There are many challenges that come hand in hand with relocating overseas – some of them are more welcome than others! Discovering new towns or beaches, finding interesting shops or sights to see are all welcome challenges….learning a new language and embracing cultural integration are for some people, less welcome!
Depending on where in the world you’re thinking of relocating to, and depending on the sort of person you are as an individual, it’s highly likely that you will have your own concerns about the less welcome challenges of becoming an expatriate. However, as we will endeavour to show you today, there are ways you can prepare for integration and make the process easier.
This week we’ve published a series of reports to assist would-be expatriates overcome their concerns and the obstacles to them moving abroad for a better life…because we’re acutely aware that more people want to relocate annually than are able to. For some people the fear of loneliness is an obstacle to their making the move, for others is all about the money…but if you are more worried about integration and perhaps the language barriers abroad, read on to discover how you can make the move smooth, and the integration as seamless as possible.
According to the latest part of the 2010 HSBC Expat Explorer survey to be released, namely the Expat Experience section, Spain is reportedly the easiest country for expatriates to integrate into. You may have thought that perhaps Australia, New Zealand or Canada would come at the top of the list because they don’t have a language barrier for the majority of expats surveyed…however, integration is about more than just communication.
Where Do Britons Integrate Easily & Where Do They Face a Challenge When Moving Abroad?
For Britons, Spain and France, (which ranked second in terms of ease of integration), are well-explored nations already populated with many British expatriates. They are countries with a wealth of international resources available that help the would-be expat to find their way around, learn the ways of the nation and settle in successfully. What’s more, we share many common values with the French and Spanish.
The countries that didn’t rank so well for integration in the HSBC survey were the likes of Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. They scored poorly because expatriates found it nigh on impossible to be truly accepted and befriended by locals because of the extreme differences in religious, political and even moral values between the 2 nationalities.
Therefore as you can see, integration is about acceptance, understanding and befriending – and it covers language and communication, religion, social understanding and sharing common values and beliefs.
Certain nations are always going to be more challenging than others therefore – but not usually because of a language barrier, but because of extreme cultural differences. In such nations expatriates often band together for their social interaction requirements. If you can know in advance about the obstacles you may well encounter, you can prepare for them and stand a better chance of a smooth integration.
How to Prepare for Integration Abroad – Learning the Language
Knowledge and understanding of your new nation and its people are extremely important tools to enable you to settle in and truly become part of the fabric of your new society.
Beginning with the most obvious potential hurdle, namely language, you can prepare for your relocation by beginning language lessons appropriate for your new destination before you move.
There are many ways to learn a language nowadays – you don’t have to follow the fairly passive classroom approach anymore either.
There are online learning and teaching resources, books, DVDs, audio CDs, classes, conversation groups and even interactive virtual tutorials available on the Internet for example. The more you can familiarise yourself with the sounds and structure of your new language before you move the better. And, don’t worry about achieving fluency before you move, because with practise comes true language ability – and how better to practise than when you are immersed in your new nation and surrounded by your new language.
Preparing yourself as much as you can before you go is critical – and then throwing yourself in at the deep end, and speaking the language whenever possible once you have moved will see you achieve a level of competence in no time.
Make the effort to practice your language, tune in to radio shows and TV programmes, pick up a newspaper and pick out familiar words and sentences in just one story a day. Slowly but surely you will find that you’re able to understand more, communicate better and get by in your new language. Yes it’s a challenge but it needn’t be a barrier – and I promise you, you will feel amazing when you can speak a second language…it’s empowering!
How to Prepare for Integration Abroad – Understanding the Culture
If you’re moving to a particularly religious nation, or a nation where the culture differs to the one you’re familiar with, it will be important to gain a general understanding of traditions, moral values and beliefs in order to successfully integrate.
Some people in the UK complain about certain ethnic or cultural groups who practise a religion other than Christianity for example, and who all live together and fail to integrate successfully into British society. You may think that this is a fair point – in which case, it’s also absolutely fair to state that Brits who then go abroad and band together and fail to integrate or appreciate their hosts’ religious or moral beliefs are just as ‘bad.’
In other words, whilst you don’t have to change your religion, your beliefs or your fundamental behaviour, accepting that you are a guest in another nation and you need to ‘appreciate’, understand and accept the ways of that nation in order to fit in is critical.
This is applicable more to those who perhaps move to Muslim nations in the Middle East, or to countries which are culturally very different to European nations such as China for example.
You can learn about the fundamental beliefs and ways of your new nation before you go. You can also speak to fellow expats about ways you can adapt to the new nation and adopt the practices that will be expected of you in order to be accepted.
In Conclusion – It is Possible for Expats to Integrate Successfully, They Just Need to Make an Effort
The concerns about settling in and settling down that a would-be expatriate encounters are absolutely justified! After all everything abroad is ‘foreign’ – and that means it is unfamiliar and breeds uncertainty. None of us like to feel uncertain and unsettled though, so the best way to overcome this obstacle to a brand new life abroad is through prior preparation.
Read up and learn as much about your new nation, its people, religion, culture and beliefs as possible. Visit before you relocate, speak to other expats about how best to speed up the integration process – and ultimately, learn the language and make an active effort to be accepted.