Moving abroad alone is not the strange phenomenon that it once was. In today’s climate, where career progression is important and young professionals want to make a name for themselves, relocating abroad alone is becoming increasingly common. There are often great opportunities in a foreign country that offer more appealing job roles and the chance to climb up the career ladder more quickly. A new term has emerged for single expats who move abroad alone and thy are often referred to as Generation Expat or Genxpat. Such groups are generally typified by young, single, internationally mobile professionals who have an opportunity to relocate with work. There is no shortage of them in expat communities throughout the world.
People who move abroad alone do not have the responsibilities of a spouse or family and this can make the whole process much more straightforward. The pressure of needing to make the move a success will be much less than that experienced by an individual who has a family to support, and you are therefore much better placed to take a risk and test the water by living overseas.
The speed at which you settle in to a new location abroad will depend upon where you work and which country you are relocating to. If the office is full of people your own age and with similar backgrounds and interests, you will not have a problem finding a new group of friends. If, however, your work colleagues are a lot older than you, or generally not your kind of people, you may have to look elsewhere. Our relocation guides will be extremely useful if you find yourself in such a situation. Each guide contains insider advice on networking opportunities in the city, together with contact information for expat groups, business organizations and private clubs.
You can be certain that if you have move to a country where English is not the first language, there will be a large number of teachers around from all over the world who have arrived to teach English. These are generally younger people looking for a new challenge and a change. Like you, there’s a high chance they will be single. You may have arrived to teach and if this is the case, you will meet many people your age who are in the same range and who you click with immediately.
Getting out and about is the best way to meet people. There will be a number of social clubs to join and also many expat bars. Simple searches on the Internet will open a number of doors with regards to your social life and it will not be long before you are settled in. For further help and advice of methods of meeting like-minded people if you are moving abroad alone, see our free section on making friends abroad.
Many young professionals are very happy abroad and find that international relocation improves both their personal outlook on life and their career prospects. There are over 62 million young, professional expats throughout the world, so you really will not be alone.
If you move abroad as a singleton you should consciously assess how you perceive your life developing on a long-term basis. Many young, single expatriates move to another country for career development reasons and are more than happy to put any romantic plans for relationships on the back burner. While this is perfectly acceptable, there is a real risk that a constant focus on your career may leave you lonely in the long term and you need to carefully consider what you truly want out of your life. See our expat dating in a foreign country to learn about how you can find Mr or Mrs Right when you move abroad alone.
