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How to Prepare to Move Abroad for Work

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Whether you’re expanding your business or moving for your job, there is no doubt that moving abroad for your career can be both invigorating and overwhelming at the same time. This is usually considered one of the greatest achievements that anyone could reach within the journey of their career. However, it can get incredibly stressful. Moving abroad takes a lot of time and preparation, not to mention loads of stress.

 There are so many things that you need to prepare for such as allocating enough time, having a budget, looking into where to move, packing, saying goodbye, making other arrangements all while also trying to have a balance within your home life. Moving has its challenges, especially when moving internationally, but in the end, it’s going to be worth it. These are some helpful tips for moving abroad for your job. 

Take a look at your expenses

There’s no doubt about it that you’re going to have to look into your budget. This is one of the biggest challenges for anybody that is moving abroad. While it may be far easier if your company is paying for the entire relocation, many workers aren’t that lucky. It requires a lot of money to be able to have the privilege to move abroad. So it’s best to stay on top of this and be completely organized. This is going to include planning, having the right budget, and all of the standard considerations for moving abroad. If you’re moving for your employer then you’ll want to think about:

  • Visas and permits
  • Renting a new home
  • Language courses
  • Notary fees
  • Transportation fees
  • Moving fees
  • Airline tickets
  • Expenses for your family and pets as well

If you’re moving for your business that you are going to own, then you have so many more things that will need to be kept into consideration. This is going to include:

  • Legal expenses
  • Work permits and visas
  • Special licensing
  • New workspace for purchase or rent
  • Immigration lawyer
  • Hiring a moving company
  • Purchasing new equipment
  • Hiring new employees or relocating your current ones
  • As well as many of the factors such as housing

As you can see, there is a lot that needs to be kept into consideration and it can be very overwhelming, to say the least.  So you’ll need to have your finances in order. Moving abroad isn’t exactly something that happens on a whim. It takes a lot of preparation and consideration. There may be a chance where you have to prepare over a year in advance.

Figure out whether you’ll stay long term

Depending on your reasons to move abroad, you should consider whether or not this will be a long-term thing. For many who work under an employer, they see moving abroad as a temporary fun experience. While others such as business owners may have their sights in mind for staying long term. Regardless of what you plan to do, it’s best to look into how long you can realistically see yourself staying. Maybe there is a chance you’d like to reach out for citizenship in the future. In these cases, it’s best to have some helpful resources such as Citizenshipbritish to help you out in preparing for the possibility of getting citizenship for the country that you’re moving to.

Allocate enough time

Preparing to move is very time-consuming. You’ll spend hours each week doing research on where to find a reliable place to rent, where your kids will go to school, looking for jobs for your partner, the permits and so much more. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done and it takes a lot of time to do it as well. During these busy times, it’s best to figure out how to manage a flexible work environment. This can include working remotely so you can use that time that would be for commuting on something else such as research. Ideally, you should try to dedicate 4 hours a week to research if possible, maybe even more on weekends if you have time.

Understand the barriers

When it comes to any move, domestic or international, there are going to be some barriers. One of the biggest barriers is going to be financed. This can include struggling to financially afford this big move, taking a pay cut to work in a new environment, and paying expensive relocation fees. However, there are other barriers too, especially when moving abroad. There may be language barriers and cultural differences. This can even include struggling with the work culture too. While getting to move for your career is one of the most exciting experiences, it can be stressful. 

PM Today Contributor
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