There’s no adventure greater than packing up your life and moving overseas for new opportunities. This is especially bold if you’re moving to a country you’ve never visited. Moving can be stressful, even when it’s across the same city, so you can only imagine how stressful it is navigating moving to another country, visa issues and then freight forwarding logistics. For that reason I’ve made this article of my top 4 tips for moving overseas for a new job to help make your upcoming move as stress free as possible.
1. Look Into Freight Forwarding
One of the biggest hassles when moving overseas is trying to manage the packing and transportation of your things. You’ll have to decide how much you want to take with you and how you want to travel with it. Generally you can add 1-2 extra suitcases per person relatively inexpensively, but depending on the airline any more suitcases and you’ll be paying a crazy fee per bag. For that reason I suggest looking into freight forwarding through a company like BCI Worldwide. They’ll help you with the entire process so it can be stress free.
2. Don’t Be Slow on Paperwork
Arranging visas and permissions to work overseas can be extremely time consuming. It’s not something you want to wait until the last minute, especially if you need documents verified and authenticated. If you can look up the visa or residence processing times, I always suggest doubling their estimations for a safe amount of time to apply in advance. Click here to learn more about products you can purchase online.
3. Get a Job Before You Go
If you can, it is such a good idea to secure work before you move, especially if you’re moving to a country with a competitive job market such as Spain. If you choose the right company, they may even help you with the logistics of moving, including flights, freight forwarding and even assistance with the visas and access to a lawyer. If you’re unable to secure a job before you move, at least have a decent amount of money in savings to tide you over while you look and consider picking up a side hustle to help smooth over the bills while you’re looking. Check out the best motor vehicle dealer bond here.
4. Get Social
One of the best things you can do before you move to a new country is try to make a community before you get there. Moving can be extremely isolating, especially if you’re dealing with the challenges of a language barrier and a new environment. There are a few things you can do before you go to try to set up a little sense of community. You can join Facebook expat groups in the city or country you’re moving to. You can see what kind of hobby groups are located near where you’ll be living and join those. You can reach out to friends to see if anyone knows anyone where you’re going. I find just knowing one or two people when you arrive somewhere new can make a world of difference for how quickly you adjust and build up your social life.
Moving overseas for a new job can be extremely overwhelming but hopefully these tips make you feel as prepared and organized as possible.