Working Abroad: A How-To Guide
Want to leave America and work abroad? Here's how!
The hustle and bustle of American life can become draining. With property prices rising and many believing the bubble will soon burst, many are looking to move abroad to work for a new lease on life.
I moved to China in 2020 and have yet to look back. My decision to move abroad came down to two things, paying my student loans and seeing the world from a new point of view.
Is moving abroad something that interests you? Well, it's a long road from deciding to move overseas to getting on your flight.
In this post, I will go over the overarching needs and process of moving abroad.
The points that I'll cover include the following:
- Picking which country to live in
- How to find a job abroad
- The interview process and contract negotiation tips
- Preparing your paperwork to move abroad
- Moving abroad and what to prepare
- Starting your life abroad
I can't cover every aspect of moving abroad, so if you have more detailed questions, don't hesitate to ask in the comment section.
However, I highly recommend having a job lined up before moving abroad. Whatever company you find will typically help with your visa sponsorship, accommodation, and, ultimately, getting set up within your new country. I will write this post from the perspective of finding work before you move, as I don't suggest job hunting in said country.
Picking Which Country to Live In
So, you finally decided that you want to pursue a life abroad! Congratulations. Yet, you have a long road to make it a reality.
The first and most obvious thing you need to do is to pick which country you'd like to start your new life in. I suggest researching the job market, economy, and culture.
You can research the job market with the links for job-hunting websites I’ve inserted below this article section. It’s essential to see whether or not expats are even wanted before you pick which country to live in.
I also suggest watching YouTubers that specialize in the content of your country in question. YouTubers like Kaja and LivingInChina were great resources for me when deciding whether or not to move to China.
Another great resource to help you decide where you'd like to live is LivingCost.org. This website allows you to compare living costs from your current country to your new destination.
Once you've watched some videos and compared costs, we can start trying to look for a job.
How to Find a Job Abroad
This is most often the most challenging part of moving abroad. Finding a job, whether in your home country or abroad, is a daunting task. Luckily, there is a wealth of resources to find the best working situations possible.
Typically, first jobs abroad could be better. Unless incredibly lucky, they are merely seen as a foot in the door. You need to understand this so you won't be disappointed if it isn't your dream job.
There are typically two routes used to find jobs abroad. The most common for first jobs is through recruiting websites. You can use different websites depending on what kind of job you are looking for.
I've compiled a list of helpful job-hunting websites below.
English Teaching & TEFL Job Sites
https://www.teachaway.com/ — One of the most popular tools for finding ESL jobs abroad. Not only can you find employment, but you can also use this website to get your TEFL certification.
https://www.eslcafe.com/ — Dave's ESL Cafe was once the top dog of ESL job websites. Although past its glory days, Dave's is still an excellent resource for aspiring teachers.
https://gaijinpot.com/ — Although specific to Japan, many have stated that GaijinPot is the best website for finding work, studying opportunities, and overall life in Japan. If you're interested in Japan, it's worth checking out.
Jobs Outside English Teaching
http://www.linkedin.com/ — Of course, LinkedIn (link) is the best option for finding jobs, whether domestically or abroad. Companies worldwide utilize LinkedIn's millions of users to find the perfect fit for their company. If you don't have a LinkedIn already, you need to!
https://www.gooverseas.com/work-abroad — GoOverseas is a great resource that offers a multitude of jobs all around the world. Just set up a profile and start applying!
https://jobs.goabroad.com/ — GoAbroad is a trusted and reputable website designed to help you find work abroad. Whether as an engineer, bartender, or teacher, you can find your dream job!
How can you find jobs besides job listing sites?
Besides the websites linked above, another popular route is through agents. You can see countless advertisements for agency services if you search around specific hashtags and niches (#expat, #workabroad, #digitalnomad) on websites like LinkedIn.
Agency services can take out a lot of the leg work in finding jobs as they can apply for you. Yet, you need to be careful with agencies, as some of them have hidden fees where they'll take a part of your salary.
Want to take the agency route? You need to figure out in the very beginning who is paying the agent to find you the job. Run for the hills if it's being taken out of your check. The best agents get paid by the employer, not the prospective employee.
The Dangers of Job Hunting Abroad
It's a well-known fact that many job listings and agents online fabricate work hours, salary, and many other small details. When job searching, you need to watch out for specific red flags.
- The salary stated is before tax. They can claim the income tax is higher than it is and skim your payment off the top.
- Working hours are above 40, and teaching hours are above 20 for teachers.
- They don't allow you to chat with prior employees to ask questions.
- Job responsibilities are vague or sound too good to be true.
These are all things you can touch on and NEED to go deeper into during the interview phase of your job hunt.
The Interview Process and Contract Negotiation Tips
Interviews are always nerve-racking, no matter how prepared you are. Yet, when interviewing for international jobs, you must be concise and ask hard-hitting questions.
As I mentioned before, very distinctive red flags are imperative to pick up on during the interview process. You will be moving to a new country, and in the hands of your employer, you need to make sure you can trust them.
Granted, sometimes there's no way to tell if they're going to cheat you or not. Yet, it's still imperative you test the waters.
Some fundamental questions you need to ask during your interviews include the following:
- What are my days off during the week?
- Have you completed working visas for employees in the past?
- Can you chat with a current employee of your business?
- Is your company certified to host foreign workers?
- Will the company assist me with finding accommodation, setting up bank accounts, getting a new phone number, etc.? (This is incredibly important, you need to make sure you have somewhere to live!)
- (FOR TEACHERS) How many teaching hours will I have a week? Are there office hours?
- (FOR TEACHERS) What age range and how many kids per class? How long are the types?
- (FOR TEACHERS) Is there a set curriculum, or will I need to create my own?
These are just a few questions you need to ask your employer. As for questions directed toward yourself, it's important to illustrate yourself as someone who is ultimately interested in learning the culture and customs of the business's country.
You must do more than walk into a new country and try and do everything in your country's way. Work practices and customs are different around the world. It would be best if you showed you are flexible and willing to learn in a new environment.
Passed your interview and moving on to contract negotiations?
That's wonderful! My number one tip for contract negotiations is to shoot high yet stay open-minded. Don't try to muscle out a big check, but give a hopeful number for your salary, which you can work down from.
The job listing offers 22,000-25,000 RMB ($3,590) per month after tax, including a housing stipend. Referencing your skills and experience, ask for something in the 26,000–27,000 ballpark. This way, you can work down into the higher salary brackets.
Make a point to discuss signing bonuses and raises, what days you'll be paid, and how many days you'll have paid time off (PTO). You can also trade off a higher salary for more vacation days, depending on your value.
Most importantly, it would be best if you discussed with your employer whether or not they will help you with your paperwork.
Preparing Your Paperwork To Move Abroad
Preparing your paperwork can be the most frustrating thing during the process of moving abroad. It takes an immense amount of work and can often go south quickly.
It's often the case that your employer will take care of everything within their country regarding immigration. However, that leaves you to prepare your paperwork. This isn't the end-all-be-all list, but these are the most common items you will need to collect before moving abroad.
- FBI Background check (with fingerprints) apostilled by the Secretary of State of your residence and your prospective country's embassy. These background checks can most often be acquired by visiting the headquarters of your home's state patrol. The estimated time to receive a completed background check is two weeks.
- Health check/physical by a licensed professional apostilled by the Secretary of State of your residence and your prospective country's embassy. Each country will have a form to fill out, including several checkups. Call your doctor to see if they can complete this form. This can be done within one day if you can fit it into the doctor's schedule.
- Highest school degrees and all relevant certificates apostilled by the Secretary of State of your residence and your prospective country's embassy. Whatever school degrees and certificates (I.E., TEFL, TESOL for teachers) relevant to your new job must be authenticated by the original issuer, done at the time of issue, then apostilled. The estimated time to receive all certified paperwork can take upwards of one month.
- Your specific embassy requires headshot photos with a plain white background in size. These can typically be done on-site, but it's best to prepare them earlier.
Once all these documents have been gathered, you need to head to the Secretary of State in your state's capital to authenticate all your paperwork. This can be done relatively quickly if you live nearby. The cost depends on where you live, but it's typically $15-$20 per document.
Authenticating paperwork through your destination's embassy is a pain in the butt.
After all of your authentications are completed by the Secretary of State, the most challenging step is having your paperwork authenticated by your destination's embassy. There are two ways to go about this step, but it depends mainly on your destination's laws and procedures.
- You can complete it by gathering all your paperwork and traveling to the embassy to do it face-to-face.
- You can use an agent that will complete the process for you. You'll need to ship all your documents, passport included, to their business, where they will take care of the procedures on your behalf at a significant premium.
My experience could have been better at this point in the process. My jurisdiction's Chinese embassy, San Francisco, didn't allow the use of agents to complete one's paperwork. I needed to fly to San Francisco for one night to submit my paperwork. Luckily, they enabled agents to collect completed entry visas, so I had it mailed back to me for a whopping $250 charge.
However, each embassy and country is different. If your destination allows the use of agents and you trust that your documents will remain secure, it's up to you to complete the process yourself or through a third party.
Moving Abroad and What to Prepare
Well, you got the entry visa in your passport, good work! You've got all the most challenging parts out of the way. Now comes the scariest bit of the process, actually moving.
First and foremost, you can read this article about the eight things you need to know before moving abroad. This isn't just a shameless plug, there's precious information you need to know before proceeding, and it's all detailed there.
Figure out your accommodation situation as soon as possible.
The most important thing you need to coordinate is how you will take care of your accommodation. As mentioned in the interview portion of this post, you need to talk with your employer about where you will live. If your employer refuses to assist you, don't take the job. It's that simple. Being new to a country, you will only have a bank account to make a deposit or pay rent if you do so in cash. So you must work alongside whoever is hiring you to find a place to live.
Following up on finding a home, you need to know how you will get from the airport to your new digs. The last thing you want is to be stuck in a new country outside the airport without knowing where to go. If your employer cannot chauffer you, then it's best to prepare some cash for a taxi and have the address of your new home pulled up and ready to go.
What are some things that I should pack before moving abroad?
Great question, reader. Besides the obvious things like clothes and toiletries, there are a few lesser-thought-of items to help your transition.
- Portable chargers to make sure your phone doesn't die
- Medication, ibuprofen, etc. (you need to check your country's government website to see if this is allowed, don't get in trouble on your first day!) that will help you in the short term if you run into health problems.
- Comfort snacks from your hometown to eat if you get homesick quickly
- Dry shampoo if you have a long flight/travel day to feel fresh and ready to take on the world
- More cash than you think you'd ever need. Moving gets expensive, significantly, when changing countries. Exchange more currency than you think you need at the airport in case of an emergency. Spread the money out in different places of your carry-on to ensure you don't lose it all at once if you run into trouble.
You'll always forget to pack something, no matter how much you prepare or how many times you go over your packing list. So try your best to bring the necessities: the portable charger and cash.
What do I do with my documents and paperwork?
Wow, reader, another great question. Your documents and paperwork are essential to your new life abroad. Get plastic dividers for each piece of paperwork to protect them from getting damaged. Please put them in a secure binder in your carry-on. Mark the every-living hell out of the entire binder with your contact information in case you misplace it. If you lose that binder, you lose this new opportunity at expat life; protect it with your life.
How should I schedule my flights?
One-way flights are the way to go without a doubt, yet they aren’t always available. Nearly every time you enter a new country with a flight change, you must recheck your bags at TSA. I suggest picking a flight where the connecting flights have at least two-hour layovers, so you have sufficient time to recheck your bags and make your way to your flight’s gate.
I don’t speak the country’s language for my layover or my destination, how will I get through check-in and security?
This is a standard question and fear that everyone faces when moving abroad. The best thing to do is to download a translator app on your phone to communicate more smoothly with officials. More often than not, more prominent airlines will typically have English-speaking employees, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Ultimately no matter how much you prepare for your move abroad, you’ll still run into speed bumps. No one is perfect, you and I included. You should expect some turbulence when traveling to your destination. Instead of getting frustrated and worked up, take it on the chin and keep moving forward.
Starting Your Life Abroad
Starting a life in a new country takes time. Like any routine, you’ll need to create a habit through repetition until you become truly comfortable.
More often than not, you won’t have any friends in a new country. This can be extremely challenging at the beginning of your journey, and you will experience loneliness. All expats do, myself included. One way to make friends is to spend time with your new coworkers.
Although this is great, you need to be careful. Many expats and locals try to find ways to push themselves ahead in their workplaces. If this means taking advantage of the new expat or selling them down the river, they’ll do it. It’s great to make friends with your coworkers, but try to keep your personal life just that, personal.
One way to try and make friends in a new country is to research bars and restaurants that host other expats in your city. Take some time to visit them, and you’ll naturally meet new people as you’re a new face in the town. Most expat circles are small unless you’re in a major city like Shanghai or Tokyo. If your new people are interested in meeting you, you need to put in the effort to go out.
Expat Life is Hard to Get and Easy to Quit
Ultimately expat life is highly daunting in the beginning. Yet through work and slowly making friends, you’ll find yourself in a rhythm you can get used to. Please don’t give up when times get tricky; you’ve made it through the process to this point.
It’s easy to go back to your home country once you’re abroad. Yet, it’s hard to get overseas in the first place. In the beginning days, you will want to leave, but try your best to stick it out. Expat life is a hell of an experience; I don’t want you to waste it.
I hope that this post has helped guide you on your way to becoming an expat.
Did I miss something I should’ve added? Do you have questions I didn’t touch on? Comment below; I’ll be more than happy to answer your questions.
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