CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.
IT business is booming in Estonia. There are many interesting tech employers, exciting projects and very good job offers including the possibility of rapid professional growth. People moving to Estonia from western countries consider the main motivator and attraction of Estonia to be its compact organisational hierarchy, which enables people to climb up the career ladder more rapidly that in other countries.
LIVING ENVIRONMENT.
Estonia is a very comfortable place to live in, especially for a family with kids. The streets are safe. There is a lot of space, no crowds and ridiculous traffic jams. The pace of life is not as hectic or stressful as in larger cities. The air is clean and one can drink the water right from the tab. The healthcare system is remarkably good. www.haigekassa.ee It is relatively easy and fast to get out of town to the unspoiled nature. Drivers are quite polite and the public transport is well organised and FREE in Tallinn.
GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND PRIVATE LIFE.
IT companies in Estonia usually have a very comfortable working environment. Work culture is not stressful and the offices are usually pretty empty after 6 – 7 pm. The journey to and from work should not take more than 30 minutes which allows to spend more time with the family, go infer sports or simply enjoy life.
LANGUAGE.
Expats usually feel very comfortable living in Estonia. English is the working language in most of the IT companies in Estonia. Whether at the doctor’s, on the street, at the shops or official institutions, it is usually possible to at least get by in Russian and English. Besides, most of the IT companies offer free courses to learn The Estonian language.
WORK PERMIT.
Estonia is a member of European Union since 2004. IT companies are usually offering long-term direct contract, cover relocation and housing for the first month or employment and organise a residence permit for the whole family. Residence permit is connected to the employment contract and is usually issued for 1-2 years. Later on it can be extended. Long term residence permit may be applied for after 5 years of permanent residence in Estonia, given that you have integrated into Estonian society and have knowledge of the Estonian language at least at B1 level.
E-ESTONIA.
There is no bureaucracy. All inquiries and issues can be sorted out pretty fast online. Interaction among government agencies, and between the government and citizens, has been completely transformed in e-Estonia, quickly making bureaucracy a thing of the past and making the running of all levels of government more efficient than ever before.
E-RESIDENCY.
There is a progressive business environment with an efficient and compatible infrastructure. The Republic of Estonia is the first country to offer e-Residency — a transnational digital identity available to anyone in the world interested in administering a location-independent business online e-Residency offers to every world citizen a government-issued digital identity and the opportunity to run a trusted company online, from any place in the world
More about working in Estonia.
Useful links.
Rental Market
Estonian healthcare system
Cost of living in Estonia
Food cost