{"id":2052,"date":"2019-02-02T14:26:46","date_gmt":"2019-02-02T14:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/?p=2052"},"modified":"2021-09-19T16:42:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T16:42:39","slug":"living-working-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/living-working-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Living and Working Abroad Like a Boss"},"content":{"rendered":"
So, you’re thinking of ditching your sweaty little office job for a sweatier office job in warmer climes…<\/p>\n
Or maybe you want to ditch the suit and tie altogether and work on the beach in your sexy Speedos?<\/p>\n
The fact is, working abroad can be an enticing option, especially when laptop monkeys can theoretically work anywhere with electricity and Interwebs.<\/p>\n
But is it all it\u2019s cracked up to be?<\/p>\n
Well,\u00a0let\u2019s find out. But first, a quick question…<\/p>\n
Is it because you\u2019re sick of your current job and need a change or do you simply fancy experimenting with a new location?<\/p>\n
Important questions people, important questions.<\/p>\n
This will obviously determine any awkward conversations with your boss and the preliminaries of\u00a0an\u00a0international job search.<\/p>\n
For argument\u2019s sake, let\u2019s say your current job isn’t actually too soul destroying\u2026<\/p>\n
The great thing about the online revolution is that digital paper pushers can often test the waters with remote working.<\/p>\n
The main benefit\u00a0of steady remote work<\/a> is the guaranteed income it provides while supping oversized cocktails on the beach. Plus, with a western earning levels, you can often live the life of\u00a0Riley\u00a0in cheaper locales.<\/p>\n With many reputable companies jumping on the work-life balance bandwagon and permitted telecommuting, it\u2019s also no longer such a strange phenomenon.<\/p>\n This can provide some handy psychological security when taking the plunge to hand in your resignation and sail into the sunset.<\/p>\n Having been a remote worker for a while myself (in a digital capacity), I can say that it\u2019s quite agreeable.<\/p>\n Obviously,\u00a0the biggest factor for your company may be making timezones bend to your will without working extremely unsociable hours.<\/p>\n Also, consider whether you have to be around for client pitches or in-person events, which could prove tricky.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you could consider remote working for another company, which brings me to the following…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I know digital nomadism can be a trigger term for many, causing fits of scoffing and disdain, such is the media hyperbole around the topic.<\/p>\n Ever since The Four Hour Work Week<\/a> was birthed, millennials have been fighting the digital nomad\u00a0deathmatch, clawing over one another to snap their perfect lifestyles.<\/p>\n But, it does provide quite a few options for working abroad.<\/p>\n From setting up your own\u00a0business\u00a0to freelancing and even securing steady employment, you can cultivate the ability to be completely location and time independent.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a common myth about working abroad that it\u2019ll be a fiesta-fuelled experience of bikinis, beaches and cocktails.<\/p>\n And while there can be an element of this, if you\u2019re going abroad to work,\u00a0unfortunately, you\u2019ll have to…erm…do some work.<\/p>\n Terrible I know.<\/p>\n Obviously, some forms of employment like digital nomadism or\u00a0part-time\u00a0English\u00a0teaching can provide more flexibility to engage in fun activities during normal work hours, but many jobs won\u2019t come with that capacity.<\/p>\n That said, perhaps you prefer more stability, in which case there\u2019s another option…<\/p>\n Let\u2019s face it – the laptop lifestyle isn\u2019t for everyone.<\/p>\n While it can be an intoxicating thought when you\u2019re commuting to work on a drizzly Monday morning, the reality of the nomadic lifestyle is often very different.<\/p>\n As Mark Manson comments, there\u2019s always a shit sandwich to eat, whatever you do.<\/p>\n So perhaps constant travel<\/a> isn\u2019t your thang and you\u2019d rather become immersed in one country, working for a local company.<\/p>\n This is eminently do-able, albeit with one important caveat…<\/p>\n It depends on your skills.<\/p>\n I was fortunate. As a physiotherapist by training, working abroad was a practical option, because even though nationalities change, human bodies don\u2019t (or at least they shouldn\u2019t!).<\/p>\n This means that there are injuries to treat in all the lands, making it the perfect borderless job.<\/p>\n So when I was fed up of the UK and wanted a break, I knew that I could likely treat expats wherever I went. I did this in Argentina, Vietnam and China.<\/p>\n So, what can you bring to the old metaphorical table? Let\u2019s look at the options.<\/p>\n Can you use your existing skill set\u00a0to apply for local companies?<\/p>\n It\u2019s likely that whatever you do now might be valuable to these organisations. Are you a data analyst, programmer, or writer?<\/p>\n Perhaps there\u2019s a local office for a large multinational in your chosen country? I had friends in China who applied for such jobs while they were already abroad.<\/p>\n Local companies might also have an international audience requiring native English-speaking employees. I even had one friend who walked into local businesses in Beijing offering to build them websites!<\/p>\n As an aside, I\u2019ve discovered you may be\u00a0luckier\u00a0holding a degree from a western country…<\/p>\n Strangely, there can be a certain reverence for applicants who’ve attended an English university, for example, even though foreign students tend to work far harder.<\/p>\n Okay, so let\u2019s say you don\u2019t have professional skills to offer. What else can you do?<\/p>\n These are perhaps some of the most flexible roles you can find, and I already know you can do\u00a0it\u00a0because you\u2019re reading this humble little article.<\/p>\n When I took a break from physio, I knew that I\u2019d like to try my hand at English teaching.<\/p>\n My first step was to investigate where you could earn the highest bang for your buck in relation to local living costs.<\/p>\n Even though I was pretty keen on Japan, the expenses looked too high and so eventually I settled on Vietnam.<\/p>\n When I went out there in 2010, teachers were earning an amazing 20-30 USD per hour, with a beer costing a paltry 0.75 USD – as you can imagine, life was excellent.<\/p>\n But, I made a mistake that almost scuppered my whole plan, by not completing the TEFL course before I left. When I turned up in Ho Chi Minh practically out of money, I found that most schools I applied to (understandably) wanted to see my teaching certificate.<\/p>\n Fortunately, I met a Vietnamese man who was setting up an English school in the residential property I wanted to rent. After agreeing to teach evening classes for a reasonable hourly rate, I had my first teaching job!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re committed to having an experience working\u00a0abroad\u00a0and fancy something slightly more altruistic, then volunteering might be the perfect option.<\/p>\n There are so many options for eager volunteers that they\u2019d be too numerous to list here, although I would like to recommend one from personal experience.<\/p>\n When I was in South America, I met a fellow traveller who recommended an organisation in the Bolivian jungle where you could volunteer to work with big cats like Pumas and Jaguars.<\/p>\n Whereas we were meant to go together, my companion ended up taking a different route, but by that time, the seed had taken root, and I was desperate to go.<\/p>\n The\u00a0organisation,\u00a0called Inti Wara\u00a0Yassi,\u00a0is a gem of a\u00a0place, and apart from getting bitten on the nipple by an angry Puma on one occasion, I would highly suggest checking it out.<\/p>\n I did have to pay a small stipend to live there, but walking and swimming with Pumas and Jaguars in the remote\u00a0Bolivian\u00a0jungle was certainly worth it.<\/p>\n In exchange, we were expected to help run the camp, performing cleaning, basic maintenance, and most importantly, animal care.<\/p>\n If bit cats aren\u2019t your\u00a0thing, there are many other organisations, like WWOOF<\/a> and HelpX<\/a> that can connect you with locals and organisations seeking help.<\/p>\n So, as you can see, working for money isn\u2019t always the only option.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Choosing where to go can often be a compromise, and will depend largely on what you’re after.<\/p>\n Here are some questions to consider\u2026<\/p>\n There are so many considerations.<\/p>\n My personal approach, however, has always been pretty slapdash, mostly involving searching for \u2018jobs abroad\u2019 on the Googles and simply deciding whether I liked the sound of the country enough to apply.<\/p>\n Which brings me onto my next, and final point\u2026<\/p>\n Many of my best trips have been the result of little or no planning.<\/p>\n With impromptu excursions and no expectations, you rarely\u00a0fail to enjoy\u00a0yourself,\u00a0or at least emerge with an interesting story.<\/p>\n This certainly works for travelling, but also for working abroad as well. You needn\u2019t have necessarily been to the country before the applying.<\/p>\n Although it obviously helps with pre-trip prep, I\u2019ve found it pretty exciting to enter the unknown with zero preconceptions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all\u00a0too\u00a0easy to fret over every little detail before you embark, and worse, delay for so long that the trip never becomes a reality, life getting in the way.<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re in a state of analysis paralysis, my recommendation is to just pick a place and go.<\/p>\n Often the pressure of burning your psychological boats and landing on foreign shores without a comprehensive plan is enough to pour some gasoline on the motivational fire.<\/p>\n An added benefit is that you\u2019ll be entirely free to explore opportunities as they arise, taking you in unexpected directions.<\/p>\n And the worst-case scenario?<\/p>\n Instead of working abroad, you come away with a damn-fine travelling experience under\u00a0your\u00a0belt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So, you’re thinking of ditching your sweaty little office job for a sweatier office job in warmer climes…<\/p>\n Or maybe you want to ditch the suit and tie altogether and work on the beach in your sexy Speedos?<\/p>\n The fact is, working abroad can be an enticing option, especially when laptop monkeys can theoretically work anywhere with electricity and Interwebs.<\/p>\n But is it all it\u2019s cracked up to be?<\/p>\n Well,\u00a0let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDigital Nomadism<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Travel or Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Working Abroad for a Local Company<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Local Organisations<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Alternative Jobs Abroad<\/strong><\/h2>\n
English Teaching<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Volunteering<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Choosing a Country<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Stop Overthinking<\/strong><\/h2>\n