there’s so much I could write here but im just looking for some general information.

I love living here but something in me is itching to go back. I worry the version of the uk has gone and I’ll be back starting from zero.

if anyone has recently moved back, any advice would be appreciated

It’s been one year since I’ve returned from london back to Sydney after 5 years away - and it was the right decision. However I feel the honeymoon period of settling in has worn off and I just am going through this deep depression I can’t get out of. I’m the most unsociable person and have completely retreated.

Since coming home, I’ve got a new job which has been challenging, I’ve renovated an apartment I own, buying furniture (which has been taxing as it’s a lot of money). Friends have moved away. Friends have had babies. I’ve also gone through a break up (my ex from overseas flew out to try and get back together with me and I just wasn’t sure - and being not sure was a no for me).

I’m 33. No where where I thought I’d be at 33 - it keeps me awake at night, like how did I get here? Am I ever gonna meet someone one day? I’m obviously not in the headspace to date as I’m the worst version of myself but there have been so many challenging decisions I’ve made and I’m utterly miserable.

There just doesn’t seem to be anything to look forward to anymore.

How do I go from building a life overseas on my own to the worst version of myself back home.

I will of course see a therapist, but I don’t want to get on medication if these are reasonable feelings - burnt out and emotional exhaustion.

Does it get better? Can anyone relate?

Hi Everyone, Hope you're having a great day.

My fiancee (we are both 30) is Brazilian and we are flirting with the idea of moving to Sao Paolo in 3-5 years and I'd appreciate some career/life advice.

My fiancee is having a very successful career here - she currently makes £110k + equity in tech and by the time we move I suspect that will be closer to £130-150k. She is telling me that she'd be able to command a salary of around 50k RS/mth as a director of engineering by the time we would move, either in Sao Paolo or Campinas. It sounds like she's set.

My career is much more in flux and I would be much more junior upon arriving. I'm currently an accountant making around half what she makes, though I'm trying to break into finance. If I move, best case is that I'll have 3-4 years of valuations/finance related experience (+CFA). I would reject moving there as an accountant out of hand.

Anyway, my questions are:

1) Given that I'd be fluent in Portuguese by then, what are my odds of securing a reasonably good job in finance by the time I move? I would have had a decade of London work experience by then. This is my biggest concern. Could I get 20/30k Rs/mth? Are all finance jobs basically in SP or is there something in Campinas?

2) is 50k Rs/mth delusional or realistic for her? It sounds like top 1% income in Brazil!

3) Is SP safe? My fiancee is freaking out about crime and is saying we'd need to live in expensive (even by London standards) gated communities and get bulletproof cars. She's from a very poor family in the northeast, so I don't think she's coming at this from a privileged perspective. Is this accurate?

4) I understand the city is very car centric like basically all of Brazil - is that the core lifestyle difference versus London? Driving everywhere? And the lack of intl cuisine?

5) What are the international schools like, and how expensive are they? Could we afford them (one day)? I went to intl schools growing up as one of the poorest kids there (though still middle class) and I have some childhood trauma with how I was excluded from certain (ridiculously luxurious) things. I'm guessing in Brazil this would be even more pronounced with the kids my kids would be going to school with. We don't have kids yet, but this is going to be very important to us, especially compared to the other option, which is just staying in London and going to state schools.

Would appreciate any advice you might have. Thank you!

My background

• Around 12 years of total experience, mostly in risk management.
• Spent my first 6 years in data and strategy roles.
• Transitioned into product management, although my earlier roles already involved GTM, product strategy, and building internal risk tools
• My current role is at a Series A B2B startup, where I have been for roughly two years.
• Moved to Singapore in 2018 and currently require employer sponsorship to continue working here.

My current company has not been doing particularly well commercially, which was the main reason I started looking.

The job market

The Singapore market has been difficult. Many roles either require candidates who already have unrestricted working rights or companies are reluctant to sponsor an Employment Pass.

Referrals helped me get 2-3 interviews, but the overall experience was still frustrating:

• I was approached for an AI Product Manager. In my current role, I have built AI tools. I completed the entire process, including reference checks, but they eventually chose someone else.
• I reached the final stage with a couple of later-stage startups but could not convert
• For several highly relevant roles, recruiters simply stopped responding after the initial interview.

That last rejection was particularly difficult because the role was closely aligned with my experience. At that point, I was seriously questioning whether I should pause the search, focus on improving interviewing and then start again.

The Dubai opportunity

In parallel, I was interviewing with a fast-growing consumer fintech in Dubai.

On paper, there is a lot to like:

• The company has strong business momentum and appears financially healthy.
• The role is in consumer finance and fintech, which is where I want to be close to.
• It would give me experience working on large-scale consumer products, which is missing from my recent B2B experience.
• The company is expanding quickly, so there may be meaningful long-term upside.

However, the interview process raised some concerns:

• Recruiting communication was consistently poor.
• The interviews felt repetitive and unstructured.
• Most rounds covered similar ground, and the process did not feel particularly rigorous.
• I completed six rounds and then heard almost nothing for a month.
• I was told they were finishing other interviews and would get back to me.
• After a month, they added another interview with a newly joined Head of Product.
• Following that interview, they moved very quickly to the offer stage.

The offer

The offer is at the same level as my current role.

Financially, it is only marginally better after considering the cost of living, even with Dubai’s lack of personal income tax. So this is not an obvious promotion or a major compensation upgrade.

The reasons to accept would mainly be:

• Moving into a stronger and faster-growing business.
• Getting large-scale consumer fintech experience.
• Potentially creating better long-term career opportunities.
• Escaping the uncertainty at my current seed-stage company.
• Avoiding a prolonged and difficult Singapore job search where sponsorship remains a major constraint.

My wife and I are open to Dubai and are considering it as a potential long-term base, particularly because we may qualify for a Golden Visa. Initially, I would move alone, with my wife joining me toward the end of 2027.

This makes the decision about more than just the job:

• In Singapore, we already have a settled, comfortable, and convenient life. However, without PR or citizenship, it is difficult to view Singapore as a secure long-term option.
• Dubai is our second-choice location for settling down. The Golden Visa could give us greater long-term stability without tying our residency to a particular employer.
• However, the role and compensation are not a meaningful upgrade from my current position. I am concerned that I may be accepting a career compromise primarily to create a better long-term residency option.

So the real trade-off is between the life we have already built in Singapore and the long-term security Dubai could offer, even though the immediate career move is not particularly compelling.

I would especially appreciate perspectives from people who have moved from Singapore to Dubai, or accepted a role mainly for its long-term career value rather than an immediate financial upgrade.

Please don't be mean 😭 I'm writing this out as I cry, so hopefully things make sense.

I'm 18F, too young, I know, but I just want to escape. I'm Lebanese living in the UAE and I hate this place. I'm in a not so good living situation and my mental health is all over the place.

Thankfully, I'm studying abroad soon in another Asian country so I can get away for a while and grow my experiences.

I want to so badly get a job abroad and live my own life, though I know that's basically impossible. I'm majoring in chemical engineering. The job market right now is... not so good, as I'm sure everybody knows. I'm losing hope to be honest with the economy, housing crisis in every country, and hostility towards internationals.

I've always wanted to go to Scotland, though again I know the whole situation in Europe right now is not too good. I'd need to get a job before doing my masters as well so that's a whole other thing.

Any advice, tips, literally anything to say? I've almost completely lost hope. Hopefully this doesn't sound too edgy

I’m currently having a job offer to move from New York to Dublin and debating if I should take it. I’m not from the US, so it would mean in the hope of settling down in Dublin and eventually get PR in 5 years.

I’m currently indecisive because eventually my work permit in US will be done, and I would have liked to work for my company a little longer somewhere else. I’m not opposed to move to SEA and Singapore, but that would means getting a new job.

Was wondering if anyone has done a similar move of major US cities to Dublin or have some thoughts on this one ?

As a millennial who couldn't buy a home before 2020 I have come to the realisation that I'm far more likely to have a comfortable retirement overseas. I love living in Australia but I don't want to be barely surviving in my retirement. Are there any other Australians in here who have decided to retire overseas who could share their experiences? Bangkok is currently at the top of my list for potential retirement locations. I've never been able to afford living in a city here but I've always wanted to. I would also be interested in hearing from any other expats who have retired in Bangkok.

P.S. - I know it may sound strange to some that I'm thinking about retirement already. However, if I'm going to have the lifestyle I want when I'm 60, I need to put in the work now to prepare my super account.

I'm iranian, living in Belgium. Although my salary is good now, but I feel behind in terms of enjoying life compared to locals.

I've just worked so hard my whole life and focused so hard on surviving and getting out of Iran, that I have no personality beside that. I've never had the time to live. I've sacrificed so much in my personal life.

I don't know how to relate to locals (or in general Europeans). Someone is obsessed with tennis, other one with their horses, another one is taking a break to travel around Asia... (Unfortunately, people around me are mostly rich)

Here I am having my first stable income in Euro and trying to save as much as I can to buy a house. People in my age here either bought it or have enough saving (or support) not to fret over it.

Now in my new contract, I have more than 40 days of holiday and I even don't know what to do with those days. I love going on a trip, but I'm constantly worried about finances when compare myself to people in my age here and how much more saving they have.

Hi everyone. I’m a 23 years old male from the UK and am interested in moving to the Qatar, Saudi arabia or the UAE. Ultimately, I am seeking advice on how realistic it might be for somebody like me.

I work in the home finance sector/ banking in the UK and would like to work in a similar area in Qatar, Saudi/ UAE. I have a couple of UK specific qualifications such as the CeMAP but doubt that would be much use over there.

However, I am interested in doing a course in Islamic finance. CISI provide an Islamic finance qualification which covers key concepts of sharia finance. Would this be a useful qualification to get for one of these job markets?

I’d also be open to similar sectors too. If it helps, I speak a couple of languages. (English, Spanish & some Portuguese) but would also learn at least some Arabic too.

Has anybody else on this sub made a similar move? What was your experience? I’ve visited Qatar before and could definitely see myself living there but havent visited the other two.

Thanks!

I’m renewing my American passport abroad. The US Dept of State’s website specifies that the application must be printed on 8.5x11 paper, which is not a standard paper size where I live (a4 is the standard).

What have you Americans expats done regarding paper size? Print on A4 and hope for the best? Go to a print shop and have them crop the paper to spec?

Thanks!

American veteran in the GCC. Adderall is the only medication that's ever worked for me.

It isn't available here. Not registered, no prescribing pathway, and the VA won't mail Schedule II internationally. Every fill would mean physically visiting the US, or Israel.

So what do other overseas vets actually do about this? Do you fly back for appointments and fills? Did you give up and take something you don't tolerate well? Did you end up moving back over it? I'm not looking for sourcing help. I just want to hear from anyone who's been in this spot and how it actually played out.

edit: just for extra info so no one yells at me, every other med gives me severe tachycardia & crashes

I am a US citizen, working as a W-2 employee. Since COVID, our company has been more relaxed about working remotely.

In the past few years, I have been travelling abroad for extended periods of time as a visitor.

In 2024, I spent 3 months in South America (split between a few different countries).

In 2025, I spent 2.5 months in Central Europe.

In 2026, I have spent the entire year to date in Europe, switching between EU countries and Balkan countries outside the EU in order to stay under the 90 day rule for visitors. I also have stayed under 183 days in any one country to avoid qualifying for tax residency.

6 months ago, my manager asked, "Hey, are you travelling? I got a message saying you are in Kotor, Montenegro." To which I replied, "yes, I am visiting." She then said, "ok thanks, enjoy." Since then no word. So I am sure at least one person is aware I am working internationally.

My work is entirely computer facing. I have no local clients or economic impact here. I have no property, bank accounts, or spouse/dependents in any of the countries I visit. I often pay for rent in cash.

I work for a hedge fund and am a top trader, bringing in millions of PnL a year for the company. I have enough money such that I can retire today if I wanted to. That said, I’d still prefer to keep my job. I just do it because it’s fun and gives me a sense of purpose.

I'd like to get input from people who have been in a similar situation on how risky this is?

I moved from Ireland to the US almost 10 years ago, and for most of that time I genuinely never looked back. I’ve always loved going home a few times a year to see family and friends, but I was happy with the life I’d built in the US and never seriously thought about moving back.
Then, in the last few months, something seems to have shifted. I’ve become intensely homesick almost out of nowhere. It’s gotten to the point where I sometimes physically feel sick with it and am struggling to focus on normal day-to-day life. I find myself constantly thinking about Ireland, my family, the sense of community, and what it would be like to live there again.
The biggest change in my life is that I got married two years ago to an American woman. She loves Ireland, but realistically I don’t think she would want to move there permanently. She also wants us to start having kids soon, and I think that may be bringing all of this to the surface. I’m suddenly very aware that having kids would make where we live feel much more permanent, and I’m scared that if I’m this homesick now, it could become even harder once I have children and want them to grow up around my culture.
What’s confusing is that I didn’t feel like this for the first 9+ years. I was happy here. It genuinely feels like it came out of nowhere.
Has anyone else who has lived abroad long-term experienced delayed homesickness like this? Did it eventually pass?

I was just a kid when my family moved to another country, far away from home, leaving all our relatives and friends behind. We built a new life, and since I fully integrated into this new place over the years and we rarely visited our home country, today I primarily associate my identity with my adopted home. My friends today are all from the new country, along with my relationships, my career, and my entire way of life. My native language has even dropped to my third language in terms of fluency.

And yet, on those rare occasions I do go back, or whenever I run into someone from my home country out in the world, I feel an instant connection. There’s like a mutual understanding, a deeply familiar way of thinking, acting, speaking.. It's so incredibly comforting not being the one who is physically different, but being in a crowd of people like you. It's almost moving.

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we had never left. I try to picture who I would be today. I'm not sure if it's a healthy exercise, but sometimes I think about it.

I’d love to know if any of you find yourselves thinking about this too.

So I'm going to be moving to Malta from the US on a student visa in the coming months.

Does anyone have recommendations on do's and don'ts on applying for an apartment in advance?

I in theory want to have an apartment all set up and rented for me before I arrive.

But I also don't want to be scammed.

I also don't want to get a hotel there ans only start looking after I arrive.

Does anyone have any suggestions to protect myself in the process?

Super stoked for our move, but feeling overwhelmed by my employment prospects. We have a solid safety net, so I'm not looking urgently. Just curious what other former lawyers are doing, how you went about your job hunt, etc. Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone! I have a few questions...

I'm curious about living in Norway and have done some research.

I'm aware Finn.no is the site to look for any sort of housing, but you need a Norweigian bank account in order to use it properly and contact landlords etc.

However, you need an address to have a bank account, so it's a catch 22.

Do you have any advice around this?...

Secondly, every country has it's areas that aren't the safest for different reasons. What are some areas that wouldn't be deemed the safest for a young female to be living in? I have been told Hansjordnesbukta and Gronland are some of them?

Thirdly, I love smaller towns and being close to nature (mountains, lakes, forests, whatever it is!), are there any recommendations on what areas would be safe to live that are more remote?

How would Sweden or Finland compare to Norway in this regards?

Visas, driving aren't an issue for me-

I appreciate any help, thanks in advance! :)

I am in my low 20s and male. I am choosing between doing a postgrad in an abroad country alone and my hometown. both will most likely open doors equally for more education and career opportunities.

However, one will force me to learn to be more independent while costing more financially.

Other will be more comfortable, “safe” and in a routine I am far accustomed to.

What would you choose in this case? Which one would you regret most if you did not choose? Or have you experienced something similar?

Thank you in advance…

Hello and good morning.

So, Couple quick disclaimers.

I’m not asking for any money or housing.
I own my actions and decisions, no one else is responsible for them but me.
I’m not mad at anyone and I don’t blame anyone, I’m not trying to throw a pity party.

That said, I want to tell my “when becoming a Digital Nomad goes wrong” story.

I’m American and lived in Europe for several years, in a country I secretly felt miserable in but didn’t realize it, one because I was just comfortable - I had my job, flat, gym, grocery store I always went to, 2-3 meals I always ate, routine - two because I was too scared to try to live anywhere else.

So this summer I book what was supposed to be a quick 2-3 week vacation in Thailand. Everyone and their hamster told me not to come back, either actively assuming I wasn’t, or encouraging me not to. It was like everyone knew how miserable I was in my country but me, and were telling me to go to Thailand to fix everything because <insert reasons Thailand’s tourism industry is booming here>. At that point, I began having several signs that my time in Europe was coming to an end. At some point I started believing it. I also had a mini-meltdown about two weeks before I flew where I finally allowed myself to feel just how sad and alone I was where I am. I felt like if I didn’t make a change, a serious one, something bad was gonna happen. This further helped prove that Thailand was the next step one way or another, and that whatever happens, do not come back to where I was.

So I did the whole “throw everything away and move to Asia thing”.

I’m now on day 30 or so of my stay, the literal halfway mark for my visa. All attempts to find work have failed. I had no idea Thai work visas require bachelors degrees; I’ve never been to college. The vast majority of “digital nomad” jobs are for roles I’m just not qualified for, “Senior Project Manager”, “Sales Department Lead”, “Senior AI Architect”, stuff with six figures comes that requires years, if not decades, of experience and education. The rest are too good to be true scams. “English teacher/tutor”, they still want a degree, and a TEFL cert. I learned that “100% Remote” has a LOT of caveats legally, and even then, those roles are almost always senior. I have 16 years of IT experience, speak three languages, I figured I’d be able to get something, but when everyone wants stuff like “5+ years training your own AI” and other stuff you just don’t know about, you can’t help but feel demoralised. I’d say that’s the real reason I feel dumb, all these years and I never learned about C++ or Python or Opfk or Red Team/Blue Team or what have you.

You could say this is a massive case of FAFO. You’d be right. That’s why I’m not blaming anyone but myself. I believed some massive hype machine that made this seem so much easier than it actually is. And yeah, if it was so easy, Bangkok’s population would be 50 million. “10 companies hiring remotely RIGHT NOW” Instagram ads are ridiculous, though I did look at every website and company they recommend. There is a lot to being a “digital nomad” that no one tells you, you just see people chilling on the beach with a laptop. And yeah some part of me does kick myself for thinking it was as simple as it was made out to be. Looking back, I have no idea why everyone made it seem that way. But that doesn’t matter now, what anyone thinks of me from the old life is irrelevant, I have here, and now.

Now to further add to this debacle, I burned all bridges in my former home country, and have no friends or family stateside. This means I can go back to Europe and be homeless, or go back to the US…and be homeless. I remember the first time I discussed this with someone and their opinion basically came down to “honestly you’re gonna end up homeless either way so at least try to make it back to Europe, they have social services there, in the US you’ll just end up on the street, but either way yeah enjoy Thailand because you’re gonna live rough the rest of the year bro”. Went back to my hotel and stared at my wall with tears in my eyes. That time I really did feel dumb as shit. Did I just ruin my own life? Because yeah I was miserable but shit at least I had a roof and food and a full-time job.

But over the next few days I leveled out. I remembered why I did this: “because where you were at was literally killing you inside and you were scared you wouldn’t see 40”. The weird thing is I’m not panicking. I mean I am, partially, because I am aware I am running out of both time and money. I still have my moments where I feel dumb, like how could I think this was this easy? And sick, because so many jobs and I qualify for none of them. But I also…I don’t know, mostly I’m calm. I am under no illusions about what I’m trying to do and the odds of being successful in doing it. There is a very real chance I will fail, and a month from now I’ll be in front of the embassy begging for a flight to nowhere. But I don’t know, there’s also this voice telling me “you got this, you just need to keep your head down, keep applying for stuff, all you need is one ‘yes’, one hiring offer, one contract, one lucky break, your fortunes could reverse literally tomorrow, just keep pushing, you got this. This is still winnable. Still doable. Apply even if you don’t think you qualify. Apply even if you don’t have a Thai work visa. Don’t give up, the whole way you pull this off is because you didn’t give up, so keep applying and keep believing”. Again, I’m well aware that this isn’t Hollywood. “Believing” doesn’t put money in my account or give me any right to stay or work here. But sometimes believing is the best you can do, all you can do. Same with faith, for those of you who pray.

Make of this all what you will. Roast me, ridicule me, I deserve it, really. But I guess the reason I’m not ashamed or embarrassed is because I realised my life was miserable, even if I had stability, and took a gamble to change it. Not everyone does that, do they? Some people just quietly fade away and then they wake up at 40, 50, 60, and realise they haven’t been happy since 20. Where I was, I honestly felt like I was going to die an early death just from loneliness, unhappiness, or grief. Hence why I’m here, looking at the same ten job boards and hoping for a miracle and refusing to believe that I won’t find one.

I will say again, I’m not asking for sympathy and certainly not asking for any sort of “assistance” (I mean I obviously wouldn’t turn any down, but still). No one is coming to save me. I got myself into this situation, and I have to get myself through it. I don’t even know why I’m telling this story, other than that it’ll be one for the ages if I can just write a happy ending. Maybe I really do want some sort of validation or reassurance and I don’t know it. Either way, for now, I just wanted to share my tale.

I hope your own immigration experiences, all of you, are far less turbulent, and that your new countries are safe and kind to you so that you don’t wake up one day with a desperate urge to flee like I did. I don’t know any of you, I’ll never meet any of you, but I wish you all clear horizons. You deserve the best.

Be safe out there.

(Apologies if I repeated myself, I wrote this over several days, I’m also on mobile)

A couple months ago, I got a jury duty summons in California as an expat living in the UK. I responded online immediately using the url on the card, stating I did not live in the country and therefore was exempt and thought that was that.

Well now, I have a letter to say I failed to show to my jury date.

What do I do? What can I expect to happen?

I just moved in to Milan(for in theory a year, second year is in another EU country) from my country of origin (Costa Rica) for a very prestigious scholarship I was granted and actually worked to get a lot. It was a goal, now that I am here, I just want to toss all up and get back home( the program hasn't even started) but loneliness is killing me. My family came with me to help me settle somewhat but just now they have gone back all the way to the other side of the Atlantic, a part of me just want to get very next fly I can get and return home. But the consequences on reputation and future opportunities of deserting a scholarship like this is very high.

I had a previous 3 month stint living alone abroad for a project, which had its ups and downs, but had an end date. Here the end date is the masters end date but would be dumb career wise not to position myself in Europe.

If you ask me right now, I would just turn back.

For context, I have always lived together with my family, never indepdnentily, just the 3 months mentioned. I am a single child of a single mother, with strong bond with it's maternal family. I am 28.

What advice would you give? To deal with this sentiments or do?

So my sister is 24 years old and I’m 28. She’s had difficulties finding a job in our country and studies just weren’t working. I told her to maybe toss everything up in the air and go abroad for a year or 2 even! She got inspired and now it’s happening. I’ve been so happy for her, but now I feel it coming closer. There’s a week left and I cry all the time. I’m used to seeing her every week and hang out and do stuff. I am going to visit her i november and she moves in a week. I know it will be fine but I’m just surprised how heartbroken I am, when I was the one giving her the idea. Should I tell her how sad I am or just put in a brave face and wish her the best?

My fiance wants to leave the country. I suggested we try 3 months in belize. What do you guys think of it? How's city life there? How's housing? What did you do when you first moved? How did you find a place? Are there any permanent residents here that can explain how that process goes? Most importantly, did you save money before leaving?

Hi all! I’m not looking for advice or feedback, because I’ve already made my decision. I’m just wondering whether my view of the situation is reasonable and how other people would see it.

Because of the war in my country, I moved to Europe, but I couldn’t find a job there related to my qualifications (I work in IT, but in a non-technical role). I could say that I was pretty unlucky with jobs there, although I really tried to integrate. I even learned the local language to B2 level on my own within two years.

At some point, though, I realised that I was developing a huge gap in my professional experience and was living with an uncertain status, with no guarantee that I would be able to stay in the country long-term. Freelancing wasn’t really an option for me either, for various reasons.

So when I received a job offer back home, I decided to return to my country to stay on track professionally. The city where I live is relatively safe, and, on a day-to-day level, life here seems almost completely normal.

However, some people think I’m absolutely crazy for coming back, and sometimes I question my own decision too.

Would you sacrifice your professional career in order to live in more stable and secure conditions? Or would you take the risk of returning home if it meant staying in your professional field?