Things to research when you’re looking at working abroad

Starting to look at new places to live and work can be overwhelming when you first start looking, especially if there are lots of areas on your options list. Below we have listed some of the top things to research in a country before you start looking for work.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish."

Culture

The general culture of a country is something you should do some reading about and whether it seems to your taste. As some examples there are many countries where drinking alcohol is illegal, or where there are certain expectations depending on your gender or where it is a party area round the clock. So even if you have read some blogs that give amazing reviews for an area, make sure to do your own research.

Cost of Living

A practical thing to consider is the cost of living. Depending on the country or even the area of a country, this can vary massively! Key elements you may want to look at are; rent, utility bills, food and public transport. A great website we can recommend is https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

Social Activity

If you have any favourite hobbies or sports, you might want to look at whether you can get involved in these in the country you are looking into. Also if you enjoy meeting friends in an evening at a restaurant or a bar, you should look at how accessible this will be in the area you are looking at.

Visa

Visa requirements for every country are different and can vary from being very easy and cheap, to very complex and expensive. Ensure you have factored the visa process into your considerations before you start applying for work, as you don’t want to find part way through the process that you are not eligible for a working visa or that you can’t afford the visa costs.

Expat Population

Something interesting to look at can be how highly populated the area you are looking into is, and how much of that population is made up of expats. Knowing there are other expats in your area can make it easier to make friends whilst you are away, however some people may prefer not to be in an area with lots of other expats.

Home comforts

This may not feature highly on people’s lists of things to consider; however it can be good to know whether you can get some of your home comforts in the area you are moving to. Everyone has bad days regardless where you live, and it’s nice to know that when you are having a bad day that you can access the things that make the day a little better, whether that is a coffee from a coffee shop, or your favorite chocolate bar.

Once you have found an area you would like to consider working in you should then start research about the working environments. We have a blog post that can help you with what to look out for in teaching positions, so go and have a read of that too!