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I have always wanted to live in another country, but whenever it's actually come to "what steps do I take to start living there", I am a complete blank so I am asking you guys what it takes to move to a different country (like from NA to EU).
If I don't know anyone in the country I am moving to, how do i get a place to live, find a job, assimilate into the country's culture, customs, and traditions?
To me, it seems like a very big leap if you don't have any prior connections to the new country, and like getting used to all the taxes, different currency, all the immigration laws and other governmental laws that are going to be learned.....idk. I don't like living in the USA and would like to l ive somewhere else, but I just don't know where to get started
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That's a really good question. It definitely depends on the person. Are you risk averse or risk loving??
Personally, I could never drop everything to move to another country. But I know many people that would/have. I hate to admit it but I am not that independent. The thought of moving to another country sounds exciting but I could never carry through with it.
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How old are you? Are you in school? If you're not in school anymore, what did you study? What's your prior work experience? Those are probably the biggest factors in how feasible it is to move abroad.
I've done NA->EU (though have since moved back to NA) and know other people who have done the same. I would say that taxes/currency are fairly minor concerns - you'll figure that out quickly enough. Even something like culture isn't that big of a deal - the main thing is your attitude, how enthusiastic you are about making the move, how receptive you are to learning the language, etc. If you see living in a new country as an adventure, learning the culture just becomes another part of the adventure.
The biggest concrete hurdles, on the other hand, are immigration laws/visa issues and the question of how to find a job (assuming you're not moving there as a student). Laws vary by country of course, and I don't know what field you're in, but it can be extremely difficult to sustainably move to another country, or to even get a non-tourist visa in the first place if you can't provide proof of employment. As for my own move, as well as most Americans I know who got jobs in Europe, we were all either hired in the U.S. and then transferred over to a European office after having worked for some time, or hired directly by the European office of an international (usually American-headquartered) firm. In those instances, it's usually the company that essentially handles the visa process for you, which is a huge advantage. That's probably the most realistic/sustainable path to moving to Europe, but again, it depends what kind of work you're in whether something like that is possible.
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On November 21 2013 08:09 Smurfett3 wrote:
I have always wanted to live in another country, but whenever it's actually come to "what steps do I take to start living there", I am a complete blank so I am asking you guys what it takes to move to a different country (like from NA to EU).
If I don't know anyone in the country I am moving to, how do i get a place to live, find a job, assimilate into the country's culture, customs, and traditions?
To me, it seems like a very big leap if you don't have any prior connections to the new country, and like getting used to all the taxes, different currency, all the immigration laws and other governmental laws that are going to be learned.....idk. I don't like living in the USA and would like to l ive somewhere else, but I just don't know where to get started
Visit first, move after, it'd suck to spend 6 months getting your immigration visas done for a country that you hate once you get there. check airbnb for places to stay once you narrow down your ideas to a few countries or places.
It definitely is a very big leap moving to a country you have no connections in, there's no trick to doing it...just do what research you can and go from there.
I'm looking into doing it myself and I've been slowly working my way through things, I know Germany (where I am looking into) requires you have a work visa (if youre not a student) up before you can apply for an immigrant visa, and a work visa requires you to have a job offer signed and lined up, and the company has to prove that a German citizen couldn't perform the job that you are being hired to. That was just reading up on the stuff, who knows how closely that gets enforced but at least it's in my head.
you just have to kind of make yourself a mental checklist and tackle things one at a time, and don't rush.
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Speak the local language. That's the first step.
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If you can find a job in the place you want to go to everything is much easier. Companies who hire from outside their own countries are used to dealing with Visas and helping new employees set themselves up. Some jobs are easy to get hired abroad for, others are impossible. If you are wanting to do a job that isn't easily acquired from another country (any job that doesn't have a particular hard skill), then you might consider finding a lower paid job in a position that is easier to find, then when you are set up in the country you want to live in, work towards getting the job you want.
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Prague seems to be pretty easy for Americans. Loads of big international companies have their support centers there (dhl, deloitte, microsoft to name a few) and it has a established expats community - http://www.expats.cz/
Visa stuff really depends on your age and student status, and in some cases also, how much an asshole the US of A lately have been to the country you want to live in.
One thing that can create loads of problems is health insurance. In many countries, native English speakers can get by by teaching English.
Many of the things you are asking about sort themselves out, as soon as you start working.
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all you have to do is jump the border
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That AM -> EU thingy is a misnomer since EU is not a country. Didn't mean to be picky just suggesting that in that particular case a little more specific research may have to be undertaken. There are some countries here were everyone talks English even when there's no need to, which sometimes sounds a bit silly  , but I heard that in i.e. France people are not so keen on talking in English which may cause a problem. I guess job opportunities and identifying and learning the language that you will use is paramount to living abroad.
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You gotta just do it.
Also, Capped might be able to answer a few questions you have. He moved from UK to Sri Lanka. Pretty big leap.
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edit: replying to the guy one above. /edit
yeah, I'll out-smartass you here now. He used 'NA' - which is clearly not a country - to 'EU', which is also clearly not a country, so I'm pretty positive he didn't mix it up.
And in any case, speaking the native lingo is optional, I lived in Prague for three years with just minimal Czech.
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On November 21 2013 20:01 Rimstalker wrote:
edit: replying to the guy one above. /edit
yeah, I'll out-smartass you here now. He used 'NA' - which is clearly not a country - to 'EU', which is also clearly not a country, so I'm pretty positive he didn't mix it up.
And in any case, speaking the native lingo is optional, I lived in Prague for three years with just minimal Czech.
Oh fair enough, my bad.
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Netherlands6191 Posts
I'm about to do the same thing. I am about to apply to visit another country in which I have some family I don't know too well. I have friends all over the country, but none where I will be moving to. I am also a bit lost as to where to start. I guess the logical beginning would be to do some research on the internet though. What type of job market is available there, what languages one should learn to fit in a bit more easily.
I suppose the next thing, depending on what your field is, would be to apply for jobs there, online interviews or sending through a portfolio etc. Even if you have to save up and fly down to visit and stay in a hotel or something, it might be worthwhile. No harm in meeting new people from there too, and finding out a bit more about life there on a more personal level. You could always take a TEFL course and move to another country to teach languages etc.
Anyway, teamliquid.net is a great place for meeting new people from all over the world and all walks of life. Good luck if you decide to do it!
P.S It wouldn't hurt to pop down to the embassy of the country you are interested in and get more info and find out the requirements on what you will need and from there you can structure your move and set goals.
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dude, the preparations you take from moving to say france and moving to germany is so different. First you must really decide that this is the country you want to be.
I think the best step for a person to move is to be an expat. try to obtain a job that allows you to live and work there, thats the best path imo
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there are people you can hire that work everything out for you and do the legwork in your destination country while you are still on a different continent.
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be open minded about everything and try lots of new food, learn the language. find a community of expats but don't exclusively hang out with them (if you wish to learn more about the country and language; otherwise you're basically still at home with a different group of people).
and be responsible, including knowing local laws and customs.
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Lived in 2 different countries with no problems. With an open attitude, culture and customs are not really a problem. Language can be a bit tricky, depending on where you live. Most Northern-European countries will be fine w/ English (Scandinavia and The Netherlands), Germany you can get around with English ok, depending on the city. Speaking German makes you life quite a bit easier though.
Since you're American: I hope you can drive stick. We have automatic transmission cars here too, but they are more expensive, and not always available for hire. If you live here for over 6months, you'll need to re-take a driving exam. Some Americans I know had issues with this.
Visit the country before, and go out with the people for a drink. See if you get along.
For applications - look at companies you want to work for. Contact them - be balsy, the worst that can happen is that they say no.
Go for it, it's fun. In every major city there will be an expat community to help with tax or visa issues.
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EPT
