Have you ever gone to live/study in a country you where didn't know the language? (high school, to move)
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I spent eight months living and teaching English in a town in Poland with almost no non-Poles - I went three months without hearing another native English speaker. At first you feel like a three-year-old not understanding anything (the best memory was trying to organise a bank transfer using entirely hand gestures and made-up Polish words) but you get used to it. Just smile, accept that you are the stupid foreigner who doesn't understand them and not the other way round, and learn enough to get by. I wouldn't want to do it long term as it was too difficult to meet people with common ground who you can communicate with properly but it's a worthwhile experience.
Yes. I've worked in three countries (Mongolia for one year, the Netherlands for two years, and currently in China for my fifth year) and have not learned any of the languages. I never bothered with Mongolian. I did try with Dutch and Chinese, but gave up; I found it too time consuming. I work full time. The last thing I want to do when I get home from a long day is study a foreign language. So, I don't.
To quell your fears, don't let not speaking the local language stop you from going.
1. You can always leave if you find you can't hack it.
2. You may learn the language and have an even more rewarding experience than you'd otherwise have.
You know most countries have some kind of need for native English speaking professionals so it might be better to try and find a job with an international company and move that way - you will get a lot of help in the beginning with documentation and will likely have very understanding colleagues who are used to assisting non-locals to get situated.
Yes, I'm definately going to look into that. Hopefully there is a demand for native English speakers. Where would I go about looking though...an embassy or consulate?
I've went to to live in a number of countries without knowing the language. Japan, Korea, Brazil, and Spain.
I didn't know the language when I first went to any of those countries. But, I tried to study on the side.
I've also traveled to another 40+ countries...so have a lot of experience and years and years of being in various countries and using various forms of communication.
Also, each country is completely different in regards to their ability in English, and how English-friendly the place is. Even if there isn't much English, there are a ton of ways to communicate with very little shared language.
First though, which country are you highly interested in? Maybe it's a place I know well, and could be very specific about it?
Italy. Luckily, I'm also fluent in Spanish and Italian and Spanish are very similar. I actually met a Latin American guy while I was there and in the one year living there, he had become fluent in Italian. I know I could learn it, I'm just very shy and I'm scared of the first few months when I'm not going to know anything. I'm not as brave as other people.
I was in Amsterdam for 8 years and came to Chicago 4 years ago. I do still consider myself fluent in Dutch although I no longer have anyone to practice speaking with (I was working for a Dutch bank until last year). I read the Dutch news online and try to catch a tv show or two online occasionally. My oldest child was born there but she doesn't remember any of the language sadly.
Sadly Dutch isn't a valuable language to learn, if I'd gone to Spain or France it probably would have been more beneficial!
I moved to Germany and spent 2 years living in Munich. My German was "OK" before leaving the States, but the Bavarian dialect was very, very hard for me to understand. So I spoke fluent German long before I could understand most people in Munich.
It's hard living in a place where you can't speak the language fluently. Initially I was just treated by many people as a dumb foreigner and it was very frustrating not being articulate and smart in another language. But I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Munich is truly a great city!
OP the best way to find those jobs is Monster etc for the country you are looking for, looking on the country's site of companies you know in your field, networking with people you know who have friends there etc.
I always say go for it when it comes to a dream like this. As a long term expat in two countries so far I've seen many people come and go. Some dream of it for years and hate it the minute they get there and some aren't that bothered about where they live and end up in love with their new home. Either way you are going to gain something from the experience. There are hurdles in life that can't be overcome but not being fluent enough in a language shouldn't be one of them.
Yes, I'm definately going to look into that. Hopefully there is a demand for native English speakers. Where would I go about looking though...an embassy or consulate?
Maybe look into CELTA if you plan on teaching English Its a program by Cambridge University and is recognized around the world.
Yes!!!! No fear! This is the best way to learn foreign language!
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