When our first relocation vacancies in Tallinn appeared, we wanted to learn as much as possible about the country: its culture, inner life, work, and mentality.
We found a lot of information in guides like:
Quality of the life in Tallinn
However, it's always interesting to hear personal impressions from someone who moved from Ukraine to Estonia a few years ago.
Meet Olga
People & Culture Partner at SURFnCODE. Currently, Olga lives and works in Portugal, but that's a whole different story ;)
Four years ago, Olga accepted an offer from Pipedrive and moved to Tallinn. We asked Olga to share more details about this period.
Olga, tell us how you managed to find a job in Tallinn? Did you actively plan to relocate, or did the company Pipedrive reach out to you?
I wasn't actively looking for a job in Tallinn, and I had no plans to relocate anywhere. I always thought that relocations were mainly for people in technical professions, like developers, and why would anyone want a Ukrainian recruiter? :) However, it turned out that one of the founders of Pipedrive, Ragnar Sass, wanted to relocate a Ukrainian recruiter. Estonia has just over a million people, and Tallinn has around 400,000 residents. Given Pipedrive's growth rate in the country, there was simply a shortage of people. Ragnar was familiar with the Ukrainian market through Garage48 hackathons and understood the high level of our developers. He reached out to me through a recommendation from Max Ishchenko (thanks again, Max :) ). When Ragnar messaged me, I initially started typing "no, thanks" (and where is Estonia anyway?), but then I decided to give it a try. Three months later, I moved to Tallinn.
As far as I know, Estonia has a very positive attitude toward candidates from Ukraine because they consider us to be culturally similar. Is this true?
Absolutely. Working with various cultures, I've learned to appreciate the straightforwardness of Eastern European mentality. Perhaps we're not always very polite, but we have the courage to say things as they are. Estonians like that because they are the same way. They don't say much, but they're always honest and to the point. Ukrainians fit very well into Estonian teams.
What advice would you give to someone planning to relocate? Where should they start looking for a job?
First, you need to determine if Estonia is the right choice for you. Let's be honest – it's not Berlin with its nightlife, not New York with its opportunities, and not Paris with its entertainment. It's a small country with a small market for everything, from everyday shopping (if you want something beyond mass-market, you might need to go to Helsinki) to the same circle of people in the IT community.
However, Estonia has companies like Skype, Pipedrive, Transferwise, Bolt/Taxify, and many others, considering its population size (just over a million people). I believe Estonia has tremendous potential, and there are opportunities to build a career here. Additionally, experienced professionals live here, and you can learn from them.
Estonia offers a very peaceful life with excellent ecology. Companies here have great work-life balance (it's usually time to go home by 5 PM).
You get paid parental leave for 1.5 years.
Relocating is very comfortable due to the lack of bureaucracy and language barriers (with knowledge of English and Russian, you won't have any problems).
Considering all of the above, if you're okay with a calm pace in a small northern country, then go for it. Estonia opens up opportunities, and it's now known worldwide thanks to the companies I mentioned earlier.
Unfortunately, you won't find a Ukrainian salary-to-cost-of-living ratio in Estonia, as you would hardly find it anywhere else in the world. Companies pay significant taxes, and IT professionals are not the wealthiest group in society; they are regular people. So, relocation is always about experience, growth, and quality of life – something that isn't always measured in money. I usually explain this to candidates because many are not ready to accept this reality, and I respect that.
You can look for jobs through the "work in Estonia" program, a government initiative to attract foreigners. They have a list of job vacancies and companies. Check the career pages of the companies that interest you and read reviews on Glassdoor. MeetFrank is also a good platform, and many companies use djinni.co as well.
How does the recruiting process in Estonia differ from Ukraine? What stages do candidates go through? Is the selection process more challenging? What should candidates prepare for?
I personally went through 6 stages of interviews at Pipedrive. They take their time in the selection process (here's a place for a joke about Estonians) and are very thorough.
They pay attention to skills, but even more so to cultural fit. If you're a great professional but difficult to communicate with, don't take constructive criticism well, and aren't interested in the company's product, then it's better to have a hole in the organization than an asshole.
Estonians care about their nerves and want to not only earn but also enjoy their work and team.
The opposite is also true: you can't lure Estonians with big salaries and perks alone. They care much more about working comfortably, finding it interesting, having a manager they respect, and having well-established processes.
I remember when I first moved here, and candidates asked if there were overtime hours, team leads at Pipedrive asked, "What's that?"
I don't want to paint an overly rosy picture; of course, there are companies, positions, and times when it can be tough and involve a lot of work, but in Estonia, this is more of an exception.
Tell us more about the IT market in the country. What makes Estonia interesting for programmers?
In addition to what I've mentioned earlier, Tallinn is constantly witnessing the emergence of new successful startups (Veriff, Sixfold, Dashbird, Mindtitan are excellent examples of the younger generation of startups). I recommend keeping an eye on LIFT99 - co-growing space that exists in Tallinn and has recently opened in Kyiv (you can visit and get to know them personally). Many startups originate from there.
You speak warmly about Tallinn. After moving to Portugal, what do you miss about it?
I miss the straightforwardness of people, their sarcasm, how easy it was to find "your" people. I miss the white nights, the Estonian accent, the punctuality of public transport, and my beloved friends and colleagues.
What challenges did you face during the relocation process? From my own experience, I know that the most challenging part is socializing. How easy was it for you to adapt?
There were no difficulties during the relocation - honestly. Pipedrive was growing rapidly, with a large number of expats who shared similar values, and it was really easy to socialize. This once again emphasizes that people selected based on cultural fit work to the advantage of the company, making it easier for everyone to feel comfortable.
Olga, thank you for your openness and answers. Personally, we now have a much clearer understanding of who Estonia is an excellent option for relocation.
If you feel that Estonia is the right choice for you, please contact Olga at oshatokha@gmail.com; she has a vacancy for a Middle/Senior Frontend Developer. And on our website, you can find vacancies for Senior Java Developer and Java Team Lead.
P.S. The atmospheric photos in the article were taken by Olga, and thanks to them, you can see Tallinn through her eyes.
