Expats often don’t know exactly how to start the process of moving overseas – or even researching the possibility of moving overseas.

ExpatExchange.com member Russell has posted his thoughts on what one should do first when moving to another country. Here are a few of his thoughts:

We attended immigration fairs, signed up to expat forums, spoke with distant relatives in our chosen new home, and undertook endless research on the web. This culminated in a fact-finding trip to Vancouver to research areas to live in, jobs to work at, and things to see and do. We were ready to go. However, the Canadian authorities were not ready for us to go. In fact, little did we know it but we were two whole years away from getting our visas. Two years of endless waiting, total frustration, and a complete lack of communication from the powers-that-be. There was nothing more we could do but wait.

At the end of his post, he adds a short list of his thoughts as to what one should do first when moving overseas. Here’s number 5 from his list:

5. Be brave. Loved ones will be upset/angry/annoyed, friends may question your decision, and work colleagues will think you’re mad. Keep reminding yourself of the reasons for leaving and stay the course in search of your better life.

This type of direct insight from people that currently live abroad, or have recently, is what makes our members so valuable to one another!

It’s often noted by expats – and hence on ExpatExchange.com – that there are innumerable ways to create a new life outside of your home country. Just as there are an endless number of lifestyles in the U.S. and the U.K., so it is with a vast majority of nations to which expats choose to relocate.

As noted here on IndiaTimes.com, India is one such nation where expats have now embraced a number of different lifestyles there. While in the past we had visions of expats in India that were either government employees or corporate executives, they now are more likely to have really integrated into the local culture and economy.

It would be interesting to assess the psychological impact of truly attempting (and succeeding) at integration in India versus those that remain more isolated from the local culture (as in the past). Research has shown that the cultural distance of the host nation is an important factor, and one wonders how the different aspects of economic development in India plays into cultural integration for expats there.

We received information about a new international mobility survey, and thought expats would be interested in it:

Research conducted by ESCP Europe Business School (in London) for the Hydrogen Group was recently launched.

Here are the top line findings:

• Mid- to senior-level professionals are highly mobile high flyers, with some 94 percent of respondents either already working abroad or interested in doing so. They see international experience as a key means of fast-tracking their careers and boosting their personal development; greater earning potential is not in itself a top priority for this demographic.
• The economic downturn is not a major factor in middle- and senior-level professionals’ mobility, with 60 percent of respondents stating it had no impact at all on their willingness to move overseas.
• In contrast to research into migration of lower skilled workers, for this demographic moving abroad is not about escaping recession. Their preference is for temporary periods abroad, not permanent relocation, with 64 percent of respondents willing to work in another country for up to five years.
• The US, UK and Australia are consistently the top countries preferred by this demographic – though in most cases the popularity of certain countries does not correlate with where recruitment demand is greatest (for many sectors, the Middle East and Asia, for example).
• While more men say they would definitely move abroad, more women are actually in jobs overseas.

Shockingly, almost a quarter million British expats in New Zealand could not vote in last week’s election. Apparently, there is no recourse for these or other expats elsewhere in the world that did not receive their ballots. Officials blame Iceland’s eruption for the delay in delivery of the ballots.

More Trouble in Andalusia for British Expats

Some British expats in the Andalusia region of Spain have once again received bad news about the prospect of having their homes demolished. As reported in Telegraph.co.uk, there are a large number of British expats that want to leave the country and warn others to think carefully before deciding to take the Spanish plunge.

Expats face a variety of different stressors. From the move abroad, finding friends, transitioning to a new job – or to a life without one – there are just all kinds of adjustments that can cause stress or anxiety.

A familiar problem at home can be even worse after moving overseas, especially for expats in Asia. ORC Worldwide recently conducted a survey highlighted by Telegraph.co.uk found that expatriates in several Asian locations believe traffic is their biggest problem:

The report suggested that in many cities, such as Mumbai, traffic is caused by poorly maintained roads and poor driving standards. However, there are often more complicated causes. Geoffrey W. Latta, executive vice president, said: “For example, ORC’s location evaluation report for Tokyo cites roads as being well maintained and traffic rules generally respected. However, the lengthy distance into the city from some suburbs can make driving slow and frustrating.”

Many expats might think, well, if that’s the case I’ll just get a driver. Unfortunately, that wasn’t necessarily the case:

Some international employers attempt to ease the stress caused by traffic delays by providing a car with a driver for their expatriate workers. However, this was applicable for only a small number of participants in the ORC survey, and varied considerably by region.

It’s one of the challenges expats face that they have a limited amount of control over. Better to focus on the things that you do have control over and attempt to find some level of humor in the situation!

As we posted earlier this week, ExpatExchange is running a new report that examines Culture Shock. Please add your Expat Culture Shock Report, too!

Here is another excerpt from an expat in the Netherlands:

Do you have any advice or thoughts about culture shock you would like to share?

Prepare for it. Research it, plan for it, plan for it to put stress on you, your family, and your relationships, but also know that it will pass, and that there are resources available to help you through it if you need them.

Also, biggest learning for me: Don’t wait until the honeymoon phase is over to work on making friends and integrating. Learn the language immediately. Show up at ‘meet up’ groups and social gatherings immediately. Even if you don’t ‘want’ new friends now, you’ll need them, and the worst is when you need them and don’t have any, and have to start from scratch during a time when you could have had people to call on.

A new survey conducted by NatWest and highlighted on Telegraph.co.uk suggests that the vast majority of British expats earn more and abroad and that the experience of moving overseas improved their quality of life:

They earn up to £20,000 more and the vast majority (87 per cent) believe their work-life balance is better.

And even more said living abroad exceeded their expectations – 92 per cent compared with 86 per cent in 2008, according to the a report conducted by NatWest.

Also, quality of life also generally seems to improve, although not everywhere. Further, increase of pay does not seem to have a relationship with quality of life:

And life abroad is not only about money – the highest reported earning countries (Singapore, UAE, China and Hong Kong) ranked bottom of the quality index, with the majority of expats in these areas planning to return home in the future (62, 67, 84 and 69 per cent respectively).

Now that Prime Minister Gordon Brown has asked Queen Elizabeth to dissolve Parliament and called for a general election, British Expats are being urged to register and vote, as noted on Telegraph.co.uk, in numbers that exceed the paltry showing four years ago:

An estimated 2.5 million Britons live overseas and those that still own property in the UK or have lived abroad for less than 15 years are entitled to cast their vote in UK Parliamentary elections.

But in Spain alone, where upwards of 1 million British expats are thought have homes, only 18,000 bothered to register to vote in the last general election four years ago.

The registration deadline is April 20th for the May 6 election. British Citizens Living Abroad Register to Vote Here.

Americans Abroad Voter Registration

Americans that live abroad are also being encouraged to register to vote for the upcoming elections.

VoteFromAbroad.org is managed by Democrats Abroad, while Republicans Abroad offer the opportunity to register at Republicans Abroad Voting League. Registering at either obviously does not require you to vote for a specific party.

British expats continue to face the impact of a weak pound. These few paragraphs sum it up nicely:

It said people in Europe who received their incomes in sterling and then had to convert it into euros, were having to use a higher proportion of their money to meet their day-to-day living costs, leaving them with less cash to repay their debts.

Pensioners living abroad have been hit particularly hard by the weakness of sterling, as not only do their incomes tend to be fixed, but they also typically spend more of it on daily living expenses.

British expats and BBC Crimewatch have bagged another suspect in Spain. This time, an alleged child abuser was found in a bar in Malaga.

Ever wonder what it’s like for British bands or band members that are now expats in the U.S? An article on Telegraph.co.uk highlights a few of these expats, and also examines why it may be that they are able to succeed “across the pond.” It’s interesting to read, especially given that some of the same themes that permeate the journey of most expatriates are also found in the unique experience of high profile musicians.

And for those potential expats that are thinking about taking a teaching position, here is another example of some of the risks involved and the powerless position you can be left in once you arrive in the foreign country.