You're considering working abroad for your career. What are the benefits?

Working abroad offers numerous benefits, including expanding professional networks, developing skills, discovering new opportunities, experiencing new cultures, and growing as a person. It allows individuals to meet people from diverse backgrounds, enhance their problem-solving abilities, creativity, and resilience, and expose them to diverse trends and practices. Additionally, working abroad allows individuals to experience new cultures, challenge preconceptions, and appreciate global interconnectedness. Furthermore, it encourages self-discovery, resilience-building, and exploration of new experiences, fostering personal growth and self-confidence. By embracing these benefits, individuals can enrich their personal and cultural experiences.

A hack I usually use to expand my network while working abroad is to actively participate in local professional events, workshops, and seminars related to my field. I make it a point to attend these gatherings not just as a spectator but as an engaged participant. This could mean asking questions during Q&A sessions, volunteering for activities, or even offering to speak or present on a topic I'm knowledgeable about.

In my experience working abroad could be tough especially if the new country is very culturally different from yours. Anyway on the contrary you can learn a lot of new things and have a new perspective on work.

In my experience learning the language of a new country is a must so it is the culture. Skills can be acquired by exchanging our knowledge with the new colleagues at work.

You'll gain many skills and experiences if you decide to work in another country, like learning a new language and having the chance to practice in your day-to-day activities (even if you speak the same language, you'll learn local slang and enrich your knowledge), gain better communication and problem-solving skills because of several situations you may face in a new place, and being more resilient to changes and challenges. Those skills, and more, will also translate in your work environment, making you a better asset.

Staying abroad can develop in your mind different skills that you never thought to have when in your own country. So it happened to me: from Architecture to Cuisine to Travel etc... New opportunities can be endless if you try.

Working overseas provides opportunities to engage in a diverse culture both inside and outside of work. Some things that are different but taken for granted by local work culture in some jurisdictions are the fact that salaries are paid monthly, the more traditional attitudes of HR defending the company at all costs, or longer parental leave for childbirth. Outside of work there is greater opportunities to experience the social culture (happy hours), local cuisine, and the opportunities to travel to nearby countries for work or holidays.

Even though the saying "your co-workers are not your friends" is largely true even when working overseas, there are some exceptions to this rule. This usually applies to co-workers that are not directly working with you or work in another location despite being in the same company. This approach led to some long-lasting and positive friendships if not good acquaintances. Working abroad also helped figure things out that I may not have known about myself with the help of friends and some loved ones. Overall, I had a more fulfilling experience outside of work than at work during my time overseas.

Also make sure to be aware of current events and geopolitical changes when working overseas. There have been too many anecdotes of uninformed Canadians taking jobs overseas only to leave a few years later because they were not clued in on the declining freedoms or poor quality of life for families in that country or jurisdiction they chose to work abroad.