Real Advice from Real Expats: The Pros and Cons of Living and Working Abroad

Whether you are choosing a life-long international career or a one-time ordeal, starting a life as an expat can be a daunting experience. There are people in your life that will encourage you to pursue that opportunity and there will inevitably be people telling you that you are crazy. Sometimes the hardest part is paving your own road, albeit of others opinions.

At the same token, the opinions of people who believe in the long-term benefit of your international experience will undoubtedly help you achieve the dream of being an expat. There are two essential factors that contribute to making your decision easier: will it help your career and/or will it add to your overall life experience? The best source of wisdom is from people who have already achieved ‘the dream’. When I decided to do an ‘around the world trip’ after college, I sought the advice of people had had this experience. What I found was not only invaluable advice on the logistics of how to do it, but also a life long connection of friends who share my love for culture and worldwide adventure.

We asked our LinkedIn group to share their advice on the pros and cons of living and working abroad. These current and former expats have the perspective of someone who has ‘been there, done that’. Read their insights below and how going abroad has impacted their lives and careers.

Alyson Kilday
Owner: Creative Design Agency

Positives: It opens up your mind in a whole new way that is not possible unless you lived and worked in another culture. Everything becomes an adventure…especially grocery shopping!

Concerns: Everything becomes an adventure…some days you just want to be able to wake up, live your life, and go to sleep without every thing being a challenge. When your having a downer day this constant need to be alert can be difficult and challenging.

Leon Dawson (鲁旸)
Mandarin Fluent Marketing Professional with Legal Background

Positives: After college, I moved to China for about 5 years. It was the most amazing period of my life. As most people have mentioned, living/working/studying in a radically different environment has a profound effect on your perspective on many levels. I think it’s important to remember that the people of our host countries are also trying to figure us out. It is important to understand their cultural perspective and not allow ourselves to judge them according to the norms of our own cultures.

Concerns: I think the only con for me was being 8K miles from many of the people I knew and only being able to see them sporadically. But, all the new friends and adventures in my host country made the occasional homesickness more than tolerable.

David Elmo
Market & Product Development Specialist

Positives: You come to understand the world and issues from other perspectives, which has a profound impact upon your ability to analyze. You tend to have the opportunity to meet many people as others are interested in the opportunity of exposure to people outside of their norm.
Concerns: If you are not open to new things, new perspectives, and different ways of doing things (even very basic things) then you will quickly become depressed. Living abroad requires the ability to be open to adventure. Don’t live abroad if you are not willing to explore.

Janet Jones
Senior Associate Director at Rutgers University

Positives: Becoming an expert problem solver, a more effective communicator, and a resourceful individual. Beyond things like adventure, risk taking and comfort with diversity, I think these additional soft skills are of great interest to employers.

Concerns: Not everyone back home “gets it” and may not value or appreciate what you bring to the table.

Eduardo Antonio Ordóñez Bueso
MBA Student at INCAE

Positives: Your experiences and points of view do give you an edge. The soft skills you develop and your whole outlook on life is enhanced. Finally, you’ll always have great stories to share back at home.

Concerns: In my experience, there’s always the fact that you are “the foreigner.” Even though you may fit in and develop relationships with people abroad, not every country gives you the chance to feel completely assimilated. Conversely, there are some countries where you might be willing to “drag and drop” your own country’s life into!

Sarah Novak, CPCC
Global Career and Lifestyle Designer for Expatriates
Positives: I’ve only been living overseas for 8 months, but I feel as if I’ve already been exposed to a good variety of pros and cons. I find that it’s easier to get welcomed into social groups overseas. You can  quickly create friends without the year-long “get to know you” period. I also like the constant sense of exploration and discovery. It’s very stimulating.

Concerns: We’re with the Embassy, so I think it’s going to be challenging to relocate my business every few years. That being said, social media has been a great way to create a global business network that won’t be as impacted when I physically move!

Neil Camacho
Career Services Director at INCAE Business School -

Positives: You come to understand the world and issues from REAL perspectives. In more detail, the perspectives the WORLD has and not only the ones our country, region or culture. Then this is very attractive for companies, especially multinationals or those trying to grow in different countries and cultures. So, if you have international experience you add more value to a company.

Concerns: NOTHING

Valentina Pollini
Career Advisor at EADA

Positives: I think it’s such a great experience that opens your mind completely. It makes you grow up faster than your colleagues, more independent and ready to solve any difficult situation. I started studying abroad when I was 14 before England, than Scotland, Ireland and US. Nowadays everything it’s easier. You can find what you need to know on the Internet but, at that time, life in a foreign country was a total “discovery”. I currently live in Spain and I highly recommend young people to travel, study or live abroad for a while, after that you see the world under different eyes.

What have you experienced as an expat? What are your pros and cons? Share your experiences in the comments, on the Facebook page or on the LinkedIn group discussion.