Mar 8, 2022
Alexey Efimov is a Senior Software Engineer who relocated from Russia to Estonia with his family in 2020.
Why did Alexey decide to relocate? How’s he finding life in Tallinn? And what was his experience of moving countries to join Bolt?
We’ll first hear about Alexey’s role at Bolt before moving on to the process of relocating.
Here’s Alexey’s story…
Before Bolt, Alexey spent 12 years at Yandex, followed by a stint at the fintech startup Joom in Moscow.
But in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and the birth of his son made Alexey re-evaluate his and his family’s next chapter.
He ultimately decided it was time to change job, country, climate and environment – and move to Tallinn!
Alexey joined Bolt in December 2020 — first remotely and then working at Bolt’s HQ office in Tallinn by summer 2021.
As a Senior Software Engineer in the Payments team, he’s responsible for fixing and improving Bolt’s payment system so that customers can pay seamlessly. The team also deploys features (or, as Alexey calls it, ‘magic’) to help improve the customer experience.
So far, it’s the people and the tech which Alexey has enjoyed the most.
“The best thing about Bolt is its people, who, though from different cultures and countries, are all fantastic! I’m thrilled to be working in such a cool place where you can meet wonderful people.
And from a tech perspective, Bolt’s flexible infrastructure just works — you don’t need to waste time deploying or building. It’s a programmer’s paradise!” says Alexey.
By improving the payment method section on the Bolt app, Alexey’s team directly impacts how customers experience the app.
And internally, too, Alexey enjoys code refactoring, which positively impacts the business.
From a personal perspective, Alexey feels that he has the chance to grow at Bolt.
“I feel I’m constantly learning. For example, when I joined Bolt, I knew nothing about Typescript and was wary of the language. But at Bolt, we use Typescript everywhere, so I learnt it and realised that it’s possible to adapt to a new programming language”, says Alexey.
The main inspiration behind relocating to Estonia was giving his children the opportunity to learn in a new environment and not think about politics every day.
The move was delayed a little as there was still hope that positive change could occur at home.
But following the birth of his second child, Alexey realised it was the last chance to make a move abroad.
“It wasn’t easy, but we were strongly motivated to move immediately because our country had embarked on a path that we didn’t like at all”, says Alexey.
Alexey and his family (including the cat) travelled to Estonia with their small but beloved car. They bought a roof rack, packed it with their belongings, and waved everyone off as they made the car journey to Estonia in half a day.
After accepting Bolt’s offer and deciding to move, Alexey didn’t have any major worries. He started a checklist of what needed to be done and just worked through it!
Alexey had some concerns about how his parents might perceive the move but dispelled any fears they had.
Leaving behind parents and siblings has undoubtedly been one of the biggest challenges of moving to a new country.
Video calls have made this more manageable, but lately, there have been reports that they could be isolated from their families for a long time to come.
“We hope for the best, but I can’t predict the actions of our country’s government. I just really hope that there won’t be any isolation, that COVID will end, and that we’ll live in peace. We just want to be able to travel freely across borders, without restrictions and stereotypes”, says Alexey.
One of the first things to do was to arrange schooling in Estonia. Following contact with a Tallinn school, it was agreed that Alexey’s child should finish 9th grade at a Moscow school before moving.
In the meantime, Alexey worked remotely while preparing to move to Tallinn. During this time, he could apply for a residence permit directly from Moscow.
As a result, when the family arrived, they had ID cards to use for opening bank accounts and starting internet and mobile phone contracts.
“Bolt has an excellent Relocation team that help you throughout the entire process until you rent a permanent home and have a family doctor. You’re fully supported to solve all problems — without this, relocating would have been more difficult”, says Alexey.
Here’s what surprised Alexey the most about making the move to Estonia:
And one other thing Alexey’s noticed compared to Moscow is how easy it is to bump into famous people!
“We met Anett Kontaveit (Estonia’s most famous tennis player) at a public tennis court in an ordinary neighbourhood. And at a playground, we met a lady who turned out to be the wife of a journalist who once worked with Sergei Dovlatov.
What seems unbelievable in Moscow is a usual thing in Tallinn”, says Alexey.
Away from work, Alexey admits that his baby son is his greatest hobby, though he does get out to play volleyball once a week.
The family lives in a suburb with pine trees and a beach, so they spend a lot of time walking and enjoying the scenery.
Elsewhere in Tallinn, Alexey is a big fan of Kadriorg Park, the Old Town (especially at Christmas), Noblessner and the Rotermann quarter — where Tarkovsky’s Stalker was filmed. Next up, the family want to travel further afield and visit Estonia’s largest island Saaremaa.
But with a young child, many days are spent visiting different children’s playgrounds.
“In Tallinn, the playgrounds are amazing, and as a rule, they all have toys left by other children, which, I must admit, is very cute”, says Alexey.
If you’re thinking about relocating to Tallinn, then here are some tips from someone who’s been there and done that!
Interested in joining us on our mission to build cities for people, not for cars?
Visit our Careers Page to see all open Bolt vacancies.
And if you’re worried about the practicalities of moving, remember that our Relocation team is here to make your move as smooth as possible.
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