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Living in a different country is a dream for many. It presents the chance to fully experience another nation’s culture, completely change your lifestyle, and take your career in a new direction.
However, is it a good idea to move abroad? This article will explore that question.
The advantages and disadvantages
As a starting point, it makes sense to take a general look at the advantages and disadvantages of moving abroad. Here are some of the positives:
- It builds your character.
- It enriches your perspective.
- It will help with developing social skills.
- A chance to make new friends.
- You get to experience a different way of life.
Ultimately, moving abroad will help you to grow as a person – and in ways, you may never have expected. Yet there are a few caveats, as listed below:
- The culture shock can cause you to feel uncomfortable.
- Organizing accommodation, a bank account, utility bills, etc. can be difficult.
- It can be expensive to make a move.
- Homesickness.
There’s one positive with these negative aspects: they will tend to disappear as time goes on. The more you become comfortable and familiarized with your new country, the quicker you will acclimatize to the situation.
Decide on the right destination
When relocating, there are many different points to consider before settling on a country. To begin with, there are visa rules that will dictate if you can stay in a specific place for an extended period.
Beyond a visa, you will have to examine points such as safety, accessibility, languages, cultures, climate, cost of living, and jobs. Speaking of the latter…
What about work?
Unless you’ve already hit retirement age, there is usually one big issue with moving abroad: work. Some people might be fortunate enough to already have a career lined up before making a move, but others will be wondering how they can sustain living abroad. After all, there will typically be limited job opportunities available for foreigners.
Thanks to the power of the internet, however, there are many ways in which you can earn money – and you don’t have to necessarily be employed locally. As more and more companies are outsourcing work, there is an increasing number of openings towards a freelance career. From writing to graphic design, you can have a financially rewarding career while working from anywhere in the world.
If you have enough money in the bank, you might even want to explore the option of starting your own business in your destination of choice. Say you want to move to China. Here, there are various routes to take when starting up your own company. For instance, expansion experts INS Global detail the option of creating a WFOE in China, which is a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise.
With that said, you will have to check the rules and regulations of your desired destination and what support is available for foreigners hoping to start a business. Some countries will be welcoming, like China, whereas others make it notoriously difficult to set up shop.
