what they never tell you.
Moving abroad sounds incredibly glamorous, but there are tons of things they never tell you about the process. When Seth first applied for the job at Weta I imagined the hardest part of the move would be getting the job, oh boy was I naive. Here are 5 things that turned up after we heard "You're Hired!"
• Be prepared to drown in paperwork and unexpected expenses.
Obviously, even after you have work pinned down, you are still going to have to apply for a visa. Weta took care of a lot of the difficult bits for Seth, but since we are not married my visa was more difficult. They want you to provide all types of things, that you are in a genuine and stable relationship, that you have been living together for a year or more. They want you to provide photographs, envelopes sent to the two of you at the same address (who saves that kind of thing?), and joint bank accounts. In the end we could only prove that we are in a genuine relationship so I ended up with a Working Holiday Visa which is completely independent of his. It is important to note that New Zealand visas are much cheaper to apply for when you are in your home country, I think we only had to pay $38 for shipping instead of $270. So don't wait until after you are abroad to apply for one!
• Moving an animal abroad is practically impossible unless you are a millionaire and able to see into the future.
This kind of goes into the first point, there are more hoops to jump through to get a small 20lb cat into another country than a human. First you have to get a microchip, then you have to get a bunch of shots, then you have to wait, then you have to get blood drawn and send it off to a lab for testing, then more waiting, then you say screw it and smuggle your animal in a suitcase and hope your little fur ball doesn't pee on your laptop during the flight. New Zealand also requires that all animals be imported via a pet relocation service. We are going through the aptly named Pet Relocation which charges $5,000 for a move abroad. Because of all this madness, our little one will not be able to join us until July 2014.
• United States expats still have to pay US taxes.
Depending on which state you are from you may also have to pay taxes there...for the state and country you no longer reside in. We are literally the only country that does this.
• You have to leave EVERYTHING behind.
Okay, so I should have known this one, but it doesn't truly hit you until you are attempting to pack a robot, your entire Neil Gaiman collection, and a bustle skirt into your carry on. I have purged items from my packing list more times than I can count, and yet I still can't shut my suitcase. I will have a total of one, ONE, corset in New Zealand, how will I live?!
• You won't feel all that different at all.
Moving abroad seems like it will be a life changing experience, but life still goes on around you. You will be too busy packing, selling all your possessions, and training your replacement at work to be properly excited. You just kind of go on auto-pilot. People will also say annoying things when you say you need some time off, such as "But you're moving to New Zealand, you're entire life will be a vacation." I do not need time off to hangout on a beach, I need time off to take these twenty boxes of crap I have accrued to the thrift shop.
Even with all of these surprises, we are still quite lucky. Weta is taking care of a lot of the heavy lifting, we will not have to worry about booking a flight, hotel, or rental car and once we arrive they will help us find an apartment and get us settled into our new lives.
Have you moved abroad before? If so, what do you wish someone had told you before you began the process? Would you do it again?
• Be prepared to drown in paperwork and unexpected expenses.
Obviously, even after you have work pinned down, you are still going to have to apply for a visa. Weta took care of a lot of the difficult bits for Seth, but since we are not married my visa was more difficult. They want you to provide all types of things, that you are in a genuine and stable relationship, that you have been living together for a year or more. They want you to provide photographs, envelopes sent to the two of you at the same address (who saves that kind of thing?), and joint bank accounts. In the end we could only prove that we are in a genuine relationship so I ended up with a Working Holiday Visa which is completely independent of his. It is important to note that New Zealand visas are much cheaper to apply for when you are in your home country, I think we only had to pay $38 for shipping instead of $270. So don't wait until after you are abroad to apply for one!
• Moving an animal abroad is practically impossible unless you are a millionaire and able to see into the future.
This kind of goes into the first point, there are more hoops to jump through to get a small 20lb cat into another country than a human. First you have to get a microchip, then you have to get a bunch of shots, then you have to wait, then you have to get blood drawn and send it off to a lab for testing, then more waiting, then you say screw it and smuggle your animal in a suitcase and hope your little fur ball doesn't pee on your laptop during the flight. New Zealand also requires that all animals be imported via a pet relocation service. We are going through the aptly named Pet Relocation which charges $5,000 for a move abroad. Because of all this madness, our little one will not be able to join us until July 2014.
• United States expats still have to pay US taxes.
Depending on which state you are from you may also have to pay taxes there...for the state and country you no longer reside in. We are literally the only country that does this.
• You have to leave EVERYTHING behind.
Okay, so I should have known this one, but it doesn't truly hit you until you are attempting to pack a robot, your entire Neil Gaiman collection, and a bustle skirt into your carry on. I have purged items from my packing list more times than I can count, and yet I still can't shut my suitcase. I will have a total of one, ONE, corset in New Zealand, how will I live?!
• You won't feel all that different at all.
Moving abroad seems like it will be a life changing experience, but life still goes on around you. You will be too busy packing, selling all your possessions, and training your replacement at work to be properly excited. You just kind of go on auto-pilot. People will also say annoying things when you say you need some time off, such as "But you're moving to New Zealand, you're entire life will be a vacation." I do not need time off to hangout on a beach, I need time off to take these twenty boxes of crap I have accrued to the thrift shop.
Even with all of these surprises, we are still quite lucky. Weta is taking care of a lot of the heavy lifting, we will not have to worry about booking a flight, hotel, or rental car and once we arrive they will help us find an apartment and get us settled into our new lives.
Have you moved abroad before? If so, what do you wish someone had told you before you began the process? Would you do it again?
