5 Signs Working Abroad Might Be Perfect for You

Sometimes, you’ll wonder if the grass is indeed greener on the other side.

Often it is, and we are in a new era of unprecedented migration for autonomous individuals and professionals alike, just as the book “The Sovereign Individual” predicted years ago.

Have you considered living abroad and working abroad? Moving overseas can be a great decision for your career development but it’s often a daunting endeavor.

Here’s why working abroad to seek new job opportunities might be for you:

1. You Love Learning About New Cultures

As the world becomes more globalized, more companies are seeking professionals who love learning about new cultures. These are professionals who understand cross cultural communication.

Anyone who loves learning about new cultures and applying this knowledge to their career should consider working abroad. This is one of the best ways to integrate into a new culture and understand how a diverse workplace functions.

It’s one thing to go to Europe on vacation. It’s another to work in a European country to understand their approach to business.

If you want to learn about new cultures to prepare you for a future where you’ll have to deal with professionals from various backgrounds, then you must consider living abroad and working abroad.

2. You Want Better Job Opportunities

Sometimes, the best job opportunities aren’t in your native country and are waiting for you overseas. Your native country might not be the ideal place for career development.

The same goes for entrepreneurs looking to establish their businesses overseas. For example, you might want to hire an Australian resident director to set up your company in the country.

Why would you do this? It’s because other jurisdictions might have factors that are more favorable for businesses. These can include:

• Lower taxes
• Higher ease of doing business
• Less corruption
• More entrepreneurial and professional culture
• Higher levels of skilled professionals
• Better reputation

If you can’t find great job opportunities in your country or struggle with operating your business, you might need to consider moving overseas.

3. You’ll Keep More Money

This ties in with our previous point. You might find yourself working very hard only to bring home a small paycheck.

This can be because the salaries in your locale are low. Or the taxes are high. Or a combination of both.

When you consider moving overseas, you can choose a jurisdiction that lets you keep more of your hard-earned money. A salary in the United Arab Emirates, for example, is among the highest in the world. But it also has the added bonus of not charging any income tax.

Salaries in Serbia aren’t high, but taxation is low and self-employment tax can be “paused” during periods of no work. This makes it a great jurisdiction for online entrepreneurs.

When you consider working abroad you want to also look at the salaries in that area. Make sure you also look at the tax rate so you can save as much of your money as possible.

Another thing to consider is the currency you’ll earn. It’s better to earn in Euros than Serbian Dinars and it’s better to earn in the Australian Dollar than the South African Rand.

Make sure you research the foreign exchange markets so you know which currencies are the best for preserving your wealth and protecting against inflation.

4. You Can Be a Pioneer By Working Abroad

One of the greatest advantages of moving overseas and working abroad is that you get the opportunity to become a pioneer.

You might be living in a developed first-world country where you have all of the creature comforts that one wishes for. We might think of pioneering as something of the past but it still happens today.

You might feel that because your native country is so developed, there are few opportunities to truly make a difference. If you want to seek great job opportunities and have a fulfilling career, you might have a pioneer in you who dreams of living abroad.

This is why professionals such as Byron Shepherd, Roman Cabanac, and Ernst Van Zyl choose to build their lives in South Africa, rather than seeking opportunities in developed markets.

It’s why Rafael De Armas helped found DeliveryRD, the first food delivery service in the Dominican Republic. It’s why a French baker started a similar bakery in Cambodia and became wealthy from it!

There might be opportunities in developing markets with few professionals to fill them. If you wish to be a big fish in a small pond, then you want to consider working abroad and living abroad.

5. You Want to Enter Industries Not Available At Home

Perhaps you want to work in a particular industry and the opportunities just aren’t available in your home country.

There isn’t much of a film industry in Andorra, but France next door is adrift with opportunities. There’s not much arable land in Montenegro but there’s quite a lot in North Macedonia.

You might want to work in a particular industry in your native country. But, there’s so much red tape and regulations that it’s hard to enter the industry. Another country might have fewer barriers to entry and will make it easier for you to get started.

This is actually one of the biggest advantages of living abroad. Some industries might be non-existent or closed to outsiders in your native country. But there’s always another country that has an abundance of opportunities waiting for you.

If you’re passionate about a particular industry and aren’t willing to seek opportunities in other industries, then you should consider working abroad to find your dream job!

Pack Your Bags

Now you know the advantages of working abroad and whether it might be the right decision for you.

You’ll get the chance to interact with a diverse workplace and focus on career development. It’s also great for starting your entrepreneurial venture.

You can earn and keep more of your hard-earned money. Living abroad also gives you the chance to be a pioneer and help build an economy. There might also be industries that are more open overseas than in your native country.

You can find more career development tips on our website.