If you do decide to move, live and work abroad you not only need to weigh in the positives, but you also need to consider the disadvantages of working abroad as well.
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Disadvantages of working abroad and why you should do it anyway.
Here are 18 disadvantages of working abroad and one reason why you should do it anyway.
1. Loneliness.
Most of us have spent some time away from home from our family and friends. Maybe it was one or two weeks for summer camp. Perhaps you went off to university and was far away from where you grew up.
Starting a new job in a new country can be lonely as well. Especially if it’s in a management position. Not knowing anyone or the proper workplace etiquette. It will make you miss all those Friday after work Happy Hours back home.
I’m sure you have also felt the loneliness that comes with moving to a new place. Whether that place is a summer camp or university, loneliness is a state of mind.
When you move abroad, you also have to deal with loneliness.
However, that loneliness is also compounded by the fact that you are in a totally different environment where people possibly speak and communicate in a language that is not yours.
You will be walking the streets, not knowing much about where you are. You will be going back to a house or an apartment alone usually.
If you’re fortunate enough to come with your family, you can deal with the challenges of being far away from home together.
But loneliness is part of the transition of moving abroad for sure. There are ways that you can deal with your loneliness like joining clubs, getting to know people at work, even going to Expat Pubs and gatherings in your new country.
But you will have to deal with loneliness, at least in the beginning.
2. Lack of Stability.
Whether you are moving abroad and already have a job lined up and that job includes your accommodations, visas and other immigration issues etc.
Or you’re moving abroad with no job. Maybe you’re a freelancer or have an online business that you can run from anywhere.
Still, you will have to deal with a lack of stability.
That lack of stability can not only come in the form of income, but it could also come in your living arrangements as well as your relationships.
Being an expat you normally are going to be around locals, but you’re probably going to be around other expats as well. And the thing about expat life is that people move.
People come and go out of your life much more frequently than they do in your home country.
On one hand that’s good because you can make some life long friendships from people all over the world, but it does create its own lack of social stability that sometimes we need to anchor us in a particular place.
3. Dealing with different cultures and mentalities.
When you are in a new culture, you will not only be dealing with people who don’t speak your language, but also have different upbringings as well. Locals grow up watching different shows and entertainment that you won’t be able to relate to.
But you also have to deal with different mentalities. If you come from a culture for example that is very punctual, you may find yourself in a new culture that is not very punctual. Being 15 minutes, half an hour or even an hour late, could be normal.
These are just two examples of the mentality and cultural differences you may have to deal with abroad.
4. The time it takes to learn a new language.
Learning a new language is one of the advantages of moving abroad. But learning a new language isn’t easy.
It takes commitment and time, as well as setting aside enough time to study.
Language acquisition does take a while. So in the process of learning a language you’re going to make a lot of mistakes. People might laugh at your accent or start correcting you when you haven’t asked for it.
All these can be very frustrating while you’re learning a language.
5. Not able to enjoy your own traditional holidays.
I’m American. The holiday I miss most from the United States is believe it or not Thanksgiving.
They simply don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in most countries outside of the United States and Canada.
But for me Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays since it was the least commercial. It also meant the simple gathering of family and friends eating great food and chilling out.
Not only that, but from where I come from in the Northeast, it was also a time of homecoming where we would hit the bars the day before Thanksgiving right after work and run into people we hadn’t seen in a long time and catch up.
Unfortunately, they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving abroad in most countries, so for me that’s one of the holidays I miss.
Maybe you have some holidays you will miss as well. In fact, whether it’s Christmas or New Years, people will celebrate them differently in different countries.
You may be left out in your first year also, if you haven’t developed a circle of new friends both local and expat. So you will need to adjust to being alone on some holidays, at least during your first year abroad.
6. Dealing with foreign holidays and customs.
You also have to deal with foreign holidays as well as customs that go along with those holidays and other occasions in your new country.
I remember when I moved to Ukraine in the first year, they celebrated International Women’s Day. Now this is a holiday throughout the world in general, however I had never heard of it.
But in the post Soviet countries, International Women’s Day is one of the biggest holidays of the year. In fact, in Ukraine, they actually gave not one, but two days off for this holiday.
There’s also a whole ritual that goes along with International Women’s Day that I had to learn to my embarrassment. But these are the types of situations that you will come across as well.
7. Living conditions.
When you first move abroad, if you were on a budget you may have to accept accommodations which may be of lesser quality than the accommodations you’re used to in your home country.
You may find that your new flat for example, doesn’t have a washing machine or air conditioning.
These are appliances that Americans normally take for granted, but are added luxuries in most developing countries at least.
In fact, I’ve lived over 20 years without having a dryer, something that is almost unheard of in the US.
8. Dealing with rude people and misunderstandings.
Whenever you are in a new country, especially one that doesn’t have a smiley, “have a nice day” culture, you will be hearing people speaking a foreign language all around you as you walk the streets or take public transportation etc.
In many countries people don’t walk around with “have a nice day” smiles. So that combination of hearing a foreign language and looking at people that aren’t smiling can seem like the people are rude, when in fact they’re not.
There will be other occasions where the locals just don’t have patience in dealing with a foreigner and communication issues.
These are things that you will have to deal with. Whether it’s going to your local market to buy some fruit and vegetables, taking public transportation or even a taxi.
So you need to be prepared for these types of situations because they will come up.
9. No guarantees of getting a good position.
If you accept a position abroad, the position you get might be a little different from the position you thought you were getting and interviewed for.
Also, if you just jump at the chance to work abroad and take a position that might not turn out as well as you had thought. Then what do you do?
It’s a lot harder to pivot and change jobs once you’re in a foreign country.
Don’t forget that many times your visas and residency permits are predicated on your employer.
So if you change employers, you may actually have to get a new visa and registration permits.
10. Safety.
You may find that other countries are actually safer than your home country. However, you may find yourself in a country where you are of a different ethnicity or color etc.
Many countries can be quite homogenous and you may stick out. I remember when I first moved to Ukraine, even though I’m white and the majority of people in that country are white as well, I still stood out because I wasn’t “Slav” looking.
I don’t know what it was, but usually the locals can tell either by the expression on your face, the look in your eye or even the clothes that you wear.
So although it’s sometimes nice to stand out, feel like an individual and feel special, you could also be a target for thieves, scammers etc.
So you should always be aware of your environment wherever you’re going.
11. Quality of Medical Care.
You may find that local medical care is of a lesser quality than what you’re used to at home.
Although you can find excellent medical facilities in most countries, even developing ones, you actually should seek these out when first arriving in a new country while getting acquainted with your new environment.
There’s nothing worse than trying to find a doctor or medical facility when you’re sick and need help.
It’s always best to find a list and ask for recommendations etc. from other expats regarding the best medical facilities in your area.
12. Visas, work permits and red tape.
If you’re going to be working or living for an extended period of time in a new country, then inevitably you’re going to have to deal with visas, work permits, other red tape and bureaucratic issues.
There’s usually no way to avoid it. Now, if you work strictly online, normally you won’t need a work permit.
However, if you want to stay in the country for longer than the usual 3 month visa free status that most citizens of Western countries enjoy, then you will need to apply for some kind of visa.
Many require you to gather up a bunch of documents and have them notarized. It could also mean lines and fees at various government departments. Even waiting for a visa at the embassy.
All these things you’re going to have to learn about as they are part of living in a foreign country.
13. Storing your stuff.
If you were moving for an extended period of time, you may have accumulated things like furniture, pots and pans, dinnerware, clothes, gadgets, appliances etc.. All the necessities that we use in our modern world.
But what do you do with all this stuff if you decide to move abroad? Well you can take them with you, but moving expenses could be quite a lot.
You could store it and pay a monthly storage fee. You can also sell a lot of the items that you don’t think you will be needing for a long time on eBay or other online marketplaces perhaps, Craigslist etc.
Or you can simply give them away to family, friends or anyone else in need.
Either way, you’re going to have to do something with the stuff that you’re going to leave behind.
14. Being away from family and friends.
When you first move abroad we usually accept the fact that we’re going to be away from family and friends.
But the longer you spend abroad, the more you realize how many family occasions you’ll miss.
How many weddings, Christmases, holidays, even funerals of those that you’ve grown up with.
People get married and have children. Every time you go back home, it seems to either be a new person in the family or someone you grew up with that are like brothers and sisters and you barely know who their children are or anything about them.
The longer you spend abroad, the older you and everyone you know gets of course. That includes your parents and your grandparents.
Every month you spend away is one less month you have to spend with them.
15. Always looked at as an outsider.
No matter how well integrated you feel in the new country that you have adopted as your home. No matter how much or how well you speak the language, you will never be accepted as a local.
This might seem obvious but we all look for belonging, even when we move abroad. Though, being treated like a foreigner can sometimes be a good thing.
In many places foreigners are like mini-celebrities and have a certain status and cache about them. However, that also means that you will never be accepted as a local. People will always treat you a little differently because of it.
Always being treated like a foreigner can wear on you after a while, but it’s something that you will eventually have to accept.
16. Taxation issues.
If you are working in your new country, you will have to deal with tax issues, if you have a legitimate job.
You may also have to deal with taxation issues in your home country.
For example, the United States taxes its citizens on their worldwide income, not just income earned in the United States.
To get a better idea of what US taxation laws are for those citizens who spend most of their time abroad click on this link: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayers-living-abroad, for more information.
17. Possible Gaps in your Resume/CV.
If you move abroad, but move abroad and pick up jobs like teaching English or bartending etc. One day you may decide to return home and go back into the field that you were working in before you had left.
Perhaps there’s another field you would like to go into and your experience or abroad is irrelevant to that new job that you want to get.
Also, it’s pretty difficult for a potential employer to check references or job history from employers and references in a foreign country.
So you will have this gap on your Resume or CV that you will need to account for.
Some employers are quite understanding and may even look favorably on your time abroad.
Whereas others may simply see it as a large gap in your employment history and question your judgment as well as your reasons for moving abroad in the first place.
18. Homesickness.
In the end, one of the biggest disadvantages of moving abroad is being homesick. Missing family and friends as well as little things like sports, certain foods or restaurants you normally go to that cook your favorite dish etc. These things may begin to wear on you.
Not to mention all the holidays you may miss, as well as time you will miss away from family and friends who are all getting older.
None of us live forever and you may regret spending extended periods of time away from those you love who are also getting older.
Sometimes it’s nice just to be able to live in an environment where you belong. So you may have to deal with this type of homesickness as well.
Despite the disadvantages of moving abroad, the one reason why you should move abroad is that you only live once.
Having an opportunity to live and work in a new country is an opportunity most people will never have.
All the experiences and new things you will learn and come across will be invaluable. You will have once in a lifetime memories and experiences that most people back home will never be able to relate to.
So if, for any other reason, you should move abroad just for the experience of it.
As I have always told myself whenever things get tough during my many years of living abroad is that I have my passport and I can always go home. You can too, so just keep that in mind, but take the chance to move abroad anyway and go for it.