Hyderabad - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
The expat community in Hyderabad is small. My American friends outside the Consulate enjoyed living in Hyderabad. Morale varied within the Consulate. We had a tough tour due to family illnesses stateside and COVID, but overall we enjoyed living in Hyderabad. - Jun 2024
We are the only diplomatic game in town, for the most part. There is a small Turkish mission, Iranians, and a one-person British mission. If you think you're going to hob-nob and rub elbows with the diplomatic elite, think again. It can be nice though, if you're not into a lot of representational events. The consulate is growing, as we just moved into a huge new facility last year and are in the process of filling it up. Morale really depends. If you didn't want to come to India, and you're upset about the lack of the diplomatic lifestyle, you may have a hard time. But if you're open to new experiences and don't let crowds and weather and India-ness get you down, you'll be fine. - Apr 2024
The expat community is small. A lot of it is people of Indian origin who have come to India for family or other reasons, so that can make it harder to get into. There are facebook and WhatsApp groups, but there’s usually a certain amount of drama. There are regular meet ups at popular brew pubs, but the crowd skews you. Covid really killed the vibe, so it may rebuild itself. No diplomatic community as the US, and the Iranians are the only sizable missions. - Jan 2023
The consulate community is fairly small. Morale seemed high for most. Those that liked Indian food and local travel fared better than others. - Dec 2020
The expat community is tiny. The Consulate has 15-20 officers and then there's a very small community of expats here with Deloitte, Amazon, or Facebook (though they generally do quick TDYs and rotate back to the U.S.). There is very little in the way of community here. Morale is low. This is a hard post that does not come with the associated perks. A 25% hardship differential is nice, however when you compare Hyderabad to Mumbai or Delhi (also at 25%) it's ridiculous. Many of my colleagues from elsewhere in Mission India leave Hyderabad after short TDYs saying that being here makes them appreciate their home posts more. I have colleagues who have said that they preferred their tours in remote, extremely hard posts by a significant margin. - Jul 2020
The expat community is larger than expected given the high number of American and international companies based in Hyderabad (Boeing, Ikea, Microsoft, Google, etc.). There's a whole Latinx community that gets together once a month and there are tons of people! The diplomatic community is tiny: the US consulate is the mega-presence, but there are one or two Brits, Iranians, and Turks here as well. - Jul 2019
Relatively large and good morale. - Jan 2019
Fairly large. There's 140+ US companies with Indian corporate offices here, so you'll find many American expats outside of the consulate, in addition to the US consulate community. The expat community is wonderful here and definitely the highlight of living here! - Nov 2017
Expat community is small. Some Americans work for large firms in High Tech City. There is a small expat association, called TEA. Overall, morale is affected by the quality of life; everyone has different coping mechanisms and different degrees of depression at different times. At work, morale is not too bad. We all try to support each other the best we can. People do curtail, it is a not an easy posting. - Sep 2016
I think it's pretty good in Hi-Tech city, from what I've heard. At the Consulate, morale ebbs and flows with the visa applicant workload. The size is pretty small, but growing as more and more companies come to Hyderabad to set up shop. - Mar 2015
The consulate has about 25 Americans. Morale is quite good. The consular workload is ever increasing. There's no doubt it has become a visa mill. I don't know many people outside of that community. I understand that there are many Indian-Americans who work in the hi-tech industry, so many live in Hi-Tech City. - Jan 2015
Expat community is small and varied. American expats seem to be either executives with families or young bros who are there for the money. The latter can usually be observed unwinding from another 80 hour work week on Sundays sitting poolside chugging vodka and reinforcing American stereotypes. There is a large French population whose friendship should be cultivated in order to be invited to their dinners. There are a few Brits, Aussies and now Turks. Oh, the Iranians are there too so you have that going for you. There are some very active expat groups such as the HYTEA group. For any trailing spouses without jobs, groups like the HYTEA can be very supportive and useful. The Consulate's morale was variable. In the two years we were there, post experienced five curtailments. This is a post with only twenty-some officers. Some people love India but for many it can be a difficult place to live. - Nov 2014
Very small diplomatic community (the Americans, Iranians, and now a handful of Brits and Turks). Several hundred expats (mainly british, french and american) at multi-nationals. Not a ton of mixing. Most expats are programmers or accountants; there's a young crowd of frat boy-ish programmers that take over a local hotel pool every Sunday, you won't miss 'em...). There's a good expat group (TEA) that organizes events. Morale is mixed. A few people really seem to thrive in India. Many others have a hard time. Post has had a recent management change that has morale on the upswing. - Jul 2014
Very small. The U.S. consulate is the only foreign mission here (besides Iran, but we don't hang out with them much). There are some expats working out in High-Tec city and some working for NGO's, but not many. - Mar 2012
Large. There are a number of American and other Western companies that have settled in the Hi-Tech City and Cyberabad neighborhoods, bringing in many expat families. - Feb 2012
Way too small. One consulate and some international companies. - Jan 2011
