Working abroad? 3 signs it’s the right time to return home

I am of the opinion that moving overseas for work is one of the best things a person can do for their career, and is something everybody should try at least once. Take myself for example, I moved to London from Australia in 2006 before relocating to Singapore in 2010 and I never looked back. I have had the opportunity to increase my cultural intelligence, experience different job markets, and learn new languages – and I’m in no hurry to leave! But sometimes, an overseas move doesn’t last as long as mine has, with some reaching their expiration date sooner than planned, and this is ok too.

I have run international teams in Asia for quite some time now, long enough to recognise when an employee is ready to return home. Here are the three key signs that I’ve picked up on:

You have taken all you can from this experience

As I said, there is so much to be gained from working in a new country, and when you first moved here, you may have felt like you hit the ground running and learnt about 20 new skills overnight. But now, everything has started to slow down, to the point where you are wondering if you are actually moving backwards. It’s been a while since you experienced anything new, and your gut is telling you that maybe you have taken all you can from this move.

Think about what you wanted to learn and achieve when you first moved overseas. What were your objectives, and have these been fulfilled? If so, what does the next step in your career plan look like, and does it involve working abroad? Working overseas has to align to your career goals, and if you don’t feel like you are moving forward anymore, then maybe it’s time to move back.

There are just as promising opportunities at home

When you moved overseas, your career prospects were looking much better abroad than they were at home. Your expertise was in high demand, and you were in a position to get the best benefits, training opportunities and salary. But now, some time has passed, you have a new host of skills and experiences to your name, and actually, your career prospects back home are now looking pretty good, in fact, employers are approaching you offering more financial reward and better career development.

That’s the good thing about today’s world of work. It is much more fluid and flexible than ever before, and whilst working overseas can do wonders for a person’s career, there will usually be opportunities in your own home country too.

You still don’t feel settled

Perhaps the issue with staying in this new country isn’t anything to do with your career. It’s been a year or more of trying to integrate with the team, get to grips with a new culture and build a social life. And maybe on the surface of it, you’ve succeeded. But deep down, you still don’t feel a sense of belonging. You can’t help but think, if you were going to feel at home, you would do by now. What’s more, you miss your home country, your friends, your family – and you find that you jump at the chance to speak to others about the life you left behind.

Whilst your career progression path is important, so is your personal wellbeing. And actually, you can’t give your career your absolute best if you aren’t happy in your environment – this is true for anyone, not just people working overseas. If you are still feeling unsettled, even after doing everything you can to adapt to your surroundings, then maybe home would be a better place for you to continue your journey – both personally and professionally.

As I said, I really believe that everyone who wants to grow as a professional should try working abroad at least once in their career. But if an international move comes to an end quicker than you anticipated, returning back to your home country doesn’t mean you are regressing in any way. In fact – if the above signs resonated with you – then I would suggest that in this case, moving home actually means moving forward in your career.

Listen to our podcast with Adrian Jones, Business Director at Hays Globalink Asia on how to find a job abroad below:

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• 6 lessons that shaped my career
• 7 reasons a role in recruitment will kick start your career
• 6 job ready soft skills you need today
• 5 attributes you didn’t realise multilingual candidates had

Author

Grant Torrens

Chief Customer Officer, Asia and Managing Director, Hays Japan

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Grant is the Chief Customer Officer for Hays Asia and Managing Director in Hays Japan. He has been with Hays for 19 years, enjoying a career that has spanned two countries. Joining as a consultant in 2006 in London where he recruited Accountancy & Finance professionals within the Banking & Financial Services sector, Grant relocated to Asia in 2010.