When it comes to seeking employment abroad, Indians usually have a list of predictable locations where they would want to work or where they know a sizeable expat community already does - the US, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia - all great places to be. But they miss out on the proverbial hidden gems - the countries that get glossed over simply because they don’t make it to the headlines very often. These are places where Indians are welcome, the standard of living is good, cost of living reasonable and opportunities, immense.

1. Denmark: Denmark lands at the top of our list because quite frankly, there is little you can find fault with in this country. It is one of the safest places to live in the world, has astoundingly beautiful scenery, a strong social welfare system, high average salaries, a great track record of liberal civil liberties, and consistently ranks at the top of the Global Happiness Index. The work culture here encourages teamwork and most companies here operate with a flat management structure instead of the rigid hierarchies we are familiar with. On top of that, the work week here is a breezy 37 hours, and working overtime is actually discouraged. Coming to work sick is considered poor manners, and employees are given paid leave to attend to their health as well as their childrens’. Their adherence to the ingenious Flexicurity model allows both employers and employees to adjust to the needs of the market with relative ease due to the inherently mandated safety net provisions, which has helped make globalisation more appealing. There are plenty of jobs for expats here, especially English speakers in the domains of education & research, IT and allied services.

2. Netherlands: The Netherlands is home to a wide range of multinationals - ING Group, Heineken, Philips, and Shell to name a few. The country has a healthy proportion of foreigners - 24% to be exact - employed in sectors such as agriculture, IT, FinServ, logistics, healthcare and chemicals. And proficiency in Dutch is not a requirement to secure employment. Dutch companies too are famous for having a horizontal corporate structure and their strict adherence to employee-friendly labour laws. Travel costs are almost always covered by the employer, and formal clothes are usually not required. The Netherlands has also implemented a programme for highly skilled migrants which expedites the process to bring in prospective employees from outside the EU for Dutch companies. And in most cases, 30% of an expats’ salary is exempt from tax.

3. Brazil: This beautiful country predictably has a vast array of opportunities in the tourism sector, as well as language training if you’re proficient in English, apart from IT, engineering, oil companies and financial services. Brazil makes it on our list because of their recent changes in law that promote a better work-life balance and better compensation - any time logged in over 44 hours in a week will be compensated for at 1.5 times the rate, and double on weekends. You also get 41 days of vacation in a year, and it becomes clear why Brazil ranks well on the Global Happiness Index. Although the bureaucracy is slow-moving and infrastructure is weak - trappings common to all developing economies - opportunities are aplenty if you have the right set of skills.

4. Cambodia: Cambodia makes it on our list primarily because as a rule of thumb, expats are paid higher wages than their Cambodian counterparts - sometimes upto 10 times higher! Quality of life is great, because the Cambodian zeitgeist has always been one of valuing relationships and experiences rather than materialistic gain. The prevailing culture encourages a good work-life balance - the phrase “burnout” simply does not exist in their vocabulary.

Agriculture, textiles, tourism and construction are the sectors where demand for skilled workers is the highest, and experienced managers and executives from abroad are highly sought after. There are also a lot of language training centres, and the country has a shortage of professionals who can teach English - so much so that aside from their professional qualifications, English-speaking expats are hired by private companies just to train their staff. Cambodia is also a viable destination if you have a penchant for humanitarian work, with successfully running development programmes supported by generous endowments from the UN & World Bank. Just don’t be deceived by the quoted salary packages you see - the cost of living here is so low, you’ll be surprised at how much you can save without even trying.

5. Estonia: Estonia officially joined the EU in 2004, and since has become one of the places for opening new companies and conducting business. Compared to its neighbours Russia & Latvia, it has a higher average income and a more stable economy. Coupled with an uncomplicated tax system and efficient bureaucracy, it has invited a bevy of expats, mostly in the IT sector and FinServ. Estonian is almost never a required qualification needed to work here and a good command over English will serve you just fine. It’s a forward-looking, digitally advanced country with a very reasonable cost of living. It’s no surprise that Estonia has the most StartUps per capita of any country in Europe.

6. Japan: Japan, like a lot of sparsely populated, developed nations has begun to face a major problem in terms of their workforce - it is grey & ageing, and they’re looking at a distressing future because the number of productive members of the workforce are decreasing and dependents, rising. To sustain their economy, they are more open than ever today to employ expats. But before going any further, let me state in no uncertain terms that you need to have a reasonable, working-level proficiency in both Japanese as well as English if you want to work here in any capacity.
With language taken care of, there are job opportunities abound for expats in Japan - in their globally dominant video games industry, in the services sector (especially with companies that have global reach), in banking, in IT and in hospitality (where knowledge of multiple languages is a boon). Japanese companies are always looking for staff for translation, interpretation & language training because of the increasing influx of foreign residents. Though the pay might not be great early on, vacancies are ever-present in this field.
The work culture here may also appear pedantic and somewhat quirky - since most Japanese employees stick with the same company till they retire, job interviews are usually long, multi-panelled and your personality and motivations are meticulously picked apart to ensure that you’re fit for the company. Hierarchy is everything, and there are rules on how many times to knock on a door, when it’s appropriate to take a seat and when it’s not. Punctuality isn’t something you can ever take for granted either.
Being the third-largest economy in the world and a growing labour shortage (1.48 jobs per applicant), with close to 64% of employers saying that they don’t have the manpower to meet their current objectives, Japan stands as a valid choice for expats. Beyond just great jobs, the land of the rising sun also has the best public transportation system in the world, great nightlife, mind-boggling technological advancements and breathtaking landscapes.

7. Botswana: Apart from being one of the safest countries in Africa, Botswana has a thriving hospitality and financial services sector, mining (Botswana being the largest producer of diamonds in the world) and export industry. Being a peaceful, stable democracy with a liberal economic policy and low levels of taxation, it has attracted a lot of foreign investment, and is a harbour to bigwigs like Microsoft, Deloitte, World Bank, Ericsson, IBM, Nestle, GE, Standard Chartered & Coca-Cola among others. The Botswana Stock Exchange is the best-performing exchange in all of Africa. It’s one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and is home to a vibrant expat community, especially from India. The only hiccup is making it through the immigration process, for which professional help is absolutely vital.

8. Iceland: To call Iceland beautiful would be an understatement, to say the least. This Nordic Island, with its hot springs, the Northern Lights, glacier caves, the softest grass in the world and virtually no traffic, is a veritable sight to behold no matter which way you look at it. It has the cleanest air in the world, same with the water that is free of charge, no insects besides the occasional bee and wasp, a police force that has never carried guns and holding the title of the most peaceful country since 2008 - Iceland might just be the closest thing to utopia we have.
But what will a tiny island in the Atlantic have in terms of jobs? Well, Iceland is still very much a modern European nation. But like Japan, Iceland also has an ageing population, and it is estimated that they hire approximately 2000 expats every year to keep their country prospering. Healthcare, pharmaceuticals, construction and IT are sectors that are in constant want of manpower. The advances in technology are outpacing the number of people who are being trained to use it. Beyond work-related skills, fluency in English is also an advantage, since the country has a booming tourism & hospitality industry too.
The work culture here is also indicative on the Icelandic view of life: workers have a right to a minimum 11 hours of rest every 24 hours; workweeks are limited to 40 hours spread over 5 days; and interviews are usually conducted in informal settings, like local cafes.
With the workforce imbalance predicted to rise at least till 2040, Iceland is a great destination for expats who want to go off the beaten path.