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Working Abroad / Work Aways


Psywar

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What up muh OCC Peepz!?

 

Been thinking about this topic for some time now. I want to go out and do something different possibly life changing.

Have any of you done a Working Abroad or Work Away program?

 

If you have no idea what I am talking about this is the work away program in a nutshell:

"A few hours honest help per day in exchange for food and accommodation and an opportunity to learn about the local lifestyle and community, with friendly hosts in varying situations and surroundings."

 

If anyone has done something similar to this I am kind of looking for feedback experience and thoughts on it.

Do's / Don'ts - Pro's / Con's - Etc.

 

I really want to take it a step farther that just a few weeks to a month. I am hoping to find an accommodation for at least a year. Also doing a little more than just enough to pay for room and boarding. I want to be able to make extra money to cover my current bills. 

Currently looking for places in Ireland and Japan. 

Japan is kind of my first choice. I want to learn the culture and the language. 

 

How about you guys that have not done this before, how do you feel about it?

I signed up on workaway.info if you want to see more info on what I am doing.

 

The biggest issue I see right now for me (besides the fact I am introverted) is I just bought a 2013 Jeep last November and I am going to have to sell it for what I still owe on it so I do not have this bill to worry about. However; I am kind of certain I will get it sold. It is a beautiful and badass Jeep!

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well I have never worked outside of the u.s. but the company I work for keeps people working in TX, MO, AR, OK, and sometimes Kansas. It's why I prefer a gypsy lifestyle as its all I have done really since I was 19. I will turn 40 on Wednesday, so yup it's been a while. I have learned it takes a special kind of person to do things like this, but you usually don't know if you that kind i f person until your already in the mix

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but the JEEP!!! :(

 

I know.. I know.. It's breaking my heart to know I will have to let it go.. I keep thinking though when I get back to the States I will go out and get another one lol!

 

That's actually pretty cool, I didn't think programs like that existed. Ireland has some really breathtaking views. Japan's got great food and great urban locations to visit, definitely do take pictures of where you got to!

 

:D

 

Yeah these programs are really cool. One of my friends brother is currently doing this in Czech and he loves it. 

I will definitely get photos cuz I love doing photography!

 

well I have never worked outside of the u.s. but the company I work for keeps people working in TX, MO, AR, OK, and sometimes Kansas. It's why I prefer a gypsy lifestyle as its all I have done really since I was 19. I will turn 40 on Wednesday, so yup it's been a while. I have learned it takes a special kind of person to do things like this, but you usually don't know if you that kind i f person until your already in the mix

 

I hope I have what it takes to live the gypsy life dude.. I have about had it with everything here.

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Do it - if you don't have a kids/mortgage etc. then sell up and go you will not regret the experience. I did 3.5 yrs in Vancouver and really enjoyed it but the moving was a killer due to selling houses, having pets and kids and sorting out schools and finding somewhere else to live etc. etc.

 

Couple things to make life easier.

  • Find out about health care/dental up front as you might like to save some money up front to cover these till you get paid if its not provided.
  • See if you can arrange a bank account in your destination country before you arrive - this might be a national bank there or an international bank here.
  • Have enough savings on hand so you can fly back home quick i.e. cost of taxi, single ticket, travel to friends/family/home (think of this as your own force majeure insurance)
  • Find out what hoops you need to jump through to be able to drive (if you plan this) and if you need any letters from you current insurer.
  • Tie up any loose ends at home - being abroad and suffering identity theft can be awkward to solve.

Adventures are cool and I have yet to meet anyone that doesn't resent not having their own. Have fun and no regrets :)

 

One last point - research - I found a forum for British expats and it was incredibly useful, INCREDIBLY USEFUL!

Edited by suedenim

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Wow! Thank you!

That was actually quite informative and a lot of it I really did not even consider or think of.

The Bank for one thing I was kinda thinking how the hell am I going to pay my bills in the US while living overseas lol!

Doing some sort of International Banking would kinda just make things easier. 

 

Luckily I have nothing here other than family. So leaving really is not much of an issue.

I just have the Jeep which is mucho expensive. I doubt I can find anything overseas that will cover the cost of living/current debt/Jeep.

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International banking is a possibility, as is looking into if your current bank does eBilling. Not sure how many banks do or if it's more for the larger banks, but could be a way to stay with your current bank while overseas and still get bills paid.

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We banked with a subsidiary of HSBC in the UK as Canada also has HSBC branches but when we arrived HSBC were offering immigrant friendly bank accounts so we got one of those. Suffice to say after terrible customer service we changed banks a year later.

 

I should also have mentioned that if you don't speak the lingo you might be more interested in a bank/branch that can offer English speaking bank clerks

 

Go abroad, even if you don't answer all your questions go.

Edited by suedenim

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International banking is a possibility, as is looking into if your current bank does eBilling. Not sure how many banks do or if it's more for the larger banks, but could be a way to stay with your current bank while overseas and still get bills paid.

 

I am with Chase and I do have eBilling. Most everything is done though them as of right now.

 

 

We banked with a subsidiary of HSBC in the UK as Canada also has HSBC branches but when we arrived HSBC were offering immigrant friendly bank accounts so we got one of those. Suffice to say after terrible customer service we changed banks a year later.

 

I should also have mentioned that if you don't speak the lingo you might be more interested in a bank/branch that can offer English speaking bank clerks

 

Go abroad, even if you don't answer all your questions go.

 

I am really leaning towards going. The only real think holding me back is the Jeep I bought last year.

I am very doubtful I will find a place out there that will pay me more than my Room+Board+Food. 

So if the Jeep cannot get sold I am not sure it will be viable.

 

I also was in the process of starting up a Photography Business with 2 of my friends and my brother.

My 2 friends as of late seem to be lacking interest while I keep putting work into everything.

So the only other thing keeping me US bound besides the Jeep is the possibility of a major career/life change.

 

Other than that I have decided I want to start in Ireland. Possibly work my way around the world from there.

I wont be able to leave until Mid Jan 2014. I have some obligations I need to do here first.

So we will see..

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I haven't been around here on OCC much lately, but I thought I'd chime in on this topic since I'm currently working in South Korea.

 

I've been here for about 8 months now, and although it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows, it has been an incredible experience that I do not regret the slightest. Coming here was a tough decision, because for at least a full year, I would be away from my home, my family, and my friends. But I'm still very young, I'm not married (forever alone) and I don't own a house, car, or have any other major expenses, except for student loans. So for me, it made perfect sense to go work abroad now, before I have many other responsibilities and obligations. I know you just bought a new Jeep, but it's still not quite a life-changing responsibility that should deter you from moving abroad.

 

If Japan is your first choice, then I'd say study up on the culture before you go. Read as much as you can from other people who have lived there. I traveled to Japan this summer, and even going from Korea to Japan, I was a bit shocked by some minor cultural differences. Also, study as much of the language as you can before you go -- it will make a huge difference. At the very least, learn to read the language. From my experience in Japan, it's a lot less English friendly than Korea. Some of the smaller subway stations will have very little English, or none at all, and getting around can be a pain if you can't read it. Also, I've found that while many of the older business-professional Japanese speak English quite well, much of the younger generation do not. There has been a bit of a push for Japan to maintain its own culture in recent years, and one of the effects of that has been a decreasing amount of English education. But if you learn Japanese, people will be really impressed with you, and they'll see that you're actually interested in Japanese culture and language. So not only will these help you get through things in daily life, it will help you make new friends much faster, which brings me to my next point.

 

Meet as many people as you can, make friends, and go out as much as possible. I'm quite an introvert myself, but having some friends in a foreign country will really help cope with being away from your home, and they can be invaluable if you ever have any troubles with transportation, banking, or any other issues where communication is critical. I can't tell you how many times I've ended up on a bus to nowhere because the ticket salesman misunderstood where I wanted to go, and then had to call a friend to help me find my way back. Having friends who are fluent in Japanese will be really important to you. Not only can you learn a lot from them, but they will certainly be interested in learning about you.

 

As some have pointed out already, banking in a foreign country that doesn't use English can be frustrating as hell, but that's what your friends will be there for. Banking with a foreign bank won't be the end of the world. I use a Korean bank, and all of their ATMs and online banking have the option to use English, even though some things don't translate quite well. I send money to my US bank using my Korean banks overseas remittance, and this is where things get frustrating for me, because I'm hit with quite a bit of fees from my US bank and intermediaries. Medical care on the other hand shouldn't be a huge issue. Just make sure that you have health insurance. Not being covered in a foreign country is a scary thought. But thankfully for us English speakers, every medical doctor in the world studies English to some extent.  I've had to go to the hospital, a few medical clinics, and even the dentist, and each time we were able to communicate just fine. I live in a small, dinky town of about 3000 people, but even showing my dentist which wisdom tooth is hurting and making a yanking motion is enough to get the message across. The quality of medical care here in East Asia is some of the best in the world, so unless you have any food allergies, or some pre-existing conditions that could potentially be a problem, then you should have nothing to worry about.

 

Finally, just understand that you'll be in a foreign country for an extended period of time. Your whole life will change and you'll become a different person because of it. Whether your experience is amazing, or completely horrifying to the point where you're penniless and destitute on the other side of the world, you will be a better person with brand new experiences because of it. If there's really nothing you can think of that could hold you back from going, then by all means, do it.

 

If you have any more specific questions on life abroad, feel free to PM me.

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