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Life As A Digital Nomad – A Personal Perspective

Becoming a digital nomad is an increasingly popular option and the pandemic has made many people digital nomads as they work from home even if they are unfamiliar with the term. Here I share my experience of moving to Spain to take advantage of my ability to live as a digital nomad. Written by Nigel...

Self-Assessment Made Easy Using SimpleTax

HMRC-recognised SimpleTax has been developed for you and not accountants, calculating and submitting your return direct to HMRC. As it is cloud-based, SimpleTax is perfect for expats, guiding you through your return without all the tax jargon, prompting you to claim the allowances you are entitled to. This article was written exclusively for Expat Network...

GE sign 10 year wind farm service deal with Turkey

Continuing its pioneering collaboration in the development of clean energy in Turkey, GE Renewable Energy and Fina Enerji have concluded negotiations to broaden their cooperation program into a comprehensive ten-year Full Service Agreement (FSA), complemented by a 2-year trial of GE’s Predix-powered Digital Wind Farm solutions. The new FSA, signed 21st April, 2017, is designed...

China Builds Foreign Talent Database

China is to build a database of overseas talent as part of a digital platform to match foreign experts with potential employers, a senior official has said.China Daily reports that the platform, the first project of its kind in the country, will include all legally employed foreign workers’ nationalities, areas of expertise and industry, their...

New App Provides News From UK

The Times and The Sunday Times have launched The Times of London Weekly, an international digital app that provides readers with a world view from London. The new app pulls together journalism from both titles in a single digital edition, published once a week on Thursdays. The Times of London Weekly is designed to be...

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.