I live in the US and even beyond the current stuff going on, I’ve just become so depressed living in a place that feels like it doesn’t care about people. I’ve been watching videos about some other countries, in particular Vietnam and China, and I’ve thought it might be nice going somewhere that’s more committed to making life better for people. At the very least going somewhere that’s building a bunch of trains would be cool. (Yes I’m autistic, how could you tell? /s)
I don’t know if I’d actually end up doing anything because it’s tough for me to get anything done at the moment, but I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or experiences to share about living in other places, especially if you moved there. What’s your pitch for why it’s a nice place to live? What problems does it have?
If you moved there, what were the challenges in moving and adapting to the new place? Did you learn the new language? Was it tough getting used to the local foods? (This is something I worry about a lot because I’m kind of picky) How did you meet people? Etc.
Outside of college, I’ve lived in the same place all my life. I’ve only traveled outside the US twice and it was to other western or westernized countries. (France, Amsterdam, and Japan.) I’m relatively introverted and socially anxious, but it is nice to try to get to know people I could be comfortable around. I have a college degree but I haven’t had work experience due to my depression, so I’d be kind of starting from scratch in that regard. (I’m maybe about to get some treatment which might help, fingers crossed.) So all around it’s hard to say if I’d be able to move anywhere, but maybe at some point I can work up the energy and courage to make the leap and it would be helpful to have some ideas of how to approach that. Maybe I’ll try to slowly learn the language as I can.
Actively reinforcing my German and researching to try to emigrate as a student 🙏🙏 Aiming to eventually become a citizen
I left the US in 2016 and moved to Germany.
If you have a university degree and work in an in demand field, such as IT, it is relatively easy to get a job and visa for Germany.
The hard part now is affordable housing in the big cities is almost non-existent, especially for someone moving here with no work or rental history in Germany.
The cost of living is less than in the US, so depending on your job/salary, affording the expensive housing may be less of an issue.
Overall the quality of life is much higher and the relationship to work and your life is way more balanced than in the US.
I can’t imagine going back to the US now.
For context, I permanently left the US because of Trump.
Moving is really difficult. Moving internationally moreso. Immigration aside, assuming you don’t have any visa problems or anything, there’s so much logistical and bureaucratic headache involved that the stress alone caused me to gain significant weight.
That said, I have no regrets. I’m glad to be out of that mess. Even if my new country isn’t perfect, it’s already such an improvement over even pre-Trump USA. While I didn’t have to learn its second language, it’s one I’ve been wanting to learn so I decided to jump right in. I’m enjoying the process and have been picking it up rather quickly.
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I don’t think I have a word for the feeling I have from seeing people actually emigrating from the USA.
All my life it’s been the country everyone has been eager to move to.
It didn’t take me many years of being alive to realize most people moving there were to be made fools unless they already had a life lined up on arrival.
This was like around 2005, I was graduating the equivalent of high school. My then gf and later wife (then ex wife) wanted me to immigrate to the US. I was like hell nah. That, I told her, was not something I’d be willing to do. So it was either my country or nothing. (She was illegal in the US anyway lol. Fairly simple choice I guess.)
I think she might be (at least) a Trump defender today. Spoke to her briefly about Trump being reelected and she said he might do the country some good. I was like oh god, of course. So many things make sense now. 🙄😮💨
My dad brought me to the US when I was 5, and I spent almost all of my life there. I made a home for myself, made connections that I miss dearly, and got some fantastic opportunities as a circus performer.
But as a latina trans woman, I’m not sticking around for the genocide. It’s been building my whole life and I’ve spent my whole adult life screaming from the rooftops about my right to exist but it’s mostly gone unheard. Now we’re here.
Glad you made it!
China don’t really grant visas (especially to “I have a college degree but I haven’t had work experience due to my depression, so I’d be kind of starting from scratch in that regard” people)
Yeah I figure that would be a big hurdle for a lot of places.
The rest of America is gonna be easier for you, and Spanish is very easy to learn.
China still offers quite a few teaching jobs but experience is usually required. If you’re autistic - excuse me for asking - how would you fare teaching in a classroom of students young, or older at high school age?
The lesser qualified jobs (maybe only requiring a TEFL certificate) will involve teaching English in a large class of 30+ students, or teaching kids in kindergarten.
Otherwise, very few jobs are available for people with little or no professional training in marketing, technology or other areas of expertise. A lot of these jobs need strong fluency in Chinese too.
Anything is possible, but be aware of culture shock. In less metropolitan areas, getting around, eating the foods you’re used to, often severe hot weather, irregular communication and demands by the employer, and many other things will make it a unique experience, but one that may make you question your sanity in the first week or longer!
how would you fare teaching in a classroom of students young, or older at high school age?
I’m not sure. I think I’d probably do better around children than adults. I’m pretty ok with my younger cousins at least. I have had someone suggest that I might be a decent teacher, but I’ve never looked into it. I’ve got some CS skills from taking various classes in college and I did well at them although I didn’t end up managing to get a degree. I do sometimes wonder if I’d ever go back to finish that if I sort out my health issues. But perhaps teaching could also be a route to look into.
That’s a good indication.
However in reality, a degree is required to teach in China, and to get a valid work permit to do so, as a foreign professional.
Without a degree, schools or kindergartens will offer other visas, such as a business visa, which is illegal. No matter how well established the school is, teachers have been busted for doing so.
How about travelling there? China offers 30 day tourist visas. Then you can settle on whether you want to work on that degree and work in China.
I visited Japan to consider whether to work there and while I enjoyed travelling there, I very strongly felt I wouldn’t want to work there. China spoils us teachers on relatively low hours, low living costs, and good pay!
Edit: you were about to complete a degree in CS. A few teaching jobs are available for CS. Completion of the degree will open up these jobs, especially if you can show distinct proof of tutoring in CS (as an example) one year (which they can exaggerate to two years in the visa application). Otherwise use English teaching in China as an in-road to teaching CS at a high school level. It could kickstart a teaching career. 😉
It might be nice to try traveling there, but I’m not sure how much I can gather from that as a tourist. Like when I went to Japan on vacation it seemed like a nice place, but that’s because I wasn’t exactly going to check out the salary men/women working themselves to death in an office.
Thanks though. You’ve given me some things to think about.
Great! Make sure you’ve read my edit. CS is quite a recruitable teaching role. The degree is essential, and I’ve been in a spot of bother not completing my degree before as well. It helped me to live with my family for a bit to complete it!
Have you considered UK/Ireland/Aus/NZ?
Australia is really good. And while the incumbent Labor party is hated by all the terminally online left, they are more than anyone else in the country interested in making it a better place.
That’s good to hear. UK Labour have practically become defenders of the status quo.
And in doing so, are failing catastrophically to defend it (from the right flank).
I have a friend who was born and raised in China, and move to Europe when they were 16 yo. They’re first language was basically Chinese, despite having an American and German parent respectively.
I was always super curious about what their time in China was like, and asked extensively about it. Of course they were quite biased in favor of China, so things like the crazy surveillance that goes on there never really seemed dubios to them, but one thing they mentioned very frequently: discrimination.
I should say, this individual did not look Chinese (and couldn’t get a Chinese passport, despite being born there). This — according to them, and I am inclined to believe this, due to the aforementioned bias — caused them to be intensely discriminated against, as a lot of Chinese people apparently don’t like Westerners (well, a lot of Westerners also discriminate against Chinese).
Your mileage may vary, but that did always surprise me. If you look non-asian, China might not be the best place to move to 🤷.
What’s your degree in and is it sought after by any of these countries you listed?
It was in labor relations and I briefly went to grad school for CS, although I didn’t finish it because that’s around when the psych issues really got to me.
I’m basing on this on absolutely no experience in the matter, but I don’t think a degree in labor relations is going to be in high demand in another country. Unless you have a legal background or the lawyer accreditation equivalent in that country’ s legal system. I say this as a man with an Anthropology degree. Finding out what skillsets those countries are seeking from foreign workers and accreditations to prove those skillsets is probably step one in emigrating.
As a man that grew up in Texas I desperately wish Canada would let me in and adopt me.
Absolutely not. I’m staying right here, and they’re going to have to kill me right here.
Understood. We’re sending our agent enroute to you.
First, try to figure out exactly where you want to move and what options you have for long term residence. Employers will usually sponsor you for work visas if you either have skills that are in high demand, or for seasonal jobs (resorts, hotels, agriculture). Pursuing higher education or doing volunteer work can also get you a visa in some cases.
I definitely recommend learning the local language. Not only will it improve your chances of finding work, but it’s the respectful thing to do if you plan to stay somewhere for an extended period of time. You need to think about where you will live and how you will afford to cover your expenses. Some of the seasonal jobs might offer a living space, but I wouldn’t count on it. You could also try finding remote work and living as an expat before committing to moving.
As for food, keep an open mind and learn to cook. It will help if you don’t like the local food, save you money, and is simply a good skill to know in any case.
Lastly, people usually migrate to places where they have something and someone familiar. I would advise learning about the culture and getting to know people who live in the place you want to move to first so that you aren’t in for a shock.
What are some good ways to learn about this kind of stuff?
What in particular do you want to learn about? As I said before, a good first step would be identifying where you want to go, because the rest of the steps, opportunities, and challenges will depend heavily on that.
I suppose it would be the employment stuff and how to learn more about the culture/meet people before I go. I suppose for the latter there’s not much to be done before I can learn the language though.
Without knowing more, I think the place I’ve been most interested in has been Vietnam. There are some youtube channels I’ve watched that talked a lot about life there. But obviously there’s only so much that can be gleamed from that.
Write down questions about specific things that interest you. Look for online communities about Vietnam, immigration, expats, etc. Once you learn the basics of the language, you can look for a language exchange partner or pen pal to get practice and also learn about their country and culture.
You enter figure out a solid plan because nobody wants you anywhere unleas you got an elite profession and even then those people come into US.
More realistic route is marrying into the country IMHO
Nobody wants Americans anywhere
