You’ve got your plans for the trip of a lifetime sorted out and you’re looking forward to departure day. But one thing has got you stressed: what will happen if I run out of money? Maybe you feel the need to spread your wings for longer than just a short holiday, and you’re thinking about settling in one place for longer than a few weeks.
Have a look at your options with this handy guide about getting a long term job abroad.
1 – Use your citizenship to its full advantage
It’s worth looking carefully into where your own passport will get you on a longer term basis. For example, if you’re an EU citizen, good news: you are entitled to live and work in any EU member country right away without any further bureaucracy! Just make sure to get legal working status under EU laws sorted out, an easy process for those who are EU residents. Similar things can apply to those with Commonwealth passports.
Another lucky set of passports are those in the Commonwealth. This includes countries like Australia and Canada, and can mean with one of these passports you will have the privilege of easier access to work visas.
Always check the government website of the country you wish to travel to for full information related to the passport you hold, and cross-check it with your own country’s government website: there’s usually a section about traveling to other countries and the restrictions you may face, or privileges you may enjoy.
2 – Decide where you will live.
What kind of experience would you like whilst you are traveling? Do you want to have a chance to get to know small villages, islands or towns with a traditional way of life, or would you prefer the thrill of fast-paced business and metropolitan areas?
Perhaps you are the kind of person who will enjoy life in the fast pace of a big city like Tokyo, Rome or Beijing. Alternatively, maybe you’d prefer to see a different side to life in smaller towns where you can truly be part of local life and get to know a country outside of the normal tourist traps. Either way, it is best to decide before you start your search.
3 – Planning a budget
Keep in mind that the global currency exchange is in a state of flux at the moment. If you have savings to help you with the start of your travels, make sure to look at the forecast for your currency pairing and make a plan about when could be the best time to exchange your currencies.
This will help you to maximise value and make your money go further, acting as a good cushion if any problems arise in the first few weeks of your adventure. Next it’s time to consider whether the salary mentioned in your job post will actually be sufficient to get you by.
4 – Reaching out to clients
One of the most crucial aspects of working abroad is ensuring you’ll be able to reach your entire customer base no matter where you’re located. One of the cheapest and easiest ways to do this will be by using a virtual phone number. Instead of spending money on a physical landline, you can simply use your own custom virtual phone number in countries across the globe so you can make local calls.
Virtual phone systems don’t have a dedicated phone line, meaning incoming calls are forwarded directly to your pre-set number. The best part is that whether you’re taking a personal call or running a business in another country, you can enjoy a local presence even if you’re not physically present in the country where your private virtual phone number originates.
5 – Get to know the local employment customs, laws and preferences
Each country has its own specific way of approaching all things employment: from bar work to nannying, teaching to medical jobs, there are different social rules that apply and you will make your life easier by doing some research about this, or even better, speaking to a local. This will open many doors to longer term work in your chosen country.
6 – Teaching is a great way to get to know an area in depth while making money
There’s nothing like teaching to help you understand local traditions and ways of life. By teaching either children or adults in a long term teaching position, you will have the honour of getting an insight into an entire culture, wherever you choose to look for a job. That could be literally anywhere in the world!
Wherever there are people who want to learn English, there’s a job to be found. From Italy to New Zealand, from Iceland to Japan. Check out these requirements for teaching English in Japan as a good starting point, and if you do decide to visit Japan, enjoy this handy language tip too!
7 – Trending digital nomad visas
You may have noticed that many countries are now offering digital nomad visas: a brand new class of visas created by some countries to combine aspects of existing visas with brand new elements tailored to those working remotely. This could revolutionise the way we look at employment, and may mean that you can legally take your remote job abroad on a long term basis. Time to get those digital plans in action!
This is great news if you are interested in teaching for an online school and avoiding the anchor of a physical location to keep you tied to one place. You can stand to earn the upper levels of pay if you have a TEFL certificate with upwards of 100 hours of teaching included.
So there you go! Some vital tips to help you work your way round the world. Now, the only thing that’s left is to let your imagination run wild and set off to live your dreams!