Working abroad is not only a great experience, but it can also launch your international career and open doors for new opportunities around the world. Your language skills will skyrocket, and your cross-cultural competencies will go through the roof while bringing all of those other soft skills along. In short: If you have the opportunity to go work abroad – do it! To help you prepare, we put together some things to consider, facts to research, and questions to ask (yourself).
1. Learn all about visas and work permits
No matter how much you plan and organize, your dream of working abroad will ultimately hinge on your visa or work permit. Therefore, finding out what papers you’ll need to be able to legally work in another country – and what you need to do to get these papers – will be the first step. Make sure you factor in that obtaining a visa or permit could take some time and money. You’ll also need to know how long you can stay with said documents – are they connected to employment or can you stay there for a certain amount of time, no matter what?
2.Prepare yourself for things to be different
Exploring something new, starting a new chapter in your life, and broadening your horizons are hopefully some of the reasons why you want to work abroad – but we just want to throw it out there anyway: Make sure that you’re prepared for the possibility of a little bit of culture shock, homesickness, and some “but why”-questions that come hand in hand with “that’s just how it is”-answers. It happens to the best of us, so see it as a sign that you’re growing, becoming more awesome, and are about to make memories that will last a lifetime.
3.Learn about your country and its culture
When you’re on vacation, everything is a little bit more awesome. We don’t want to rain on your parade, but living in a country will be a little different: There will be bills, taxes, and delayed buses. You might also live a bit farther from the beach than you imagined. Now, we’re not saying that everything will be worse, we just want you to be realistic and not judge your future home while wearing vacation goggles. A good idea is to visit the future home before you move and really ask yourself if you could live there. This is also a good time to meet with possible employers (even if it’s just for networking), look at neighborhoods, and talk to locals about the current job market and living arrangements.
4.Research the cost of living vs. your salary
Next up on the list of important things to consider: money. You might not know exactly how much money you will make each month, but you need to know what the industry average is and how it compares to the cost of living. You will basically need to figure out how much money you will have left once all the monthly costs (rent, bills, taxes, etc.) are paid. (Few things can be as depressing as living in an amazing place and not being able to afford anything.)
5.Find out how to find a job and a place to live
If you have set your heart on a specific city, research how easy it will be to find a job and a place to live. Check how people commute and how that factors into your budget and expectations. (Things might be easier if you just want to move to a certain country and are more flexible where you’ll work, but you will still need to be able to find a job and have a roof over your head.)
6.Consider how much time off you will have
One reason why you move abroad is probably because you want to explore a new culture – and you will need time to do that. It might not sound super important at the beginning, but find out how much vacation time (and sick days) you’ll get, as this can vary greatly between countries. All work and no travel can dampen the best adventure plans, so make sure that you will have time (and money) to explore and/or visit your family back home every now and then.
7.Study up on how to write CVs and cover letters
Now that you know how to find a job, you need to get everything ready to get the process started: Learn all about the layout, content, and formalities of writing a CV and cover letter for your country and industry. Make sure you know how many personal details you’ll need to share and what documents/references you’ll need to include.
