It is an exciting time when you reach the point in life where you have completed your education and you can now make the most of the career opportunities you have worked hard for. Graduating in London often means that you will have stronger career opportunities, as London universities are well regarded by international employers.
If you graduated from a university that has a good international reputation such as Imperial, UCL and LSE, the reputation of your university can add weight to your job applications in addition to your qualifications.
Many London graduates pursue global careers to have the chance of experiencing a different type of lifestyle and to work for some of the best companies or organisations in the world. Whether you are taking a foreign teaching job, working in finance or any other type of sector, there will be lots of paperwork to complete and other tasks to work through before you start working abroad.
To help you to get prepared and avoid potential issues when you travel to your new country and start your global career at your new workplace, these are some of the things you will need to sort:
Passport and Working Visa
Check the expiry date on your passport and the requirements for the country you are travelling to. If you have a year long work contract, some countries will require that your passport will be valid for the full duration that you will be in the country and possibly a set period after your work contract ends.
The visa requirements vary considerably across different countries, and most will require a working visa. Check the eligibility criteria and what you need to provide for your visa application, as the process for acquiring a visa can take several weeks or even months, depending on which consulate or embassy you are applying through.
The eligibility criteria in some countries is stricter than others, and many countries only provide working visas to skilled workers. Some employers offer visa scholarships to cover the costs, so find out whether this applies to your situation.
Proof of Qualifications
Your employer will usually request proof of your qualifications to show that you are qualified for the job role. You may also be asked to provide proof that your qualifications are authentic through an apostille of diploma or a certified translation of documents if the country you are moving to is not predominantly English speaking.
Fake qualifications are becoming a growing concern for employers, so you might find that the original document of your qualification is not sufficient and you need official evidence. Using an apostille service that provides a PDF document can help to speed up the process so you are not waiting around or potentially delaying your start date.
Check If You Need Membership of a Professional Body
Before you move to another country, check whether you are required to be a member of a professional body in the country you will be working in. Medical professionals, teachers and lawyers are often required to have professional body memberships before they are legally allowed to start their role.
Get Your ID and Other Documents Together
Don’t leave it to the last minute to gather your important documents like birth certificate, professional certificate and driver’s licence. If you can’t find your documents you could end up in a position where replacement documents don’t arrive in time before you move.
If you are planning on renting accommodation, you may also require references from a previous landlord to provide to your new landlord. Arranging this in advance should make it easier to secure rented accommodation.
Research Your Tax Position
Working abroad can involve complex tax implications and tax liabilities will be based on factors such as whether you become a tax resident in the new country. If you are taking a permanent role rather than a short-term contract and you will be spending most of your time abroad, it is likely that your tax residency status will be moved to your new country. You will therefore pay tax through your salary based on the tax rules of that country and would not usually have income tax responsibilities in the UK but it is important to get advice on this to avoid any issues.
These are some of the key admin tasks you should sort out before you get to the stage where you are travelling to your new job. Getting these ticked off before you move will mean less hassle when you just want to focus on settling in and launching your global career.
