There are some downsides to being an expat and working abroad no doubt. But there are also innumerable benefits as well.
I’ve put together a list of my top 20 benefits of being an expat from my over 20 years of living and working abroad. You might even be able to add on to this list as well.
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What are the benefits of being an Expat and working abroad?
Plenty! So get ready. Here are my top 20 benefits of being an expat and working abroad. Becoming an expat and working abroad can bring about some life changing experiences.
1. Flexibility and adaptability.
When you move abroad, you will have to learn to be very tolerant and very flexible, very fast.
Your time abroad will depend a lot on how well you can adapt and how flexible you are. But when I mean adaptability and flexibility, I mean tolerance.
Accepting situations where you have no control over and adapting to your new environment, learning the new language, getting a feel for how things are done around you and the people you deal with.
Remember, unless you are a citizen of that country, you are merely a guest. So don’t fall into the rigid expat trap of constantly judging and comparing your new country to your home country.
However, if you can do all that, you will find that developing a sense of flexibility and being able to adapt quickly to new situations can give you a leg up in any environment, not just living, but in new work environments etc.
2. Languages and communication skills.
More than likely, your new country will speak a different language than your own native language.
If you want to adapt well and get the most out of your living abroad experience, then you will need to learn the local language as much as possible.
In addition to learning the new language, you will need to know how to communicate with the locals.
Whether that is in your day-to-day business of going shopping, taking public transportation or taxis etc. or in your new workplace and dealing with locals on a closer day to day level.
You will find that language is only one barrier in being able to communicate with locals. You’ll also need to understand the mentality and the local way of doing things, if you are to get anything done.
This can provide a great learning experience that you can use, even back in your home country, if you decide to return.
3. Innovation skills.
Living and working abroad you will see and experience new ways of doing things.
You’ll come across pleasant surprises and ask yourself why can’t people back home do things like this. Perhaps you discover local food or habits that you can use in your future back home.
Perhaps you can also bring something to your new environment, like being able to find efficiencies and improve productivity in your new workplace.
Part of the reason why companies hire expats is because they bring with them a certain perspective and outlook that locals just don’t have.
Use these to your advantage and you will be seen as an innovator that can improve the business you’re working in.
4. Globally-minded.
By being outside your country, you will not only be dealing with locals in your new country but also other expats.
Expats come from a variety of countries. All with their own perspectives and mentalities that you will have to deal with.
You will also be exposed to new points of view and ways of seeing the world that perhaps you didn’t see back home.
This can help you widen your outlook on the world in general.
5. Cultural awareness.
Although you will meet expats from all over the world and learn about your cultural differences, the majority of your cultural awareness will become much deeper the longer you live in the country that you’ve moved to.
As you learn the language, customs, mentalities and all the little intricacies of local life, you will also begin to appreciate the local culture. It won’t seem so foreign to you.
If you do decide to move to another country, you will have the foundations of being able to adapt much quicker to new environments.
6. Self-development.
If you find yourself abroad in a foreign country, you will be away from home and all the familiar surroundings, distractions and people who are familiar to you.
You will also be able to actually reinvent yourself in a way.
With high speed internet available in most countries, you can actually take courses because you’ll have time to do so since you may have even more time to yourself.
Learning a language, especially the language of the country you’re living in becomes easier and more practical since you will be using it on a daily basis. You can even learn a new skill from home online.
You will no longer be hindered by the expectations of those you know because you will be a stranger in a strange land.
7. It boosts your Resume/ CV.
Foreign experience, especially in your field, is highly valuable and even sought out by many multinational corporations.
Along with your language skills, your experience of working in other cultures along with the challenges that working in a foreign country present, employers will see you more as a self-starter and someone who can overcome difficulties without a lot of handholding.
8. It expands your professional network.
Not only will you meet new and valuable local contacts through your company.
But if you are active in the expat scene, you may meet many other expats who work for various corporations or even have their own businesses.
Most expat communities are quite close yet and the longer you spend in a country and the more you get to know the more long-term expats, the more opportunities you will have.
Expats can be a very loyal and close bunch and most expats have excellent positions with multinational corporations.
Some are even quite innovative entrepreneurs who came to the country just like you years before and created a business. Many marry locals, have families and children etc.
These contacts can prove invaluable to your own objectives.
9. You’re more valued by employers.
As someone with experience in working in another country, along with language skills and possibly some additional skills you could only pick up by living and working in a foreign country. You could be seen as more valuable by potential employers.
Especially those who are multinational corporations looking for expats that they can move to various parts of the world to expand and run their businesses.
In addition, maybe you will apply for a company that has a lot of experience working in the part of the world in which you have lived and worked in.
Perhaps the company has foreign business partners that come from either the country in which you have been living or working in or from another country in which they speak the same language and have similar cultures and customs.
You can help make these foreign visitors more comfortable for your new employers and pick up new contacts as well.
10. You gain valuable work experience.
Working in a foreign country many times involves overcoming bureaucratic and cultural obstacles in order to expand business and make it run more efficiently.
Being able to adapt and learn new skills, even if those skills were not pre-planned can only have value to your skill set.
The work experience you gain abroad will show employers that you’re willing to take risks and break out of your comfort zone.
It might not seem like it to you now, but you’d be surprised at how many workers in companies never venture out of their comfort zones and only do the bare minimum of what they’re told.
By showing that you have the initiative to move abroad and take on the challenges of working in a foreign country, you’ll rise above the rest.
11. You can earn a higher salary.
Many corporations give expats higher salaries as well as other compensation perks to move and work in one of their foreign offices.
In addition, many of these posts are in developing countries where your hard currency can go much farther.
Moving abroad and earning a higher salary you can basically save the difference between your costs and your salary.
Many experts also receive travel perks, housing and education for their children etc. You may even have your own driver.
There are many perks that go along with a higher salary, if your company transfers you abroad.
12. Geoarbitrage.
Speaking of higher salaries. You can take advantage of what’s called Geoarbitrage.
This is when you earn money from a richer country with a harder currency and live and spend it in a cheaper country with a weaker currency.
This is very popular among digital nomads who earn their income either through freelance clients or their own online projects. They are paid from companies based in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Japan etc.
Earning western rates in hard currencies while living in a developing country for example will allow you to save quite a bit of money. If you do all your work online, you will normally be paid via Bank transfers to your home bank account in your home country.
You can then take out cash as needed from a local ATM machine in your new country.
You may actually raise your standards of living and get a much nicer apartment and enjoy perks that you would never enjoy in your home country by living this way.
13. It offers more job opportunities.
When you move abroad and travel within the expat community, you will come across many different opportunities. Expats are always looking for reliable and smart expats that they can trust.
By building a network in the expat community you will be able to open new doors to opportunities you would never have back home.
14. You can enjoy higher living standards.
As I had mentioned in the geoarbitrage section, by earning Western wages and living in a cheaper country you can raise your standard of living.
You can do this by perhaps moving to nicer quality accommodations or hire yourself a driver. Perhaps enjoy the best entertainment and restaurants and not have to worry about the bill.
Being abroad you may position yourself to have opportunities to travel to neighboring countries and stay at the best hotels and resorts while doing so.
15. It’s good for personal growth.
Living in a foreign country and being able to adapt, you will expand your horizons and outlook on life.
It may open up new worlds and opportunities, give you different perspectives and direction on where you want your life to go.
By meeting different people from different nationalities who speak different languages, it’s a chance to reinvent yourself to become the person that you’ve always wanted to be.
16. Being a Self-starter.
Moving abroad and either working for yourself or working for a company, you will have the opportunity to show what you’re made of.
Many companies want their expatriate staff to look for new opportunities to expand their businesses and growth.
You’ll be encouraged to try and tackle new projects, but you also are expected to do this on your own and without being told or encouraged to do so.
This can help you gain valuable experience and set up new projects. You can use and take this experience with you if you decide to work for another company or set out on your own.
Use the opportunity while you’re working for a company in a foreign country to take on as many initiatives as you can and gain that valuable experience.
It will pay dividends in the future.
17. Travel Opportunities.
As I had mentioned above, your new country of choice may position you in an area that has a lot of other countries which are short trips away.
Your new country can be basically your home base for further travel throughout the region.
18. Higher demand for your skills.
Being an expat you may bring with you skills to your new country that are in high demand.
Also, if you ever decide to repatriate back to your home country, you may have also picked up some additional skills along with the language that can also be in high demand back at home.
19. Pushes you out your comfort zone.
Let’s face it, whenever you’re by yourself in a new environment, it essentially takes you out of your comfort zone.
Nothing can take you out of your comfort zone more than finding yourself in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language or have any contacts. It will force you to meet new people and become more social.
Moving abroad will also force you to take chances that you normally wouldn’t take. Simple things like shopping for groceries, arranging for a ride to the airport or a taxi to a restaurant etc.
These normal everyday situations that we take for granted back home all of a sudden become new challenges. You will feel a heightened sense of reality just going about your day-to-day chores.
20. Lifelong memories and experiences.
Moving abroad will totally change your life. How it changes your life is up to you and what you make of it.
In any event living and working in a foreign country will give you life long memories and irreplaceable experiences that you will cherish forever.
You will be a constant source of new stories to your family and friends. But most of all, it will change how you see the world and how the world will see you.