Posts Tagged ‘Moving Abroad’

The Ultimate Plan to Work Abroad: Location

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

If you’re considering relocating overseas to take up a temporary assignment or you’d like to move abroad permanently and find work there are basically three main aspects of expatriation that you need to think about before you make your move and this article examines them for you.

1) Location

Unless you’re being relocated by your employer to a fixed location you will quickly discover that it a big wide world and you therefore have a great deal of choice when considering which country best suits your lifestyle and employment requirements. In an effort to narrow down your search a little consider any country you’re interested in in view of the following considerations: –

i) The location’s distance from your home country and your family and friends – remember that there will be times you want or need to return home and/or to catch up with old faces. How easy and affordable will it be for you to go ‘back home’ should the need arise and how simple will it be for your friends and family to come and visit you?

ii) The weather – some countries are more or less hospitable in weather terms and someone who originally heralds from Tropical North Queensland may find it a struggle to cope with the wet, grey winters in England for instance and someone from Canada may find is a shock coping with the searing summer temperatures in Spain. Thinking about your ideal overseas location from a weather perspective may well cut down your choices!

iii) Your family – particularly if you’re expatriating with children you’ll need to think carefully about the healthcare and education facilities available overseas and also about getting your essential insurances in place before you go. Some countries are more expensive and restrictive than others…bear this in mind.

iv) Language barriers – if you’re considering moving to a country where the mother tongue is other than your own will this restrict your employment prospects? Can you overcome this by learning the language before you go or do you need to reconsider your destination?

Don’t Make These Relocating Mistakes!

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Perhaps you have a new job opportunity or you are ready to retire. As you consider making an international move at this exciting time in your life, you also realize that you are about to face some major changes. Realistically making note of the best way to get things done and learning from the experience of others can help make your move less stressful.

Regardless of your reason for moving, you will never regret doing things the right way. It may only take you a day or two to get to your new country, but it will truly take weeks or months of ocean shipping for your belongings to get there. Can a person make mistakes when moving internationally, wishing they had done things differently? Absolutely. There are so many things to consider, that regardless of how well you do, you are going to have a regret or two. Avoiding extra time, money and stress are the most important factors to consider.

1) One major mistake that people make when moving overseas is to think of it as an escape. Making an international move is much different than taking a vacation overseas. Regardless of where one lives, there are going to be stresses, disappointments and problems. As a matter of fact, moving in itself can be quite stressful, perhaps causing you to periodically wonder if you should move at all.

2) Don’t be unrealistic about what you are doing. You are going to have to continue working, paying bills and dealing with relationships, no matter where you live. It’s important to have a positive mindset and yet know that the move will be stressful at times and also know that day-to-day living will commence. All of your problems are not going to miraculously disappear by making an international move. In fact, it’s best to resolve as many issues as possible before moving and therefore, feel like you can move on with your life rather than escaping from current problems.

3) Don’t expect things to be the same in your new country, but plan on lots of change. Don’t ever forget that you are now the foreigner, the visitor, the stranger in this new country. Just assume that you are going to be misunderstood and make some mistakes. For example, if you are moving to England, you will find that they live by an entirely different set of rules and regulations. Rather than argue or complain about this, just accept the fact that you are no longer in your home country. Also, if you complain or argue too much, people in your new country will begin to dislike you because you will appear arrogant and surly.

Relocation 101: Signapore

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Moving to a new country is thrilling, but also challenging. Of course, it’s exciting to relocate to another place because of the unique society, landscapes, and community. It is fascinating to observe the many new things and take in the many new experiences you find in a new place.  Because every country is unique, there are always challenges when moving. Also, you get to experience the stress with moving away from your own country and becoming accustomed to a new place. Regardless of where you relocate, if it’s any area other than your own country, there are lots of things to do and remember before you make your move.

Even though Singapore only has about 4.4 million residents, the country has a huge tourism industry that is growing every year. Nearly one million people visit the country every year and some of those people decide that they would love to live there. People are impressed to move to Singapore because of the standard of living, climate and employment potential.

Singapore has very strong ties to the United Kingdom because it was originally a British colony. Singapore had one of the highest standards of living in 2009, as reported by Wikipedia. This is mainly because the country is now the fifth wealthiest country in the world due to its modern economy. The official languages of the country are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. The Singapore dollar is their currency. The main religions of the country are Buddhism and Christianity.

Most of the economic activity in Singapore happens on the main island, but there are actually 62 islands that make up the whole country. The country used to depend on fishing for its economical welfare, but things have changed much in recent years due to technology. However, the country is still largely influenced by the many cultures it has been involved with – from the ancient Malays and Chinese to the British nation that they were a part of for many years.

If it’s your first time moving overseas, it is recommended that you make sure that you are going to like another country. It’s always a good idea to visit first and spend a few days in any new country to see if it meets your approval. If you are moving because of an employment move or opportunity, there should be a relocation advisor assigned to help you through the transition of moving. You will find alot of information from this expert.

Moving Overseas Can be Hard; Make it Easier!

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Moving overseas can be hard work. There are a thousand details to take care of, a hundred crises to avert, and there are a lot of arguments to settle. Don’t you just wish that you could hire someone to take care of those details for you? In fact, you can do exactly that! By hiring an overseas moving service, you can delegate the tasks that need to be done to the people who can do them the best. Here are some ways an overseas moving service can help you:

1) Relocation – the first question that comes to mind when moving overseas is “where am I going to stay?” An overseas moving company can help you find a place of your own. By contacting branches in various places, an overseas moving service would be able to find you a place to call your very own. Often, they will show you some options which match your specifications. From there, you can decide which to pick.

2) Bookings and other paperwork – When you are moving overseas, there are a lot of different papers that need to be handled. Sometimes, it is just hard to do all of this by yourself. One way that an overseas moving service can help you is to handle the papers that are of minor concern.

3) Arranging transportation – an overseas moving service can help you arrange the transportation that you need for your possessions. In fact, an overseas moving company may even save you some cash on the freight. It is often the case that an overseas moving company has some sort of arrangement with a freight company in order to get reduced rates on moving your possessions. One concern with this, however, is the fact that most overseas moving services offer the services of only one freight company.

4) Packing – This is one of the most frustrating parts of moving overseas. Packing takes up most of the time spent in preparation for moving overseas. An overseas moving service can help you pack your possessions and store them in such a way that they will not get damaged on the way. Another advantage to having an overseas moving service pack your stuff is the fact that you can be sure not to miss anything.

Assistance and Shipping!

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

1) Assistance – It is often the case that people, when facing the decisions involved in moving overseas, find themselves confused regarding what to do first and how to do it. Because of this, people often require assistance with handling the various aspects of moving. One type of overseas moving business specializes in assisting people handle the various processes involved in migrating.

Most involved in this type of overseas moving business are experts in the various paper works involved. By trusting these people with your paper work, you can be sure that you are in good hands. This is because these people know the right people who can help speed up processing your papers. By asking for assistance from such overseas moving businesses, you can make sure that the necessary documents will be processed promptly and efficiently.

2) Shipping – Of course, there still remains the overseas moving business of shipping to consider. Many companies today offer you the service of shipping your stuff overseas. The only question left for you is: “which company should I go with?”  Remember that you will be entrusting the company with your possessions. This means that you need to make sure that the company you hire will respect your stuff. You also need to make sure that your possessions will arrive safely. Although most shipping companies today supply insurance for your possessions, you know that money can’t always replace your treasures, right? When contacting this type of overseas moving business, you need to make sure that you can trust them and that other people trust them too.

After all, it is your stuff on the line.