EPAM takes pride in having a global reach, but also engaging on a local level to support our clients and to celebrate the many cultures of our employees in our 30+ offices around the world. We’re not only committed to finding the best opportunity for every EPAMer but creating diverse teams by bringing people together from different parts of the world through our Global Mobility program. EPAM’s Global Mobility mission is to assist and enable our employees to move around the world easily with minimal disruption to their daily lives.

We sat down with two EPAM technologists who each relocated within EPAM to our office in Mexico. Both adventurous gentlemen discuss their personal experiences with relocating: what challenges they faced, their favorite things about Mexico and advice on someone who is thinking about relocating. 

Istvan Szilasi, Senior Application Support Analyst

EPAM is a global company with roots in many locations around the world; because of this, it’s not hard to identify an opportunity to relocate within your area of work. The process is simple and the EPAM Relocation Team guided me the whole way. For anyone looking to relocate with their job, I’d suggest researching the steps associated with government procedures in advance, like applying for a visa. This way, you will know what to expect and when to anticipate external factors that will affect the process, such as time delays.

My relocation story began back in 2017 when I had a chance to visit Mexico for two weeks to conduct an on-site visit for a project I was working on. I found myself loving the country, expressed my interest in relocating and was able to relocate to the team I was working with during my two weeks there. The decision to relocate wasn’t easy, but I was lucky to have the support of my family, friends and colleagues.

On my work trip in 2017, I found a great tour guide that happened to be an EPAMer, too! We kept in contact and since relocating, she has become my roommate! Having her there to help me adjust to life in Mexico has made a huge difference.

Overall, my time in Mexico has been magical; the beauty of nature will amaze you and there are so many opportunities to experience the country’s colorful culture. My favorite part must be traveling around the country – Mexico is huge and has many places to explore and people to meet. I’ve experienced the jungle, mountains, deserts and the sea, which goes to show that there is no shortage of natural beauty. The people and culture can be so vastly different from place to place that you sometimes feel like you are traveling in time.

Here’s my advice if you’re planning on relocating to Mexico:

• Start to learn or improve your Spanish. This was one of my biggest challenges with relocating, but in time I got the hang of it by going out and practicing with my colleagues.
• Try to communicate with locals and make friends. I was lucky to have friends at EPAM, but everyone I met outside of work has been very welcoming and friendly.
• Be open to a new culture – especially to things you aren’t used to. For example, it took me a while to get used to spicy foods!
• Buy a strong backpack and comfortable shoes for traveling; exploring the country has been one of my favorite parts.

Igor Nikitin, Senior Systems Engineer

I always thought I'd work in Latin America. I love the countries and cultures there, so once I heard about EPAM’s office in Mexico and the possibility of relocating, it was an easy decision for me. This was my third relocation at EPAM: I spent time in both the United Kingdom and Belarus before Mexico and have lived in ten cities in total.

My relocation process took much more time than expected. It certainly depends on your citizenship and your native country institutions; I’d recommend factoring that into your relocation plans as sometimes it takes longer than anticipated. However, I felt lucky to have EPAM as a resource throughout that process.

My relocating expectations met my reality and I’m happy I made the move to Mexico. Something I’ve enjoyed most is working with my EPAM team. I truly feel that we act as a supportive and collaborative unit, not to mention they were a helpful resource for me when moving to Mexico.

My advice for someone looking to relocate and move to Mexico specifically is to learn Spanish as soon as you can! I’d also say that before you relocate, make sure you understand the online services you need. For example, I made sure that I was able to transfer money to my bank back home and researched different mediums of telecommunication.