Developing your career overseas: Is it right for you?

Posted by Sharon Turner

This article is the first in a series on developing your career abroad. Be sure to signup to our Career Thought weekly updates and follow us on Twitter to get the next article in the series, along with other career advice and insights. A new start in a foreign country can be an exciting proposition – offering you a chance to combine progressing your career with experiencing a new culture. Over the coming weeks we highlight the great benefits you get from making these moves. However, whilst the dream can be tempting, a move abroad is not right for everybody and this week, we begin with a reality check. As well as the right skills for the job, you’ll find you need a number of personal qualities to succeed with a move abroad. Here’s our top five –

1. Adaptability and flexibility. When traveling you’ll experience a number of cultural differences, some of which jar with your own cultural traditions and beliefs. Are you the type of person who can accept that things aren’t necessarily wrong, they’re just “different”?
2. Resilience. Making the move abroad can be a long, challenging process – and it doesn’t necessarily get any easier once you find a job and make the move. Are you the type of person who can keep going and doesn’t fall at the first hurdle?
3. Drive and determination. As well as setbacks, you’ll find you need to overcome hurdles on your way to working abroad. Are you the type of person who can overcome these challenges, find what works and keep going past them?
4. Unassuming. When people come from different cultures or speak different languages it can easily lead to mistakes and misunderstandings – for instance, in Thailand there is no word for “No” so all requests will be met with a smile and a nod. Are you the type of person who is happy to constantly question their understanding and assumptions?
5. A patient communicator. Working with translators is a key part of working in foreign countries, which involves speaking and listening in small portions and thinking about what to say next whilst it is being translated. Are you comfortable with a slow conversation which may take some time to make your point or win your argument?

And also bear in mind that whilst a move abroad is exciting and literally opens new horizons, it does have downsides. Here’s four of the most common –

1. A move abroad can be lonely at times and it will often be down to you to make new friends and to put in the effort to keep in touch with friends and family back home.
2. It can be difficult to keep in touch with family back home and you may find yourself unable to be there for people in times of illness or when a wedding or funeral takes place.
3. You may miss a promotion back home as you’re not there to hear about the opportunity or maintain the networks you need to secure it.
4. You may experience a different standard of living ranging from being exposed to health conditions you’re not used to through to lower standards of food or accommodation.

TAKEAWAY
Whilst a move abroad demands a lot of someone, above all else it is crucial that you’re adaptable and able to see the world in shades of grey rather than in terms of black and white.

This series has been inspired by an email we received from one of our T&P Me subscribers. If you have a question you’d like us to answer, let us know and it may be the inspiration for our next article!