What to Consider if Relocating for Your Freelancing Career

Have you ever considered relocating to another area to benefit your career? What about another country? My family has actually relocated a few times, so we have some experience with what that’s like.

It has been quite fun, but it also comes with its challenges. It is helpful to be as prepared as possible. Managing your expectations is also important. By doing so, you will help to minimize any disappointments.

There are pros and cons to the decision to move. One way I have seen moving as a huge benefit is how it’s affected my children. Because we’ve moved so often, they are able to adapt to a multitude of cultures. This ability is not something they would have been able to learn from attending a class (no offense to teachers everywhere who are teaching cultural concepts to their students).

There is nothing quite like being immersed in a culture and facing the possibility of sinking or swimming. Our attitude has always been to put the mother country’s (or even the state’s or region’s) culture at the forefront. We want to respect the culture we are visiting and learning how to adapt in order to show that respect. We need to remember that we are the visitors.

Develop and Implement a Strategy

The key thing you need to have when moving is a strategy. This includes doing the appropriate research to determine if your plans will work and if you have considered every aspect of your move.

For example, perhaps you have a few options available. If you are still trying to decide exactly where you want to move overseas, you should consult an overseas moving guide.

You want to ensure you don’t forget anything and to get an idea of what you need to know. So do your research before developing your strategy, let alone implementing it.

Career-Inspired Move

When it is your job that asks you to move, it is often easier in some ways. For example, if your company has an office overseas, they might have a place (even if temporary) where you and your family can live while getting settled. Also, you are more likely to have paid transportation as you fly around the world to your new home. That financial help is very helpful indeed!

Another benefit that people do not necessarily think about with this type of move is that you have a built-in family. In other words, even if there are new acquaintances, you are likely to have co-workers there and they will provide you with some socialization. If the employees have periodic get-togethers, especially with their families, these gathers provides some opportunities for your family to socialize as well.

One final benefit to mention is the knowledge that your company would have when it comes to things like cost of living, etc. Whatever North American office doesn’t know, you can ask of those who already work in the office in the new country. By experiencing the move, you have that knowledge to share and will be able to help others who also have to transition.

Freelancer Move

If you are moving to another country because you find that your client base exists there or because you intend to work with a company as a contractor, you are likely making a freelancer move. In some ways, moving as a freelancer is easier because you control all of the aspects of that move. This control is good, but it also means that your financial needs and everything else falls on your shoulders.

Planning is helpful when you make a corporate move, but strategy and planning are essential when it comes to a moving as a freelancer. You don’t want to get halfway around the world, only to realize that you do not have enough money to make it all the way to your destination or to return home.

It is not a bad idea to consult with a group that understands all of these factors and can help you with your research and the strategy. In fact, compared to getting stuck in a foreign country, spending some money on an agency to help you with your strategy sounds much more appealing, doesn’t it?

Now, what are YOUR thoughts on moving to another country? Any plans?

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Deborah Anderson

Deborah Anderson wears many hats in her addiction to acquiring knowledge. From professional training as a sound engineer at the Los Angeles Film School to graduating summa cum laude in software architecture, and then on to become the director of Information Technology at the high profile Bel Air Investment Advisors, she often comments that she is only just beginning. She enjoys sharing her knowledge discoveries with her readers and is always ready to offer a helping hand.

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