Working abroad?

Occasionally (about 4% of people contacting me) I get a job offer for somewhere in another country.

This is a list of places outside of Belgium where people are apparently interested in having me. 😀

• India (Hyderabad)
• Germany (Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Wiesbaden)
• United Kindom (London)
• France (Paris)
• Italy (Turin)
• Spain (Madrid)
• Poland
• Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Groningen, Almere, Arnhem, Maastricht, Leiden, Deventer, Delft, Heerenveen)
• Sweden (Stockholm)
• Austria (Graz)
• Switzerland (Zurich)
• Norway (Stavanger)
• Luxembourg (Luxembourg City, Pétange)

I have never considered moving permanently to another country for work, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable to move to a country where I don’t speak the language. Even if the company language is English, I would still need to communicate with people in everyday life, for example going to the shop. So from the list above, only France and the Netherlands would remain.

Besides the language, there is still the matter of being cut off from the people who matter to me. Yes there is the internet, and during the pandemic there was virtually no other way to stay in touch, but still… it’s not the same. I already have some friends in the Netherlands, so (hypothetically) I would feel less alone there. But there are still plenty of interesting local companies to work for, so no thanks for now.

Have you ever been invited to work abroad? If yes, what was your motivation for doing so? What were your experiences? Feel free to share in the comments!