Professionals with careers that take them abroad are faced with numerous issues. Beyond finding a place to live, professionals traveling with family need to consider looking for a place to educate their children, in addition to considering the career aspirations of a spouse, if married. Furthermore, a position that offers career advancement, in addition to offering a nice salary and benefits package, comes with demanding hours and increased responsibilities. Even with all these issues, busy professionals working internationally can achieve a balance between work and family life.
Long and difficult days that never end is a common issue for many professionals in today’s competitive, career-oriented world. While there is no particular place that professionals and their families can go for help, often communities can be formed in the work place among colleagues who experience and navigate the adjustments of living in new country. Military members working overseas, for example, are surrounded by a community of people with similar challenges related to balancing a demanding schedule with family commitments. More importantly, communities can serve as support for professionals while adjusting to this new environment.
This support can help with many problems associated with living abroad, for example, problems related to where to live, in addition to transportation. If moving to a country that speaks a different language, having to communicate with people of other languages for business purposes can be challenging. While some of these problems can be addressed before the move, enrolling children in school in a foreign country is a task that takes place upon arrival. Many times, though, professionals have opportunities to give their children appropriate educations. For example, a number of international schools in Singapore offer students a quality education. Conquering this issue and others can be accomplished with support.
Tips for Balancing Work with Family
Calculate a budget. Making a budget is important, especially if dealing with exchange rates.
Keep priorities in focus and schedule quality time with family, whether it is reading stories before bedtime or eating dinner at the table.
Set limitations and be honest with employers. Prospective hires should be honest with their employers about how much time they can devote to the job beyond the normal business day. More importantly, when these boundaries are established, employees should try to keep limitations, only making allowances in extreme emergencies.
Set boundaries between work and family life. Blending work and home balance can easily happen. While sitting at the computer at work, it is so easy to access the internet to pay bills, in addition to other tasks. Conversely, bringing work home on the weekends can fill up an inordinate amount of personal time. Avoid bringing work home from the office, and try to avoid working on personal tasks while at work.
Going overseas brings an amalgam of new possibilities for professionals and their families. However, the opportunities for career advancement do not have to come at the expense of a balanced family life. Like everything else in life, balancing a career with a good family life comes with planning.
