Changing course when you have a family can be daunting but it can also be rewarding. A new start may be so important to you and it could spark an exciting new career change. Wanting to give back and educate your children is so important but travelling and learning new things is the first stepping stone. Keeping a positive mindset is vital and will impact the way in which your children think and feel. Explain that there may be changes ahead and that you're looking at changing things up. Perhaps the coronavirus pandemic has put things into perspective for you or has made you feel as if you need to make a change for the better. There may be things that have been sitting badly with you or if you have lost your job, starting from the bottom upwards may be the only way. If you’re going to move away, that’s very different from just having a family holiday.
Making a step into a new career - where to begin?
Finding out what you want to do is going to depend on what your skills are and where you're wanting this change to occur. Do you want to study medicine and practice it abroad? Do you want to branch out from being a nurse to become a psychotherapist and work from home from any location? These questions can only be answered by you, but if you choose a career in counselling, for example, it’s important to note that it will require a lot of time and dedication, and it can cost money to embark on, and it can be emotionally challenging in many ways. So before starting on this career path, you may want to think about how it impacts you and your family life and if it’s going to be worth it down the line, if you want to tackle something such as online therapy which you can do from home.
Also, is this new career going to need some certain skills or traits? There are certain personal traits you would need to be a teacher, for example, and these include being able to work with people from all different backgrounds, being open, warm, and empathetic, as well as being incredibly trustworthy as you will need to help people to relax and to open up about their problems. You need to be patient, sensitive, and tolerant, and be keen to want to teach them to learn. Perhaps you want to move within the business of real estate; what has your past experience taught you about the housing markets and what kind of business acumen is needed to ensure you succeed? You will certainly need to be discreet, as you are dealing with lots of sensitive information as well as enthusiastic about buying and selling. Becoming a real estate investor abroad may be tricky if you don’t know much about that city or country’s history on the topic, which makes changing your location important to learning about the new path you’re on.
Changing location? New property and a new city?
If you want to look at a place to live in your new chosen destination then think about what you are wanting. Do you want a house or an apartment and look at a city that offers that. For example, Barcelona is home to more apartments than houses in the main hub, whereas London offers a choice of both. Look at where there is most condo in the area for sale, such as an area that is up and coming.
Regarding your career options, you could choose to set up your own practice after you have qualified. In which case, you will need to know how to market yourself as a business and what equipment and items you need to set up an appealing practice. If you want to use your new home as the business office, then you may need to invest in some new furniture. A desk chair, a new computer setup, these things are all things you must look into. If you have kids, will they need to go to an english speaking school or will they be homeschooled? How may your kids adapt to a new lifestyle that you crave. They may not crave it as much as you do.
Here are some tips that can aid you with this new life and venture:
- Open a bank account and sign up for a phone contract right away - this will allow you to make those important connections with friends and family at home.
- Get wifi as soon as you move in so you can connect and work if needed.
- Check how you will pay taxes and what information you'll need as they may vary depending on your visa and how long you will be staying there.
- Find out how healthcare/dental care works in your new country - getting medical information is important in case you need to visit a clinic and for the wellbeing of your family.
- Find out if it is safe and know all the important emergency numbers.
- What are the people like? Will you and your family enjoy it and where is good for expats?
- Making friends with other foreigners can be great too so be sure to join classes and find other expats in the area.
Making friends with expats is good because they will be able to give your valuable information relating to the area you have chosen to live and how they make things work. Do they own real estate? Do they have a school that they know of and can assist you with getting your kids into one? Do they know about driving regulations and other laws that can help you settle in quicker? You should also consider your financial situation and how you will transfer your earnings. Moving away can be an incredibly exciting prospect but it does take a vast amount of knowledge and education on the topics to allow yourself to be fully ready. These times are difficult and change can be good so make sure that you’re ready for all eventualities and have the preparations made for a new career and life in another place.