Has anyone moved from the United States to a foreign country?

Question

I have a dream to get out of the United States and move elsewere in the world. Preferably western Europe. France, Ireland, England??? If you have done this please give me advice on how to do so and how easy/hard the transition was.

Answer 1

Yes - I moved to Morocco two years ago - it's not a permanent move but I intend to live outside of the US again later on.

Here are the major things to consider, particularly if you want to live in Western Europe:

--In order to get a work visa or to obtain permanent residency (and eventually even citizenship) in an EU country, you typically have to be qualified to do something that the residents there cannot - meaning, a job will always go to an EU resident before a foreigner. Working for a US company abroad is a great option.

--If you're highly qualified to do something like teach English in a non-Anglophone country (and for the EU, that means MA in TEFL), you can probably find a job. Central European countries are easier for this (think Czech Rep., Hungary, Poland).

--If you're not stuck on the idea of Western Europe, it'll probably be much easier to live abroad.

--Do you want to stay in one country or move around? If it's the latter, consider something like freelance journalism or teaching English as a career - those jobs offer a lot of mobility.

--Try studying abroad or working abroad for a short period first to see if it's really for you - studying abroad has a lot of possibilities (see my p.s.), working abroad as an American, you've got BUNAC (bunac.org) as a possibility.

-You can also do everything somewhat illegally. Working at hostels isn't against laws, but working under the table at a bar probably is. Still, lots of people do it.



(p.s. the study abroad the person above me mentioned - SIT - is amazing - so is their graduate school, which has a high overseas placement rate)

Answer 2

I had the same dream ... a very long time ago. So a very long time ago I was an exchange student (high school), then I took my senior year abroad (college) and after I graduated I made enough money to fund a one-way ticket back to where I finished my senior year abroad. Then I got some odd jobs, became fluent in the language, got married ... and here I am, still out of the U.S. and I've never had a reason to think of going back to stay.

(And it has been a long time. When I left the U.S. Bush was president. He was not known as Senior then. His eldest son was known to be a coked-up arrogant little .... yes, well, little changes, doesn't it.)

If you are very serious, I suggest you prepare yourself by taking a course in Cross-Cultural Communication before you make the move. You will learn some basic psychology about culture shock and learn about what a "cultural incident" is -- I have to say that is the college course that has best prepared me for life.

Answer 3

I have not but I am looking to relocate to Ireland in a few years. I looked at Ireland because it's multicultural and they speak English there (I would be willing to learn Irish tho). I also get the impression that it's alot more laid back and friendly than the UK. On top of that I'd have easy access to all Eurasia for vacation or travel. I do not expect it to be easy though. I plan on saving up around 20,000 before I even attempt it. Unemployment is high thru most of Western Europe, and employment tends to favor nationals and other Europeans or unskilled cheap labor. My only advice would be to think this through carefully, and probably have a backup plan. If you can find employment before you go (thru a multinational company for instance), you'll be much better off.

Answer 4

I am living in Europe (island of Malta) and have been here for 8 years off and on. I first came in 1974 and have been here for most of the time since except for a 10 year period when we moved back to North Carolina. It took quite some time to get used to it as the way of living, cultures and traditions are completely different from ours. Even the fact that I'm now confined to an area of 122sq miles is worth considering as a hindrance. As mentioned before, if you dint have skills that are unique you will have a hard time finding a job as jobs are scarce and the amount of people waiting to fill them is huge. Good luck with your decision

Answer 5

The problem with foreign "aid" is that the interest that has accumulated on previous years "aid" gifts, is about all that the "aid" can be used to pay for. It would be FAR more helpful to foreign countries if debt cancellation was offered rather than "aid" packages, as the present arrangement helps nobody but the banks. The world's citizens are misled. We are fooled into believing that our country is helping suffering people. I assure you, "nothing" could be further from the truth.

Answer 6

That means you like finer things in life A very good choice..