An Indian devs relocation journey from India to EU (Estonia) and getting into Bolt
I started my relocation journey in May 2025. I had just come back from traveling in the EU and naively decided to give relocation a try from India. I was an iOS tech lead/EM at the time in India so I naturally applied for EM roles.
From May to September 2025, I kept applying passively to EM roles with almost no response. Got 1 callback from N26 in Germany but they ghosted after initial screening.
I researched a bit and decided to pivot to apply for SSE roles. The main reason for this was that the volume of IC roles was much higher. Also, I went through 100s of LinkedIn profiles of EMs in EU, and found that it was extremely rare to relocate as an EM.
But to apply as an SSE I had to overcome the DSA mountain, since I was pretty crap at it. Finally decided to stop crying about it and solved 100 questions from Neetcode 150 from Oct to Dec 2025. I also prepared for other technical rounds in these months. IMO, I prepared too much just out of fear of rejection.
Started applying mid Jan 2026. Got shortlisted for one EM opportunity at Adjoe in Hamburg. The technical rounds were fine but I was crap in the behavioural round and got rejected. In between the rounds, I had a panic attack while walking to the office — bad enough that I had to go to the ER and get it checked. Wasn’t heart-related, but I had other issues to deal with. Don’t take mental health lightly, guys.
After that setback, I decided to take things a bit lighter and not get too obsessed. The medication I was on also helped with the anxiety.
I connected with a recruiter who helped me optimize my profile, and I started applying again. Got shortlisted at Bolt and at Glovo. Got rejected at Glovo and surprisingly got an offer at the Estonian company, even though it was the harder one to get into.
The entire journey was a whirlwind of emotions and there was definitely some luck involved. I did not expect to land an offer in 2.5 months of applying from India in this market. Hopefully this inspires you in your own relocation journey.
As for the visa, flight and temporary accommodation, the company takes care of it all. Even with that since the embassy of Estonia is a small one in Delhi, finding slots is next to impossible. Luckily found a slot and now waiting for my flight in 20 odd days time.
As for the compensation, it is 2x (stock options excluded) of what I earned in India, which was around 55L. Estonia does have some caveats like harsh winters, reserved people and proximity to Russia which will take some getting used to.
But I’m making this call based on my preference for green spaces, low bureaucracy and digitisation. I believe Estonia is on the up, it’s only 35 years since it got its independence and it has achieved a lot (no. 1 in cleanliness, no. 6 in PISA ratings, widely spoken English, complete digitisation, voting is digital too, free public transport etc.)
TLDR: Indian iOS Tech Lead spent ~10 months pivoting from EM to SSE roles, grinding LeetCode, and battling anxiety (literally ended up in the ER mid-process) before landing a software engineering job in Estonia after 2.5 months of serious applying. Don’t sleep on IC roles if you’re relocating to the EU, and don’t ignore your mental health.