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| Top 5 Issues Expats May Face in Europe |
Are you planning to live in a non-native country or do you already live there? Are you aware of the issues you may face? One way or another, it is necessary to have a good piece of advice on how to solve such problems as choosing the right expatriate health insurance, adapting to the new culture, finding new friends and so on and so forth. In other words, you need some really effective tips to create a good atmosphere in your new life. So, here are the list of top 5 issues expats may face and ways they can prepare themselves, so that they are not as concerned about these issues.
1. Cultural Difference and Social Adaptation
The most important issues when moving to live abroad are social adaptation and cultural difference. For some people it is difficult to make new friends in an unknown country, city etc. They are afraid they might be taken the wrong way or will not be understood. In reality, it is not reasonable fear. There is nothing wrong if local citizens find you to be unusual. Because of this uniqueness you will likely catch their attention. Thus, your new neighbors, colleges etc. would be glad to learn about your native country, culture and traditions. It is a good idea to organize a small party in your new dwelling inviting people, whom you meet at work, school and so on.
Actually, no matter where you live, social networks (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) and other communities (e.g. Couchsurfing) are online to help you find the same expats as you are, new friends and keep in touch with your family and old friends.
The best idea is to live life in such way, so that you have no time for homesick and missing.
Another issue is different mentality. Adapting to new principles is not so easy. Some of them could not be clear for you and might not have reasons and bedrocks. Some countries may have huge cultural differences and traditions that are so alien to your own. That is why it can be really hard to see how you can ever fit in. To reach a level of comfort and integration in such issues you just need to try to immerse in the essence of this single country, its traditions and customs.
2. Language barriers
It is one of the worst feelings when you don't understand what people are talking about. Some languages are easier to learn, others are more difficult. Therefore, try to be patient because understanding of the foreign language will take time. However, this barrier should not prevent you from achieving your life goals. First, if you know English, it means you won't be lost almost anywhere. Second, even if you don't think you are apt to foreign languages, be sure you will start using new words really soon. Our mind and memory are much smarter than we think. They absorb new words very quickly and put them in the passive vocabulary that will start working for you one day. No learning of a new language could be better than learning it while living in this language society.
3. Career concern
Nowadays job worries affect all the people due to the global economic instability. Certainly, job concern for expats is far higher because they are less aware of potential career opportunities. It is a normal desire to be sure that your job will guarantee good conditions and a career growth. So, in order not to be in trouble you should carefully research types of job you are looking for. Next, you should find out whether the skills requirements differ from what you used to have in your home country. The best thing is to prepare several job variants in order to have a backup plan in case life presents unexpected challenges for you.
4. Insurance: Health and Travel
The other important issues expats tend to worry about are healthcare and insurance. The same as cultural phenomena these factors may also differ depending on the country. In addition, expats may not have the same level of access to the healthcare system as the local population. In order to avoid the problems you should, first, do an extensive research into the facilities and medical amenities available in a country. Second, once you know what is not available, you can start thinking about how to plan to access anything you may need. Third, is to ask questions. Speak to other expats and ask for their experience. As for travel insurance, it is the fact that expats more likely prefer buying policies from the company they used in their home country. Unfortunately, many companies offer their service only at the local and national levels. However, there are some companies that provide any service world-wide. Therefore, try to work with international providers offering insurance globally based on your requirements.
5. Standard of Living
The majority of expats when moving abroad expect to achieve a better or equal standard of living to what they used to have. Certainly, it will depend on your job and career. However, the principal goal is to reach the stage when salary may afford you a better standard of living. And again the only right decision is to ask fellow expats, who have already faced such situations, for their experience.
Also you should know that some problems (for example, corruption) are impossible to understand and are hard to fight. Facing such issues there is no sense to fight against them alone. It could just bring you to even more troubles. So, try to be careful and attentive.
To sum up, you should always remember that there are plenty of expats blogs and forums where you could find out any information to get ready for all the obstacles expats may face. Certainly, there will still be issues you could not cover in advance, although at least you can be sure you did your best.