Before migrating, work and live in Iran. Migration itself is hard. Don’t let the challenges of living alone for the first time add to the difficulties of migration.
Learn and master the language(s) of your destination country, especially their street-level slang.
Learn as much as possible, even the impossible, in your field and become a professional. Prove to your future employer that you know more than the unemployed back home.
Spend two years in military service and get stretched to your limits.
Prepare yourself and your family for separation in the truest sense.
Save enough money to cover one month of living expenses in the destination country + return costs (in case you fail) by any means necessary.
Write your English CV with 80% exaggeration. (Why?)
Look for jobs in your field on LinkedIn and local job websites of the destination country.
Handle written and video interviews with maximum confidence and a composed appearance. (I’d swear a laid-back junior looks way more valuable than an anxious senior in the employer’s eyes.)
Ensure the employer completes all legal steps for work authorization. If you hear “we’ll sort it out later,” run as fast as possible.
Your employer isn’t your friend; their goal is to extract the maximum knowledge and skills from you for their own purposes. Don’t be fooled by smiles and empty promises.
In most places, a week in a hotel can cover a month’s rent. Find livable apartments before arriving, and secure a lease as soon as you land.
Start working.
Try to keep expenses minimal for the first month until payday. Save old frustrations for later.
At night, before sleeping, ask yourself: “What on earth did I just do?”
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