Tips for Moving Overseas

Someone on LinkedIn recently asked for the top three pieces of advice for relocating if you get a job at an overseas game studio. I replied, but found myself struggling to list only three.

In my recent past, I worked at three European studios, which meant I had to relocate from my suburban Seattle home to points far away. It was the first time I'd done it and... it showed. You don't really know how complicated life can be until you pick it up and drop it 7,000 miles away. Things you never thought of become logistical nightmares, forcing you to chase down government workers to stamp one form while running across town to find another person to stamp another. You are scrambling until the last minute to get yourself ready, and then you realize -- likely at 35,000 feet as you fly to your new city -- that you are now away from everything you know and everyone you love.

And then you have to hit the ground running and adapt to a new language, a new culture, a new currency -- and perhaps do it alone. Meanwhile, you are starting a new job, which comes with its own languages and rituals.

Daunting is an understatement. Terrifying and distorting are more accurate.

Here's what I learned as I struggled to get my footing. I hope it helps you.

1) Update your passport and your driver's license (assuming you haven't done it recently).

2) Know where your nation’s embassy is located.

3) Talk with your new company’s HR department about what they will be on the hook for regarding your location and what you will be on the hook for, including:

• a) how will they handle visas for you and your spouse/kids
• b) if they be putting you up somewhere while you sort out your permanent new address there
• c) what on the ground support will HR be giving you? Can you go to them for advice on finding a place, picking a bank, avoiding scams?

4) Check with the USDA (or your equivalent agency) if you are bringing pets over. What shots/paperwork will you need to have? Will your pets need to be quarantined?

5) You will immediately need the following when you land:

• a) a new SIM card
• b) a bank card
• c) a metro card and map

SIM cards you can pick up at anything from 7-Elevens (seriously, Danish 7-Elevens have ridiculously good international SIMs) to mobile stores. A metro card and map will be easy. Depending on the city, you can get a map and a metro card from a kiosk. The bank card might take a few days, so hit the bank as soon as possible.

6) Speaking of, have the equivalent of $500-$1000 in cash on hand to purchase things until you get a bank card. It's a good idea to start researching banks before you get there.

• a) ask your bank if your credit card will work overseas
• b) find out how your new bank handles overseas transfers

7) Learn if the studio has a payback policy where, if you have to give up the job for any reason within a certain time period, you will have to pay back all the relocation costs paid by the studio.

• a) Clarify with HR if this role is a full-time role at start or if it's a series of yearly contracts that will make you eligible for a full-time role.

8) Have all of your medical/dental records saved as PDFs so you can easily give them to your new doctor/dentist.

9) If you know where you will be put up ahead of time, Google Maps and Street View are your friends. Use them to learn everything you can about your area. Groceries, pharmacies, anything you need. It’ll help you get to know your neighborhood before you get there.

10) If you don’t think you’ll be over there forever, find a storage place for your furniture and other items so when you come back, you can set up your new place easy.

• a) if you have a car, weigh the options of keeping it or selling it.

11) Look into international accountants to handle your taxes. In some cases you might not have to pay US taxes and only the taxes of the country you are in. Fun bonus: some countries do your taxes for you and ask you to check their math.

12) Research the expat scene in your new city. Going to expat meetups, bars, and the like will help you get adjusted to the new surroundings. You will get homesick from time to time, and expat groups can alleviate that.

13) If you feel safe doing so, walk around your new city as soon as possible. It’ll make it feel less alien and more yours.

14) Depending on the country, paperwork (outside of visa work) might be obsolete. When I lived Denmark, I never got a paper bill in the mail. Everything was done electronically.

15) This is more for English-speakers: Some countries will be good with speaking English (or their non-native language) on the street, but their legal documents will be in their native language.

• a) Try to learn basic conservation skills as soon as you can. You’ll be surprised how many locals will appreciate the effort.
• b) But don’t think you have to be fluent in reading a legal document. See if your HR department will assist in translating. While translation apps are handy, they don’t always work. Example: A former coworker told me about an apartment listing that had the translation of “The walls are ready for sauce.”

16) On weekends, explore your city. Hit up museums and street markets. Have a sit in a beer garden and people watch. Don't just lock yourself in your apartment. It'll make adjusting far harder, and you'll have enough stress as is.

• a) Speaking of, ig things get overwhelming, seek out therapists who specialize in expat struggles. There will likely be therapists who will speak your language (along with the native one).

17) Know the cost of living of where you are moving to so you won't die of sticker shock when you hit up your corner shop for cereal. There are a number of resources online. Here are a couple to get you started plugging in cities and numbers.

18) Look into how to vote overseas. Odds are your government will have an easy explanation of how to do it online. (Example: here's the U.S. State Department answering basic questions.)

19) For the Americans in the crowd, other countries obviously don't celebrate July 4th like America does. However, from my experiences in Europe, Europeans take New Year's Eve seriously. Like, it's a war zone. A former coworker said the transit station outside his Amsterdam apartment had a constant burning trash fire that night. Went to bed, it was burning. Woke up, burning. Oh, and Copenhagen loses its goddamn mind on New Year's Eve. Seriously, it's like a festive version of the Purge.

20) Come to grips with the fact that depending on where you'll relocate you'll likely be devoid of excellent pizza and Mexican food. Especially in Denmark.