Want to move abroad, where to begin

[imnotacelebritygetmeoutofhere]

(Shamelessly posting here for traffic, apologies, but it gets a big audience.)
I'm British, lived my whole life in London, I am mid-40s. I've always dreamt of moving overseas but for various reasons had ties at home. Now I'm free, but I haven't got a clue where to begin.
There is not a particular place I'm aiming for, I just love the idea of trying life somewhere different. I'm very well traveled and happily go new places and try new things, I enjoy the adventure, so I'm not phased by the idea of starting somewhere new.
I work in marketing communications also with some project management experience. I have a degree from 20(ish) years ago but no other professional qualifications. I can speak a basic level of French, Spanish and Swedish.
How do I begin? Where would I start to look for overseas jobs? Or should I go somewhere and then look for a job locally? Is it easy to get a visa to work somewhere else? Realistically I need a job that will pay enough for me to rent my own home (I'm too old for flatsharing) and enjoy what the local life has to offer.
The only people I know who have moved overseas have either been recruited for a specific required job, or have moved for marriage, and I don't have either of those to follow. Has anyone moved overseas simply for the adventure and fun of it?
I'd love some tips

My thoughts are for Portugal. Very pleasant climate. Good food. Still in europe. Democratic. Accommodation at moderate prices. Close to the Uk if you want to visit. History and culture.

It has got much more difficult post Brexit.

First question is whether you have any claim to a non UK passport?

If not, you will have to find a job which comes with a visa and a right to work. So an employer will have to sponsor you.

Or if you have significant saving etc you may be able to enter and live in another country as a high net worth individual. Individual countries have individual schemes.

You are not usually allowed to go to another country with the intention of seeking employment - which is why the people you know who have done it have gone for a specific job or for family reasons.

Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area and UK citizens have a right to live and work there.

Portugal sounds lovely, thanks for the suggestion Purple.
Susan, Brexit is a pain in the @rs3! I don't have a right to any other passport than UK unfortunately. I'm probably not wealthy enough to be considered high net under most measures unless it was a poorer country than UK but I will look that up anyway.
Has anyone managed to move to another country where they haven't automatically had a right to work?

What about Gibraltar? You can work in English and Brexit is not an issue

That's an idea, thanks Yarboo, I had not thought of Gibraltar. I bet the weather is lovely all the time there!

We moved to Portugal just for the hell of it / adventure / wanted to get out of Brexit Britain. Don't regret a thing.

I do have ties to Portugal so it is "home" to me and we have friends here, but I had no job lined up. I quit my secure job and took the risk. My partner's employer wanted to keep him on, so he works for them remotely (they've now made the situation permanent by moving his payroll to Portugal, so we got very lucky there). I now do freelance work from home.

Before Brexit it was very easy to move here with no job. Not sure how easy it is now, but in general Portugal is very pro immigration, especially young, educated people. It's easier for Brits to move here than to some other EU countries now.

Also there are some councils in Portugal where getting residency is easier than others. As far as I know they all require the same paperwork, it's just some - like ours - don't bother to check whether it's all accurate. For us it was pretty much, "welcome to Portugal, that'll be €15 please!".

Again, that was all pre-Brexit though.

Do PM me if you want more help or details.

Have you thought of teleworking - ie carrying on working in UK in English, online, but living overseas. One or two European countries I believe (maybe Spain for example) have visas for this (though do not know if for temporary or permanent residence). Might be worth investigating though?

Obviously you would need to find another way to integrate into the community if not working locally, but it could overcome the job/language/work permit issues?

Gibraltar has lovely weather, but it's a weird place. Like living in British suburbia (with all the gossip and politics and M&S), but sunny.

The other good thing about Portugal is that after six years you can apply for a passport and also keep your UK one. I am counting down the days.

I own property in Gibraltar - it rents out at prices equivalent to London rates. You'll need a really good job to live on your own there.

I’ve lived in the US, saw a job advertised (UK Consultancy firm supplying staff) they sorted the visa and after a few years I got a green card.

Ideally you find the job first so you can sort visas, brexit has made it much harder. Could you maybe find a job with a UK company that has offices abroad, that way you could ask for a transfer to a different country.

@annabell22

I own property in Gibraltar - it rents out at prices equivalent to London rates. You'll need a really good job to live on your own there.

I was going to say this. Property is very expensive to rent in Gib. It used to be that people would would work in Gib but live in Spain as it is less expensive. I don't know how it is these days though for UK passport holders.

Oh dear, sounds like Gibraltar is off the cards already!
I have actually thought of remote working as an option. Since lockdown started I have worked from home full time with no problems at all and could easily continue that. But I wondered though, if I'm working remotely overseas would I have to pay tax to the country I'm living in, even if my employer is in the UK. That's something I need to look into some more.

Re: working remotely for U.K. company. It’s complicated. If you’re freelance you pay your taxes where you’re resident. If you’re an employee it’s trickier, but doable. Again I can advise on the specifics for Portugal (which has an attractive tax regime for people doing this) if you want to PM me.

Um, well it's not easy OP, particularly if you don't speak any other languages. A basic level is not going to be sufficient for you to work, so you need to something that will allow you to speak English. I've worked O/S three times - the first as an au pair, which required me to speak English to the DC, the second time as a holiday rep for a British company and the third I married someone from the country. TBH, from what you've written and post-Brexit too I'd have to say it will be hard. You best bet is probably to be hired by a British company who will help you to relocate.

You could do TEFL in Asia

Thanks for the tips everyone, some good ideas for me to look into here.

Remote working has some really complex tax implications.
I’ve lived abroad (US and China), and currently looking into a move to NZ for a few years. I think you need to pick one country and aim to meet their criteria.

Teaching English in South America? I know someone who did that. No qualifications but because she was a native speaker with a degree they took her on at a school. Mind it was about 15 years ago so things might have changed.

You could apply for English-language marketing jobs in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan or another Asian hub like Jakarta... If the company can sponsor your visa, it's likely to be much better paid than teaching English... Although if you get a TEFL qualification you could earn quite a bit teaching business English at a private adult education center, or even in-house at a big company

You will pay tax in the country on which your payroll resides.
The best option if you want to live in the EU (for instance) is to get a BLUE CARD,

www.apply.eu/BlueCard/

This scheme gives you free movement in Europe, however you need to meet minimum salary requirements, depending on your field.

If you are in EU I would suggest also making voluntary NI contributions so that you you are still eligible for the full UK state pension should you return - if memory serves this are N2 contributions.

As above PP says, choose a country and look at their requirements and also their needs. For instance, I hire people in Denmark (and Germany) and in Denmark if you are able to meet the criteria for a skill shortage - for instance in IT or medical then you will get a visa regardless so it is easier for employers. If you have any IT skills let me know!

Eastern Europe is also often easier in terms of rights to live.
In any case you have 90 days to stay in a place and see what you think. This is a good opportunity to decide if you like a place, make contacts there etc.

Good luck!

I'd try Canada. I think they have got options for Brits.

The easiest way is to get recruited as they sort out your visa and often provide a relocation package. I’d recommend looking at companies that have an office in the UK and elsewhere, particularly Canada, Australia and NZ.

Alternatively there are lots of ‘British in xxxx’ type groups on FB which give really good advise and people have even secured employments and work permits through them

@FightingtheFoo

I'd try Canada. I think they have got options for Brits.

Being British does not help in the slightest in Canadian immigration. I've gone through the process and it's based on having a sponsor (person or company) or desirable skills and/or money.

No special allowance for Brits for Canada, commonwealth or not

As someone who has worked and studied in 5 different countries...

Most countries will have plenty of information available on official government websites about the different types of visas available and what criteria you have to meet to apply for them. It's not always as straightforward as just applying for a job and hoping the visa will be sorted for you - many companies will want to know on what basis you plan to gain the right to work and how realistic that is. Besides having a job offer there is likely to be other criteria as well, e.g. around your health, or ability to support yourself financially (e.g. need to be earning a minimum amount and/or be able to prove a minimum level of savings).

I would recommend starting with a list of places you would like to live and then do some research from there on the types of visas available, and whether you're likely to meet their criteria.