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I left the US immediately after getting my tech writing MS, and have been
tech writing in New Zealand ever since. The tech writing market in New
Zealand and Australia has improved markedly in the past several years, and a
writer coming from America has an advantage--the American writing style and
accent have both been an advantage for me. There are also lots of tech
writing opportunities in Singapore, as the Singapore chapter of the STC,
accessed via www.stc.org, will show.
The disadvantage to Australia/NZ is that your salary, after conversion,
might be half of what you are used to getting in the US. This was more
traumatic than I expected. Also, short-term contracts generally go to people
with links to tech writing agencies or AU/NZ references--now that I've
gotten established, freelance work is starting to come in on the side, which
is good with the currency issues. The disadvantage to Singapore is that,
while short-term contracts are easily arranged, the cost of housing is
extremely high, and Singapore's tax system and government strictures are
challenging, to say the least.
Good luck!
Emily Cotlier
Technical Writer
Cardlink Systems Limited
Auckland, New Zealand
