Questions about Moving Overseas - WWYD/WDYD?

We moved to Denmark in August last year as H was offered a job here. The move here is something which we had discussed for many years (H is Danish) so it was, or as we thought, very well considered. However, best laid plans and all that...

So my advice is this:

Research, research, research......and more research. Look into everything from locations, companies, areas, taxes, schooling (if kids are in the long term plan), cost of housing, cost of living etc....the list goes on. A great source of information would be people who have already made the move to the countries you are interested in so become a member of online forums for expats in those countries, they'll have a wealth of experience and knowledge.

Jobs: as with the UK a lot of places are suffering job losses, so be prepared that it may take a while to find jobs. Definitely start applying from UK rather than moving to the country first (not that I think you can do with your countries of choice....). Also be prepared that if one of you are offered a job, that the other may not find one straight away, therefore you need to be able to earn enough to support both of you. Also, the one at home needs to be able to feel happy enough to be in that position until they find a job...take it from, having gone from being a career woman to not working it's a hell of a shell shock and can cause resentment.

Moving Packages: Make sure that as part of any job package/sponsorhips that they are paying for your to move there. This is our one big mistake, in that we should have pushed for this as part of H's package when he got offered the job. Also if you can, get some kind of support for the spouse who isn't working, e.g. finding friends/groups/interests, help with job searches etc. In denmark it's reported that 68% of integration of professional foreign workers fail within the first 6 months due to issues with family integration.

Ultimately, you both have to buy into the move otherwise it's never going to work. And your big question, would I do it again? Well, yes and no. I do enjoy living here, but the thing we would change would be that I could find a job so that we could start saving as at the moment we are kind of in limbo. Although if I'm honest and someone had sat us down and said, look your going to move to Denmark and this is how it's going to be.....then possibly not, but none of us have a crystal ball and feeling like that only makes it worse. So I just get on with learning my danish at language school and have applied to study a Masters in Corporate Communication at the university here. As I see it, I might as well use my time wisely whilst I'm not working.

Good luck, I hope you make the right decision for you.

We've recently come back from 6 months in new zealand - H is a doctor and got a short term contract over there very easily. it was a fabulous opportunity & we had a really wonderful time out there. the quality of life is great, work/life balance much better than here & we had the added bonus that we were there for spring/summer while it was cold & dark in the UK. My husband would quite happily have had us stay there permanently, but at this stage of our lives (we've got a toddler & I was heavily pregnant with no2 when we flew home) I wasn't willing to be so far away from family support.

our opportunity also arose from bad job news here - and it couldn't have worked out better.

One thing that stuck out- Him being Irish- There is a limit on the number of Irish citizens these places take whilst its far more relaxed for British citizens. Some close friends of ours nearly had their move ruined because she had forgotten she is an Irish citizen (lived in Uk for 20 years) and they only let 2000 Irish nationals in that year (2007) she was literally one of the last to be let in and that was mainly because her British partner had already secured a job (new Zealand)

They absolutley love it though

Meant to add i am sorry to hear things are tough- we are going through the same thing ATM and its shite.

The only visa in NZ which restricts entry by nationality is the Working Holiday Visa (WHV), which is only granted for one year, and is for under 30s.

The standard entry is either on a Skilled Migrant Visa or by obtaining a job offer and getting a work permit. There are no nationality restrictions on these visas.

For NZ check out the Immigration pages for more information www.nzis.co.nz

For Australia is is www.dimia.com.au

I have lived in both NZ and Australia and love them both. I'm currently reassessing whether to move again - either back to Australia or to the UK.

What industry do you work in? Things aren't so great over here at the moment either!

Yes, she found employment after moving there so must have been on a working holiday visa.

Everyone - thank you for the responses!

We'll certainly be double checking the visa restrictions/requirements and seeing about jobs before we go (if we go). i was a little concerned that seeing as S is in mid/late 30s then it could be a problem for him getting in somewhere, but have been informed by a friend in NZ that this is less likely to be a problem if we get employment before going out there and the employers would sponsor us or if we go through on some new employment visa that NZ has. hmmm... perhaps a LOT of research is needed! ha! i mean, i bought a book on Australia and New Zealand, that should be it sorted, shouldn't it? ?

but on a serious note, i think the thing that worries me the most is what always worries me whereever we've moved before - not knowing people. but this isn't something that i'm willing to overrule any opportunities so it's just something to get over.

we both work in planning - private sector. the consultancies are just contracting at frightening rates at the moment and the "normal" solution - employment in a local authority - just isn't there any more because Councils are also reducing their staff numbers and aren't advertising for new staff. There could be options of moving elsewhere in the UK, but these options are getting ever more scarce. i know that it may just be a matter of time before economies elsewhere go the same way as the UK and if we're working in a local authority on a temp contract/shortish term visa then we could be first out the door. but surely it's just worth taking a punt?

this whole redundancy has just come as such a shock and in one way, we're nowhere near "over" it. but it's giving us a chance to think hard about where we are and what we want to do with ourselves. other than friends and family (who i know we will miss greatly), we haven't any other ties - no children, no mortgage and no great financial commitments.

the weblinks recommended (sorry, i can't see who put them up) are very useful, i'll have a good look at them later. and your own experiences have sort of reinforced to me that there is a lot more to think about other than just organising a visa and a plane ticket. what if one of us doesn'thave a job? what if we have problems with visa/employment? and what about if we do have kids over there... it's all stuff we need to talk about.

so ? to you - hitched does indeed rock.

oh - and for those that came back (particularly superhoop, although this may not be something that you can answer) - what was the most difficult thing about coming back? has it beenas difficult to organise the move back as it was to organise the move over, or where there any complications?

cheers,

t

I can't offer anythinghelpful in the way of personal experience etc but I remember there being a big news item a few months ago saying that Canada is actively seeking up to 50,000 (I think that was the figure) British nationals to emigrate to Cananda this year - might be worth investigating that? During that news item they interviewed a number of Brits who had moved to Cananda over the last few years and they all seemed to be happy with their new lives. I realise your H is Irish but might still be worth investigating.

Hi there, fellow planner here.

My bro lives in NZ and works in engineering consultancy and is as busy as ever. Other nz planner friends keep telling me how many jobs are out over there and that the planning systems are very similar to over here so being able to work there is no problem.

I have lived in Asia and Sweden and I am really just a go for it type. If you plan to go for a year or two it means that you get to explore and then see if you want to settle without ever having to make a big decision so to speak.

On a local note we are finding that we are getting more work in the last few weeks and have heard of more talk of projects starting to be initiated which I am taking to be really positive, However, I could only be looking for what I want to see.

Good luck and have a blast

We moved to Switzerland almost 2 years ago. Initially for a year, but, um, we're still here. It's not been the easiiest thing in the world to do, but I am glad we did it, and do think it's something more people should do.

We never meant to move abroad, it so wasn't in our long or short-time plan for our lives. But a job came up that looked interesting (I wasn't really job hunting) and all of a sudden we had 6 weeks to sort ourselves out and move several hundred miles! To start with Mr FtG didn't work, but then did some consultancy stuff for his old co in the UK, working remotely. Luckily when I started work someone else started on the same day, and her husband was also jobless, and in the same field as Mr FtG, so they hooked up, and got on like a house on fire.

Now my job has finished, but Mr FtG has a decent proper job here. So i loiter around the house, meet friends for lunch and coffee, occasionally do some work for the OU ? and think about free-lancing.

We aren't staying here for ever. Hopefully we will move back to the UK at Christmas (though I said that about last Christmas). I don't think I ever could emigrate for good. I miss my family too much. I hate the fact that my neices are growing up only seeing us occasionally, whereas we used to see them every few weeks. And if we have children I know my parents will be upset if we are this far away.

I thought I was fairly open minded before we moved here, but it really has broadened my horizons.

I can't really give any practical advice on moving abroad as my move was in slightly bizarre circumstances and I had done no research (in fact, I couldn't even locate Bermuda on a map before I left). But I would move abroad again in a heartbeat. (And indeed H and I are considering South East Asia or Eastern Europe in a few years time)

In terms of coming back - I found that tricky in terms of securing a job before returning. Neither H or I had employment lined up when we got back and had to survive on savings. But that could have been because of the difficulty in getting a teaching job without being available for face-to-face interviews and lesson observations. In other jobs this might not be an issue.

I found moving back very hard as I had spent all of my adult life abroad and so didn't understand a lot about working in the UK but couldn't really find any help as I wasn't an expat!

But if you have a family then as others have said, do your own research, get a good relocation package (it's always nice if you get a return flight home every year as part of the deal - rent and school fees can be included as well with some companies), find out about average living costs wherever you are movingand make sure you make an effort to make the most of the opportunities / events in your new country to make friends and feel at home as soon as you can.

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

Everyone - thank you again for the replies.

the more S and i think and talk about this, the more that it becomes less terrifying and more something that we might actually be able to do!

I will look into the Canada emigration info - i had not heard about that before so it certainly sounds like something worth looking at. some friends of my parents went to Canada for a few months on holiday about 25 years ago and still haven't come back!

thank you, honestly, it really does help to hear your experiences.

?

I found this book really useful: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Expert-Expat-Successful-Relocation-Abroad/dp/1857883845/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237144589&sr=1-2

Oh FtG, thank you. have been blindly adding even more books to amazon without really thinking about what i need or what would be useful! thanks for the recommendation, i'll have a look at it shortly.

you are all v. kind to reply, thank you again.

If you want more links for NZ - I can recommend this site for asking questions, the people are all pretty helpful: www.emigratenz.org

Try www.seek.co.nz for job hunting.

You don't need a job offer to emigrate - as long as you meet the criteria for the visa you want you can move and then look for a job. (I used to work sorting out visas so know quite a lot about the process for NZ.)

"be careful" is my advice....I can to Aus for 2 years in 2000. Have not found my way back yet!?

We are citizens and have bought a house- I miss family and friends but have others here now (and a great babysitting circle since our daughter was born 2 years ago).

If you are really close to family it would be hard, but if you can manage without seeing them often, it would be easier.

A real word of warning- I have heard that the lists of 'jobs in demand' are being cut as the recession kicks in everywhere, and consequently fewer visas are being issued.

For helpful pratical tips, have a look at www.british.expats.com. They have sections per country. There is also a moving back to UK section, for people returning...it can give a balanced picture, but also sometimes the people are very negative about their 'host' country and give ranty postings about the country they have moved to. Often it is their personal circumstances which colour their view, but you can pick up useful tips too.

We have recently relocated to the Middle East and my advice is research it thoroughly and then research it some more and then go for it - but be prepared for it to be harder than you ever imagined but also hugely exciting and obviously life altering. It has taken 9 months and we are finally finding our feet, finding good friends and generally enjoy life & the sunshine.

I would also avoid believing that anywhere is insulated from the current recession, v v v few places are. I have Australian friends here who work in construction, architecture and project management who are still here despite desperately wanting to go home because there really aren't the opportunities at home.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Guys - just seen these responses, thanks again for the further websites, i'll look at these also.

we both know that nowhere is safe from recession - the thing is that at the moment with S's job gone and me hating mine (and with a boss who scaremongers about job loss regularly), we're not in the best position here. the dream would be to move to ireland or back to scotland, but the job situations there are even worse in our industry. friends being made redundant and struggling to find work, job market drying up... it's just a bit bleak to be honest and if we can get the chance to go somewhere else while still being able to work in our own industry, then we would.

however, being fairly (ie very) cautious, we would only move somewhere if one of us got a job.

to be honest, the whole idea is exciting, but i'm also quietly crapping myself. it's such a big move and i already miss my family as it is and we're only a few hours away from them as it is.

wibble.

more thinking required.

? everyone, you're all very kind and very helpful.

Guys - just seen these responses, thanks again for the further websites, i'll look at these also. we both know that nowhere is safe from recession - the thing is that at the moment with S's job gone and me hating mine (and with a boss who scaremongers about job loss regularly), we're not in the best position here. the dream would be to move to ireland or back to scotland, but the job situations there are even worse in our industry. friends being made redundant and struggling to find work, job market drying up... it's just a bit bleak to be honest and if we can get the chance to go somewhere else while still being able to work in our own industry, then we would.

however, being fairly (ie very) cautious, we would only move somewhere if one of us got a job. i'm still too much of a scaredy cat to actually take the leap into the unknown without any sort of job to go to.

to be honest, the whole idea is exciting, but i'm also quietly crapping myself. it's such a big move and i already miss my family as it is and we're only a few hours away from them as it is.

wibble.

more thinking required.

? everyone, you're all very kind and very helpful.

(edited because hitch keeps eating the response)

I moved to the US exactly 8 years and 11 months ago. I planned on being here for 2-3 years.

I was getting laid off and offered the opportunity of a job with the same co. in the US which was a huge promotion (it was a global restructuring rather than an economic layoff) or the prospect of looking for something else.

I took a chance on it. In a roundabout way (the company sending me on a trip to Las Vegas) it resulted in me meeting my H, and now I am married with a kid and looks like I am here for ever ?

Although I miss England and hate being so far from friends and family, it was the best thing I ever did!