Reasons to Move Overseas for Work
1. Better Job Prospects
The job market has never been as global as it is today. These recent transformations in the global employment market have opened up international career opportunities like never before, so there truly has never been a better time to find work abroad.
Particularly for life science and technology industries, there may be a far greater range of career opportunities open to you if you look outside your home market. For example, as specialist life science recruiters, we've seen many UK and EU candidates greatly increase their earnings by accepting a role in the booming pharmaceutical industries of Germany and the US.
2. Valuable Experience
Increasing globalisation means that you are likely to be responsible for or have to deal with an international team at some point in your professional career. In fact, we have increasingly seen that for senior leadership and managerial roles, international experience is critical due to the personal and professional transformation it can bring.
Working abroad also helps you to develop a more global mindset and teaches you how to lead with cultural intelligence, for example, you will gain knowledge of cultural similarities and differences and how to monitor and adjust plans in an unfamiliar cultural setting. Expanding your existing skill set with these two incredibly valuable traits is sure to help propel you forward in the global job market.
3. Personal Enrichment
The benefits of moving abroad for work go beyond your professional life. You will get to experience a new climate and culture, meet new friends, learn a new language and hopefully experience a better quality of life.
Additionally, with so many people deciding to work and study abroad these days, there are plenty of incredible expat communities for you to become apart of. So if your biggest fear of moving overseas for work is that you will struggle to find support in a community don’t worry, as long as you’re open to getting to know new people, you will have a new group of friends before you know it!
Where Should I Move?
It is important to note that when looking for a location abroad, going somewhere on holiday is a very different experience to living and working there. You will need to research the location in-depth so that you’re aware of how everything works from tax to healthcare to immigration. Once you have a shortlist of possible locations, you’ll then need to research the various visa requirements for each place.
If you’re driven to move abroad for an increase in salary, some of the best-paying countries for scientists include Switzerland, the USA, Japan, Australia and Germany, with Switzerland offering an average annual salary of $95,000.
Nordic countries like Sweden, Finland and Denmark also consistently rank among the top countries in the world for happiness (according to the World Happiness Report). These countries are also known for their strong policies relating to flexible working hours, paid vacation and parental leave, making them an even better option to look at if you’re considering moving abroad for work and want to ensure a great work-life balance.
