Congratulations! You took the decision to move to a new country, but now the real journey begins! Whilst it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of moving to a new country, there are a lot of responsibilities that you need to handle after you have received your Visa.
We have collected the most important things that you will need to make your new life abroad unforgettable and worth it!
Finding Accommodation:
The absolute first task that you should sort out is your housing situation. Finding temporary accommodation is a good idea as it gives you the chance to visit potential homes before you book. If you were to find housing in this way, ensure you allow suitable time, perhaps up to two weeks or more, to find a new place so you aren’t rushed into a possibly regrettable decision. Make sure that you have some places shortlisted before flying out there, so you have an idea of what you want and the pricing. If you wanted to have your housing secured immediately, then that is completely fine as through verified companies like housinganywhere.com, apartments.com, spotahome.com etc. There is enough content of the property to decide whether you want to stay there or not. If you should still need assistance with finding an apartment you are welcome to reach out to us and we will help you!
Necessities
Apart from finding housing, there are other essential tasks that you will need to do to ensure that you transition smoothly. You will need to open a domestic bank account, so you avoid any international fees that your current card may charge you upon using it. Also, you will need to do this to get paid, if you are working abroad. Next, you will need to get a local SIM card, or open a phone contract with a mobile provider. Remember that all of these types of tasks will most likely require documentation, so make sure you check what you need to bring beforehand! Whilst the process for these may seem longwinded, please keep in mind that is better to get all of these necessities sorted as quickly as you can.
Learn about your new culture
One of the next things you will want to do is to become acquainted with the culture of your new home. Educate yourself on the country as much as you can, visit sites of historical significance, and talk to friends or family who have been in that country. To really bridge the cultural gap, you can start to learn the language of the country, if necessary. It is natural to initially feel distant or anxious when adapting to the culture, try not to panic and remember that it will take some time to completely settle. If you are proactive in these ways, it will help you to feel accepted by the culture and hopefully you will meet people along the way, which leads me onto my next point.
Meeting people
With such a great opportunity to learn, grow and adventure, you may want to meet new people to share these experiences with. Not to mention that these friends will know some of the best local places to go to eat and drink, and you can practise speaking the native language with them. Meeting new people abroad is completely unlike your time in school, as you will have to use your initiative and put yourself out there. Naturally, if you are working or studying, you have the people around you to bond with, but it doesn’t have to stop there. Why not branch out further and find people with similar interests to you? On platforms such as meetup.com and on Facebook groups, you can find people in your area to do fun activities and sports!
Whilst you are out there, try to keep an open mind and to not judge your experience against what you’re used to. Throw yourself into new situations and make the most of it because you may not have this opportunity again! Even if you want to move back home, your experience abroad will teach you valuable lessons about yourself, who you truly are and what you want out of your life!
If you also want to move abroad and get the experience of a life them then apply now and find your perfect placement with us!
