I'm looking for people who moved to a different country past the age of 45 and found a job there (so not "my company had a branch there and I was transferred" but "I would like to move there and need to find a way") to share their story with me.

Mrs H Saxon

@wanderingleaf my brother (55) just moved countries, he managed to get a sponsorship to do a doctorate. So do you have the relevant qualifications to head on to doctorate study? That may be a way in somewhere.

PernilleMsarup

@wanderingleaf @Genstart moved from DE to DK and is learning Danish fast. He’s describing his journey in Danish toots but you probably can get the highlights by translating them. Best of luck with your dream.

Amsterdam Eric

@wanderingleaf It's not too late. I'm 55 now. I sold everything and left America seven years ago with two suitcases and a bicycle. I didn't have a job, but I was able to find one. Mostly, it takes a lot of courage and a little luck. It's risky and scary, sure, but to me absolutely worth it. Now, I live in Europe and speak a new language - also very difficult but doable if you are truly committed. I will die happy knowing I achieved my dream.

GeofCox

@wanderingleaf

Not sure we quite fit the bill - but we did move from the UK to France in my 50s - wife late 40s - and with 3 school-age children. We were in a good position to do this because I was already self-employed and working internationally - so although in a sense my employment changed country, much of it in fact didn't change. My wife started her own business here in France.

There are of course many culture shocks - too many to describe in a social media post - but long story short, after 13 or so years living in France we feel we're better off in almost every respect than we would have been had we remained in the UK.

Virgile Andreani ⏚ 🇵🇸

@wanderingleaf Ohh that sounds like an amazing project, I hope you will be able to do what you want. Good luck!

Leaf

@wanderingleaf i boosted and i am interested in having the same insight. I am thinking of moving, find a different place, maybe involving or not intentional communities.

Scared about ageism (not finding work to sustain myself, not finding friends etc).

And i moved here with 27 and it is still difficult to deal with xenophobia, ranging from mild and well intended condescending, to quite dangerous and disturbing. I am not sure if i can relearn a new coping mechanism to the othering mechanisms of a new place/culture.

Over 50 here. Have articulation pain here and there, and exhaustion, probably covid related. But i dont feel my brain is less flexible or slower. Actually i think i learn faster, if i want, than in my 20s. And more curious and interested. I just dont want to kearn a lof of things i consider bs.

So yeah. I cant control the thing i am scared of. Which is people.

Daniel

@wanderingleaf @KalleWirsch might have some stories to share…

Njord

@wanderingleaf not a perfect match since I'm self employed (so no job search, but I also had to do it with zero outside aid) , but I was.. um...47, when I moved from the US to Cyprus.

It hasn't always been easy, but it's been worth it, and, honestly, if I'd tried this in my 20s or even my 30s, I'd have had a MUCH harder time dealing with most of the challanges

Pino Carafa

@wanderingleaf While I emigrated twice and even spent 6 months in the USA between two of those, I was not even 30 yet, and while I'm Dutch I already knew English well enough to get by in the UK, the USA and finally in Ireland. I always had a job waiting for me when I moved. So I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to give you much advice relevant to your situation, but I'll wish you the best of luck.

Tiggy

@wanderingleaf

Only for 6 months but I got a job in Geneva on secondment in my 40s.
And I barely spoke any French when I arrived. I loved it.

Would have loved to retire abroad but needed full medical coverage for existing conditions.

krys/midi theriansymbol

@wanderingleaf
also interested!

Alex Psmith

@wanderingleaf I was younger than 45, but moved to different countries twice and found a job. However, I would highly suggest you find work before you move and work on getting your residency. You can always look for new work once you're settled (that's what I did). It's damn difficult to find work without a work sponsor if you're not a resident.

It's absolutely not too late, but it requires a lot of planning.

Genstart🏳️‍🌈

@pms
@wanderingleaf
The short version is, that moving to another country at the age of 58 is the most strenuous and the best thing I ever did.

Agnieszka R. Turczyńska

@wanderingleaf Not a big story, but here it is. In 2019 we (me and my then wife, now ex) have decided to leave UK (also not our home country). And because she had more nichee occupation, we have decided that she will look for the job first, then I will follow. Finally, she has landed a job in NL, I've started looking for something for myself, and here I am.

Ovidi Nawer

@wanderingleaf it's related to your country of origin too. If you're from a country that most spanish people consider "superior" to Spain, you might have an easier time looking for a job.
Just do It before leaving your own country.
I'm notoriously younger, but there's an absurd amount of englishpeople living in Alicante that can't even speak spanish properly that live there permanently around that age.

Pino Carafa

@wanderingleaf just saw your edit: "damn did I wait too long and will moving to another country even still be an option for me or am I too old"

If you feel up to it I'd say no, you're not too old.

But it might be best to first find that job on "the other side" and arrange your accomodation first. If I were still "free and single", I'd happily move elsewhere, but pushing 60 I would not want to arrive somewhere with just a suitcase to my name and not knowing where I'd be staying that night.

That’s a moray

@wanderingleaf You're never too old to anything. That said moving countries is an ordeal, and only you can know how you'll deal with everything. It's true that age creates some restrictions, but it also has affordances. The old adage, "wherever you go, there you are" is really true.
Practically speaking, looking into finances, pensions, taxes and all that is a good idea so that you don't get surprises down the line. But you've got 20-30 years of working life ahead of you to figure it out too.

Howard Chu @ Symas

@wanderingleaf I was 46 when I moved from the US to Ireland. I now live in the Donegal Gaeltacht, so yeah I've been learning Irish too.

I didn't have a job in Ireland, no work visa. The actual visa category that I stayed on doesn't exist any more, so unfortunately you can't do exactly what I did...

StoneBear :potion_genderqueer:

@wanderingleaf In response to your edits: (1) Never too late to do a thing with respect to age. (2) With respect to _politics_, *now* is the second-best time to _execute_ on Operation GTFO. (The best time was before the end of 2024, but that's of course no longer an option, unless you're a Time Lord...)

Bruno Girin

@wanderingleaf
I'm in my 50s and I recently moved from the UK to Spain. Following exactly the same train of thought you did, I took a different approach: I changed jobs in the UK to an international company with offices in the UK and Spain. I mentioned my desire to move in the interview. I started the job in the UK then asked to move, at which point they transferred my contract from the UK to the Spanish office with adjusted salary. It took 2 years with a clear path forward all along.