Every expat story is unique. As are the struggles we all encounter at points along the way. That doesn’t mean, however, that a few friendly tips won’t go a long way. So in this caring, sharing spirit, the directives below are designed to encompass the universal difficulties of refiring your career as an expatriate. It is nothing sage. Just common sense. Regard – or disregard – at your leisure.

VISA ISSUES

Find out in advance the requirements for working in your new place of abode. Do you need a visa? If so, can you apply in advance to minimise the wait once you arrive? In my case the answer to both these questions was ‘yes’. However by failing to act on the second, I effectively subjected myself to eight months of career Limbo. Needless to say, when it came time to move to France I didn’t make the same mistake twice. With no specific visa necessary in my role as a freelancer, I took full advantage to set up my home work space as soon as the bustle of moving fell away. The result was a much smoother emotional transition.

CONTACTS, CONTACTS, CONTACTS

Meeting people, in both a social and business capacity, is one of the first steps to putting down working roots in your new city. Someone always knows someone who knows someone who needs a – fill the gap here – to help out with a new business, project or charity group. So join associations, attend meet-and-greet nights, accept any invitations that come your way. For those of us (like me) not possessed of the social gene, these experiences can be exhausting and nerve-wracking, particularly when a second language is involved. But the effort invariably reaps rewards. Sure, I’ve spent my fair share of time trying to break in to work or friendship cliques with the only thing to show for it being a sore head the next morning from too much cheap Champagne. But I’ve also made great friends, found work and learned more about the people living in the city I adore. Worth a little embarrassment, don’t you think?

FIND YOUR NICHE

While moving country can wreak havoc with your immediate career progress, don’t discount the possibility for big gains in the long run. Excepting the few careers where qualifications may not directly translate (law or medicine, for example), being a foreign job applicant can have its advantages. Six months in to my role as associate editor on Riviera Magazine, my editor-in-chief let slip that it wasn’t just my qualifications that had landed me the role. Apparently he liked the idea of having an Australian on board. Never had I been so grateful to my Aussie accent. Similarly, working in France as an Australian has proven to have untold benefits. Editors back home seeking a European angle, or news on the latest Aussie success on French shores, are only too happy to have a local contact on hand to relay the news. Whatever your advantages, exercise them to the full.

PRE-DETERMINE PRIORITIES…

In America, it was finding cash work and a running group (two things I can’t live without). In Paris, it was learning the language and establishing my own freelance writing agency. Whatever your needs, prioritise them and get to work as quickly as possible. Most of us enjoy having some sort of routine and benefit from creating a workable framework for our new life situations, enabling us to carry on doing what we love.

…BUT RELEASE THE PRESSURE VALVE

Of course as important as it is get cracking with organising your new life, don’t place too much pressure on achieving great gains in the first few months. Settling in – especially for those moving with a family – can take time. Your best bet is to work out a lenient timetable of desired events and not get too caught up if things don’t go to plan. It took nearly a year after first establishing a Paris freelance business for things to really take off. But among those early days of rejection were a few promising signals that kept my head from scraping the floor, hinting that my choices would eventually prove to be the right ones. Keep the priority on moving forward – even if it means taking teeny tiny baby steps – and remind yourself daily that the situation will invariably get better with time.

And in the meantime? Don’t forget to make the most of where you are.