Adapting to life abroad is no easy feat. Factor in the necessary changes to adapt your career to life abroad, and it’s even more difficult. You likely traded in a secure, long-term job you’ve worked hard for in exchange for a foreign labor market where you might not be allowed to work in or where you might not happily fit into.
We often define ourselves by our job. When you leave that job, you could feel like you lost a part of who you are. Job insecurity impacts your well-being as well. As the “unemployed person” (whether by choice or not), you may feel stigmatized, insecure, or have lowered self-esteem. If you’re lucky enough to have a partner who can financially support you during this time, that’s great! Consider yourself one of the lucky ones. However, it doesn’t solve the feelings of loss of self you may be experiencing from being dependent and reliant on another human. In this blog post, we’ll cover some tips on how a person can help adapt their career to their new life abroad.
Take Free Online Courses
Not sure what you want to do? Figure out what you’re good at and what you like to do. The easiest and cheapest way to adapt your career to life abroad is to go online. There are plenty of free online courses available at your fingertips. Coursera (the audit version), HubSpot Academy, Google Skillshop, Adobe, and so many more. Get on the Internet and search for some reputable sites to help you develop your skills, talents and strengths.
Taking courses online helps to shine a light on what you enjoy and what your strengths are (as well as your weaknesses and what you dislike). Brush up on your business skills with the hundreds of free online courses these companies offer. Keep track and be sure to add them to your CV as you tick them off one-by-one. Employers see this as ‘taking initiative’ and every employer looks for that when hiring new employees.
Network! Find an Online or Local Community to Meet People
Social Media Groups
Building relationships in a new country, especially during a global pandemic is hard, to say the least. But there are ways you can still meet people. Join Facebook groups that focus on subjects that interest you. For example, when we created this online expat wellness community, we took a lot of guidance and direction from blogging and marketing Facebook groups. There are some super intelligent and delightful people out there! People who freely give away their valuable and supportive advice to help you reach your professional goals. Do research to make sure the groups you join are the right fit for you and will help you develop the skills you need. If you can’t find a group that is the right fit for you, create your own and invite people to join!
Community Boards
Check out community boards at local cafes, gyms, grocery stores, community centers, etc. These boards are filled with ideas on what’s happening around you, like special events, clubs, gatherings. While it can be tough and uncomfortable, put yourself out there and show up to an event. 9/10 you probably won’t make a solid connection from it. But there’s still that 1/10 chance you’ll meet a like-minded individual. Someone who has similar interests and who may have a wonderful career opportunity for you. Trust us, it’s worth the risk!
Meet Your Neighbors & Volunteer
Assuming you speak the same language, introduce yourself to your neighbors. They are a great source. Not only will you get to know them, but they might have some ideas on how to get involved in the community. Another way to meet people is by volunteering. You’ll do some good, as well as meet a lot of different kinds of people, some of which may give you great ideas on how you can develop your career overseas.
Turn Your Hobby into A Business or Side Hustle
By now you, hopefully, have found something you enjoy doing. Whether that’s illustration/design, pet sitting/walking, writing/editing, music, online content, cooking, photography, DIY crafts, comedy, teaching, painting, or nannying, the sky’s the limit and the opportunities are endless. Set goals, test the concept, write a business plan and marketing strategy, create your brand, perfect your elevator pitch, develop an online presence with social media, and finally, find your customers. Sign up on freelance and contractor websites, like Fiverr and Upwork, and make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date.
Being successful or not in this new business venture, isn’t really the point. The point is spending the time and effort into creating something new that you enjoy, with the prospect of possibly one day becoming profitable with it. It shows you have the skills, drive, and creativity to turn yourself into an entrepreneur and monetize your hobby into a passive income side hustle or a full-blown lucrative company. All of this is great to help build up your CV and showcase it to prospective employers.
Take living abroad as an opportunity to switch things up and work towards something that you wouldn’t have had the time to do before moving overseas. Empower yourself to take charge of your career, keep your head up, and try to not get discouraged. Not only will you gain back some of the confidence that you lost earlier, but you’ll learn new skills in the process all while strengthening your resume so that, when the opportunity arises, you can confidently show it off to an employer. There are SO many career opportunities out there to discover, you just have to work hard and be open and receptive to seek them out.
Have you been successful in adapting or changing up your career focus after moving abroad? What are some tips that you can share with our expat community that worked especially well for you?
