Moving to a different country and becoming an expat is a big decision. It’s a deeply personal one too.

Maybe it’s tied to your work or personal life, or perhaps you just want to live somewhere different. Either way, as well as the exciting opportunities it brings, there are certain things, or struggles, about becoming an expat that you need to be aware of. The primary amongst these is adaptation.

Firstly, why would you even become an expat?

An expat is someone who lives outside their native country. Expatriation offers a number of possible benefits including different work opportunities, cheaper living costs, travel opportunities and the somewhat clichéd ‘fresh start.’ But ultimately, you find yourself in a new place, with new people surrounded by new environments.

If that’s you, it’s inevitable that you’ll notice differences. But quite often, the speed of change takes many by surprise and demands quick adjustment.

You’ll need to adapt quickly but also be willing to learn to navigate this new and ever-changing physical environment. The same applies when interacting with the people around you whose norms, values and behaviours might be very different from your own.

A simple list of dos and don’ts can help here but they’ll only scratch the surface. Some common ones include not eating with your left hand in many cultures because it is considered unclean (India and the Middle East) and the use of colours. In some Latin American countries, wearing all white is associated with funerals and should be avoided for other events. But its impossible to know them all.

So here are some things to be aware of as a new expatriate.

How to deal with expat challenges

1. Coping with the culture shock

Becoming an expat creates a highly stressful environment which often results in the so-called ‘culture shock’. This varies in magnitude and ‘shock’ might not always feel like the right word – but both relate to having a feeling of disorientation when you suddenly experience a new culture.

Cultural differences have a huge impact on our wellbeing. Depending on the proximity of this new culture to your own, the change can be minimal or extreme. Overall, it’s safe to say it’s normal to be overwhelmed by the number of things that change in your immediate environment; the language (that you may or may not speak), types of homes, eating habits or dress codes – to name only a few!

The best way to prepare for the physical side of the move? Do your research and splash out on some getting-to-know-you time in the country in advance.

2. The pressure to get it right

Let’s think about the uncertainty you face in this situation. There’s a lot for you to learn. Will you get it all right?

That’s very unlikely.

Just like children learn to fit in through the process of socialising, so do we. What’s required is resilience. Resilience helps you to move out of your comfort zone, risk making mistakes and to learn from them! It’s just like learning a new language – we will never become fluent if we play it safe and stay quiet. Sure, it means we’ll never be wrong but we’ll also never say very much.

There are two possible scenarios to understand here. Some people may learn the language but find it hard to let go of their fear of feeling embarrassed when making mistakes. It’s very important to accept that it’s part of the process and that success is built from failures. Motivation is key.

The other scenario is that people move countries for an assignment but are not interested in the culture or don’t find the language ‘attractive.’ They can get by in English at and outside of work. Perhaps they are only relocating for a year or two, possibly even commuting home every weekend. The language of the host country might have a reputation for being very hard to learn and it’s a very daunting thought.

In both cases, learning even the basics can work wonders. Locals really appreciate the effort made, even though it’s only the greetings or other every-day words that can make all the difference.

3. Working relationships

Starting to work in a new country is daunting too.

An employer often deals with certain practicalities (such as finding your new home) but won’t if you’re self-employed. Everything related to working practices or relationship building adds an extra layer of complexity to the already volatile and uncertain situation.

Building trust and working successfully with your colleagues, stakeholders, clients and customers will be key. This requires a specific skillset: to be interculturally competent and know the broad techniques for developing intercultural relationships (and avoid falling into the trap of just relying on do’s and don’ts).

4. Miscommunication

Collaboration skills are strongly linked to effective communication. But how do we make sure that the message that we’re trying to send matches the message being received? Messages can be distorted in the wrong sort of way by cultural differences..

Quite often ‘requests’ in British English cause misunderstandings with international professionals explaining that they have trouble understanding what the feedback of their colleagues and bosses really mean. “You might want to consider”…”You could try”…they seem very vague to people from more direct cultures but asking for clarification also seems unnecessary as people think they understand the message (“do what you want”) or are too embarrassed to ask for clarification.

The ambiguity here refers to the interpretation of verbal, non-verbal (body language) and paraverbal (how we speak) communication. The ability to interpret is not something that happens overnight unfortunately.

Moving countries can be very volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous – but do we really have to move in order to go through a similar experience? Far from it.

Culture shock can take place locally in a diverse team or remotely with colleagues in different locations and time zones worldwide. On top of that, let’s throw in the challenges caused by the pandemic: online communication that is so different to face-to-face, the ‘zoom fatigue’ that impacts on our effectiveness, and the lack of quality social time that hinders teambuilding and networking.

If you’re a new expat then, the chances are you will have experienced similar feelings in different situations before – which certainly makes it easier. Developing agility, resilience, collaboration and communication skills is the best way to overcome all of these common challenges.

What’s more, these skills are invaluable. They’re transferable so when learned can set you up for life.

Are you a new expatriate or expecting to become one soon and keen to prepare for the move? Discover Intercultural Communication, an online course from the University of Cambridge Online(Opens in a new window): http://bit.ly/3YjdNCN(Opens in a new window)