In case you hadn’t already realised the enormity of what you are about to do, ponder this question; how many other times in your life have you packed up your entire existence and shipped yourself off, lock, stock and barrel to the other side of the world? If the answer is, not many, then read on to discover what you need to check when moving abroad, based on my experiences moving abroad to teach in China and Brunei.

1. Get as much as possible in writing; that way you can make sure that you and your potential employer are singing from the same song book, and it creates slightly less room for misunderstanding.

2. When you have everything in writing, read that contract with a fine tooth comb and ask for further explanation on anything you do not understand or are unsure of. Sounds obvious, but I am sure most of us are used to skim reading those all important documents, and this one could make or break the next couple of years of your life.

3. Ask what the cost of living is in the town or city you will be based in, and be specific. Ask for a short, itemised list of everyday items if possible, to get an idea of the cost of a loaf of bread and pint of milk; it is amazing how essential this turns out to be when working out if your move is financially sound.

4. Read up everything you can about your destination. Not just guidebooks which may contain out of date information, search expat websites, including teaching websites such as www.tes.co.uk, read the news, look at government websites for safety advice and don’t forget, vary what you type into the search engine as new information appears on a daily basis.

5. Ask for the contact details of an employee at your new place of work already if they are not automatically provided and email them asking for their advice. At the very least, you will have touched base with a future colleague, and although you can never be sure how sound the advice is, at least you can put a name to a face and reassure yourself of the credibility of your new employment.

6. Be honest with yourself. What are your motives for going abroad? If the answer is purely financial, you will not be happy in a low paid job, regardless of how beautiful the location is. If it is quality of life, make sure the pay packet supports what is important to you, whether that is building a healthy savings account, sustaining existing hobbies or taking up a new one, or simply eating out and enjoying the high life.

7. Be realistic. If your passion in life is surfing, don’t move to a landlocked country. And if you honestly cannot live without night clubs, don’t move to Brunei! It sounds silly, but it is amazing what we can convince ourselves of when we have a contract in front of us and no other prospects on the horizon.

8. Go with your gut instinct; if you think something sounds difficult to deal with or as if it will irritate you, weigh up how important these things are in your life, with as much honesty and objectivity as you can muster. Small annoyances have a way of growing heads when you have signed a contract for two or more years.

9. Be flexible though – most things can be obtained in most places, (for a price.) If it means driving over the border to Malaysia every week to get your regular quota of alcohol, or having frozen blocks of cheddar cheese shipped in from Hong Kong as I did when I lived in the south of China, so be it. Remember, you are not at home, so things will be different – but that’s half the fun!

10. Take all the advice you get with a pinch of salt and remember to be objective. There will always be a certain amount of bitching and moaning on forums where people tend to speak their minds, but see how many times a sentiment is repeated before attaching too much importance to it.