Top countries to relocate to (part 1)
Top countries to relocate to for writing your book (part 1)
Writers have a unique perspective on life as living and working in a foreign country will widen your horizon immensely. No MBA can teach you what you will learn when you immerse yourself in a different culture. Living and working abroad, with different customs can be challenging at first but it is an invaluable experience. I myself am proud that I have been on the move globally since my late teens, studying and working in different countries. Working abroad has help my language skills, I made friends all over the world and I became more tolerant, adventurous and open in my mindset. It also gave me a clear advantage in my career over others who are equally skilled. Not only are employers looking for people who have international experience as the globalisation continues, they are also looking for people with an open and growth mindset. No one who has not lived abroad for a while, can acquire these important qualities. My first and foremost career advice is, to get out of your comfort zone and work abroad for a year or two. It doesn’t matter if you are at the start of your career or in your 50s. It is never too late! Apart from the experience there are other reasons why a relocation makes sense. According to the Expat Explorer Survey from HSBC, the average expat has an 25% increase from their income in their home country with an average income of $100K. Do you need more convincing, to start looking for your international career? To make it easier for you, we have selected the top countries for strong economy, job security, safety, quality of life, tolerance to foreigners and not last but not least a rich social life where you will be accepted.
So here goes our list of Top Countries to relocate to:
10. United Kingdom
We are going to ignore the Brexit factor for now and what this will mean for immigration in the future. Besides there is still time now to make your move. London is expensive, no doubt. A furnished two bedroom house will cost you up to$5,000 rent each month. However, income is very high in London and there are plenty of job opportunities with strong job security. Especially in London there are many international companies, looking for sourcing talent from abroad. There are many strong industries in the UK, such as IT, engineering, Oil and Gas, Energy and finance. If your English is good, which it must be considering you are reading this blog post, and you have skills in IT, project management, product management or finance you stand very good chances of securing a well-paid job. London is full of international people from all over the world, and it is very easy to make friends. There are thousands of meetup groups, where you can easily make connections. To lower your living costs, you can easily find a flat share with other expats. Besides England has extremely good and free health care, excellent public transport and there are plenty of good schools in the United Kingdom, so if you have family, you will be well catered for. If you want to start your own company, the UK might be your best option. Taxes are much lower than elsewhere in Europe and it is one of the easiest countries to start a Limited company, with minimal red tape and an incorporation cost of only 1 Pound.
9. Spain
Spain is a great country to live in being the sunniest country in Europe. The climate has been described by the World Health Organisation as among the healthiest in the world. The coastline in the med, enjoys an average of over 300 days of sunshine per year.Rent is very affordable in Spain with the average cost of a furnished two-bedroom house of only $1,400. Spanish people are known to be very friendly and sociable so it will be easy to make new friends. Although the rates of unemployment are relatively high and the job market for well-paid positions in Spain is competitive, there are still a number of industries where skilled foreign employees are very much in demand.If you speak Spanish and English and have enough relevant experience, you can probably find a good position in industries such as Engineering, IT, online marketing, finance and customer services.Even if you do not speak Spanish yet, you could start off by teaching English, au pairing or working in tourism and hospitality, where English and German speakers are in big demand. The easiest places to find a job are in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Sevilla. Another option, and this is our secret tip, to make your dream of living in Spain come true, is finding a job in Gibraltar. Gibraltar lies on the bottom tip of Spain and is a territory of the United Kingdom. It is a tiny place, but due to very competitive tax breaks, has many international companies (especially in the field of gaming) with plenty of job opportunities for English speakers. The average wage is as high in the UK and paid in pounds and most people commute from Spain, to take advantage of the low cost of living. Get our guide on how to get a job in Gibraltar while living in Spain here…
8. Australia
Who doesn’t want to go to Australia. The laid-back lifestyle of the Aussies and the beautiful nature with wide golden beaches, all year sunshine and clear blue skies are a huge draw for many young people wanting to emigrate to Australia. The Australian economy is booming and has not experienced a recession in over 27 years.There is a significant increase in the labor market with over 400,000 jobs created in 2017. While immigration regulation has become tighter over the years, there are more than 400 professions in the skilled Occupations List. The Skilled Occupations List, also called Australian List, is used as part of the Australian points system for immigration. The list ranges from engineers, to IT developers, midwives to plumbers and if you are skilled in one of the occupations on this list and you stand a good chance of getting a work visa. Check the list here…
Even if you are not eligible for a working visa, you can still go to Australia temporarily and work. For this you need a Working Holiday Visa. Getting a working holiday visa is relatively easy and costs around $460 with a turn around time of around 3 days. With this type of Visa you can stay and work in Australia for up to 12 months. If you have no specific experience you can find work on one of Australias many farms, in the hospitality sector waiting tables or pulling pints, in an office as a temp, in child care to finance your stay. While this may not advance your career, you will for sure have the experience of a lifetime.
7. Canada
Oh how we love Canada. If you do not mind cold winters, Canada is an excellent choice for relocation. Canadians are known for their kindness, and the countray offers universal healthcare and a socially progressive government. You will be able to find a vast amount of international jobs in a variety of industries from IT, banking, telecommunications to teaching or plumbing. No matter if you speak French or English, foreign professionals are highly sought after in Canada. Canada is one of the most diverse countries with over one-fifth of Canadians born elsewhere. Imagine in Toronto more than half the population was born outside Canada.Until the end of 2020, Canada will welcome more than 1 million new permanent residents. You have a good chance of securing a permanent resident visa, if you are between 18 and 35 years of age and have a university degree and work experience under your belt. It will be especially easy for you if your are a skilled IT professional. Canada is facing a massive shortage of IT workers and it is expected that the country will not be able to fill 180,000 vacancies by 2019. Especially popular are consultants, IT, graphic designers and business analysts.
6. Austria
Vienna has been named, for the ninth year consecutively, the best city in the world for quality of living by the Mercer Quality of Living survey. Austria in provides a stable environment for expats with very high personal safety, an excellent health care system, great transportation facilities, an excellent school system and a vibrant culture. The best place for finding a well-paid job in Austria is Vienna. Austria has a healthy economy, with lots of employment opportunities in the service and tourism sector, medical and scientific research and in the IT industry. Austria is becoming more international and even if you do not speak German, you will be able to find a well-paid job in multi-national companies such as Red Bull, Siemens, Novomatic and Magna International. The United Nations and the IAEA is headquartered in Vienna and there are a lot of opportunities there for skilled professionals. Vienna also has a thriving start up community, so if you want to start your own business you will find many likeminded individuals there.
While holders of EU passports are free to work in Austria, expats from outside the EU will need to quality for a Red-White-Red Card. Your chances of eligibility of the Red-White-Red Card depends on your level of skills and professional qualifications, work experience, language ability and your previous salary levels. More information on the Point scoring system can be found here….
Watch out for Part 2 of this post for the our list of top 5 countries to emigrate to!