For most people, finding a job abroad is one of the most stressful, time consuming, and important parts of the journey. That’s why it tends to take up a lot of their time and thoughts. This is completely understandable – how else are you going to make a living and provide for you and your loved ones? However, once you’ve landed a job, it’s time to focus on what is probably the most important aspect of your life: your family. Moving abroad is sure to be an adjustment for them as well, and they’re going to need your guidance when it comes to dealing with the change. Read on to find out how you can do this in various ways.
Stability
It’s likely that you and your family had to face some uncertainty during the move, and you may even have lived in a few different places. One way of helping your family settle in and accept this as their new reality, is to make them feel a sense of stability. Insurance is a great way of doing this. Aside from being an important thing in general, expat insurance may help your family feel more rooted, safe, and protected.
A place to call home
This is quite similar to creating a sense of stability. If you want this country to feel like home to you and your family, the first step is to actually get a home. It’s entirely normal to spend the first part of your journey sleeping in hotels or with friends, but if you have a job, you may be able to afford a more permanent place. You can rent a place, or you may even be in the position where you’re ready to buy a house. Either way, it’s sure to make the adjustment easier for everyone involved.
Get everyone back into a routine
After everyone has settled a bit, it’s important to get back to what will be your new normal. While your new life will obviously be quite different to life in your previous country, you can get into a familiar routine by having your kids go back to work, and helping your partner find work if they are used to working. This will make the experience a reality, instead of feeling like a holiday.
Keep in contact with people back home
It’s important that you don’t lose contact with your friends and family back home, and it’s also important to ensure that your kids keep somewhat of a relationship with their family members and friends. While it’s natural for them to drift apart once you’ve moved abroad, keeping in contact will likely ease their homesickness while reminding them of where they came from. Try to incorporate video calls into your weekly routine, since it can be hard to remember them when life gets busy. There are various video call apps for all kinds of phones, form iPhones to Androids.
Weekly check-ins
You should also try to make weekly check-ins a part of your routine as a family. With everyone trying to find their place in the new country and living their own lives, families can often go weeks without having a proper conversation. Having weekly check-ins will allow open conversations about how everyone is adjusting, as well as any struggles they may be going through. This will also help you determine if your children are coping with school or whether they need some extra help, or to be held back a year. Moving abroad can be a traumatic experience, especially for children, so these check-ins may also help you see if it’s necessary to get professional help to help them deal with the emotional impacts.
Go on a trip
If your family was a bit hesitant about the whole moving abroad thing, one way to make them more excited about it is to take a trip in your new home country. You can visit some popular sites and learn more about the history. This will also help everyone learn more about the general culture and how things are done. They may even be excited about living there. Even if they didn’t have an issue with moving abroad, it can be a nice gesture. You’ve all been through a lot and you deserve to treat yourselves.
Be there
While all of the above is sure to help everyone adjust, the most important thing you can do is just to be there for your family. They need to know that they can come to you at any time, about anything. You also need to show them that they’re a priority. Go easy on them – young children especially may act up if they are confused. Try to answer all of their questions, and be sure to ask them if there’s anything you can do to make it easier for them. In short, you need to emotionally support your kids.