We opened this blog for a very specific reason, which is not cooking (as Jacopo would hope), but to talk about experiences abroad and maybe give a boost to all those who are thinking of moving abroad: in our first real article, therefore, we can only talk about how to move abroad!
We will then give you some advice about it, which we hope will be useful both if you are really decided to leave and if you still have no clear ideas.
Let’s start from the assumption that if you don’t already have a precise destination in mind, it is better to avoid choosing one among many. The first destination will probably not be the “final” one, but in order to build something well, it is necessary to start from the foundations.
So, you should take into account first of all some factors, such as:
- Work situation
- Salary/cost of living ratio
- Quality of life
After all, no one likes to be exploited, underpaid, or find themselves in difficult situations, both abroad and in your state. In this case, however, Google will be your best friend: choose a place that you think you might like to live and then collect as much information as possible about it. Don’t take this as a trivial advice, we’re telling you to literally take pen and paper and “browse” websites on websites and then write down the pros and cons of each possible destination. You’ll see that once you’ve done this you’ll have a clear picture.
Once you’ve chosen your preferred destination, here are some steps that we feel we can recommend given our experience, albeit minimal, and that will help you understand how to move abroad.
Ready? Let’s get started!
1.Register in local Facebook groups
You will find communities in almost every destination you choose. In most cases, these communities also use Facebook groups to keep in touch and help each other. Locate these groups (for example, if you’re headed to Malta search “Italians in Malta”) and apply for membership. This is a great and super helpful way to find any kind of information and maybe ask for help with work or accommodation.
Both of us, Beatrice and Jacopo, have used it often both in England and in Malta.
Obviously this step is recommended to do before departure, in order to find at least a room for rent where to stay for the first period, but you will see that they will come in handy very often during your experience.
2. Find reliable sites that can help you.
Not only the Facebook groups mentioned above can be useful even before departure, or maybe you have chosen a destination where the Italian community is not very present.
So if our first advice was not useful, you can try to look for websites to get information and search for accommodation and work. Obviously, always try to understand the reliability of the site itself, so as not to run into problems.
Just to give you an example, in England we both used Spareroom.co.uk and Gumtree a lot to look for accommodation, or the Facebook marketplace here in Malta.
3. Book your one-way ticket!
This seems like an obvious piece of advice, but it bears repeating: book your one-way ticket! Even if it doesn’t seem like it, the biggest obstacle is to “jump”, that is, make a final decision to leave.
The best way to avoid stalling too much? Book your one-way ticket! You’ll see that it will help, since once you have a date set, you’ll have no more excuses.
You’ll probably have accommodation or temporary support by this point, or many of us have left leaning on a hotel or hostel for a couple of weeks, so you can look for a room to rent in the meantime.
Once you’ve researched and found your accommodation in whatever way you want, it’s time to book your one-way ticket!
4. Print out as many CVs as you can and get ready to take a long walk
Once you have landed at the place you have chosen and once you have put your suitcase in the room, there is no time to waste!
If our intentions are to look for a job, it’s best to start right away (you can have the first night off!) to send out resumes or physically take them to the places that interest us. I recommend, dress appropriately (it’s not an interview, but you’re not even going shopping at the Convenience under the house), big smile and zero shame, there is no time for that!
We did this in England: we walked around the cities we lived in and left as many resumes as possible. We did this in Malta too, but only the first time we went (we’ll tell you why we moved to Malta on two different occasions in the space of three months later), while the second time fortunately we didn’t need all that since we had already signed the contract before leaving Italy.
5. Don’t be in a hurry, don’t be afraid, don’t give up
The last but not least aspect to consider is the mental aspect. Moving abroad is very exciting, especially at the beginning, but this does not mean that it will always be awesome.
You have to consider that probably at the beginning you will be alone, for some time you will spend your days between home and work and that little by little you will start missing your family, your friends, your girlfriend or your boyfriend… in short, you will miss your home!
Moreover, it is not certain that you will be able to find the job you like right away, or you will have to face situations that are new to you and you will have to rely only on yourself to find a solution.
All this should not scare you, on the contrary, it should be even more a stimulus. Moving abroad is also an experience of growth that will make you stronger and in the end, when all is said and done, you will see that the good moments will far outweigh the difficult ones!
So, don’t rush, don’t be afraid and don’t give up! Imagine your trip in every way, enjoy everything about the “pre-departure” and once you arrive at your destination, let yourself be charmed by the culture of the country where you are going and appreciate all its positive aspects and also and especially the negative ones. As with people, you can’t say you really know a place, if you haven’t had a bit of a fight with it first!
“Those who travel without immersing themselves in the new culture don’t travel, they just move around”
These are some guidelines that we think you can follow to figure out how to move abroad and how to best deal with your first experience.
Accommodation and job found (you’ll see that it won’t be difficult, for example both Beatrice and Jacopo in just a week after their arrival in England and the same thing in Malta, already had 3 jobs each! No we’re not exaggerating, it’s all true!), all that’s left is to make some friends to explore and enjoy our new home!
We feel like repeating ourselves, immerse yourself in the new culture, even if it’s very similar to yours, don’t go looking for “home” even while you’re abroad. Traveling opens your mind, but you have to be ready to open it up and embrace anything different from your current habits.
Trust us, you won’t regret it!
