Before you started working together, did you discus what would happen if things did not work well? Was your salary closer to that of the norm in Sweden, or that of the Portuguese? The difference is substantial. Did they think you where amazing at first and had too high an expectation? If you salary was closer to the Swedish norm then they may have thought that 2 weeks pay was a very substantial amount.
In Portugal, I believe, that unless you let people go before the trial period is over, then a whole lot of protective measures kick in.
For anybody looking to hire anybody abroad it is having the conversation about what happens when things don't go well.
It would be good to hear the Unbabel side of the story.
[Disclosure] Two of the founders are what I would call acquaintances of mine.
The test was only done on 28 people and only 8 showed some improvements. The Improvements where self reported. What I wonder is the statistical error on such a small study. From this small study they are generalising to say that it is "exciting" and "dramatic"!
I think you are kind of been unfair. How do you know that there is not any market for something like this? Have you gone out there and tried to market a smiler product? Also you state that AWS is cheaper. Can you give us some numbers? Could you explain why AWS is cheaper, than Crowdprocess? On the Ethical issue I think they require an opt in.
I would go for Lisbon. It has very good and cheap flight connections to the rest of Europe (not good to the West Coast of America). Easyjet, and RyanAir fly out of Lisbon, and the national airline TAP is very good and only slightly more expensive. Very nice weather. We still have not turned on the heating yet.
You can live cheaply and well. It may not be the cheapest cheapest in Europe, but is good value for money. For example at a restaurant opposite our office for only 5€ you can have a freshly grilled Sea Bass or a steak. Office rents are cheap as well. Expect to pay from 6€ to 10€ per m3. So you can out source the cooking and even the driving cheaply. A taxi to the airport will set you back just 8€.
Somebody I know just rented a two bed apartment in the centre of town for 440€ per month.
There is a vibrant Start Up Community. Some really good people.
For us the decision was more than just cost, but also standard of living.
Software Creator at Webnographer in Lisbon, Portugal
We are wanting good Javascript people.
Webnographer is a technology company that believes that data can help businesses make better products. We help companies understand the data that drives their business, and help them to gain a greater understanding how their customers use their website. We do this by using the online tool that we have developed in-house to understand online user behaviour.
The issue is that rape trials are held not in public in Sweden. There is still a record of the trial kept, but the public and press are chucked out. See http://www.thelocal.se/31908/20110208/#
Be very careful of Generalizations. Some have said in the comments that crime could be an issue. In some countries crime is far worse than the USA, in others crime is far lower, again in some countries some people are late for meetings, in others people are early.
It all depends. The only generalization that you can make is that it will be different. In the other words everywhere has advantages and disadvantages. As a start up "pilot" you have to maximise the advantages and minimise the disadvantages.
I don't understand why you think that the Patriot Act seems to trump the EU law. The companies have separate subsidiaries in Europe. What the Patriot Act seams to be doing is Piercing the corporate veil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piercing_the_corporate_veil. Making the EU company break EU law.
As you have lived out of Portugal for more than 5 years you would probably qualify for the non habitual tax status, which means you would only pay 20% income tax if you moved back here. You would definitely get a standard of living boost.
In Portugal, I believe, that unless you let people go before the trial period is over, then a whole lot of protective measures kick in.
For anybody looking to hire anybody abroad it is having the conversation about what happens when things don't go well.
It would be good to hear the Unbabel side of the story.
[Disclosure] Two of the founders are what I would call acquaintances of mine.