Destination Remote: The German in Spain 🇪🇸

Moving abroad: tips from an expert & rock your remote interview

Author

Chris Cerra
July 20, 2023

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THIS EDITION IS POWERED BY SWEET SPOT

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Happy to see you (again),

I hope you’re having a great week so far. Happy weekend for those who have 4-day work weeks or are off tomorrow!

This week, I’m taking you to Spain 🇪🇸 

Let’s meet our remote champ and discover her tips on moving abroad 👇

👀 A glimpse of what you can expect today

  • 🇪🇸 Meet Cara, the German living in Spain

  • 🌍 Moving abroad: what you should know

  • 💻 A crazy remote work set-up

  • ❓ 7 questions to ask during a remote interview

  • 🚀 Companies offering remote are growing faster



 👋 Meet Cara (🇪🇸)

In June, I met Cara for a virtual coffee after several months of being connected on LinkedIn. Her story is incredible: she fell in love with a local while she was studying abroad in Spain. Long story short, they’re now married, got two kids, have lived in Germany, and moved to Sevilla in the meantime.

When moving to Spain, her former employer didn’t want her to work remotely from abroad so she started working for a local company. Cara really loved it there and on the one hand, she really missed the German way of working. While on the other hand, she absolutely wanted to stay in Spain!

The best solution: working remotely from Spain for a Dutch employer 😎 Lucky for her, Workflex (a simple yet powerful workation and business travel compliance software) checked all the boxes. She is now a Senior Consultant for the company. Guess who has found the perfect work-life balance since then?

If you’re thinking about moving abroad at some point, you shouldn’t miss her expert tips a bit further in this newsletter 👇

💡 Cara’s Remote Work tips:

  • ⌚️ Take advantage of working at your best hours

    → when you are most productive, no matter if it is early in the morning or late at night.

  • 📅 Block your calendar for deep focus time

    → Especially when you have to work on something complex or prepare a presentation (also block your notifications)

  • 🏃‍♂️ Do sports or take time for your hobbies

    → Put them in your calendar just like a meeting with your client and take them seriously!

🗽 Her must-see in Spain:

Go to the Feria. It’s like the Spanish Octoberfest: Women dressed up in incredible flamenco dresses, live music, a lot of drinks and “rebujito” and a lot of fun 💃

Get your company exposed to thousands of Digital Nomads! Contact Chris at [email protected]

🖥 Set-up of the week

Do you have a cool remote set-up you’d like to share with the world?
→ Hit “reply” and send me the picture + where it was taken!

🌍 Remote jobs

Imagine working from anywhere without having any location constraints.
It’s possible and here are 5 WFA job offers to prove it 👇

WorkFlex is also hiring remotely. If you are interested feel free to reach out to Cara directly on Linkedin :)

Is your company hiring for remote positions? Contact me to be featured in next week’s newsletter (WFA positions only).

🛫 What you need to know before moving abroad

Moving abroad is awesome, I know it: I moved to Mauritius 1,5 years ago. You learn to meet new people, get out of your comfort zone, learn a new language, and so much more. But it’s not always easy and there are some variables to consider.

Luckily, Cara was happy to share her tips and tricks for moving abroad:

  1. Moving abroad ≠ going on vacation

Living in a country is very different than going there on vacation. If it’s possible, try to go there on a workation to test out what it’s like to be a local. In case it’s not possible, reach out to people who’ve done the move to get their feeling.

  1. Take advantage of Remote Work

By working remotely, you’ll be able to find a job with a work culture you’re used to and that fits you. It will also allow you to visit family and friends without the need to take days off. If you can have a remote job, it’s recommended.

  1. Embrace the local lifestyle without losing your core values

Don’t be afraid to get the best out of the local lifestyle. It will be amazing but stay connected with your values and habits. Moving abroad can be hard but keeping some cultural habits from your home country can make it easier. To give you an example: Cara celebrates the Eastern Bunny 🐰 and Santa Claus the way they celebrate it in Germany!

  1. Compare Income vs Spending

Inform what’s the cost of living (housing, food, activities, education, …). Then compare it with your income. Avoid bad surprises by budgeting everything before moving abroad.

  1. Learn the language

Want to get the best out of your experience? Want to meet the locals and become one yourself?
→ Learn the language. It will make your life easier, your integration will be smoother, and your effort will be appreciated by the locals!

🎙 If you want to hear Cara talk about moving abroad, check out this podcast episode (About AbroadBy Chase Warrington)!

🧑‍🏫 Tips to land a remote job  

Imagine this: you’ve been applying for weeks to remote jobs. You’ve put in blood, sweat & tears and it’s paying off: you finally got yourself an interview with a remote company 🔥

Now the fun can begin! Kristin Vierra, the Remote Career Coach, and I prepared a few questions you can ask the recruiter/HR to show you are prepared for a remote position.

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING A REMOTE INTERVIEW:

  1. Can you define what remote-first means to the company and how it shows up in how the company operates?

  2. Can you tell me about communication channels and remote best practices your team follows?

  3. How do you cultivate culture and connection on a distributed team?

  4. What approximately is the % this role is asynchronous and what % is spent in meetings?

  5. Do you have retreats or gatherings where all employees meet in one place?

  6. How do you keep remote team members connected and engaged?

  7. How do you measure team and individual performance?

Don’t be afraid to ask your questions. It’s not only the company interviewing you, it’s also you interviewing the company.

Any other questions you can think of?
→ Hit “reply” to let me know

🗞 The Remote Work Gazette

  • Most Organizations Fail At Hybrid Work. Read more

  • Why some bosses hate remote work and what can be done about common gripes. Read more

  • 55% of Gen Z Graduates of Class 2023 Prefer Remote or Hybrid Work. Read more

  • Surprise, surprise: Companies offering remote work are growing faster than those that don’t. Read more

🏋️‍♀️ Remote move challenge

✅ Want your health & motivation to be on point?

This week’s Remote Move Challenge will help you:

  • Dedicate 1 hour per day to working while standing

  • Have a post-lunch walk (at least 15 minutes)

  • Do 3x10 jumping jacks 5x per working day

I bet you’ll be more productive and you will feel a lot better 💪 

📊 Remote Stat of the week


On average 34% of European remote workers can also work remotely abroad. Norway is leading the way with >50% while France is lacking behind with <20%.

Which remote work buddy of yours would love this newsletter?
Be a good friend & transfer Destination Remote so they can subscribe here ✌️

Only 1 week left in Belgium 🇧🇪 before heading back to Mauritius 🇲🇺

Remotely yours,

Alex

PS: I’m on a mission to meet a remote worker in every country. See my progression here and contact me if you are currently working remotely from a country I haven’t checked on the map yet.