If you want to work abroad for a long time or emigrate to another country, the question is what you need for this. The step to be taken can be a very drastic decision for yourself, your career, but also relational ties can come under strain. Thorough preparation is necessary for emigration. What are some useful tips if you are suddenly given the opportunity to work abroad?
Working abroad for a long time
- What are your objectives?
- Finding a job
- Learn the language in advance
- Vaccinations for long-term work abroad
- Translate and legalize diplomas
- Renew passport and driver’s license
- Visa and work permit
- What about your partner?
What are your objectives?
Going to work abroad is no small step and has many implications. You must be convinced of yourself that you can do more with a job abroad. This means that you must have good references that make you stand out in order to be able to do a certain job. Set the bar high and stand out. Working internationally means that you have to be ready and that you know that sometimes you have to make tough decisions. Make sure your objectives are clear, so that you can work abroad without any problems. How can you prepare for a quick departure?
Finding a job
If you are unemployed and would like to work abroad, it can be a difficult task. Because you have time on your hands, you have time to do some research. Many other European companies are active abroad and are registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce of that country, often called the Chamber of Commerce of the Netherlands. Other European companies have also established themselves in the country and it is therefore necessary to contact the chamber of commerce as well. You can often get a free list of companies located in the country via the internet. Once you have obtained those lists, you can start checking them off. Write to the most suitable companies and request an interview in the Netherlands or possibly on site. Take the initiative and be convincing so that you can get an interview. You may also find a job not related to your own field. Consider whether this is what you want to do or whether you are looking further. Taking on such a job can be a springboard to finding the most suitable job at another local company.
Learn the language in advance
If you are going to work abroad, it can be useful to learn the language. If you have a specific country in mind where you would like to work, focus on that language. English is a world language, but you also come into contact with speakers of other languages. It may also happen that you arrive in a country where English is not a primary means of communication. It may be necessary for you to take a language course in advance because it promotes understandable communication. You want to work in this specific country, so make sure you speak the local language. This improves your bond with local employees, but you can also integrate more efficiently within that society. This advice is completely applicable if you want to emigrate to the country and therefore stay there forever.
Vaccinations for long-term work abroad
We are vaccinated against DPTP, or Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus and Polio as standard. If you go on holiday abroad, you often need to be vaccinated against Hepatitis A, this already applies to a number of European countries. If you go to work abroad, more specific diseases will arise against which you must be vaccinated. Consider, for example, the more contagious Hepatitis B, Malaria, TB or the Dengue virus. If you intend to work in a certain country, get vaccinated in time so that you are protected for the long term. If you happen to get a job in another country, you will often be adequately vaccinated with additional vaccinations. Always have your vaccinations recorded in the yellow passport. For more information or an appointment, visit the GGD.
Translate and legalize diplomas
You never know what will happen next when you are at work. You may be working for a long time, but it may also happen that the employment contract is terminated prematurely by you or the employer. You are abroad and other opportunities may be available. In order to make your capabilities clear to other companies, it is necessary to submit your diplomas. A diploma in Dutch is of course meaningless and so you must translate and legalize the diplomas. If you have a diploma, you must first have it legalized by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. To this end, you can write to the IB Group or the DUO in Groningen’s Diploma Recognition and Legalization department and send your diploma. Your diploma will be returned legalized. You then have to take the legalized document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now your diploma is ready for translation. Have it translated, after which you can have the original document and the translation legalized at the consulate of the country in question. Once all documents have been legalized, you can make it clear abroad what kind of education you have had and the associated capabilities and specializations.
Renew passport and driver’s license
Good advice is that you have your passport and driver’s license renewed immediately before leaving the Netherlands. This way, your passport or driver’s license can immediately last ten years. You can therefore postpone the hassle of renewing things abroad until a later time. In many countries outside Europe you also need an international driving license. You can request this from the ANWB, which is valid for one year from the date of issue. Once you have been on site for a while, you can apply for a local driver’s license via normal roads, for which you often do not have to demonstrate driving skills. A statement from the hospital regarding the good condition of your body must be included. You can obtain this at the local clinic after a short medical check. Please note that due to bureaucracy you will have to wait a number of hours before you can take the actual eyesight and brake test. You can often receive your driver’s license from that country after waiting half or a whole day.
Show a work permit
If you go to work abroad, you will have to deal with visas and work permits. This is not the case within Europe, but if you are going to work outside Europe you will need it and it will be arranged once you have already arrived. However, for countries with a visa requirement, you must already apply for a business visa in the Netherlands at the consulate of the country, based on a statement from the company you will be working for. The letter from the company must clearly state your name, date of birth and passport number, so that the business visa can be issued on the basis of that letter. The purpose of this visa is to enter the country based on the intention to work for the company, but it must often be replaced by a work visa from the country itself combined with a work permit. Make sure you respond quickly. If you get a job at a company abroad, you must quickly arrange a plane ticket but also a business visa. Plan your actions well and do not fly until you actually have the visa in your passport.
What about your partner?
If you have a partner or family, the question is whether you let them come along. An important position may include that family members can move with you, but a job abroad will often only involve the departure of one person. In other words, a family or relationship can be torn apart. So it is up to you to decide what you are going to do. If you are single and renting a home, everything is simply much easier. Consider whether it is wise to take the step, but you have often already made that decision in advance. Working abroad is your goal and that may mean that other aspects of your life have to make way for it. Prepare well so that when you find a job abroad you can quickly pack your bags and leave.
read more
- Cross-border work: looking for work across the national border during a recession
- Benefits of working after retirement age
- Keep your job by working with the elbow
- What to do to get a job abroad?
- Recovering work from abroad via resourcing after outsourcing