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CA Vignesh Chandrasekar has had an extensive international career journey.
Vignesh’s journey began in India.
In 2011 he joined McCain Foods in their Chennai office. However, destiny beckoned in 2013 when he received an invitation to join the Switzerland arm of McCain Foods.
He worked for McCain Foods in their Switzerland and the UK offices for 4 and 5 years respectively.
In 2022, after a decade of working in Europe, he returned to India and started working as a CFO at an India-based company.
People often ask him questions like,
- How was your experience working overseas?
- What would you tell yourself several years ago while deciding to move to Europe?
According to Vignesh 9 key things to evaluate before considering a move overseas:
1. Define your Goals
People decide to move abroad for various reasons. It’s important to have a clear understanding of your priorities and rank them accordingly.
Some of the common reasons include,
- Career diversification or growth
- Further education
- Financial Aspirations
- Explore new geographies
- Quality of life
- Immigration
- Other personal reasons
2. Cultural Fit
- Gather cultural information on the intended destination overseas.
- Embrace & respect the local culture – Locals appreciate it & usually reciprocate.
- Account for language and accent barriers. Professionally adapting to the culture creates trust – punctuality, communication & respecting boundaries can make a difference.
3. Professional Aspects
Point-based immigration visas often come more easily than finding jobs that directly match your experience.
Some employers might demand local experience and offer positions that are lower in rank compared to your previous role.
Accepting a lower-level job can impact your pay. It may barely cover your expenses, forcing you to make trade-offs in other areas like housing or private education.
It’s crucial to take a comprehensive look at your ‘Quality of Life’ to determine if the move is truly worthwhile.
Research the following factors:
- The economy, and how relevant your educational and sector background is to the current landscape.
- Availability of professional courses for further development.
- Size of the organization’s business and feasibility of intra-company transfer.
- Due diligence of your prospective employer is crucial. Branding and their LinkedIn profile may look convincing but don’t always match reality.
- Having employer support for relocation can make the process more manageable.
4. Housing and Weather Considerations
Looking for a place to live in a new country is one of the most challenging tasks, apart from blending in culturally and homesickness.
Factors you have carefully pay attention to:
- Find a neighborhood that has low crime rates, good access to healthcare, education, public transportation, a reasonable commute to work, and fits your budget.
- You’ll need to decide between apartments and independent homes. For instance, you might have to follow strict rules about noise and common areas in an apartment.
- For people looking to relocate to Canada, Switzerland, or Sweden, ask yourself if you’d be okay shoveling snow for half the year.
5. Healthcare
Healthcare systems vary, from one country to another, and no system is perfect.
When considering healthcare options abroad, it’s important to evaluate if they match your family’s needs.
Public healthcare can be appealing since taxpayers receive free care in almost all European countries, but it might not always be readily available.
Essential diagnoses, non-critical treatments, and optional procedures could require waiting for a year or more.
Private healthcare offers convenience but can be costly, and coverage depends on your medical insurance.
6. Kids’ schooling
Public schools in most of the European countries come at no cost but their quality differs by location.
Private schools offer top-notch education but come with a high price tag. Is this expense justified alongside a 40% tax rate?
The neighborhood where the school is located can impact its quality, so thorough research is crucial. Issues like drug use, inappropriate language, and bullying can be prevalent in certain locations, highlighting the need for careful consideration.
Aim for a minimum “Good” rating when you are looking for a school for your kid.
7. Cost of living
- Conduct a professional cost of living analysis by comparing income and expenses in your home country to the overseas location.
- Make sure you get fair compensation based on relevant experience. Avoid the mistake of simply comparing your previous home salary to the offered compensation abroad using exchange rates – this doesn’t provide the complete picture.
- Assess your ‘disposable’ income, not just ‘gross’ income.
- Account for taxes, including both direct income tax and other local taxes.
- Consider inflation and economic trends. If you’re used to significant annual pay increases that surpass inflation, a smaller raise below prevailing inflation could be surprising.
- Evaluate long-term financial sustainability by considering societal, political, and economic trends.
- Be cautious of spending on travel, vacations, and social events influenced by peer pressure.
- Consider your partner’s career prospects, which can significantly impact household income.
- Don’t underestimate the importance of long-term retirement benefits and how the overseas structure aligns with your existing investments for future financial security.
8. Social Circle
Locals in most countries are welcoming, but cannot replace a closer circle of family and friends.
Making friends abroad is hard. It is natural to look for fellow nationals living abroad, but it is not easy to enter that network if they are well-settled and localized.
- Imagine missing weddings, family occasions, weekend gatherings, and time at the cinema with your friends for the foreseeable future.
- Visiting your home country will be unpredictable.
- For Indians, you probably have to celebrate Diwali with a group of acquaintances abroad instead of your family.
- At Christmas, while the neighborhood celebrates with friends and relatives, being alone abroad might invoke a sense of being left out.
Leaving a social blanket is not easy so you have to ask yourself, ‘Are you and your family prepared for all of this?’
9. Expect Discrimination
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion is improving globally but yet have a long way to go.
- No matter how mature society is, bias exists – conscious or not.
- Merit and loyalty are not the main drivers for layoffs.
- Working abroad usually involves working harder.
Taking the final decision
Moving to a foreign country is a substantial decision.
Despite the world being more interconnected and immigration support readily available, one must be prepared for a brand-new life that can be both challenging and thrilling.
So before taking the final call, be sure that the move aligns with your goals.
Good luck.
