Working abroad involves several things. These include finding a job, relocating, getting the right insurances, arranging the appropriate documents and applying for a visa or work permit. It can be a daunting task, but ultimately, the rewards are worth the extra initial effort.
Finding a job abroad
The first step, of course, is to find a job abroad and apply for a position. You can use job boards and platforms with international vacancies, but if you work for a larger company, you can also check with your current employer to see if there are any opportunities for a position abroad. It can also be useful to use your own (online) network and ask friends, acquaintances and business partners to inform you of suitable vacancies.
Finding a job can be easier if you are already in the country. You should therefore consider travelling to the country and exploring the offerings there. In this way, you will also get to know the country better and find out whether you would really like to live and work there. In many cases, you can use a tourist visa to go abroad for a job interview. If you actually want to work for a company, a specific visa or work permit is often required. You can read more about this below.
Insurance and other paperwork
When you emigrate to a foreign country, your Dutch health insurance stops. In addition to travel insurance, you will have to take out health insurance in the country where you are going to work. With an EHIC you can, for example, register in Australia with the national health insurance fund, Medicare. When you are registered with Medicare, you do not have to pay for care in Australia, but the care institution can claim the amount directly from your health insurance. Alternatively, if you need more comprehensive medical coverage, getting top expat insurance is a great option.
Digital Nomads
We have been seeing a change in the last few years when many travellers have found a way to simply work with the current employer, but in a remote location. Whether this is a temporary agreement, or even permanent, the options become a lot more open.
In theory, if you can work from abroad in any country, then theoretically you could live a nomadic lifestyle for a while and simply work in different parts of the world until you have found the right space for you. Or, you can simply use that time to travel the world until you are ready to come home.
Many countries around the world are even creating their own visa simply for this reason. For example, before the onset of the current political strife, Sri Lanka came out with a specific digital nomad visa, just for this purpose. This particular visa is available for 3 months, and cost under 100 USD. Some countries do not have a visa specifically for this, but many travellers have gone to countries like Vietnam, and spent a short amount of time there working remotely with a simple travel visa. A normal travel visa will be 1 – 3 months, and the Vietnamese government only expects you to pay taxes after 6 months in the country.
Travel documents and visas
Another important aspect of preparation is applying for a visa or work permit. Most e-visas, which can be applied for online, are only suitable for a holiday or business trip. This means that the visa can be used to attend business meetings, conferences or trade fairs and to visit customers, suppliers or other business partners, but not to actually start working for an employer abroad. For example, with the Australia visa (eVisitor subclass 651), you may not receive a salary from an Australian employer for your work. With this visa, you may only receive compensation from a company based outside Australia.
To work abroad permanently or for a longer period of time, you therefore often need a specific work related Australia visa or a work permit. Information about the different visas for your destination can often be found on the website of the immigration service of the country where you will be working, or at the embassy or consulate.
