There comes a time in our lives where we may be offered a chance of a lifetime. For some people this could be much to do with their career and being offered a chance of a new job, a great career move, better salary and benefits, but there is often a sticky element to this dream opportunity. It involves a move. A house move, and potentially to another country. At first you may be tempted to say no, the sheer upheaval of it is enough to put anyone off. But over time you start to think about how great the opportunity is.
Often these things are discussed at length before any big decisions are made. After all, there may not be just one person involved, it could affect a partner and even children. It is not going to be an easy transition, and there is so much to think about. As this can be such a common scenario for many families these days, I wanted to share with you some of the best tips around that I have found that could help you in this situation. I hope it gives you the confidence you need to take that big leap of faith and start a new chapter of your life with your family.
Do plenty of research on the place you are going to
One of the first things to consider doing would be research. Once you get the heads up on the country or location you nacre potentially moving to then jump online and find out a bit about it. Think about things such as language and currency. The processes for things like getting a job and documentation you need to live and have an extended stay there. You may find that there could be many things you have to organise and overcome first before some of the fun stuff can start. For many, if a relocation is happened because of a job, then you may find that the company will help with paperwork and organising work visas etc.
You may have to move to another company or field of work after relocating, so save copies of your certificates, work portfolios, and other proofs of training, just in case. More importantly, be aware of conventional hiring processes in the place or country. How rigid is the recruitment? Do companies administer drug tests? Find out early so that you can buy time, abstain, and complete detox in ten days or less.
Look online and arrange face to face viewings of areas and homes
Once all the boring side of things is covered you can start to think about some of the things that are going to matter to you, and one of them will be where you are going to live. You may not be sure whether it is a rental you want or whether you will buy, but websites like rumah are great places to start. You will need to think about the location and also what you want from your place such as how many bedrooms, outside space, big kitchen, etc. Use the house close by to shops, a school, is the commute easy enough to handle? Have you must have list and your compromisable list to hand when you start viewing properties online. It is also a good idea to arrange a visit ahead of time so that you can have some face to face viewings as well.
Think about the rest of the family
It is a big decision to make, and so you might need to consider the other people involved as well. Your partner, what they will do, what you will do, what your children will do. Your lifestyle is important, and if you happen to like the way you live now you need to try and ensure that this can be emulated in your new location. Perhaps there are other things you want to do when you get there, such as have a more active lifestyle or spend more time outdoors or as a family. Schooling, the jobs you may need to have, the location you need to or want to live in, these are all important factors of the decision making process.
Will the children feel settled
If you have children then their well-being may be at the forefront of your mind. Children can be a lot more adaptable than adults, but you will still want to ensure that your children feel happy and secure. You might want to think about schools, or whether you might choose to home educate for a while until you become settled. The activities they could join in, as well as how you plan on spending your days, think about what they may want to do as well. If your children are happy then that is half the battle.
Find people you trust to act on your behalf
Moving to a new country is overwhelming, you might want to appoint professionals that you can trust to help deal with some of the process of relocation. It clouds be law professionals to deal with contracts or visas. It could be an estate agent that you trust to find the right property to live in. You might also want to reach out to other expats living there as well, there could be a community that you could become part of and they can then be on hand to answer any questions you might have. Facebook is great for things like this.
Have you consider your family budget?
There is one thing that many people don’t think about when it comes to the move and that can be how much it will cost you to live day to day. Some countries or locations can be more expensive than others. Taking time to work through the family budget and even comparing the likes of your grocery shop can help to eliminate any nasty surprises when you get there.
Do you have the confidence to make this change
Finally, it is such a big change for the family that you may need to ask yourself whether or not you have the confidence to go through with it? Sure, you may find that the idea of the move exciting and a new adventure, but it is also a very big change that can have an impact on your family. However, life is for living and often we have to grab these opportunities when life presents them to us.
If you have this opportunity now, or perhaps in the future, I hope these tips help you when it comes to making that significant change and leap of faith.
Love this post! I made a significant move from the U.S. to the U.K. and there was so much involved. It was definitely a huge leap of faith, but it paid off in the end!