How to move countries, keep your freelance business running and live to tell the tale…

Six tips on keeping a business running while moving countries:

1. Instant internet access is not an automatic right in every developed country. Even when you’re willing to pay handsomely for the privilege. So accept it, get over it, and get on with it. It’s a potential source of enormous stress when you’re trying to maintain a modicum of professionalism during an otherwise unprofessional period (that would be many times in a freelancer’s life, then). You’ll know you’re likely to get caught out by this if you find yourself starting thoughts with, “It’s hardly the back of beyond. Surely, in this day and age, I’ll be able to just…?”. Surely nothing, my friend. This catches me out every time.

2. Be prepared to be totally unprepared. No matter how much you plan, the unexpected will still catch you out. Thankfully I had this lesson down long before my move Down Under.

3. Forget fancy productivity tools and go back to basics. Pen, small notebook – it’s not pretty, but you’ll be glad of it when you find you’re still living out of rucksack two months after your move date. (Yes, you heard me. I’m still living out of a rucksack. But I do now have a fixed abode, which represents big progress in my books ).

4. Forget getting things done, because you won’t. If you’ve chosen to keep working while you move, then focus number one has to be work. You’ll be doing well to do much else beyond that. Even the most basic tasks take so much longer without the knowledge that comes from being familiar with your environs. Just get the basics sorted (internet, place to live… in that order) and don’t worry too much about the little things (beds, cups, curtains, blog posts, etc). There’ll be plenty of time to sort that out later.

5. They might speak your language, but it doesn’t mean you won’t find things “foreign”. Don’t let that scare you! And I mean this with all clichés and stereotypes aside. As an Irish woman, I thought I’d worked this out after 6 years in London. I made that move almost on a dare, with very little real knowledge of the UK or its culture. (And it was very hard for a long time.) In contrast, I thought I knew what I was letting myself in for this time around – I’ve had close ties to a certain special Australian for ten years now, and have made several trips out here, including an eight-month working stint in 2001. But still, it surprises me how much about Australian society feels more foreign than any European country I’ve ever lived in. Language really is only the tip of the iceberg.
My advice? There’s nothing for it but to pack a set of open eyes, ears and mind, take a deep breath in and strap yourself in for the ride Another blogger I know captures this with great wit and intelligence over here, where he blogs about his experience as a Brit on an MBA in the US.

6. Have fun! Moving countries and starting again from scratch is an invaluable albeit extreme way to gain perspective on everything. Keeping your freelance business running while you do this may seem stressful, but it’s well worth it. It creates a starting point in your new life, which adds structure, opens doors and acts as an anchor to what it was you liked about the “old you”. You’ll remember what you like about your job, above all, and why you wanted it to be part of your new life. It’s probably the most you’ll enjoy work for a long time. So don’t be in too much of a hurry to get straight back into the same set-up you had before you moved, either in work or in play. Instead, make the time to stop and smell the frangipanis.

So take it all in. Make the effort to capture your experiences, impressions and feelings whatever way you can. You’ll be glad you did when you have time to make sense of it some day, maybe from your rocking chair on the verandah.

About the author

Sarah Dillon is a qualified, accredited and experienced professional translator originally from Co. Clare in Ireland. She specialises in producing English-language texts that don't "sound" like translations, ensuring her clients' message has the desired impact in their overseas market. She is based in Brisbane, Australia and works with corporate clients, small businesses, agencies and nonprofit organisations all over the world. In her spare time, Sarah is also Marketing Director of eCPD Webinars.

Sarah Dillon has written 252 posts for There's Something About Translation.

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