You always wanted to move abroad, live in the city you dreamed about, discover a new culture and meet new people. But you have hesitations and tons of questions about it. How can I move abroad? How much money would I need to start a new life abroad? Can I survive starting from scratch in a new country? Am I too old for the adventure of moving to a new country? Now take a deep breath, get a paper and a pen and start taking notes. All these questions are answered here. We’ll convince you and finally help you to move abroad.
Why moving abroad is the best thing you can do
Globalization brought us the freedom of mobility and unlimited opportunities to learn and discover new cultures. Especially within European Union, we get to enjoy the right to mobility at its best. However, a global pandemic also showed us how fragile this freedom is. Seizing the opportunity while you can is the best advice we can give as expats living and working abroad here in Blu Selection. What are the benefits of moving and working abroad then?
1. It forces you to step out of your comfort zone
When you move to a new country, you'll be faced with new challenges and experiences that you never would have had if you'd stayed at home. This can be a great opportunity to learn new things and grow as a person.
2. It broadens your horizons
Living in a new culture will give you a new perspective on the world. You'll learn about different customs and ways of life, and you may even come to appreciate your own culture more.
3. It can be a great opportunity to learn a new language
If you move to a country where English is not the primary language, you'll have no choice but to start learning it. This can be a great opportunity to become bilingual or even multilingual.
4. It can help you develop new skills
In addition to learning a new language, you may also have the opportunity to develop new skills while living abroad. For example, you might learn how to cook new dishes or how to navigate a new city.
5. It's an adventure
Moving to a new country is an adventure in itself. You'll get to explore new places, meet new people, and have new experiences. It's an opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime.
How to overcome the anxiety of leaving your comfort zone and moving abroad
Do you see people online setting sail on new adventures and just think how you wouldn’t be able to do it? You actually wanted to be brave to leave your routine but were too afraid to go on new adventures, until now! Instead of scrolling down on stories of others achieving their dreams and postponing yours to an uncertain time that you assume you will have enough courage, watch these TEDx talks that will change you for the better!
6 TEDx Talks that will courage you to leave your comfort zone and move abroad
Let’s start with something smooth. First, if you have doubts about travelling, you should start with that. Ginger Kern’s speech on how travelling without doubts is the key to living a life of adventure will change your mind for sure! Travelling was the first move you could make to discover new opportunities, now you should start understanding why leaving your comfort zone is the way to start your new life without any chains.
Are you stuck in the order of your life? Departure from your ordered life will change everything for the better says Bill Eckstrom. He invites you to learn how empowering it is to “consciously acknowledge discomfort and when it’s appropriate to choose complexity over order”.
“It’s never scary as it looks,” says Yubing Zhang, not even the voice of fear in your head tells how scary to leave your job because you can’t find anything better. Take a deep breath and let the fear of failure leave your head. Get out of your comfort zone.
“I left my job”. Nothing sounds scarier and exciting at the same time more than this sentence. While you listen to Edward Hartwig’s secret of starting over, think about your next move and be courageous, because as you already know, nothing is as scary as it sounds.
If you already started to dream about your new life and got excited about the adventurous opportunities, you need to hear the solid reasons of Jess Erickson on why you should move abroad. Because it really can change your life as you want it to be.
Finally, if you still have concerns about your career Sunga Seo suggests that mastering a new language, searching out the best practices and finding a cross-cultural mentor are the key elements to making your global working life successful!
Finances of moving abroad: How much does it cost to move abroad?
The cost of moving abroad can vary widely depending on many factors, such as the country you are moving to, transportation and visa costs, the size of your household, the number of belongings you are bringing with you, your lifestyle and whether you already have a job secured there or not. Basically, there’s no single answer to that.
In general, you can expect to spend somewhere between 1000 - 5000 euros on the process of moving and add on it whether you’ll be unemployed or not for a period of time, although it is possible to find ways to cut costs. For example, even if you plan a permanent move you can still ship your belongings with your friends and family visiting you later instead of carrying everything at once; you can find a cheaper housing option by living in a smaller city or town instead of a large metropolitan area or share a flat with other expats and most importantly, you can find a job that provides you with a relocation package that can cover all your expenses of moving and potential bureaucratic costs you will have there.
6 tips for successfully launching an international career: Moving abroad for a job
An international career experience can work wonders and broaden your mindset. It will open some doors for you personally as well as professional. You grow as a person and learn to assess and analyze new situations in an environment that is still unknown to you. You learn to deal with problems in a flexible way and show that you are adaptable. Flexibility and adaptability are two attributes that are very important to many employers.
But how can you start an international career and move abroad?
Be clear about why you want to work abroad
An important question you should ask yourself is: is it about my career or lifestyle? If you like the idea of working during the day and going to the beach right from the office, then moving to Spain, Portugal or Greece might be right for you.
Keep an open mind when choosing a location
If you’re primarily interested in an experience abroad to accelerate your international career, it’s worth looking beyond the obvious locations.If you choose a very established location, such as Singapore, you’ll likely have a lot of competitors, and it’s harder to see results. So be adventurous and consider entering emerging markets like Barcelona, Lisbon, or Athens.
In an emerging market, you may be part of a smaller, newer team and are likely to have a much higher profile, a greater level of responsibility, and will develop experience and expertise much more quickly.
Many people are seduced by glamorous locations with a reputation for a vibrant lifestyle such as Tokyo, Singapore or London, but in such places, you are likely to be a small fish in a big pond. Look at areas where you have the potential to get ahead.
Think about transferable skills
If you plan to work abroad for a few years and then return to your home country, make sure you don’t apply for jobs whose tasks and skills are too niche, may be outdated, or simply not in high demand in your home country. Make sure you’re not working in a position that is so locally specialized that there’s no equivalent if you move back and you end up taking a step backwards because there’s no equivalent job for you back home.
For technical roles, digitization, IT, digital marketing and e-commerce, the skills are usually very transferable and always in demand. But with areas like law and compliance, be careful. Some local laws, such as data privacy, have their equivalent in every country; but some laws and regulations are so specific to one country that they don’t really transfer to another.
Make some international friends in advance
What sometimes gets forgotten alongside the enthusiasm of getting a start abroad is how much you will end up missing friends and family, and how hard it can be to settle into a new culture and country where you don’t really know anyone.
Join groups on Facebook, Whatsapp or other platforms that organize activities. The good thing is that all the participants in the groups are in the same boat as you, looking for new acquaintances or friends. It’s amazing every time how fast it goes to make new contacts.
Tip: Also join tandem groups. In this way, you are very likely to meet people who were born in the country and want to learn another language. The locals know their home country very well and can give you tips and show you places that remain secret from tourists.
Do your research on working abroad
You may have already been on vacation to London, Hong Kong or Sydney, and while you’ve already gotten a good feel for the place, there’s a lot more information you need to make an informed decision about your international career move. What does the job market really look like in your field? How often do new opportunities come up – and how mobile is the market? How much would you need to earn to pay for rent and essentials like food and public transportation? How many hours a week are you likely to work? Read more about this here: 10 Best Pieces of Advice You Need Before Going to Work Abroad
Find the right recruitment agency that will help you with your move
The good news: We support you with all of your questions! If you want to find a job abroad on your own better start from the right place. We have hundreds of vacancies for people like you in Europe. Team Blu Selection and International Arbeiten advise you on all these points and is available for you before and after your departure. If you have any further questions, please feel free to send us an email or just give us a call. We are looking forward to meeting you!
