for the purpose of a long-term stay in Bulgaria and get to work. Unfortunately, unlike in Germany, you cannot apply for the whole family at once, and get visas for everyone. Alas, in Bulgaria you have to come to Sofia, continue here the paperwork (and it will take two months), and only then with the received documents the family must apply for a visa D in Moscow. However, we decided to use the closed Schengen, and for two months the family was with me, and then went to Moscow for two weeks to get a visa.
Perhaps, I will not describe in detail all the documents that were required for obtaining a visa - and I invite those who are interested in this particular issue to comment.
Before moving, as a rule, there is a sharp question how to transport things abroad. I decided to use my car, and another two weeks before I got the visa, D used the Schengen, stuffed my car under the ceiling with household belongings, and went on a journey, listening to the rumble of kastyulek all the way. I was expecting some special questions when the border was pinched, and indeed, upon entering the EU through Poland, the border guard selectively examined some of the bags, and chose those that were difficult to pull out. But the matter was settled in 5-10 minutes, and I continued my journey, which lasted for 3 days. No one else ever looked at me anywhere, even though I crossed the border of Vengia-Serbia and Serbia-Bulgaria.
I put all my belongings in the apartment from the company, and returned by plane. Two weeks later, I flew to Sofia with a D visa, but so far without my family, they joined me a week later.
The process of obtaining documents, alas, does not end with the arrival in Bulgaria - you have a visa D on your hands, and now you need to get a residence permit, which should be renewed every year. Again, this is all a chore, and in some ways even worse than in Moscow - in the migration department in Sofia there are elderly aunts who never confess that they know Russian, and you will have to go to collect documents if you do not have an assistant. Fortunately, the company saved me from this hell, since I visited the department together with a lawyer, but I felt it, looking at the sad faces of foreigners in Migration.
And, again, it costs money, so a very good advice is to save for the move in advance, because even if the company promises to compensate for all these expenses, it will not happen immediately.
And I must say, in the first months in Sofia, a lot of work had to be done, and all of them required investments. This is not only a migration, this is the right to use roads in Bulgaria for a car (vignette), it is a three-fold payment for an apartment (here as someone lucky) and other expenses for the purchase of essential things.
For almost half a year in Bulgaria, I managed to gain both good and bad impressions. I will begin, perhaps, with the good.
Well, now about the cons, without division by points.
Above, I talked about the similarities of mentalities, and apparently, this entails the same problems. Literally on the first day in Bulgaria, I got into conversation with an elderly man, and he told a little about his homeland (I must say that older people here usually know Russian, because they taught him at school). A Bulgarian complained about theft, corruption, poverty in the villages, low wages - in general, a familiar list for every Russian. This is all expressed in bad roads with holes that do not close up for a long time, and in similar to the dachas of new Russian cottages with the highest fences, so you might be surprised if you’re not in Russia.
It is believed that people from the Balkans are generally lazy - to take that the Greeks, that the Bulgarians. And I must say, while this is generally confirmed, although not to say that the Russians themselves are workaholics, like the Japanese. But more often than in Russia, I notice here that a person may be late for a meeting, forget to warn you that he will not come - and all this seems to be the norm. It is difficult to talk about this, considering my period of stay in Bulgaria, but it seems that they are not working very hard here. From here and low quality of services - of course, not everywhere, but on average in the city. Comparing the same level of circles for a daughter in Moscow and Sofia should definitely put Moscow in the first place. However, Moscow in terms of the number of inhabitants exceeds the whole of Bulgaria, so I compare different categories.
Perhaps, this is noticeable only to Muscovites, who are always in a hurry, but in Sofia the masses of people move slowly - this is especially felt in the subway. However, even in St. Petersburg, life is slower than in Moscow. I myself am not a special supporter of haste and eternal fuss, but in Sofia sometimes life seems too slow. But, this is an amateur, again.
Speaking of bad service above, you can add to it the level of doctors. Of course, it is too early to judge this, but I had an unpleasant experience of breaking my leg in Sofia, and went to the doctor for a month and a half. And here she is, the familiar picture - the queues in the corridors, and everything looks painfully familiar and "familiar." The doctor himself, however, was good with me, and spoke Russian and English, but not always and everyone was so lucky. In addition, it was one of the best public health clinics in Sofia.
I have little to say about the quality of education in Sofia. My daughter went to first grade this year, and she likes school, although there are problems with the language. Perhaps after a year or two, it will be possible to judge this more objectively. In the meantime, I can suggest that the level of the school is not enough to get a really excellent education, and all this should be compensated by circles and home education. Well, I would like to take my higher education stage in another country.
When I moved, I expected that from time to time I would be tormented by bouts of nostalgia and longing for the Motherland. However, Bulgaria is so similar to Russia that I don’t feel myself in a foreign land. For the time being, the pros outweigh the disadvantages for me, and Bulgaria seems to me to be at least a positive development in my life. In the future, after 5 years, I will receive a long-term right to stay in Bulgaria, and after another 5 years I can also receive citizenship (without renouncing Russia). Which, of course, can be beneficial, given that for Bulgaria, as an EU country, the doors are open.
A little about yourself
Of course, before you have to say a few words about yourself, because everyone who cherishes the dream of ever moving will want to compare his experience with mine and assess his prospects. So, I am a front-end developer, the last 5 years before the move worked in an excellent IT company in Moscow. Formally, my level is defined as senior, but I met seniors with a much more serious background than me. In short, I am not a fan of programming, I am not ready to study a new framework in the evenings, so my level is determined solely by practice at work.
My English two years ago was completely bad. True, I could read documentation and simple texts, but only forcedly, when there was no Russian version; I spoke quite badly and understood even worse by ear. However, I was able to understand this only after the first interviews - and up to them, having no experience, I did not guess the problem.
History of moving
Initially, I considered more standard relocation options within Europe - Holland, Germany. My first interview was with Booking.com. I submitted an application to which I responded and scheduled an interview for a specific day. On that day, X, I spent a long time looking for a room where extraneous sounds would not interfere with me, recalled all the advice that my acquaintances gave me — however, all this was useless when, during the conversation, I became aware that I understood very little, and I spoke in slow slow-motion English - although I tried to train a week before the interview. It is logical that the first interview was failed, and I was politely refused, offering to try myself later.
')
Then I realized that I needed English lessons - and found some small office teaching English on Skype. These were unproductive lessons, as I see now - but at least something is better than nothing. In addition, it increased my confidence. After 3-4 months, I again applied for Booking.com. However, this time the girl that interviewed me spoke very quickly and with an accent incomprehensible to me - so I was expected by another failure, doubly offensive after the preparation that I undertook.
Passing the description of unnecessary details, I will say that I changed the courses of English, re-interviewed on Booking.com and Backbase - another office from Amsterdam. And if in Booking this time I got to the technical interview, where I was refused (which I was glad, because I hated the developers for various questions about IE6 support - and this was in 2015 ...), then in the second one I went through all the remote stages interview and was invited to the final stage in Amsterdam - at the expense of the company.
Amsterdam made a very painful impression on me. Perhaps if I visited him as a tourist, I would be delighted with this cozy town, numerous bike paths and general cleanliness and order. But considering it as a home for me and my family (and I was planning to move with my wife and daughter for 7 years), for some reason I was uncomfortable. However, this could only be a first impression. In any case, I failed the final interview - partly because of the level of English, partly because of technical issues that I did not expect. It was a hard defeat, especially considering that everyone was talking - if they were invited to Amsterdam, then the case is actually a matter, and it remains to settle the empty formalities.
Continuing to study English, I also updated my profile in Linkedin, and now invitations to work in a foreign company began to drop in two or three a week. It was a variety of countries - Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary - and I tried out some, however, without much desire, rather, to pump skill. Questions on js became familiar and familiar, and it became even easier to answer in English for technical interviews than in Russian - because in a foreign language for the interviewee and the interviewer no one expects lengthy answers about closure details, for example.
And finally, leafing through the news in Linkedin, I saw an offer to work in sunny Bulgaria. After consulting with my wife, we both immediately fell in love with this option, and everything in it looked attractive. Mountains, sea, excellent climate, cheap country (and at the same time a decent salary), not far from Russia (we planned to visit our relatives), not far from the rest of Europe (thanks to cheap flights, it is easy to visit other countries), and finally, Slavic language. I submitted an application, went through three stages of an interview, and finally got an offer to work in Sofia.
About the process of moving
From the moment of receiving the offer to the immediate move to Bulgaria, 3 long waiting periods have passed. At that time I received various certificates, translated them into Bulgarian, visited the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow. All this is rather dreary and long, despite the support of the company in this matter. The Bulgarian Embassy, for example, works poorly, starting with disgruntled employees of the embassy, who are not always competent, and ending with an online service for checking the status of the application, which not only lagged behind the weekly status, but just ended up working (and it was impossible to get through the phone). In detail about the shortcomings of the embassy, you can write a lot and for a long time, perhaps it was the worst, although the last step in the overall process of obtaining Visa D.
The moment of obtaining the visa is sign, from that moment you can go for the purpose of a long-term stay in Bulgaria and get to work. Unfortunately, unlike in Germany, you cannot apply for the whole family at once, and get visas for everyone. Alas, in Bulgaria you have to come to Sofia, continue here the paperwork (and it will take two months), and only then with the received documents the family must apply for a visa D in Moscow. However, we decided to use the closed Schengen, and for two months the family was with me, and then went to Moscow for two weeks to get a visa.
Perhaps, I will not describe in detail all the documents that were required for obtaining a visa - and I invite those who are interested in this particular issue to comment.
Moving
Before moving, as a rule, there is a sharp question how to transport things abroad. I decided to use my car, and another two weeks before I got the visa, D used the Schengen, stuffed my car under the ceiling with household belongings, and went on a journey, listening to the rumble of kastyulek all the way. I was expecting some special questions when the border was pinched, and indeed, upon entering the EU through Poland, the border guard selectively examined some of the bags, and chose those that were difficult to pull out. But the matter was settled in 5-10 minutes, and I continued my journey, which lasted for 3 days. No one else ever looked at me anywhere, even though I crossed the border of Vengia-Serbia and Serbia-Bulgaria.
I put all my belongings in the apartment from the company, and returned by plane. Two weeks later, I flew to Sofia with a D visa, but so far without my family, they joined me a week later.
Documents in Sofia
The process of obtaining documents, alas, does not end with the arrival in Bulgaria - you have a visa D on your hands, and now you need to get a residence permit, which should be renewed every year. Again, this is all a chore, and in some ways even worse than in Moscow - in the migration department in Sofia there are elderly aunts who never confess that they know Russian, and you will have to go to collect documents if you do not have an assistant. Fortunately, the company saved me from this hell, since I visited the department together with a lawyer, but I felt it, looking at the sad faces of foreigners in Migration.
And, again, it costs money, so a very good advice is to save for the move in advance, because even if the company promises to compensate for all these expenses, it will not happen immediately.
And I must say, in the first months in Sofia, a lot of work had to be done, and all of them required investments. This is not only a migration, this is the right to use roads in Bulgaria for a car (vignette), it is a three-fold payment for an apartment (here as someone lucky) and other expenses for the purchase of essential things.
Actually, Bulgaria itself
For almost half a year in Bulgaria, I managed to gain both good and bad impressions. I will begin, perhaps, with the good.
- Nature. I think this is an absolute plus of this small country. Everything here, on condition of a car, is close enough. This all includes beautiful mountain, black sea, caves and forests. Here there are ecological paths, there are reserves, in a word - you can find where to walk. Yes, comparing with the same Bavaria, it is necessary to cancel the sometimes disappointing service, dilapidated restaurants, sometimes with food of dubious quality. Alas, there are claims to the paths among the forests, to the signs, in a word, to the overall quality of all this service. However, if you are aiming to look exactly at nature, and are ready to take along a backpack with a thermos and provisions, it seems to me that all these shortcomings will be compensated.
- Climate. As they say, it is uncomfortable here only in January and February (by this I mean Sofia). The average temperature in winter is slightly more than zero, but throughout the winter there are frosts down to -20 - but they pass fairly quickly. Autumn is perfect here, compared to Moscow - long and warm. When there was snow in Moscow this year, we were pleased with the weather +15 +20. And although in the middle of November in Sofia an average of +5, but sometimes there are days with +10, and all this looks perfect against the backdrop of the sun.
In July and August it is hot in Sofia, so many leave for the sea. However, when choosing an apartment, we chose the most cool for ourselves, so we moved these months easily. And on weekends you should send to the mountains - there is always 5-10 degrees lower, and everything becomes just perfect. - Prices. It is not as cheap as I expected, but generally cheaper than in Moscow. Of course, there are products that are more expensive, for example, cereals, but this is an exception. In Bulgaria, for example, you can afford to drink orange juice every day (although it quickly bothers you), which will cost you a lot of money in Moscow. In Bulgaria it is cheaper to rent an apartment - for example, we, renting a three-room apartment with a fireplace and our garage in a prestigious district of Sofia, pay 550 euros for this. Comparing this with Moscow on the course of 70 rubles per euro, I understand that in the capital of Russia for 40 thousand such a pleasure I would not be available even in the cheapest area. And all this against the background of the salary, which, again, at the rate of 70 rubles per euro, is a little more than what I received in Moscow.
- Tongue. Of course, this is a plus only for the Slavs, but I was pleased that upon arrival I could freely go shopping and understand almost all signs. In general, you can even immediately start reading newspapers and understand something, although it is much more difficult to understand it by ear and it certainly needs to be taught.
- Distance to Russia. If you plan to visit a relative, and hope for return visits - Bulgaria is a good choice, unlike Canada, the United States or Australia.
- Distance to Europe. Using cheap air tickets, you can literally pay a penny to visit the same Paris at the weekend. I must say, I have never taken advantage of this opportunity, because at the weekend we study Bulgaria, and there is something to visit.
- As a plus you can offer the mentality of the Bulgarians, although this is certainly a controversial point. But the Bulgarians are at least understandable to the Russian, are similar, and there is no conflict of mentalism that could be. But in Bulgaria I do not feel in a foreign land, and this is probably a consequence of both the language and the mentality.
Well, now about the cons, without division by points.
Above, I talked about the similarities of mentalities, and apparently, this entails the same problems. Literally on the first day in Bulgaria, I got into conversation with an elderly man, and he told a little about his homeland (I must say that older people here usually know Russian, because they taught him at school). A Bulgarian complained about theft, corruption, poverty in the villages, low wages - in general, a familiar list for every Russian. This is all expressed in bad roads with holes that do not close up for a long time, and in similar to the dachas of new Russian cottages with the highest fences, so you might be surprised if you’re not in Russia.
It is believed that people from the Balkans are generally lazy - to take that the Greeks, that the Bulgarians. And I must say, while this is generally confirmed, although not to say that the Russians themselves are workaholics, like the Japanese. But more often than in Russia, I notice here that a person may be late for a meeting, forget to warn you that he will not come - and all this seems to be the norm. It is difficult to talk about this, considering my period of stay in Bulgaria, but it seems that they are not working very hard here. From here and low quality of services - of course, not everywhere, but on average in the city. Comparing the same level of circles for a daughter in Moscow and Sofia should definitely put Moscow in the first place. However, Moscow in terms of the number of inhabitants exceeds the whole of Bulgaria, so I compare different categories.
Perhaps, this is noticeable only to Muscovites, who are always in a hurry, but in Sofia the masses of people move slowly - this is especially felt in the subway. However, even in St. Petersburg, life is slower than in Moscow. I myself am not a special supporter of haste and eternal fuss, but in Sofia sometimes life seems too slow. But, this is an amateur, again.
Speaking of bad service above, you can add to it the level of doctors. Of course, it is too early to judge this, but I had an unpleasant experience of breaking my leg in Sofia, and went to the doctor for a month and a half. And here she is, the familiar picture - the queues in the corridors, and everything looks painfully familiar and "familiar." The doctor himself, however, was good with me, and spoke Russian and English, but not always and everyone was so lucky. In addition, it was one of the best public health clinics in Sofia.
I have little to say about the quality of education in Sofia. My daughter went to first grade this year, and she likes school, although there are problems with the language. Perhaps after a year or two, it will be possible to judge this more objectively. In the meantime, I can suggest that the level of the school is not enough to get a really excellent education, and all this should be compensated by circles and home education. Well, I would like to take my higher education stage in another country.
Any conclusions
When I moved, I expected that from time to time I would be tormented by bouts of nostalgia and longing for the Motherland. However, Bulgaria is so similar to Russia that I don’t feel myself in a foreign land. For the time being, the pros outweigh the disadvantages for me, and Bulgaria seems to me to be at least a positive development in my life. In the future, after 5 years, I will receive a long-term right to stay in Bulgaria, and after another 5 years I can also receive citizenship (without renouncing Russia). Which, of course, can be beneficial, given that for Bulgaria, as an EU country, the doors are open.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/315998/
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