Moving overseas can be one of the most thrilling and terrifying things you’ll ever do. You’re taking a giant leap of faith, moving somewhere you’ve maybe visited once or twice or perhaps never before. You’re leaving behind your familiar city, filled with friends and family and coffee shops where they know you by name. It’s a huge change, and will come with a cocktail of emotions that will likely change dramatically over the course of your move. Whether you’re moving just to try somewhere new, or because you’ve been offered a tech job that’s quite simply too good to turn down, here are my top 3 tips for moving overseas for a tech job.
1. Negotiate Help With Moving
If you can, negotiate some help with moving. Moving is very expensive, especially if you are moving an entire family, and more so if you have kids or pets. Many companies will be more than happy to help cover some of the expenses of a move, through paying for a moving company such as MoveBMS Moving Solutions to help with the logistics of moving. You can also ask for assistance with airfares (if applicable), work visas both in terms of paper work and expense, and in some cases you can even negotiate a set number of paid flights home each year. Before you sign is the time to make as many requests as you think appropriate and you may be surprised by what companies are willing to offer – many understand what a big deal uprooting your life is. You might want to learn more about what kind of packages the tech company has offered to past hires.
2. Consider a Short Term Trial
When you start a new job, most contracts have a written trial time of generally around 3 months. That’s long enough for an employer to decide if you’re a good fit for the company, but I also think it serves as a good time line for you to see if you’re happy with the company. When you move overseas, there’s another variable: are you happy with where you are? I suggest renting an Airbnb for the first three months – that way you can show up almost empty handed, just with your clothes and living essentials, and you’ll have everything you need in the apartment. If once that time frame is up you’re happy there, then you can look to a more permanent housing solution. Yes, it will be more expensive than renting a long term rental from the get-go, but it gives you a lot more flexibility to choose a different neighborhood and also means you don’t need to furnish a house as soon as you get off the plane.
3. Focus on Your Community Before You Land
Before you even get to your new country, join some Facebook expat groups to meet new people and to see what kind of meetups are happening in the city you’re moving to. Look up some of your favorite hobbies and see what kind of groups or clubs exist, so you have some ideas of how you can meet new people. You’ll likely meet some great people through your new job, but it’s important to have a balanced life outside of work and researching in advance will help you feel confident that you’ll have some options for a social life. It can be quite lonely and isolating when you move to a new country, especially if you don’t know anyone there, so these steps can really help make a difference.
Check out this website for some great tech solutions. Moving overseas for a new job is a great adventure, but it’s normal to feel a bit apprehensive about this giant change. Hopefully these three tips for moving overseas for work help you feel more confident and excited about this next step.
