Posted on August 30, 2010
Photo attribution to albertopveiga
Imagine working abroad for the first time, armed with all the information you need to successfully acclimate yourself to the work environment, social scene and overall cultural customs? That is where Goinglobal steps in. Goinglobal is committed to providing you with an arsenal of career information and resources to ease the transition abroad and help you be prepared before you leave. We have career country guides for over 30 countries, written by in-country researchers, that help you as a professional regardless of whether you are a novice or seasoned expat.
Every week, we will feature an insight from one of our career guides to help you achieve your dream of working internationally.
Photo attribution to learnscope
Today’s insight: A brief overlook of visas in Peru
The visa process is generally straightforward but be sure to begin the visa application process in well in advance of any travel dates. Also, it is possible to work in Peru while there as a student, but it is necessary to find an employer that is willing to offer its support in order to obtain a business visa.
Business Visas
Nationals of all countries require a business visa in order to work in Peru on a temporary basis. A business visa is not required to attend meetings or conferences. Business visa holders can remain in Peru for up to 90 days.
Student Visas
Students studying in Peru can receive a student visa that is valid for 90 days. For students studying in Peru for more than 90 days, the visa must be renewed every 90 days at an Oficina de Migraciones.
Work Permits
A resident working visa is the only document required to work in a Peruvian company. There is no separate work permit document.
Are you interested in learning more about living and working in Peru? Check out the Peru Country Guide and many more at www.goinglobal.com.
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on August 27, 2010
Whether you aspire to live, work or study in another country or if you are already doing that, then the word “expat” is part of your everyday language. In the most general sense, an “expat” is anyone who is temporarily or permanently living in a country other than the one where they claim citizenship. If that is you, then you are in the right place.
Every time you become an expat, you go through the learning curve of planning, moving and acclimating to that new culture. At first the learning curve is steep, but once you get a hang of it, it becomes easier and easier.
That is what the Expatacular tips are all about. Making your first or next expat move easier. If you have any to suggest, leave them in the comments or send us a message.
Worldwide SIM cards. Photo attribution to mroach.
Today’s Tip: The Art of the SIM Card
Thank you to Katie Warner from Austin, Texas for this Expatacular tip!
The fear of not staying connected is one of the biggest hesitations of anyone moving abroad. Thankfully with the ease of using SIM cards on compatible GSM phones, racking up huge international phone bills to talk to loved ones or signing long-term phone contracts when you are only living in the country short-term, have become a thing of the past.
What is a SIM card? Basically it is a portable hard drive for your phone. Your SIM stores your contacts, text messages and allows you to easily switch account information between other compatible GSM devices. The advantage for international travelers is that you can buy SIM cards as you travel from country to country. This grants you the ability to pay as you go, permits you to access local cell phone coverage, and you only pay for the in-country minute charges rather than accruing roaming charges.
Here are some tips to reap the benefits of utilizing SIM cards as an expat or international traveler:
- Check to make sure your phone has SIM card capabilities. While the majority of phones do, there are still some carriers, particularly in the US, that sell phones without SIM cards. To find out if your phone has a SIM card, remove the battery and you will see the small stamp size chip in the back.
- If your phone does have a SIM card, make sure that your phone is unlocked. To test whether your phone is unlocked, borrow a SIM card from a friend and place it in your phone. If it reads the data from your friend’s card, then your phone is unlocked. Otherwise, you will have to get your phone unlocked.
- To unlock your phone, you can do a variety of things. You can go to a phone store where they will unlock it for you (there is usually a fee associated with this) or you can also trouble-shoot unlocking it for free using online tools. Check out Road Warrior’s resources for unlocking FAQ’s.
- After you’ve gone through the above steps, go to a store where they sell phones and purchase your SIM card. Aim to buy a card that already has minutes included on it. After those minutes have been used, you simply buy minutes as you go. Ask the store’s staff to identify the best places where to buy minutes. You would be surprised where minutes are available in some countries (like Newsstands and Grocery Stores).
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on August 12, 2010
Whether you aspire to live, work or study in another country or if you are already doing that, then the word “expat” is part of your everyday language. In the most general sense, an “expat” is anyone who is temporarily or permanently living in a country other than the one where they claim citizenship. If that is you, then you are in the right place.
Every time you become an expat, you go through the learning curve of planning, moving and acclimating to that new culture. At first the learning curve is steep, but once you get a hang of it, it becomes easier and easier.
That is what the Expatacular tips are all about. Making your first or next expat move easier. If you have any to suggest, leave them in the comments or send us a message.
Today’s tip: Calculate your cost of living
One of the largest adjustments when to moving to a new country is how much things cost relative to what you are used to. Prepare yourself before you go. Know how much money you will need to have an equivalent lifestyle of what you have today. This will help you to negotiate your salary better (if you are moving for a job), gauge a better price point for housing, and give you a sense of what general living expenses are like.
Cost of living calculators tend to be rather nebulous. Expatistan gives clarity to the ambiguous space of cost of living calculators. This free application does a cost comparison any two given cities based on Food, Housing, Clothes, Transportation, Health and Entertainment. It gives an overall picture of how much more or less you will be spending in cities around the world.
While cost of living calculators in general are a smart move, do not rely on them as your only source of information. Do some digging on local websites to get a better picture of how much money you will be spending.
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on July 13, 2010
Even cookie monster is saving his money this summer
The number one reason that people don’t work, study or travel abroad is because of their fear of not having enough money. “I could never afford that.” “I don’t have enough money saved up.” “How can I afford to work abroad when I need to pay my bills now?” The reality is that it is never too early or too late to start saving for your trip abroad.
The biggest mistake is to think that you are wasting your money. On the contrary, you are investing in your future, especially if your end goal is to have an international career. Having enough money for these international opportunities has more to do with how you spend your money rather than how much money you have in this present moment.
We have outlined a 5-step process to get you on saving for that dream international opportunity. With the right planning and making slight adjustments to your everyday spending habits, that dream will turn into a reality.
1. Get organized
Sounds simple right? Well it is. Start by looking at how much money you have at your disposal today. Sort out your expenses and what you need to leave covered for your temporary hiatus.
2. Figure out how much you need (comfort is not expensive)
How much money do you need to cover your expenses abroad based on what you are making at your international job? Your expenses will be pretty straight forward (e.g. accommodation, food, entertainment, transportation & travel). Calculate your monthly cost of living and make that your magical ‘savings number’.
3. Go on a spending diet
There are two best spending diets to go on…before you leave and while you are there. Before you leave, cut the extra spending areas that are unnecessary. Whether it is the Starbucks, the late night partying or Netflix, the long-term international reward will be higher. On the other spectrum, the best way to cut spending while abroad is to eat in, stay with roommates and use public transportation.
4. Get a job
With your magic number in mind, the next step is to start making money. The type of job is irrelevant to your long term The two essential elements here…what is your timeline and how much are you setting aside every week? Essential number 1: Timeline – How much time do you to work in your home country to reach your magic number? Essential number 2: Setting money aside: No matter what, stick to a weekly plan to set money aside (even if it is only $20). If you only save $20 a week for 4 months, you have already saved $320.
5. Track your progress
Your plan is set. You know your goal and are working to get there. Now it’s time to watch your savings grow. As you start gaining traction and realizing that your trip is a reality, it will motivate you to keep saving more and more. From my experience, I started little and as my pot of gold became larger, I saved more.
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on May 20, 2010
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.
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on April 13, 2010
Doing your research (Photo attribution to -Snugg-)
Being prepared before you move abroad for your internship, study or travel experience is a surefire way to have an experience that will enrich your career. Preparation involves obvious things like having the correct visa arrangements, knowing your accommodations, packing the right gear, etc. Under the radar, though, is having a cultural perspective about the country that you will be calling ‘home’ for the duration of your trip. This is just as important in preparation for your trip.
Over the next week, assess your country choices and narrow it down to your top 3 countries. Use this 3-day breakdown to help you to make the most informed choice. Educating yourself about the country is the best way to circumnavigate traveling to scope out your destination if that may not be an option.
Day 1 (Approximate time: 30 min) Choose your target countries
Think of why you want to live in that country and how it fits into your personal beliefs and likes. Consider the physical landscape, language, culture, business etiquette and any other factors that contribute to your overall experience. Sometimes we disregard the importance of these considerations and how they affect our adventures abroad. Check online resources like globalEDGE or Lonely Planet to help you research the specifics. Narrow your country choices down to 3 countries.
Day 2 (Approximate time: 30 min) Define the best cities based
Continue to narrow down your focus by choosing the cities best suited for the type of experience you are looking for. This is largely determined whether you are looking to work, study or travel and whether or not you need to be in a metropolitan area. There are pros and cons of living in a cities of different sizes. It all depends on the type of experience you are looking to have.
Day 3 (Approximate time: 1 hr) Calculate your cost-of-living
You need to know the amount of money needed to sustain yourself when moving abroad. Not only will this allow you to save accordingly, but also givse you the foresight of what to expect once you are there. The last thing you want to do is run out of money a month into your international experience. Your cost-of-living barometer incorporates the expenses you may incur while living abroad like housing, transportation, personal care, food and entertainment. Check on travel forums like Thorntree or websites local websites like Gumtree or Craigslist international to get a sense of what people your age are spending on food, housing and entertainment when traveling to those countries. If possible, calculate a per diem cost and multiply that by the days that you will spend in that country.
How do you do your country research? What other tips and resources can you suggest for someone looking to move abroad?
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on April 7, 2010
Downtown Tokyo - Photo attribution to Stuck in Customs
Our instinctive associations about going abroad is to travel, study or work internationally for a company. What happens when none of those options seem to fill us with overwhelming joy? Is there any other way to live abroad? The answer is yes. It is possible to combine your love for traveling and the need to make money by setting up shop in a foreign country. This week we explore how Neil Payne set up his business, Kwintessentials, on a laptop in a studio flat in 2004. He now oversees a company with offices in the UK, USA, Argentina, South Africa, Germany and the UAE. Here are 10 tips on how he did it.
1. Marketing
“Marketing doesn’t need to be expensive anymore,” explains Neil. You don’t need a massive budget to get customers. A simple website, fully-optimised for the search engines and in the local language is probably one of the most effective means of entering a market at very little cost. If worse comes to worse you may lose a few hundred dollars.
2. Phone Bills
Using Skype, Google Chat or any other VOIP system dramatically reduces phone bills. With Skype you can call internationally for as little as £0.02 per minute which, compared to landlines, is peanuts. “Skype has helped us in many ways”, adds Neil. “Not only can all offices conference call for pennies, but in emergencies we can even have calls forwarded via Skype to one of the other offices ensuring we never let clients down.”
3. Virtual Working
If you fancy having a go at a market, it’s not always necessary to actually have staff on the ground there. “When we first started our operations in Germany we actually had a German speaker in the UK office handling calls and emails. We still had a German number and appeared to be in Berlin through using a virtual office,” comments Neil. “Once we knew the German market was for us, we only then invested in people there.”
4. Get Funding
Governments generally want to see businesses doing well abroad. It’s good for everyone. As a result there are usually pots of funding available for companies wanting to trade abroad. UK Trade & Investment (in the UK) offer numerous incentives including Market Research, Aid-Funding and one-to-one business advice. Check what other grants may be available through local governments, enterprise incentives and the like.
5. Watch Exchange Rates
Many a decent business as been caught out by exchange rate fluctuations. “I remember many years ago when the Euro suddenly shot up against the Pound. We were losing money hand over first to our Europe based suppliers, “ states Neil. “In the end we decided we had to fix rates against the Pound so that we were always paying the same amount regardless of exchange rates.”
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
