Well, there's also the issue of working in a foreign country legally. I wish it weren't so much of a hurdle.
I've worked in three different countries, not much by any measure, but enough to gain some insights:
1. Your social value goes down the drain. Saying "I have a very popular design blog in Spanish" means nothing to the English speaking market. Saying you studied in a top tier university in Mexico is the same as saying you have a high school diploma.
2. The relevance of your previous work is undermined. Unless they're huge international countries, they've probably never even heard about them.
3. It's difficult to convey quality if most of the pieces in your portfolio are in a different language than that your potential employer. Copy plays a big part in the perception of quality.
Until I moved to Canada I had never even had to look for work. I had some difficulty finding a good match that was willing to try me out. Fortunately I got a small freelance project with a great company and we hit it off from there.
If I had to do it again, I'd start by building something small but useful for the city I'm moving to (say, a webapp to find open beer stores). This helps you generate local value in the language of the ecosystem you are trying get into and connects you with local devs and designers.
Not nitpicking here: your social value does not disappear, your social status does. Smart employers will recognise your potential, and probably try to exploit your situation; don't let them get away with it, as long as your language skills are good your value to any business is intact.
I say this as an economic migrant who went through a few years of "adjustment".
I'm on the opposite side of the coin. I'd love to get a job outside the US, where I live, but I've got no idea how to handle visa issues. How did you handle them?
My other barrier is language. I imagine I could work in England/Ireland, or even Australia, but are there countries where an English-speaker could find work?
I'm a Dual Citizen of Mexico and Canada. Canada has agreements with 25 countries that allow you to work for a year in a foreign country for one year if you are under 35:
As for only knowing English, well, it depends on the industry. Most companies want to tackle the US market and they would see your native English as a very good asset. But you would need to bring something else to the table (good chops or connections, basically).
Talk to the local embassy of the country you want to move to. In Europe, most countries give US citizens preferential treatment; chances are that they'll easily allow you to stay, but you might have to renew the visa every year or every X years, at least until you apply for citizenship / marry a local.
You can work in English in any Scandinavian country, in Germany, in India, in South-Africa. You'd almost certainly struggle in Italy, France or Spain.
I've worked in three different countries, not much by any measure, but enough to gain some insights:
1. Your social value goes down the drain. Saying "I have a very popular design blog in Spanish" means nothing to the English speaking market. Saying you studied in a top tier university in Mexico is the same as saying you have a high school diploma.
2. The relevance of your previous work is undermined. Unless they're huge international countries, they've probably never even heard about them.
3. It's difficult to convey quality if most of the pieces in your portfolio are in a different language than that your potential employer. Copy plays a big part in the perception of quality.
Until I moved to Canada I had never even had to look for work. I had some difficulty finding a good match that was willing to try me out. Fortunately I got a small freelance project with a great company and we hit it off from there.
If I had to do it again, I'd start by building something small but useful for the city I'm moving to (say, a webapp to find open beer stores). This helps you generate local value in the language of the ecosystem you are trying get into and connects you with local devs and designers.