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Many young people have graduated – or are about to graduate – from a New York school and are finding themselves unready to enter the ‘real world’ of careers, jobs, rent – in short, unready for responsibility. Though many are quick to associate this disposition with immaturity or laziness, it is actually a reflection of maturity insofar as many of these students recognize that they simply don’t know about themselves to commit to responsibility, or else feel they are not confident or self-sufficient enough to be having to work full-time and live completely self-sufficiently for the first, too.

For this reason, many students make the decision to do some traveling in an effort to build confidence, satisfy curiosity, and have plain old fun. But without a job to pay the bills, and with the financial umbilical cord to Mommy and Daddy severed by graduation, what’s a poor student to do? One of the best ways to travel is to work and travel at the same time. Jobs that can be picked up during travel are generally lower-responsibility so that those who take them can develop confidence in working while they take the bold step of getting acclimated to life in an entirely different place. These two activities – working and living abroad – instill confidence not only in one’s ability to succeed in the work environment, but also to succeed in a new place or in a new circumstance – e.g., a foreign country. The result is a transition to grown-up working life that is less jarring, better guided, and more fulfilling.

Speaking of fulfilling, one of the most rewarding experiences across all of life – not just work – is teaching, and teaching English abroad not only pays well but is consummately flexible, allowing teachers to hop from place to place to teach for a few weeks before moving on to the next great city or country. In order to get a piece of the English teaching action, would-be teachers ought to strongly consider getting a TEFL certification, which is a credential recognized worldwide as the mark of a teacher who spent time learning the skills and gaining the knowledge necessary to teach English to speakers of other languages. Luckily for those looking to earn the accreditation of TEFL, New York is full of institutes that cater specifically to students looking to learn to teach English and then teach abroad for an extended period or else travel from place to place, teaching English when necessary to make money.

In sum, teaching English while traveling is an ideal use of time by recent or soon-to-be graduates because it fosters maturity in the workplace, personal maturity, is fulfilling, and underscores cross-cultural similarities through the use of a common language – English – so few things are lost in translation.

After sitting on pins and needles for three months, it was finally decided, we were moving to China. My husband’s company had been hemming and hawing about it for so long, the kids and I had almost given up hope.

The only drawback was, my husband would go first, leaving me behind to handle all the details. Me, who’s never even been outside of my own State! No problem. I could do it…with the help of my friend the Internet. First thing I did was google ‘international moving company’. I found several international moving companies that would move everything we owned, door to Chinese door.

All I needed to do was put in my home state and my destination and each international moving company that I chose gave me free quotes. One thing that I read in my research…shipping everything that you own via the lowest priced carrier can be a big mistake. Check the international moving company’s license and reputation, (BBB, epinions.com), before selecting one to transport all your household goods.

I made my selection according to reputation and arrangements were made for the date the international moving company would come over with their crates and barrels and overseas container to pack up the house.

Phew! But there was still so much to do…so many questions still unanswered! Back to the Internet. I googled international moving company again. I followed links and found expatriate forums where Americans discussed what it’s like living in China from housing to food to medical insurance. That’s what I needed to know. When you have kids, medical insurance is so important! Here’s what it said:

China Health Insurance has extensive experience in providing international health insurance plans to expatriates living in China. As one of Asia ’s largest insurance intermediaries we can offer plans that will provide comprehensive cover for individuals, families, travelers, teachers, and groups.

Perfect. Several plans were listed on the website. All I had to do was choose the one that best suited our needs and the whole family was covered.

I decided to post a question of my own on the forum. My husband is a picky eater so I wanted to find out if Western food was available in Shanghai near the hotel where he was presently staying until we got there. The reply I got was to advise him to get over it! Business in China is often done over a meal and it would be considered an insult if he were to not try Chinese food, even if just a bite of each dish. Another thing I learned is that it is considered bad manners to completely pick your plate clean when eating at someone’s house as it means they didn’t feed you enough. My kids would be totally on board with that!

At last, thanks to international moving company and its wealth of information, our lives are all packed up and we’re ready to be transported to another place and time.

International Moving