Working Abroad

british expats working abroad

Emigration from the UK has stood at around 400,000 people per year for the last decade. People leave the UK for a variety of reasons. Of these there are two that stand out most, retirement and employment. For some it is a sense of adventure, a need to discover new shores. For most it will be about career advancement.

Expats working abroad face different issues to workers in the UK. Wages for expats are generally above that of UK wages, but whereas UK based employees are protected by National Insurance and often have private health insurance, expats may not have either. However, this isn’t as bad as it may sound; there are plenty of good health insurance policies for international workers and many companies offer incentive packages to those moving abroad to work.

There are many different rules regarding work permits and visas, although these are very location specific. Expat employers will have experience of dealing with these issues so it’s worth discussing with your employer.

Financially, many aspects are more complex than in the UK. Tax returns, if needed, are going to be more complex just because you are not familiar with different systems. Opening new bank accounts can be tricky if you do not have residency and using your UK bank account could leave you open to exchange rate charges and currency fluctuations.

All of the above issues are easily dealt with and working life can be easily coupled with a lifestyle that suits you better. Our city guides are ideal for more location specific information. There is also further information on Income Tax and Working Abroad in our tax section.