Here are three issues I wish I had thought of entering my postdoctoral fellowship. These are not intended to scare anyone away from what I have found to be a very rewarding experience working abroad, learning about a new place and taking on some very fun and exciting research, but I found there are very few resources describing these practical concerns. I learned most of this stuff the hard way. For each heading, I will describe the problem and the solution that worked best for me, which may or may not apply to you.

Acclimation is difficult

Problem: The first few weeks of your postdoc will likely be sapped by concerns related to adulting. Adulting is hard enough in the country of our birth, and those difficulties are amplified in a place where the language and cultural practices are different. I’m talking about stuff like finding an apartment, making a bank account to get checks to pay for the apartment, getting a sim card for your phone, setting up utilities and furnishing your place. These will all take an insane amount of time.

Solution: You are likely a self reliant person if you are considering a postdoc overseas. I’m not telling you to give that up, because it’s a good quality, but try to swallow your pride as much as possible. Ask your supervisor, labmates and colleagues for advice, translation and help. Find someone who can be your ally and fixer. I have been so impressed in Israel by the capacity of people to take time to help me with basic stuff, but people usually won’t volunteer. They usually need to be asked.

Also, while it may seem distasteful, consider living on campus, where logistical difficulties like utilities will be prepackaged and therefore won’t be left for you to try to arrange in a place where you don’t speak the language and don’t know how things are done.

You may feel like a hermit

Problem: Loneliness is a universal and growing problem in modern life. Postdocs typically move to a new place where they don’t know anyone and have few connections. Take those issues and multiply them several times over when you move to a new country. You will feel far from your loved ones (even in our internet connected times). You won’t be acquainted with fun stuff in the area. Your mobility may be impacted by not having a car, depending on quality of public transit.

You might feel what I call “culture lag,” a general feeling of unease resulting from seemingly unimportant cultural differences of your host country. Do grocery stores shut down every week on certain days? Is the work week different? Do they have your favorite comfort food at the store? All of these small inconveniences add up and make it easy to decide to retreat and hide in your cave.

Solution: You need to make friends and say yes when they invite you to stuff. Your labmates will be a great group to start. They will be there to invite you to their holiday activities (holidays are by far the most isolating times for foreigners). They will tell you about fun coffee shops you can work at, and which local destinations are fun and which are tourist traps. They can tell you what they do when the grocery stores are closed two days every week.

Reach out to other postdocs or international students at your school, who may also be working abroad and have a lot in common with you. When you’re abroad in a country where you don’t speak the language, being able to talk in person to someone from your own culture every once in a while can feel like coming up for air after many weeks holding your breath. Do not be ashamed to seek out these reminders of home. They’ll recharge you for the times when you feel like a stranger in a strange land.

Being an overseas postdoc is expensive

Problem: As a postdoc, you will most likely be considered a contractor with few of the benefits of formal employment. Being overseas, this makes you vulnerable. You may not be entitled to the same quality of health coverage as citizens of your host countries. For me, I bought into the best available option which was is still bare-bones and only covers care in Israel. Consider for fieldwork and conference travel that you may have literally no worker’s compensation whatsoever. Look up if the medications you need are even offered in your host country, and whether your insurance will cover them.

While you may have a travel budget, it will likely not go as far as you’d like because you won’t be paying just for airfare. Relocation is expensive, visas are expensive, conference registrations are expensive. You may also still have financial obligations back home requiring you to transfer money, which usually costs around $30-45 per bank transfer. All of these expenses add up and will eat out of your stipend.

The United States is part of a very small club of countries which tax foreign income. You will need to know if your host country is going to tax you as well, you will need to tell Uncle Sam about your foreign bank account if it is above a certain balance, and you need to know if your income is above the taxable threshold and whether the length of your residency entitles you to to claim the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.

Solution: Budget for travel insurance for literally every trip, including going home to visit family. Make a plan for your money transfers, to spread them out as much as you can. Ensure your banks in both countries have given you all the permissions you need to easily transfer money quickly and remotely. Tax software can walk you through some of the foreigner specific tax forms, but consider also seeking advice from a preparer specializing in expat taxes. For me, all of this money and healthcare stuff makes me feel like isotope geochemistry is pretty simple in comparison. The key is to not let it sneak up on you. Ask other postdocs in your country what they did when confronted with these issues

Conclusion

Please don’t let these issues make you give up on your overseas postdoc opportunity. All of these problems have solutions. But the more preparation you do ahead of time, the more time and energy you will have for your research, and even (dare I say it) to have fun in a new country. Please reach out to me on my contact page if you have any questions!