Work Abroad

Author: Liz Frome

Since the job market is slow right now should you make an international move?

There are many reasons why working overseas will benefit you both personally and professionally. Listed below are some of the benefits.

Better career opportunities and prospects

Depending on your skill set, there may be a greater range of career opportunities open to you outside your home market. Search for jobs on a bigger scale to discover what opportunities are available in your industry.

 New life experiences

The experiences you will gain from living abroad are not something you can truly measure. You could learn how to do business in Scotland, Australia or France.  Every new country offers experiences you can’t match at home or fully explore as a visitor. The benefits of moving abroad for a job go beyond your professional life.

Developing cultural business strategies

Having the drive and interest to work in cultural environments

• Knowledge of cultural similarities and differences

• As English continues to dominate as a business language across the world, many would argue that building is just as important as learning the language.

Fine-tuning soft skills

As you start to build your cultural background, you will also find that your soft skills will develop. Soft skills are often described as personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively with other people. In particular, working abroad will help you develop adaptability, communication skills, and interpersonal skills. Your self-confidence can also see a boost.

Expanding your professional network

Of course, building a network close to home is great for your current and future career prospects.

Where should you relocate to?

With so many reasons to move, it is no wonder people are relocating.

The most popular destinations for expat professionals include:

• United Kingdom

• United States

• United Arab Emirates

• Australia

• Canada

• New Zealand

• Hong Kong

• Singapore

• Switzerland

• France

Decide where in the world you would like to work and research the location you are considering in-depth. Going somewhere on holiday is a very different experience to living and working there.

Make sure to research facts like tax, healthcare, immigration, housing, schooling, local language, and cost of living. You must really understand the culture of a place to be able to adapt and integrate successfully. Once you have a shortlist of possible locations, you’ll need to research the various visa requirements for each place.

Although you can find many reasons not to move, if you really want to do it, you will find a way.

 "Living abroad teaches you more about yourself than you ever thought possible."