Why you should try working abroad

The games industry is many things to many people, but near the top of that list is certainly how international it is. There are thousands of studios based in dozens of countries, where people from almost any country you can think of are making games that will be played from Canada to New Zealand and everywhere in-between. And with the global reach of the games industry comes an opportunity for those working in it to experience that reach first-hand, taking a leap and moving to another country – or even another continent.

Living abroad can come with a huge number of benefits, so let’s discuss how working in a new country could be a huge boost to you in your career and in your personal life too!

More money in your pocket

Let’s not beat around the bush here, when it comes down to it, this is what jobs are all about. If you’re in the UK, you’re probably earning a decent salary, but what you might not know is that you can get paid just as much, if not more, by moving abroad. Not only that, but if you’re living and working somewhere with a high cost of living, like London for example, there’s a good chance that moving abroad can help dramatically reduce your cost of living. Working abroad can give you the wombo combo of better wages and less spending making sure you get to spend your hard-earned cash on the things you want instead of your extortionate energy bills.

Career Progression

And the benefits don’t stop with just an extra bit of money in your pocket, they can affect your job itself. While moving company can often come with a higher position than your previous one, moving abroad to work can have additional benefits to you career in the long term. International experience shows to higher-ups that you’re confident, motivated, adaptable and more, illustrating exactly all your greatest strengths right out of the gate. Research has shown that working abroad and gaining that international experience leads to faster promotions, as in an industry as global as the games industry, any experience of working internationally can be incredibly useful to companies, especially in senior and leadership roles.

Meet New People

Networking is such a key part of work nowadays, and the games industry is no exception to that. Building a network of peers and friends can be incredibly useful for anything in your work or even personal life, so why limit that to just the people working in one area of the industry? Every country you could work in is filled with people with novel ideas and experiences, and working with them can teach you new and innovative ways of doing things that you wouldn’t have known otherwise, as well as of course being a great chance to meet some incredible people, what’s not to love?

Experiencing Culture

Now this is an obvious one, and it’s probably one of the main reasons why people want to work abroad – experiencing living in another country. Whether you go somewhere more similar to where you’re from, like a UK to USA move, or somewhere completely different, like China or Japan, you’ll be sure to have some incredible experiences, taking part in and learning about other countries and broadening your horizons.

Learning a New Language

Like me, you’ve probably picked up Duolingo to brush up on your French from school, or tried learning Swedish or Dutch or another language you picked out of thin air, and given up after about two weeks. Well that’s because the best way to learn a language is to use it! Moving abroad is the perfect chance to immerse yourself in a language and pick it up by actually using it every day and learning useful vocabulary - no more of this “the girl is playing football" nonsense. I myself spent a year living in Germany while at university and improved my German more in one year there than I did in years of studying it in at home, so this is a first-hand recommendation!

It’s Not Forever

Some people move to a different country and fall in love with it, staying there for the rest of their lives, and for others it’s just a temporary thing, and there’s no reason why the same can’t be said for you. Living abroad isn’t for everyone, and if after a year you decide that living abroad just isn’t for you, there’s nothing stopping you from returning back home, bringing all the experiences and skills you developed in your time away. You might even stay for a few years and decide to move home or head somewhere else, but the same still applies – by giving it a shot and moving to a different country, you’ll come out the other side with a wealth of experience and knowledge that you otherwise wouldn’t have and be a better person for it.

So the next time you’re looking for a new role, and you’re only looking at the city you live in, why not check out Berlin, Tokyo, Prague and more, because it might just be the start of an incredible new adventure.?