The decision to become an expatriate, to pack your bags and leave your home country is an enormous and very far reaching one…but a recent BBC report revealed just how popular a decision living and working abroad has become, particularly for UK residents.
The report claimed that up to 500 British residents a day are leaving the UK with the intention of spending at least a prolonged period living abroad, and that a large percentage of those who move abroad do so before retirement and with the intention of seeking employment overseas. There are three main areas of consideration worthy of your attention if you too are planning on living and working abroad and this article details them for you.
Area 1 - Which overseas country fulfils all of your lifestyle requirements best?
Begin by considering your reasons for moving abroad in the first place - if your decision is being driven by costs of living or climate requirements for example, certain countries will immediately rule themselves in and out of your list of perfect destinations. If you want to enjoy a very different culture or way of life think about the practicalities of life in countries that have very different value systems or ways of life to your own and how well you will actually adapt to life in such a country.
Do you speak any foreign languages - if yes think about the countries where those languages are spoken because it’s a fact that if you move to a country where they speak a language other than your own only those who make an effort to learn the language find it easy to settle down to life quickly?
Are you moving abroad by yourself? If yes, know that it can be a very lonely experience initially and mentally prepare yourself for this and/or consider a destination where you can easily travel home from and where it is easy for your friends and family to visit. If you’re travelling with family you will maybe have to consider the health care and education facilities abroad and choose countries that have standards high enough to meet your criteria.
Think about the cost of living overseas - where can you afford to live, where would you like to live - do the two marry up? Also remember that countries where the cost of living is low and the local economy is poor will not usually be able to offer high paying employment opportunities and that if you want to live in the local economy you may have to live off the local economy and you will actually price yourself into the local market and your purchasing power will be reduced. The cost of anything is relative to the amount you earn after all!
Area 2 - Which overseas country offers you the most appropriate or best employment opportunities?
Do you have a specific skill or vocation, for example are you a doctor, lawyer, hairdresser or electrician? Do your skills and qualifications translate in every single overseas country and are your skills required in some countries but not in others? How easy will you find it to get the employment abroad that you have trained for? Will language be a barrier to your skills if so do you need to learn a foreign language or move to an English speaking country?
Alternatively if your skills are transferable around the world what would you like to do and in which countries can you work in a profession or job that suits you? Think again about the local economy of any country you are considering and find out how much your skill will earn you - will that be enough to live on - will that be enough to allow you to afford to travel home one day? Many people move overseas and price themselves out of their old economy and cannot then afford to move back home.
If you want to work abroad some countries like Australia, New Zealand, America and Canada have residence visa and work permit permission restrictions, you need to think about whether you can overcome these hurdles and whether you have the most in demand skills to obtain a work permit or residence visa. One other consideration to make is the taxation implication of moving abroad to a given country - some countries have even higher and more restrictive taxation regimes that the UK or USA for example, on the other hand a country like Dubai has no tax on personal income! Watch out for any ‘extra’ expenses like higher tax that you could incur when moving abroad and factor them in to your planning.
Area 3 - Consider the practicalities of relocating to your ideal country and finding somewhere to live.
If you’re moving abroad to live overseas for a long period how easy and affordable is it to find rental accommodation? Will you rent furnished or unfurnished - which is more common? Either way will you need to buy furniture or place your furniture in storage - think about the extra costs associated with setting up your accommodation?
If you’re expatriating for good you may want to one day buy a house of your own - if so, are foreign residents allowed to buy freehold property in the country you’ve chosen? What are house prices like, how easy or otherwise is it to secure finance to purchase?
If you’re moving a long way away how will you ship your personal belongings with you? Or will you need to sell them or put them in storage before you go? If you’re taking your household effects with you will you be forced to pay import duties and taxes?
Conclusion
As you can see the considerations you need to make before moving abroad are many and are also far reaching. Hopefully this article has given you some food for thought. If you can answer each of the major questions posed above you will be well on your way to living and working abroad and becoming a fully fledged expatriate before you know it!
