Citizens of Europe are happily exercising one of their core rights; the freedom to live, work and study within any of the EU/EEA member countries. According to estimations there are more than a million EU citizens moving within EU borders in a single year. If you’ve never been one of them, chances are you at least considered it at some point of your life and know that – like with most things in life – there are pros and cons to be weighed. This article is focusing on the pros.

What are the top 5 reasons to move to live and work across the border?

Your first goal could be getting a higher salary, a better chance for employment, or a job that simply suits you more than the one you have now. Living and working abroad however also has significant long-term benefits for your career:

• you get precious insight into a different culture, its customs and its business etiquette;
• finding yourself in an unfamiliar environment motivates you to improve your overall communication skills, become more flexible and adaptable, and develop an out-of-the-box way of thinking;  
• you learn a new language, which won’t only look great on your CV, it will actually make you smarter – researchers found that learning a second language improves cognitive skills that are unrelated to language;
• you gain experience working in an international environment and get to build a priceless network of international connections.

Quality of life is shaped by many factors that go beyond money, such as personal freedom and safety, healthy environment, low inequality, housing conditions, ability to spend time outdoors, good weather, access to free healthcare and quality education, etc. Some countries are much better than others at providing their citizens a high quality of life, which is what attracts people to move abroad.

Scandinavian countries are consistently found to be among the best for quality of life. Norway for example has the highest levels of life satisfaction in the OECD. According to InterNations, expats living in the Nordics are most satisfied with aspects like health and well-being, family life, and working life – especially with work-life balance.

3. Improving your work-life balance

Work-life balance is a factor that has immense influence on the overall quality of life, and there are several things we can do to improve it. One of them is moving to a country where flexible hours are encouraged, and the government supports practices that make it easier to harmonise work and family life. In fact, pursuing better work-life balance is becoming one of the primary reasons for moving abroad, as people have grown tired of living stressed-out lives and wish to live at a slower pace.

4. Facing new adventures and challenges

Not only can living abroad do wonders for your career development, it also boosts your personal growth. Becoming an expat challenges your mindset and helps you develop a different way of looking at the world. Consequently, you become better at understanding your own cultural values and biases. Moving to a new country puts an end to a mundane lifestyle, every experience is new and exciting.

5. Enriching the lives of your children

Living life as an expat child is undoubtedly a challenge, but for children, the benefits are enormous. By being exposed to other cultures they learn to understand and appreciate diversity. By overcoming challenges of integration, they develop social skills and confidence. They’ll have the advantage of speaking more than one language. Moreover, growing up bilingual also benefits children’s overall cognitive development.

The skills that your children develop as expats will stay with them throughout their lives and help them in their own careers. Besides having an interesting, unique life story, they are likely to build a lifelong network of friends and peers from different parts of the world.

Do you have itchy feet? Take your time and do some thinking

Moving to a different country is a big change, and not the easiest one to make, so we recommend you do a thorough research before making any decisions. Consider both the advantages and disadvantages, define your goals and expectations and try to make good sense of how moving there will help you meet them.