Top 5 Problems Faced by ExpatsA Guide for New Expats

By: Asia Expat Guides

• It is almost inevitable that you will feel some form of alienation having uprooted yourself from your home. Loneliness will set in as you make the move to a foreign land and having toadjust to foreign culture and language. There will be things that you missed about home, mainly the food and your family. As a result, many expats may ended up they preferred to cooped up indoors, at times for months, after their initial move as they have difficulty adapting to the new environment. You may begin to feel home sick and the thoughts of having your family and friends far away and are in a different time zone, does not help either. You will need time to get over the initial phase of adjusting but you would have to remain positive or it may affect your physical health and mental health.

Loneliness

• If you are moving to another country especially across the continent, the issue of cultural differences would be very prevalent. Most expats would initially find it difficult to comprehend the other culture and assimilate those in your own beliefs. However, you need to be open and receptive about many new ideas so to reduce the misconception about others. Being very accepting and learning to respect the local practices and local culture in your new found homeland should help you integrate with the local population.

Cultural Differences

• One of the biggest challenges of adapting to a new culture is learning to communicate effectively. According to the Expat Explorer report commissioned by HSBC Bank International, 58% of the 3,100 expats questioned said that learning the local language is one of the biggest challenges faced by international assignees. Even in America and Britain, despite the use of English as the main form of communication, it could still be a problem as there would be variations in pronunciation and common lingo and slang between the countries. A harmless comment from one culture may be misconstrued as being rude in another. Thus, you need to be aware of the differences to avoidembarrassing episodes.

Language issues

• There is no doubt that more attractive pay package is one of the major reasons why the vast majority of expats move overseas. However, the opportunity cost of getting a larger pay package would be a significantly higher cost of living. It is also worth remembering that, in some countries, the difference between the cost of living in the suburbs of the major city and the cost of living within a major city could well be enormous. There are so many aspects to consider, including property, food, utilities, local taxes and other issues, that many people will seek professional advice in this particular area.

Cost of living

• Healthcare has become a major issue amongst the expat community over the last few years as the cost of private healthcare continues to grow and the level of public healthcare in some countries continues to fall. Additionally most expats are not accustomed to the food and weather during the early days, thus fall victims to stomach flus, coughs and other illnesses. Most new expats have no idea where to seek medical attention in their host country, without medical benefits and local insurance, it could cost a huge fortune for every visit to the doctor. Therefore, a comprehensive medical plan will be needed to avoid the huge cost of medical care. In most countries in Asia, it would be good to have a good insurance plan to cover cost such as hospitalization and terminal illness.

Healthcare

Having understood the potential problems that you may face as an expat living outside your comfort

zone, our company are committed to provide quality service to ensure your smooth transition to move into

Asia. Hiring us is like an investment, as the services we provide are thorough enough to assist you and

defray any potential cost or unforeseen problems in the future. So do not hesitate to take up our service

and you can be assured that you and your family would be well covered and be able to live happily in

your host country.

WORRY NO LONGER!

For more information about being an expat in Asia, visit http://asiaexpatguides.com