What's
the downside of working overseas?
What if
things go bad?
When you are
working overseas, just like working in your home
country, things can go south. You can find yourself in
a job or with coworkers you don't like. The same can
happen if you don't like or don't feel comfortable with
the culture, country or city. Anything that could go
wrong with a job back home, can also go wrong overseas -
and even a few more things.
Fortunately,
in most countries, it is not difficult to change jobs.
Be aware though, that in some countries there can be a
difficult process for changing jobs and you may need to
go to another country for a "visa run" or even to find
work.
Plan for the
best, prepare for the worst
None of us
have trouble dealing with ideal situations, so lets talk
about the worst case scenario. There are many ways to
avoid this difficult situation - be sure to read and
understand the advice in the "Job Hunt" sections of this
website, especially the sections on what you should know
before you accept a job.
Just in case
things do go bad you need to make sure you have a return
ticket home, or to another desirable country (or the
cash/resources to buy one), and enough cash to survive
for at least three months. This is more than most
people recommend, but be conservative here.
Three months
and a plane ticket will give you the time and ability to
figure out your next move, make it, and work in your new
job/location until you get your first pay check. In an
ideal world - six months cash would be great. But many
people don't have access to that much money.
Culture
Differences
Stay cool,
try to work things out - culture differences can take
their toll when you are first overseas.
Misunderstandings are easy and culture shock is common.
Some of the most frustrating moments can be due to
simple cultural and/or language misunderstandings.
Short story:
A university dean once thought I was insulting him due
to the direct translation of a positive comment being
negative in his language (but not in English). Another
was a supervisor refusing to say "No" when he meant "No"
- but it was a cultural impossibility for him to do so -
so he said "Yes" and I didn't pick up the cultural
reluctance until later - with uncomfortable feelings all
around.
Pay
attention to the guidance on this website on looking for
a job and researching your new position, and you can
avoid 90% of the headaches involved.
