A recent migration related study from Canada has revealed what helps to make immigration a success for the individual expatriate, and its findings are beneficial to anyone thinking about moving abroad – no matter where they’re planning on relocating to.
The study has therefore inspired us to produce a guide to the top 7 things we think are critical for an expat to know if they want to get the very most out of their move abroad. The tips have been put together by our expatriate staff so that you can benefit from their experiences and hindsight!
Whether you’re planning your retirement overseas, or you’re a professional thinking about going abroad to work, there are 7 universal factors that will add up in your favour if you want to get the most out of the move, and have the best chance of integration success.
1) Learn the Language
- according to the abovementioned research undertaken by the Canadian Immigration Department, the emigrants who move to Canada and who speak French and/or English fluently find life much easier.
In other words, if you want a smooth and relatively easy transition abroad, learn to speak the local language of your new nation.
Yes, we’ve all heard the tales about the English ghettos in the likes of Spain, where if you’re really lucky you may occasionally hear Spanish spoken (!), but the fact of the matter is, if you want to live abroad and get the most from another culture of your choosing, you need to integrate – and to integrate you need to communicate. And to communicate, you need to speak the local language!
2) Have a Job or a Purpose
- if you’re too young to retire and you want to work abroad in order to have a good life, you will be far more likely to enjoy your relocation if you already have a job lined up.
You will find immediate support from colleagues, you will immediately have a purpose every day, you will learn from those around you and gain from their local knowledge and be far more likely to get the most out of your new destination more quickly.
If you’re retiring overseas or you’re planning to live abroad on savings for a fixed period of time on a sabbatical perhaps, it still pays to have a purpose in your mind. Drifters are more likely to find it harder to make a home overseas.
One needs friends and purpose in life, and for newly landed expats this can come from a job for example, or even just a determination to join a local sport or social club.
3) No Man is an Island
- leading on from the above point, you have to build up a network of friends and acquaintances in your new location if you really want to settle in fully. No man is an island – in other words, we all need friends around us.
When you move abroad you leave familiar faces behind, so you need to get out and about and meeting people in your new country so that you can re-establish human contact. It’s critical for your happiness.
4) Try Before You Commit
- if you’ve never visited a country before, how on earth can you be sure you want to live there? You are basing your future happiness on a nation you know nothing about. Reading a book or a website, seeing a TV programme or asking others about a country is not enough.
You need to ensure you have seen a country up close and personal before you contemplate relocation.
5) Money Matters
- getting your financial affairs in order before you go is critical if you want to be sure of success. If you have no idea how much is in the bank, or you only have very limited savings you could be putting additional stress on yourself at a time in life when you need support.
Ensure you have worked out if you can afford to live in your new nation. Make sure you have some savings in your bank to support you whilst you settle in to your new life, and don’t forget to factor in aspects such as the new tax rate in the new country, and perhaps having money for flights home or health care insurance – additional expenses many people forget to budget for.
6) Plan to Succeed
- whilst on the subject of financial planning, it’s worth mentioning planning in general. Those expats who have spent time researching their new nation and working out where they want to base themselves, what they’re going to pack, how they’re going to find work and friends etc., have a much better chance of relocation success.
Whilst in life one can never make totally firm plans (…the best laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry…), it does pay to be well prepared when making such a dramatic life change such as moving abroad!
7) Be Realistic
- finally, the grass is never greener abroad (figuratively speaking) so take off your rose coloured glasses and get real! You cannot run away from yourself and your life by moving abroad. You can change your life of course – but ensure you’re moving to the right place and for the right reasons if you want to be sure your life will improve overseas.
Also, be totally realistic about the move, at times you will suffer stresses and set backs just as we all do in life, no matter where we live. If you remain realistic and retain the memory of why you decided to relocate in the first place, you’ll be far more likely to stay on track and enjoy your new life abroad to the max.