Where to find out about living abroad?

[mommyoffive]

This is something that might be out in the distance for us.  It is always sort of brought up at jobs for dh.

 

Where do you go to find out more about living abroad?

 

Who has done this? 

Where did you live?

Did you love it or hate it?

Would you do it again?

 

Basically what advice would you give to someone who is thinking about doing this?

 

Where you able to homeschool in that country?

 

The current country I know nothing about.  It is Prague, Czech Republic. 

 

Tell me everything.

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

There are expat websites one can do basic research at. Most transnational corporations that relocate employees often (i.e. oil/mineral rights companies) have a relocation office internal to the company that can help with transitional housing, etc. As to the legality of homeschooling, it varies from country to country. Sometimes different rules apply if you are a non-citizen there for a limited amount of time. 

[Aiden]

It can be a wildly different experience depending on where you go and which organization sends you. Some organizations provide a lot of support; others provide almost none. In your shoes, I'd want to talk to someone in the company who's been there done that or who is in a position to know--and be honest about--the support that is or is not provided by the company.

 

I like to find blogs written by expats living in the location to which I'm moving when possible--it isn't always easy or even possible to find those blogs, but sometimes they're out there. Do a search for "blog expat City Country," and you'll at least find the biggest expat websites, whether they have blogs from your location or not. Laws, enforced laws, customs ... they all vary wildly from country to country, but you should be able to find out at least the letter of the law via Google.

[Lanny]

One must fully understand the tax implications involved, if one is a U.S. Citizen or a Legal resident of the USA. The USA is one of two (2) countries in the world that tax based on citizenship, rather than on location. The other country is some country in Africa that I can't remember.

There are tax treaties between the USA and some countries, to avoid double taxation. The USA taxes on worldwide income, which is one reason so many U.S. Corporations have $ overseas that they will not repatriate to the USA, because the U.S.  tax rate is so high.

 

The other big thing is that one must be prepared for fluctuations in the value of the U.S. Dollar. The Dollar was extremely weak, for approximately 10 years, but during the past 10 or 11 months has become very strong. Strong is good for purchasing power. Weak is bad for purchasing power.

 

Look before you leap!

 

The ACA web site will explain many issues involving Overseas Americans, such as U.S. and foreign banks cancelling their accounts and/or U.S. and foreign banks refusing to deal with Overseas Americans. This is the URL of the Home Page of ACA:

https://americansabroad.org/

 

There are approximately 7.5 million Overseas Americans and if we were a state, we would have more clout than many states have.

 

I moved to Colombia 20 years ago and am very happy with my choice of a host country.  I had planned to move to Mexico and I looked at Venezuela and am thankful that I moved to Colombia.

 

You must have a visa from the host country that permits you to live and work there.

 

I file my U.S. tax returns with TaxACT and I pay an Accountant (an expert and I rarely apply that word to people) to prepare my Colombian tax return, which makes a U.S. tax return look *incredibly* simple. 

 

I agree that for a Resume, time spent working overseas is probably seen as a big plus by employers.

 

There are pluses and minuses for every place you might consider.  There is no paradise.

[Amira]

You should be able to find lots of good information about Prague.  A lot of other countries, not so much.  If your dh's company is sending you, you should be able to get some information from them. I like to use Talesmag.  Someone here recommended it to me 10 years ago before we moved to Kyrgyzstan the first time and I've used it a lot since.   I've always asked here for advice and it's wonderful if you can find a good blog about it, like Aiden suggested.

 

As for your other questions, we've lived with kids in Mexico, twice in Kyrgyzstan, and we're moving to Saudi Arabia soon.  I LOVE it and obviously keep doing it.  Not all of my kids love it though, and we've had completely different experiences in different places depending in why we were there there, how much money we had, which city it was, and so much more.  It's all rather unpredictable.

 

Since this is through your dh's employer, I recommend being very clear about the specific benefits you'd receive as an expat and make sure you're satisfied with them before you go.  You'll want them in writing- a verbal agreement that they'll fly you to the US once a year won't necessarily work. It makes a big difference if you have help with housing and transportation when you arrive.  Also, your husband will show up and have work to do and probably someone to show him what to do (not always though- that's something to think about too if he'll be largely on his own).  You will show up and be expected to figure out how to live daily life without a lot of help. Even if there are other spouses there to help you, they're not going to be around all the time they way your husband's coworkers will be at work.  That's challenging when you're also trying to help your children through the transition.  Prague would be an amazing place to live but it really is different to live anywhere as an expat rather that visiting.  Better, in my opinion, but it comes with its own set of challenges.

 

We've always homeschooled overseas. Few countries actively disallow it, most don't technically allow it but no one will care if you do it, and many have homeschooling laws you can follow.  Even if you do want to homeschool, I recommend making sure that your employer is willing to pay for an international school and is also flexible about paying for homeschooling stuff if you choose that.  Many are becoming more open to paying for homeschooling because it's usually much cheaper than an international school.

 

What to do about learning the local language is always complicated.  Unless you have a lot of advance notice, you will likely be very busy before you move and, if you're moving to Prague, for example, you won't necessarily have the time or mental energy to spend on Czech.  However, your expat life will be hugely enriched if you speak the local language.  It truly makes a big difference.  But it's also important to be realistic and know that learning a language takes a lot of time and effort and you may not be able to dedicate yourself to it because of the nature of expat life.  At the very least, learn to read script if you don't already know it, learn the numbers, and learn friendly greetings before you go.

[Laura Corin]

Who has done this? Us

Where did you live? (Single) France, Taiwan, China, USA (Family) Hong Kong, China

Did you love it or hate it? Loved most of it

Would you do it again?  Probably not, but I lived most of my adult life overseas, so I feel like staying put now.

 

Things to consider: what kind of visa will you have - you can't just turn up; is there a taxation agreement so you don't end up paying double; if a company is sending you, will they pay for trips home or repatriation at the end of a contract; what kind of medical care is available and how much will medical insurance cost that will repatriate you in emergency; how will you feel if your children don't want to come back to the US at the end of it, of come back then set off travelling again; do you have responsibility for elderly parents or other relatives; is home education legal and if not, what are the local schools like; if you have a house in the States, what will happen to it while you are away; what kind of financial package will you have and how will that relate to living expenses; do you like the climate and what are the pollution levels; will you drive and what are the road manners like; how will it be home educating without the possibility of dual enrollment for highschool, and will you be able to get in-state tuition for college; will one of your children want/need to go back to the US for college while you are still overseas, and how will s/he and you feel about that; how do you feel about learning foreign languages and living day-in-day-out with foreign customs that you can't do anything about because you are a guest in the country?......  That kind of thing.

 

I'm not trying to discourage you, but it's really better to think through the practicalities....