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5 Tips for first time expatriates living abroad

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For many first-time expatriates relocating abroad or doing an expat assignment, the first few months of living abroad could be either exciting or overwhelming. To help expatriates adjust to living in another culture, in this article, we will discuss 5 tips for your first months abroad so that you will overcome the negative feeling of culture shock and make your first move successful.

  • Go Out and Meet the Local People 

The most common feeling that expats will face in their first month is isolation. It is strongly encouraged that expats go out and engage locals and other expatriates alike. This kind of interaction will immerse yourself in local living, the earlier you start, the quicker you will eliminate the uncomfortable feeling about an unfamiliar country.

  • Eat Local Food

When you are in a new country, it is vital to maintain healthy eating habits, especially during your first few months. Try to eat local food that you’ve never had before will provide you with active thinking patterns, and building a new healthy patterns will give you the feeling of exploration. It is recommended that you try to give your body a few days to adjust to the new place, then you’re good to explore. From Cairo to Bangkok, there are lots of great food choices for expatriates.

  • Keep Your Own Pace When You Move Abroad

Lack of language skills, making mistakes when taking local public transit and getting lost are all common experiences for first time expats in your new country, so try not to feel embarrassed at the beginning. Things will gradually gets better , so we encourage expatriates to embrace all the imperfections during their first few months. It is a way to throw yourself out of your comfort zone and learn.

  • Try Something New

It is also suggested for expatriates to do something new in their destination country such as mountain hiking, dancing, dragon boating, etc. You will not only develop a new hobby, but you might meet amazing new friends. For expats will busy working schedules and don’t have time to attend these exercise classes, it is also encouraged to join gym during weekends.

  • Don’t Rush

Give yourself some time to settle in and don’t blame yourself on feeling lonely and missing home. It takes time to integrate in your new country. Accept your colleagues and neighbors’ invitation will help you ease the transition process. Many expat employers will have programs in place to help you and your expat spouse an children ease into your new life abroad.

Don’t Forget International Health Insurance 

Moving abroad for the first time is both exciting and sometime unnerving. Don’t let unexpected medical costs abroad worry you of your family when you make the big jump. It is important to choose a quality insurer when you live abroad for your global medical needs. Expat Financial offers many different international health insurance plans for expatriates across the world from large and respected insurers. We also offer excellent service before and after you purchase your international health insurance plan. Our firm is also very experienced in sourcing group plans for multinational firms with 2 or more expats.  If you have questions about our international medical insurance plans or you want to discuss your unique needs and produce a customized expat quote, please contact us or complete the quote form. 

Digital nomad career options while living abroad as an expat

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Digital nomads are often referred to as people who earn income remotely and mostly online, rather than from a physical permanent office. Today, digital nomads can be found in many industries such as writing, IT, media, tutoring, medical service, blog writer, consulting and more. For expatriates living and traveling abroad, the flexibility and freedom of a digital nomad is the ultimate global lifestyle. In this article, we will discuss why expats are becoming digital nomads along with the careers that are ideal for this exciting lifestyle.

Why So Many People Are Eager to Become Digital Nomads – A Freelance Career in a Globalized Economy

One of the most advantages of the digital nomad life is the freedom to travel and live in new places without restrictions. This is especially attractive to expatriates who are already living overseas. Expatriates working as digital nomad can earn money as they travel and may be open to more career opportunities. For expat spouses living abroad with their employed expat partners, a digital nomad career is often a perfect solution for not having permission to work in the new destination country.

Another reason  why people become digital nomads would be differences in currency values and cost of living. For example, if you are earning US dollar but living in Thailand, you will benefit from the currency conversion as $1 USD equals to $34 Thai Baht. Therefore, your income could lead you to a better quality of life and let you have more time for leisure. As would be expected, the cost of living in many developed and third world countries can be a fraction of the costs in North America or Europe.

Digital Nomad Career Options for Expats

We have compiled a list of you will need to acquire the right skills & contacts. Please check the list of skills & careers that are ideally suited for expatriates living abroad:

  • Computer Based Expats: As online businesses are growing much faster than traditional retail stores, eCommerce website platforms are in great need. learning computer skills doesn’t mean you have to become a programmer. If you start to learn the basics in web page design, you will be able to develop a website for clients in a few weeks. You don’t need to know how to code, there are many website templates available. Lastly, you will need a laptop with fast internet access, not dial-up.
  • Travel Writer: To write well about travel requires passion and local friends. Travel writing is not just includes destination tour guides or hotel recommendations, it is all about the stories and experiences during your stay. Many travel writers start their writing a blog site. From there, some of them get offers of book publishing and may even be offered free travel. It is recommended to use social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to connect with your potential readers and editors.
  • Writer – copy-writing: To become an online freelance copywriter requires proven similar work that you’ve done before and identify your ideal clientele that may be scattered around the globe. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a much sought after skill, so there is great demand for online content copywriters, such as website copy-writing, SEO copy-writing, and other forms of social media writing. Make sure to find out what type of copywriter you want to be and understand the role you are applying for, then pitch yourself to an ideal client.

  • Consultants: If you are knowledgeable and experienced on a particular subject, then to become an online freelance consultant would be a good choice for digital expats. Popular industries and sectors of online consultants including education, music, marketing, accountancy, security, engineering, human resources, science and finance. In some industries, a consultant may be required to develop customized report and presentation online. To become an external online consultant, you may to acquire the certain certifications and qualifications, and choose your target market wisely.
  • Social Media Expert: Nowadays, almost every company is realizing that they need social media specialists for content marketing and multi media management. If you know social media channels and campaigns, such as Facebook campaigns, email marketing, social advertising, etc., you may be able get a job as a freelancer while living overseas. Many clients won’t mind that you are a digital nomad.
  • App Developer: This type of work requires solid software development skills and knowledge such as SQL, JavaScript, C# or C++, Python, etc., no matter you are building mobile Apps for either the Android platform or Apple’s IOS system. There are short intense programs to teach future programmers skills and knowledge in as short as 8 to 12 weeks, however, to become an App developer requires constant and long hours of effort. Some of the most popular careers in App developing include IOS for creative enterprises and mobile cloud computing with Android.

  • Translator: If you speak at least two languages including your native language, a career in online translator might just for you. There are many kinds of translation works such as novel translation, movie translation, legal documents translation and conference/specialized material translation. One of the first steps to become an online translator is to get accreditation or certification. If you have specialty in fields like electronic engineering, computer science, or biology, then you may even have the advantage of translating technical documents.
  • Web Site Development: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) specialist careers are ideally suited to digital nomad experiences – it is a often viewed as a great self-employed business to run from almost anywhere. In addition to web and computer knowledge, you will also need analytical skills to deliver the results.
  • Graphic Design: Using a wide range of  media and software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. to design visual layouts and corporate magazines can make you a digital nomad and work anywhere you want, especially you have proven graphic designing experience. It’s a job that can easily be completed anywhere in the world with good internet access.
  • Online Teaching: As the English teaching market is growing, it is a great way to travel and become an expat English teacher. Compared to traditional in-classroom teaching, online teaching has many advantages such as flexible and efficient. Online teaching allows you to teach from anywhere. Learning English is very popular in Asia. If you are a native English speaker, the possibilities are endless.

 

Don’t forget International Health Insurance if you are a digital nomad

For digital nomads living abroad, it is important to note that you will be responsible for obtaining your own international health insurance plans as you won’t be supported by an employer and the country you live in may have little or no medical coverage or even adequate healthcare facilities. Domestic plans may not even cover you or will only cover you in that one country, which is not ideal if you wish to travel or obtain health coverage abroad. You will probably lose your current health plan coverage if you live abroad or it may not cover overseas travel. If you have questions about our international medical insurance plans or you want to discuss your needs and produce a customized quote, please contact us or complete the quote form. Also don’t forget to obtain individual life and disability coverage as well if you are a digital nomad.