Destination Remote: Working for 10Clouds from Abroad

Even before the pandemic, 10Clouds had fully embraced remote working, and many of our staff were already taking advantage of this setup. One of them was our Product Delivery Manager, Jan Nalepa.

A year ago, before he came to 10Clouds, he had plans with his fiancee to move to the Ukraine and to buy a house in the mountains. In his previous job, this wasn’t possible because he had to be onsite full time.

Jan was actively looking for a role that would enable him to work remotely. He found 10Clouds, and started working for us while still based in Poland. Then, when he felt that we were a good match for him, he decided to move abroad.

Getting used to remote work

Jan says that remote work definitely requires a bit more discipline, as there are many potential distractions. But one of the greatest benefits is that you’re the master of your own timetable and you don’t need to neccassarily work the exact same hours as your colleagues.

When you’re building a house, as in Jan’s case, you can easily fit in your work around meetings with architects and planners. Jan is excited about the progress of the building works - it’s essentially a dream come true.

In the beginning, he wasn’t that bothered about not having any contact with colleagues, but the loneliness did kick in as time passed. It’s more difficult to be onboarded remotely and it's strange to never see your colleagues face to face.

There are some interpersonal connections that are just much easier in the office corridor.

Jan has been hoping to get back to Warsaw more frequently, but due to the pandemic, this hasn’t really happened. He didn’t want to spend most of his time in quarantine.

Socialising in dispersed teams

Jan has really enjoyed all remote team socials. It’s great to chat about life outside of work and to get to know his colleagues as people. He also really benefited from the 10Clouds Home Office Makeover, as he previously was working in nomadic conditions - now he’s properly set up for work.

The importance of a well-organized calendar

At present, Jan is working with two clients from the States and therefore mainly works in the afternoons to cover the time difference. He’s never paid so much attention to having a well-organized calendar, which he treats as one of his main tools for work. Back in his office days, calendar-management was nowhere near as important. Now, everything needs to be in there, including time for project admin and personal breaks.

While in previous jobs, Jan sometimes struggled to fill an 8 hour day, he currently finds that he has the opposite experience. He has to be careful not to work too much. Especially when there’s a larger workload in the afternoons, he needs to organize pockets of meeting-free time.

The main administrative challenges of remote work abroad

Jan found that the legalization of his stay in the Ukraine was the trickiest part of remote work abroad. It lasted around 4-5 months and he sought the help of a lawyer working with the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Business. In the end, he had to return to Poland and then go back to the Ukraine having obtained a work visa. Finally, he was able to open a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in Ukraine.

Jan considered working for a Ukrainian firm, or indeed one from another country, but he wasn’t sure whether it would work out. He also likes the fact that he knows the Polish market and Polish work portals, which means that another element of risk is removed.

Jan would definitely recommend remote work from abroad - it’s just a case of setting yourself up well in your new home, planning your time super-effectively and ensuring that you take every opportunity to socialise with your team.

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