More of us than ever are packing up our possessions and are moving our families from the place that we have known for so long to search for a better life somewhere further afield.

As expats, we all have different reasons for moving away from the UK. In the main, these are likely to be for career progression or a complete change in lifestyle. For those that move abroad in order to work , they may wish to consider some of the employee benefits that they left behind and to replicate or substitute these whilst on a foreign assigment, whether that assignment be permanent or otherwise.

This week’s guest post comes from Ryan Gibson of Generation Y Working. Ryan tells us why you don’t always have to move abroad to live a better life, and why many of the concepts and philosophies we discuss here on LWA are applicable wherever you choose to live and whatever stage of life you’re at. Read on to discover Ryan’s ideas on lifestyle design and location independent working. 

We hear it all too regularly nowadays. You’ve been made redundant; you’ve recently graduated and can’t find a job; or you’re just sick of your nine-to-five. To some the prospects may not look great but through this dark cloud glimpses of sunlight are shining through, even if it might be hard to believe. With the job market in the UK increasing gloomy, and student fees on the rise as of September this year alternative career and study choices are becoming increasingly popular.

With the markets moving constantly, it is important as an expat to devise a currency strategy to buy or sell currencies when the rate is in your favour. Timing is key. Fluctuations of up to 10% can happen pretty rapidly, which in effect can add up to 10% to the cost of your international money transfer. With sterling at a three and a half year high against the Euro , we we’re delighted to receive the help of international money transfer comparison site MyCurrencyTransfer, to discuss the options.

There are a plethora of companies offering QROPS advice on the internet, it is difficult to have a session on the internet without seeing links to QROPs advice articles. So, what are QROPS? Chris gives us the financial low down.

For many people, going through an interview is one of the hardest stages in the process of getting a job. An interview is, of course, even harder when conducted in a foreign country and perhaps also a foreign language. The good news is though, that being invited to an interview means that your job application, or CV, must have made a good impression on the prospective employer. Now you really need to prepare yourself for the interview to maximise your chances of getting a job offer. The interview procedure varies from one country to another and from job to job. But there are some universal rules that you need to be aware of going to an interview in a foreign country:

Working abroad can be great for many reasons. sometimes the move involves a higher salary, sometimes it’s simply  a way of extending your holiday in a foreign country without becoming broke. Always, living and working in another country is one of the best ways to learn a foreign language and the in’s and out’s of a new culture. However, in many cases, getting a good job in a foreign country can be both difficult and time-consuming, and depends on many factors. These include the type of work you will apply for, how well you speak the language, and, of course, your CV and how it illustrates your skills, experience, and personality.