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<\/p>\nWhen Kirsten Pugley\u2019s long-term relationship came to an end in 2018, she was ready for a fresh start.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t just about dusting herself off and moving on.\u00a0She wanted more. A new job, a new home\u2026 a new country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, as a 35-year-old with a four-bed house and a mortgage, not to mention an already pretty fulfilling career and good social life, she couldn\u2019t help feeling like she was chasing an impossible dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was until Kirsten happened to have a chat with a senior colleague at the sports retail company she\u2019d worked for as the head of marketing the last five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It turned out that there was an opportunity to head up the business\u2019s marketing team 4,000 miles away in Dubai. The rest, she says, is history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I didn\u2019t hesitate to say yes,\u2019 Kirsten tells Metro.co.uk. \u2018While I loved my job and the people I worked with, I knew this new chance had the potential to project me further in my career than I could ever have expected.\u2019<\/p>\n
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With UK Google searches for \u2018move abroad\u2019 up by 1000% in 2022 \u2013 the highest level in internet history \u2013 90,000 British citizens made the move overseas for work last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While most were in the 25-44 age group according to research from Radical Storage, women were the gender more likely to make the leap \u2013 with 45% saying they would like to work abroad compared to 39% of men.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Giving insight into the growing trend of women moving abroad for work, careers expert Victoria McLean tells Metro.co.uk: \u2018Twenty or so years ago, women didn\u2019t have the access to education or professional development that they have now. As this has changed, it\u2019s enabled more women to seek careers and career progression in another country.\u2019<\/p>\n
While moving overseas provided Kirsten with the chance she needed to start over, it wasn\u2019t a seamless process, she admits. Leaving family and friends behind was difficult, for a start.<\/p>\n
\u2018My parents know I am very headstrong and determined but I think they might have hoped there was only a small chance it would end up happening,\u2019 she remembers. \u2018It all became very real when they dropped me off at the airport \u2013 there were tears.<\/p>\n
\u2018Some of my friends were sad to see me go and others understood why I wanted to. However, they were all excited about having a new holiday destination and a reason to leave their kids at home for a girls\u2019 trip.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Kirsten also admits that she didn\u2019t really give herself much time to process her feelings. \u2018I guess I took the steps to move without really thinking about it until I got to Dubai,\u2019 she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018An old school friend of mine was out there with his wife and stepdaughter, so this provided me with a safety blanket because I had someone who I could ask questions about the process.\u2019<\/p>\n
Kirsten, who remained in a head of marketing role, admits that it did take time to adjust in Dubai because she was used to working in fast-paced environments and the processes there\u00a0were slower than she expected. However, reflecting on her journey so far, she says; \u2018Planning my life hadn\u2019t really worked out as I thought it would, so I owed it to myself to see how this opportunity went.\u2019<\/p>\n
Research has also found that taking a career overseas tends to benefit women more than men, with HSBC\u2019s Expat Explorer Survey revealing that the average female expat\u2019s income increases by around 27%, compared to 23% for men. Kirsten agrees, saying she is much better off financially since moving to Dubai.\u00a0 Her salary has increased by roughly 2.5 times before tax (and therefore more, as Dubai has no income tax). <\/p>\n
\u2018You do have to bear in mind that the cost of living is much higher here and there are other costs to factor in regardless of having no income tax,\u2019 she adds.<\/p>\n
However, Kirsten also points out that she doesn\u2019t think she would be able to find a similar job in the UK on the salary she is currently on. \u2018The cost of living has increased dramatically, which is one of the reasons why I\u2019m not ready to move back to the UK just yet.\u2019<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s no doubt the move has given her career success, Kirsten says it has impacted her social life. She finds it difficult to keep in touch with friends in the UK, and when she makes plans to visit her home county of\u00a0Devon, she also has to factor in stops for London, Newcastle and Manchester, where she also has connections. \u2018It isn\u2019t easy because that\u2019s when it starts to feel like less of a holiday,\u2019 she explains. \u2018To add to that, I feel so guilty when I don\u2019t manage it all.\u2019<\/p>\n
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And although Kirsten has been able to make friends outside of work in Dubai, she says that romantic relationships have been \u2018the most challenging aspect\u2019 and \u2018something she is yet to conquer with any kind of success\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I guess we can\u2019t have it all,\u2019 she shrugs.<\/p>\n
Georgia Austin, 26, tells Metro.co.uk that she was working 40 hours a week as a copywriter at Sweaty Betty before deciding to go freelance. Although she loved her job, she wanted more control of her career.<\/p>\n
After launching a freelance copywriting business and taking on a freelance LinkedIn networking role with a US-based market research firm as a \u2018connector\u2019 \u2013 offering professionals in an assigned industry and market on the site money to complete a 10 minute survey \u2013 she decided to take the plunge and go freelance full-time. But in Brazil,\u00a0over 5,000 miles from where she grew up in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.<\/p>\n
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\u2018With the money I was earning as a freelancer, I knew that one reliable client was all I needed to pay my living expenses. I immediately booked my flight to Brazil \u2013 a decision that, little to my knowledge, precluded the global pandemic,\u2019 she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before deciding to move abroad, Georgia viewed her career as an exploration. She had a passion for writing and making money online. \u2018I grew up as a bookworm and wrote short stories as a kid,\u2019 she explains \u2018I\u2019ve always loved words and after landing my role at Sweaty Betty and writing for other sportswear brands, I knew I could monetise my passion,\u2019 she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once Georgia realised that companies needed freelancers like her, it became even easier for her to make money online during the pandemic. She created an account on Fiverr, an online platform where freelancers can market themselves, and she soon was inundated with work. \u2018It was spontaneous and life-altering \u2013 I never expected that things would change forever,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
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But why Brazil? Having visited the country a few times, Georgia says she felt like it was the right fit for her. On one of her visits, she taught English in Rocinha (South America\u2019s largest favela) during the Paralympics. During this time, she had already begun to build a strong network of friends and connections \u2013 including her future husband\u2019s family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I met my husband in the first week of arriving in Brazil, at the carnival. There was a two-hour queue to get in and we almost left the line due to boredom. Then we met inside and started talking,\u2019 recalls Georgia.<\/p>\n
And while others might have felt nervous about packing up and moving to a different continent, Georgia insists it was a breeze. \u2018It felt like a puzzle piece fitting right into its spot,\u2019 she insists.\u2019 If I could live and work anywhere in the world, why would I stay in the UK where taxes are high and my money wouldn\u2019t go very far?\u2019 <\/p>\n
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Since the move, Georgia has worked hard, scaling the freelance business she set up a few years ago to generate $2.1million in total revenue in just over two years. \u2018I had the business model down and a great service offering, so I took things to new heights by onboarding industry experts to help fulfil demand, which ultimately tripled my earnings each month,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
Now, following the success of her agency, Georgia has founded a spin off company and bought a home in Florida. \u2018My long-term plan is to scale and sell my company then settle down in the US while spending a few months each year travelling around the world. Although I don\u2019t foresee a permanent return to the UK, I will always cherish the relationships and experiences I\u2019ve had there,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
Victoria McLean, CEO and Founder of Career Consultancy City CV, adds that she believes the pandemic has had a part to play in the rising number of female expats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018COVID-19 gave us better professional mobility. When you have the option of working from anywhere in the world, it\u2019s easier to move abroad or work for companies that are based anywhere in the world,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n
\u2018Women have long asked for better flexibility and I think it took a global pandemic to deliver this. Over the past few years, there has been an increase of opportunities in female-led industries, like healthcare for example.\u2019<\/p>\n
When Sarah-Jane McQueen had the idea of moving from Croydon to Australia for work floated to her by a colleague, the first thing she did was discuss the move with her long-term boyfriend, who had always lived in London. \u2018We then went through the process of applying for our visa. Due to the backlog from Covid, it took about six months for our entry to be granted,\u2019 she tells Metro.co.uk.<\/p>\n
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As the visa took a long time to arrive, Sarah-Jane admits there was a lot of time to question the move, with many nights spent weighing up the cons of thinking what could go wrong. \u2018We didn\u2019t want the opportunity passing us by. We got through it together with a pact that if we were miserable after six months, we would come back home to London.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, while she hired a relocation consultant to help with the logistics, Sarah-Jane, who is now a\u00a0COO of an education marketing company, knew that making the move wasn\u2019t just about her and her partner. She had to think of her eight-year-old daughter too. <\/p>\n
Having only ever lived in their family home, she says her little girl struggled with such a big move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Once we started sharing where we were going and involving her in finding our new house, she started to get excited,\u2019 remembers Sarah-Jayne, 42.\u00a0However, once moved, reality hit and it was hard for the family to see her go from being the popular girl in school in the UK to being an outsider.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Sarah-Jane admits that seeing her child being excluded from birthday parties and play dates was heartbreaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018We did have a few incidents on the playground at school because she got angry or lashed out, which is why we enrolled her in other activities outside school like swimming and yoga,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I had mum guilt, but over time she\u2019s found her place. Almost a year in and she\u2019s the happiest I have ever seen her.\u2019<\/p>\n
With a relocation package that also enabled Sarah-Jane and her family to turn their London home into an investment rental property, it\u2019s safe to say they\u2019re financially better off. Another bonus is that the income taxes and other taxes are better off in Australia (UK contribution is 4% whereas Australia is 11%).<\/p>\n
Even so, Sarah-Jane admits to FOMO when she sees pictures of her friends during nights out or events. \u2018Not seeing my family all the time is difficult, but I do my best to make it work,\u2019 she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s also been hard as her grandmother had a stroke 18 months ago, and she admits not being as close to her as she\u2019d like, is her only regret about the move. Other than that, Sarah-Jane describes her journey as a \u2018wild adventure\u2019, adding \u2018We\u2019re closer than ever as a family unit and my career has gone from strength to strength.\u2019<\/p>\n
According to Victoria McLean, while this trend for Brits to move abroad for work looks set to continue, there are some serious negatives that go beyond FOMO and feeling homesick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018While a move abroad might be a real career boost for women, there might also be a knock on effect of reduced gender diversity in the UK with the hardest impact felt at senior level,\u2019 she explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018There are a number of ways this trend could impact the UK labour force but the most important is probably \u201cbrain drain\u201d or the loss of education and skills.\u2019<\/p>\n
To counteract any potential critical drain on talent in the UK, Ray\u2019n Terry, HR Director at Totaljobs advises that British employers \u2018evaluate their offering for international workers and how they can compete on a global scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Whether that\u2019s giving workers greater flexibility to work anywhere they want in the world or developing relocation packages that highlight the quality of living aspects of your location,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n
As for Sarah-Jane\u2019s plans, she and her family expect to stay in Australia until their visa is up in 2026. They also have a pathway to permanent residency \u2013 a process they can start next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Moving back to the UK will be likely when our parents need us to help look after them,\u2019 she explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018At the moment, we\u2019re just taking each month as it comes. Because at the moment, everything is great where we are.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n