So now what? A plan of attack for the first week

“You must do the things you think you cannot do.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

I can still remember with total clarity looking around my apartment in Madrid, that first night. I had no furniture. No money. No job. No Spanish.

On the plus side, I did have: One bottle of red wine (price: €0.99). One plastic cup.One corkscrew.

Unfortunately, the corkscrew snapped off when pushed into the horrible plastic cork. And, as I sat there, useless corkscrew in hand, on the floor (no chairs) of my echoey, empty apartment,  I thought, “I don’t know if I can do this.”

Here’s what I wish there had been someone to tell me:

1. Don’t panic. Really. You got this.
2. Yes, really.
3. You really do need chairs. Chairs ARE civilization. Go buy some chairs tomorrow.
4. You have no idea how proud you’re going to be of yourself in a few months.
5. Make a plan of action.

So, just for you, here’s your very own WEEK 1 ACTION PLAN:

Mission 1: Find somewhere to live

Chances are, you are staying in temporary accommodation while you look for somewhere to live. Prioritize finding somewhere to live over anything else. Jobs/money/friends/language skills can wait until you have your very own toothbrush mug.

Start with a good old-fashioned Google search. For example, “Rooms to let in Madrid” points me to the article “The 2 main ways to find a flat, apartment or room to rent in Madrid” which lists all the main flat-hunting websites, a list of different Madrid neighborhoods, etc.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. This is just a jumping off point Just find somewhere where you’ll feel safe and comfortable for the time being – you can spend time identifying the right area, finding the ideal flatmates and so forth once you’ve found your feet.

Mission 2: Find and attend a language exchange group/Meet Up/social event

OK, a tough one– but allow me to get bossy for a moment: Just. Do.It.

It doesn’t matter what type of group – there are hundreds out there. Plus, the exercise of finding one will also bring you into contact with all kinds of useful info – the local expat paper/blog/website, a handy Facebook group, and so on.

This may be an unbelievably “not you” kind of thing to do, and that’s totally fine. Do it anyway.

You really just need to get yourself out there and meet some people. It is true you probably won’t meet your best friend – no problem. It’s more about breaking the ice and getting yourself out of your comfort zone.

If it’s a language meet-up, really don’t worry if you don’t speak much (any!) of the local lingo – the kind of people who go to these will a) probably already speak a bit of English and b) be very patient with you if you try to speak theirs.

And that’s probably enough for the first 7 days!  Good luck with it all, and as always, give us a shout in the comments if we can help in any way.

Oh, and by the way, given enough determination, you can totally push a cork into a bottle of wine using a blunt knife. Problem solved.

Written by: Rosie

Got a question for us? Want to share your own experiences?

Drop us an email at howtoskipthecountry@gmail.com or add a comment below - we’d love to hear from you.

Am I doing it right?

I can’t tell you how much I’ve beaten myself up about this. We just can’t cut ourselves a break!

First you go through the incredibly challenging process of deciding whether or not you want to up-root yourself and live abroad. Then you actually go and do it, which is also hard work. Once you’re there, however, you hit a whole new type of dilemma. Are you living abroad in the RIGHT WAY?

There will be plenty of people to tell you if they think you are or not (amazingly quite a lot from those still living in your home country…)

• Go to every possible social event – a night in is a night wasted!
• Don’t go back to your home country for at least 6 months
• Live with locals
• Don’t even THINK about making friends with other expats
• Speak nothing but the new language to anyone for 4 months

Depending on what it is you are hoping to achieve, some of this advice might ring true for you. None of it is bad advice, but it is not designed to be a set of rules against which to measure your success. 

There is no right or wrong way to live abroad. It is a very personal thing and only you will know if your actions are taking you closer to, or further from, what you want to achieve.

For me, the best piece of advice was simple: Enjoy it! This is supposed to be a positive experience, something you will learn a great deal from and look back on fondly. So cut yourself some slack and have fun with it all.

A great source of inspiration is Leo Babauta’s blog: Zen Habits, which covers many topics regarding lifestyle and business. This particular quote is entrepreneurial advice for start-ups but I think can be applied here:
“Lots of times people kill themselves trying to reach a goal... The joy doesn’t come when you hit the goal…. The joy comes right now. This is the moment of greatness, of satisfaction with yourself and what you’re doing. Not later.”

http://zenhabits.net/startup/

Written by: Rosie

Got a question for us? Want to share your own experiences?
Drop us an email at howtoskipthecountry@gmail.com or add a comment below - we’d love to hear from you.

Working in your new location

"It is a bad plan that admits of no modification."— PubliliusSyrus, 1stCentury BC

Your career plan can be one of the biggest impediments to skipping the country. You may have a job you love that you’ll need to leave. You may have clear ideas about where your career is going, and be reluctant to mess with the schedule. You may have no idea what you could do when you get to your new destination.For the first two worries, take a look at this post.

For what to do when you get there, here are some thoughts to get you started:

1 ) Stay in your current job

These days, companies are far more flexible about remote work. Please don’t instantly dismiss this as a possibility. There’s no harm in asking! Take it slowly, demonstrate greater productivity outside the office than in, and negotiate convincingly.

For a wonderful, step-by-step guide to how negotiate remote working with your current boss see Tim Ferriss’ “Four Hour Workweek”, Chapter 12.

2 ) Consider teaching English

You lucky, lucky person. You are already fluent in the most in-demand language in the world. English teaching is one of those jobs that you can pick up, anywhere in the world.  
Some tips:

1. Don’t assume you have to do a TEFL. TEFL can be a great way to get your confidence up, but it’s also costly and time-consuming. Many private language schools will accept native English speakers with any university degree.
2. You don’t have to teach kids. Business English teaching tends to be better paid and less demanding.
3. You don’t have to teach big classes. Many business people prefer one-to-one classes during working hours.
4. Look out for schools that offer paid training or free teaching resources, so you won’t be going in cold.
5. Don’t assume that taking a teaching job when you first arrive means kissing your career plans goodbye. English teaching can be highly rewarding.  It is an intense training course in public speaking, sales, communications and intercultural studies. And, if you go down the Business English route, can also be a great way to network with professionals in a wide range of industries.

3 ) Find work before you go.

This is a lot easier than it used to be. Some ideas:

1. Plan a short mid-week trip and visit some recruitment agencies.
2. Invest some time in LinkedIn.
3. If you speak the local language, check out the Classified section of the local paper.
4. Check the local embassies and consulates for job opportunities.
5. Take a look at worldwide employment sites – for example:

http://xpatjobs.com/

http://www.Monster.com

http://www.angloinfo.com/

http://jobs.expatica.com/

4 )Find work when you get there
This is perhaps the scariest option, but can also be the most practical, if you have some savings to live on for the first few months. It gives you time to look around you, join some local networking groups, get to know the language, and spend some time enjoying your new home before the daily 9-5 kicks in.

Written by: Rosie

Got a question for us? Want to share your own experiences? 

Drop us an email at howtoskipthecountry@gmail.com or add a comment below - we’d love to hear from you.