The idea of moving to Southeast Asia is always super appealing when you’re young. Why not get away from all the craziness of the US and Canada, build a family, and live a quiet, simple, and worry-free life? This is always an idea I think of fondly, especially since I like the warm weather and incredible aesthetics that seem to be everywhere in the region. Well, I only have a 50% chance of making this dream happen. Southeast Asia is dope, but living there is inherently riskier than living in Europe, due to the financial risks. That being said, some readers might still want to move to the region, and I don’t blame them. Let me present you with 3 problems that might come up while attempting to move to the region, and what you can do to mitigate them.
Southeast Asian Countries Don’t Seem to Want You There
At least not long term. If they do, they don’t make it super clear. Many people who move to the region for a long time become English teachers. But it doesn’t make much sense to give up the entirety of your future to become and English teacher in Asia, even if it’s a pretty stable career. It just doesn’t pay that much overall, think like $1k-$2k per month. You should aspire to a little better if you’re coming from a Western country. $30–40k per year is achievable with some elbow grease in almost all poorer countries. If you’re a real G, you can hit six figures and retire on a fraction of your income by the time you hit your early 30s. But that doesn’t change the fact that the people in Southeast Asian countries want their own space. They want to be in control of their own industries, and that is extremely respectable as far as I’m concerned. The only ways to get around this are to get really rich and really useful. If you’re one of these two things, you’re going to be able to get a work permit or an investment visa. So if you’re young and want to move to the region, get a good degree in something useful. That usually means healthcare and tech nowadays, although there are a bunch of options. Just take on the mentality that you’re going to build or maintain something that society needs. I know this is ironic coming from a blogger.
You Need to Start a Business to Guarantee Your Stay.
Unless you’re a healthcare professional or civil servant (hard to do in Southeast Asia as a foreigner, as far as I know), you’re pretty much at the mercies of your employer. In addition, you don’t want to be teaching English your whole life, and there aren’t many jobs in Asia that are able to guarantee you a good living. Starting a business in southeast asia is tough, for reasons that should be obvious. The way you get around this is by starting a web business and hiring locals to run it. If you’re blogging, hire videographers. If you’re writing, hire writers. Easy way to get access to a new location. But like in the first situation, you need to be rich and useful, and by the standards of your chosen country, not your home location.
The language barrier is really intense
I’ve worked my ass off to start this blog, and I’m likely to have to work my ass off to keep it running. When I was younger, I had the energy to learn a new language. Now, I’m not so sure. I know I’m going to have to learn at least Spanish or Portuguese, but Asian languages are quite far away from English. Learning them at my age is tough. You will most likely be finding me in Europe, although Vietnam tugs at my heartstrings sometimes (it’s a beautiful place). The only way to get around the language barrier is to start learning languages early. If you’re a teenager somehow reading this, just start learning the language of the country you like. It’ll be super easy for you to attend university there in the future, and you’ll have an advantage when it comes to getting a job.
Southeast Asia is a great region of the world. It’s safe, cheap, and sometimes even peaceful and quiet. It’s been a very long time since I last visited the region, but I’ve heard that things are getting better there with each passing year. Moving to Southeast Asia isn’t for the faint of heart though. It’s far, the jobs likely don’t pay what you’re used to, and these countries have very different cultures, including from one to the next. If you want to go, it’s important to structure your time.
By Rising Current on .
Exported from Medium on November 8, 2024.
