Mario Cacciottolo's move from the UK to Malta was very much a homecoming. He spent the first 12 years of his life in the country, and its booming economy, 300 days of sunshine a year and a desire to close some local ‘knowledge gaps’ were big motivators for him to return. In this chat, he’s going to shed some light on what it’s like to live on this small island in the Mediterranean. You’ll find out where you can expect to land a job as a foreigner, where you should look for your first apartment, the best ways to get around, and, find out if you should bother learning Maltese in a country where English is an official language too. Mario also shares his thoughts on getting to know the locals, and explains why for him and his wife, every Friday is the start of a holiday. 

Expat Focus

How To Enjoy Expat Life In Malta

A fellow podcaster is our guest on this episode, to give you the lowdown on what it takes to set up and run your business from anywhere in the world. Sundae Bean is an American by birth and the host of the ‘Expat Happy Hour’ podcast. Sundae is an intercultural strategist who left her corporate job in Switzerland to set up her own coaching business, working from Burkina Faso in West Africa and later, from South Africa. In this chat, Sundae’s going to talk through:  how she identified her ‘calling’ and her clients  the admin that comes with working for yourself and being location independent  time management and motivation as a solopreneur  how she juggles clients all over the world while also carving out time for herself  money, and earnings - what’s realistic when you’re starting out on your own Sundae also stresses the importance of investing in yourself, and ‘doing the work’ to reach your goals.

Running A Location-Independent Business Abroad

 Caitlin Taylor is a style coach, fashion blogger and podcaster who describes her expat life in New Zealand as “same-same but different.” In this chat, you’ll find out about the Kiwi fashion scene; how Caitlin’s business has evolved over a decade; and how she found her business ‘tribe’ in her new home.  

Moving Your Business From Australia To New Zealand

It’s a major “achievement unlocked” as an expat when you start to understand how the locals tick - and how long that takes is different for everyone. American, Chelsea, lives with her Norwegian husband in the town of Henningsvær in Norway. They’ve been together for five years and in that time, she’s learnt a thing or two about the Norwegian approach to life - ten things in fact that she’s going to share in this episode.

10 Tips For Integrating Into Life In Norway

It’s all happening in the UK at the moment; at the time of recording this the general election is just one week away, and the outcome could determine when, how and if Brexit will end up happening. The UK’s exit from the European Union and the tax and social security implications have been top of mind for British expats for a long time now. We're checking in on these issues with tax advisor Oliver Heslop on today’s show, he’s also going to explain why it could be well worth Brits abroad - and anyone who has worked in the UK - investigating their pension entitlements.

State Pension Entitlements For UK Expats

Has a beachfront holiday home in Mexico taken your fancy? Maybe you’ve spotted a place with a great rental return in Malta. Or perhaps you have your sights set on a house to retire to, in Panama. If you’ve never invested in property abroad before, it’s hard to know where to begin. So today’s guest is going to give you some pointers, talking through the current hotspots and the things that can trip up people who are new to the international investment scene. Lief Simon is the founding editor of Global Property Advisor. Over 20 years, he has bought more than 45 properties and invested in 26 different countries around the world. 

What You Need To Know Before Investing In Property Abroad

The logistics involved in expat life become even more complex when your partner is also a working expat. How do you successfully fuel each other’s professional ambitions, as well as personal? Is it inevitable that one half will need to sacrifice their career, or take a backseat in the relationship to support the other? INSEAD Associate Professor Jennifer Petriglieri has researched hundreds of couples juggling two careers. She’s just released a book about the challenges that face working couples, and in this chat, Jennifer shares her thoughts on how you can successfully combine love and work, with life abroad.

Challenges Dual-Career Couples Face And How To Address Them

One of the fastest-growing EU economies, Poland is also rising in the rankings of popular destinations for expats. The country moved from 23rd to 13th in this year’s HSBC Expat League Table, and it’s among the five best countries in Europe for digital nomads, according to the Remote Workers Index by Plusnet. But before you pack your bags for Poland, there are some key things you should know. Our guest, American blogger and teacher Leah Morawiec, has lived in the country for almost a decade, and she’s going to share her top five tips.

Five Things To Know Before Moving To Poland

Entrepreneur Alan La Rue is our guest in this episode of the Expat Focus podcast. A language school owner, he’s been living in the country for a long time, and is going to talk through the essentials: from where to live to what to bring with you; job opportunities in Peru; how to approach learning Spanish; and the Peruvian cultural norms that may take some getting used to.

5 Things To Consider Before Moving To Peru

If you’re planning to move to France and become a homeowner, you’re going to love today’s guest. Mark Sayers is the Head of the Pyrénées-Orientales team at Artaxa - a real estate agency in Perpignan. Buying property in a foreign country can be a pretty daunting task, with lots of unfamiliar processes. I know because, funnily enough, I’ve just been through it - and here in France. And I really wish I’d had this chat with Mark before we bought our home, because I would have had a much better understanding of what we were about to go through. From the best approach to house hunting in France, to making an offer - and knowing if there’s room to negotiate... what agency and notary fees to expect, and how long it typically takes before you get the keys. Mark is going to cover it all in this episode.

What You Should Know Before Buying Property In France

After her first child was born, and she decided she didn’t want to go back to full time work, British expat Melitta Campbell dived head-first into entrepreneurship. She set herself up as a freelancer in Montreux - a French-speaking part of Switzerland. She quickly picked up work, and then more work... and then, running a successful business and being a stay-at-home mum became a bigger challenge. Years later, Melitta is on to her third business and she passes on her lessons learnt about focus and balance and asking for help, as a coach to other women who are working for themselves. If you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur in Switzerland or elsewhere in the world, Melitta has some sage advice. 

Becoming An Expat Entrepreneur

Do you dream of moving to LA to chase your Hollywood ambitions? Today’s guest has done exactly that: Mia Stewart and her husband Dave packed up their life in Australia, including their pets, and moved to the USA on O-1 visas. These visas are for “Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement.”  So what qualifies as ‘extraordinary ability’? What does this visa allow you to do, and how difficult is it to get? How did Mia and Dave successfully set themselves up in Los Angeles in just two weeks? How have they got on with landing jobs? What about healthcare? And what culture shocks have they experienced? 

Moving To The USA On An O-1 Visa

Welcome to another episode of the Expat Focus Podcast. I’m your host Carlie, and on today’s show we’re shining the spotlight on expat family life in Finland. Paola is our guest, an Italian mum of two through birth and international adoption, who has lived in Finland for nine years. She blogs about multicultural family life at TheElephantMum.com, and she's going to share her insights on raising a family in Finland. We’ll talk through some of the country’s very family-friendly policies; Paola’s experience in fostering multilingualism in her kids; the international adoption process in Finland; community integration; and how she and her husband go about blending three cultures into their everyday lives.

Raising A Family In Finland

Today on the show, we’re talking about raising children abroad, specifically as Third Culture Kids. 'TCKs' are people raised in a culture different to that of their parents, and the country named on their passport. My guest, American Rachel Jones, is a mum of three TCKS. She left the USA with her husband and their young twins to work in northern Somaliland, and later Djibouti, where she still lives. So what’s it like raising your kids in a country that’s so different to your own? How does the experience influence their development, and shape them as adults? And what challenges are you likely to encounter along the way? Rachel’s going to share her insights, which she hopes will help other parents create a thriving family culture while living internationally.

Raising Third Culture Kids

On today’s show we’re going to be talking to a Virtual Midwife.   It’s information overload when you’re pregnant, and if you’re having a baby while living in another country, there can be even more layers of complexity -  not just potentially in language, but in birth practices too. Your expectations versus the local reality might be quite different. Of course, you can find out almost anything online these days, but Googling stuff about pregnancy and childbirth... well, it’s a bit of a minefield. And that's where Midwife Karen Wilmot https://www.thevirtualmidwife.com/ comes in.

Having A Baby Abroad

International relocation tips and advice from ExpatFocus.com for anyone moving overseas - we cover speaking a foreign language, expat healthcare and insurance, international education, currency transfers, taking your pets and more.

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