The Expat Chat

It’s a long way from Edinburgh Scotland to the heart of Hong Kong; not just in distance but also in contrasts. For Joanna Claire an opportunity to shift with her employer was too good to turn down and she made the move in early 2015. So far the experience has been wonderful for her making new friends and giving herself the perfect starting off point to explore much of Asia.

Joanna sat down for an interview with us and shared her perspective of being a young woman in one of the world’s largest business hubs. Here’s what she had to say

You can follow her blog at http://www.b-hongkong.com

What I learned from speaking with Joanna:

Getting a gun pointed in your face is often an experience that would cause many to catch the next bus out of town but for Andrew Creelman he hasn’t allowed it to faze his enjoyment of living in Brazil.

Andrew has lived and worked in Sao Paulo as a teacher for a number of years. Initially from England he worked in Japan until a chance beer with a friend one night let to a spur of the moment decision he hasn’t regretted.

Andrew shares with us his experiences of living in Sao Paulo, the good and the bad, and why the longer he spends there the more he feels at home. He talks about the influence the people of Sao Paulo has had on him and how he is richer from the experiences he has had there. He runs his own English teaching business and shares his knowledge on this area along with his suggestions on dealing with Brazilian life through his blog www.whataboutsaopaulo.com 

What I learned from speaking with Andrew:

Children can stop you from travelling – or it can be the very reason to be doing it. Today we talk to a couple who have certainly been leading an international lifestyle and have two very international children to show for it.

Matt and Hannah Curtis have spent the last two years living in Okinawa, a sub tropical island south of the mainland of Japan. Although a Japanese island it sits closer to Taiwan than it does to Japan. Since their arrival the Curtis’s have come to love the island and their people and are firm believers that you’ll get as much from a place as you’re prepared to put into it.

Raising children in a different culture can be a challenge and it doesn’t come without it’s downsides including proximity to family, but the pluses have been worth it. They believe both they and their children are richer for the experiences and today they share some of the challenges of living in another culture, and how it can affect your children in a positive way.

If you want to follow what the Curtis’s are up to and find out more about their travels follow their blog at http://funflyingfour.com

What I learned from speaking with Matt and Hannah:

One of the great advantages of the internet is the ability to create a portable income, one that isn’t time dependent and one you can earn from anywhere in the world. In fact if you’re an expat with a story to share that very fact could be a source of income in itself. If you’re looking for a means to earn some online income as an expat then blogging could be an option for you.

Today we talk to Yeison Kim and Samantha Wei who are enjoying the good life in Costa Rica. Samantha is from the United States and started their blog just on 3 years ago. They are currently getting around 80000 website visitors every month and now earn an income of around $US5000 per month from their blog.

We spoke with them about how to set up a blog, some mistakes they made in getting started and what options are available in monetizing a blog if you hope to go down this line. They share the secrets that have helped them get their blog to the point of being a source of income they can now comfortably live off while enjoying the pleasures of Costa Rican life.

If you’re interested in knowing their tips then listen to today’s show. These guys are very transparent about what they do and how they monetize it and you can get all the details including website traffic and monthly income on their website at www.yeisonkim.com or follow their stories from Costa Rica at http://mytanfeet.com  

What I learned from speaking with Yeison and Samantha:

It’s never too late to become an expat and its certainly never too early. Sometimes a moment happens when you realize that the life you’re living isn’t what you want to do anymore. For Rika Purdey it was one lunch time sitting in the cubicle of her office in downtown Vancouver where she practiced as a para legal secretary. She took one look at the stressed out housewives sitting around her and made the decision that she didn’t want to be still sitting where they sat when she reached their age.

She had booked a holiday to the island of Roatan in Honduras not expecting it to be anything other than a break but four years on she has made it her home and is reveling in her new career as a dive instructor on the island.

In todays interview Rika shares the good and the bad of Roatan and the steps you will need to go through if you plan on getting residency like her – plus you’ll discover why she’s picked up the nickname of the Honey Badger!

You can get more information on Roatan from her website www.cubiclethrowdown.com 

What I learned from speaking with Rika:

Love Mexico? Happy to live in million dollar homes for free with the housekeepers and gardeners while the owners are away? If this sounds like the lifestyle for you then you’d better listen to today’s show. Jason and Deidre enjoyed a six figure corporate income in Kansas City but they were stressed, unhappy and never had any money left at the end of the month. The passing of a friend made them realize that life didn’t go on forever and that waiting for retirement was not the best way to live their lives.

3 years ago they packed up and moved to Mexico, spending a year renting before getting themselves into the housesitting game and they haven’t looked back. They regularly get more houses to sit than they can handle, especially from repeat clients, but are still driven by a desire for a new experience.

Click the podcast link to listen to the Mizes sharing their inside tips of Mexico housesitting. You can follow them in more detail at their website http://awolamericans.com

What I learned from speaking with the Mizes:

Not everyone chooses the expat lifestyle but there are few who regret it once it’s happened. The global economic crisis put paid to Susanna Perkins plans to stay in the US and she was forced with her husband to find a more affordable location. A one week reconnaissance trip and they were off. Although Susanna wouldn’t recommend the speed of her transition the experience has proven wonderful as her husband and her settled into small town life making friends along the way.

Susanna has put her experience to good use. She has shared her experiences and knowledge via her website where she has her free e-book on finding your ideal expat income.

You don’t have to be seeking a warmer climate to make an expat move. Michael Long and his wife had been enjoying the warmth of Tampa but decided that life had more to offer them elsewhere. Michael had experienced life as an expat in Thailand as a younger man so knew the experience of a shift wouldn’t phase him. With his wife having US and Panamanian citizenship it seemed the obvious place to go.

15 months on Mike has been enjoying the experience but forewarns other expats that although Panama does offer a good life and he’s happier than in the US there are a few things people need to be aware of before making the shift. In todays interview we give a brief introduction to an expat living in Panama City. If Panama is on your horizon you’ll want to listen to Michael before you go any further

Being a single woman in midlife doesn’t seem like the best time to make a leap into the unknown but for Diane Dupres it proved the making of a new life. Originally from England but teaching high school drama in New Zealand Diane felt like her life needed a change, she was destined to spend the rest of her life “with crochet and cats” to quote her own words!

She made the brave decision to become an expat teacher, taking on a two year position in the Muslim country of Malaysia where she fell in love with the place, the people and the food.

We spoke with Diane between destinations and back in New Zealand where she has just completed her stint in Malaysia and is about to embark in a new role in Jakarta Indonesia. If you’re interested in the experiences of a single middle aged woman living in a Muslim country then this could be for you.(and if you enjoy Diane’s humor don’t worry, we’ll have her back in the near future to share with us how she’s enjoying Indonesia)

One of the biggest fears for any would-be-expat is throwing away the day job and moving overseas. Unless you’re well set financially then another source of income, however small, needs to be set up.

One great opportunity to earn a living in this area is by teaching English. As English speakers we are blessed to already know a language that is universal and many people are ready and waiting to learn it. There has been an explosion in this area in recent years and with the continuing evolution of the internet the chance to reach a captive market is getting easier and easier.

There are many misconceptions around this topic and today we speak with Jack Askew of http://www.teachingeslonline.com who shares his knowledge about the increasing demand from English learners, where the online opportunities are heading and what you need to do if you want to get started as an English teacher, either online or in a foreign country.

You can get some handy hints on getting started in this space with Jacks free e-book 15 Amazing Tools and Resources for Teaching English Online

Sit back with a good cup of coffee and here what Jack recommends you do if you want to get started in this space.

What I learned from Jacks interview:

1.    Teaching English is easier than you think. You don’t need to be an academic to teach it, particularly in the online environment and you don’t need to have mastered a second language in order to get your point across. Most of the resources are available online that you will need and with a recent free British government course in teaching English having more than 1 million people sign up there is no shortage of demand

2.     You need to find a niche in which to specialize. If you teach English generally you will be facing increasing competition from other teachers but diving into a specialist area and becoming the expert in it is the way to make a good income for yourself (Jack gave the example of helping Australian immigrants deal with passing the English test to be admitted as a citizen as an example)

3.     Empathize with your learners. Learning language can be frustrating for people. If you have a good ability to listen and appreciate what they are going through then you will support them better and grow your business accordingly. Although learning a second language yourself is not necessary if you’re undertaking the expat lifestyle this could be a good skill to have and will help you understand the frustrations of your clients.

4.    Start one on one. Although this doesn’t leverage your time as well as online can it will help you understand the needs of your market and hone your skills better.