Hope to be an expat

[Buckee]

Hello! I am completely new to this, so bear with me! I am in my last two weeks of Interior Design school in Toronto, and can't seem to shake the tantalizing idea of living abroad. The problem is that i have no idea how much money would be needed for an endeavor such as this, and also i have no idea if i'm even qualified enough to scare up a decent job! I'd really like to live in either Italy of France (I don't speak italian or French by the way). Can anyone tell me if this is possible? Or if i'm crazy? Also can anyone tell me how much money i'd need? Help! Thanx in advance for any advice given!:-)

[CanuckAbroad]

I don't think anyone can tell you how much you need - It totally depends on you. Remember though that the Euro is really strong right now.

If you're gonna work in Italy or France you need to get your visa in Canada - you can't get it while you're in another country. Pain in the butt, but that's how it is. You most likely need a job offer as well if you want to get a work permit, but it all depends on exactly what you wanna do.

You might wanna check out some of the sites listed in the Overseas Jobs section (on the right) and start looking for work. It's well worth it to live abroad, if only for the experience!

There are some hoops to jump through, but it'll pay off

Good luck!

[Buckee]

Thankyou for your reply. I forgot about the visa! As far as money goes, though, i just would like to know if it's possible to do this with no savings, or if i should save up a couple thousand bucks first?

Christine

[CanuckAbroad]

Sure, it's *possible* to do it with no savings. Lord knows I did, but I'm still paying down my visa

I'd definitely recommend saving up as much as possible before you do anything.

If you wanna live comfortably I'd strongly recommend like $5k in savings before going, at least. All depends on how long you wanna go for, your level of comfort, etc.

[Buckee]

Thanx so much for all the info! I think i will save up quite a bit first. I was thinking i could buy a place in europe, but seeing how the Euro is so powerful right now, i'm thinking renting is a better and more feasable idea! Thanx again,

Christine

[canuckle]

I suggest you try some place in Asia like Hong Kong or Seoul - but arrive with some money first! that or some very good contacts willing to put you up until you have a job that at least pays the rent.

By the way, against the Canadian dollar the Euro has gone DOWN over the past few months.

That's another reason to go to Hong Kong, for example. With the dollar there pegged to the US, any Canuck bucks you bring there will go further these days.