One of the best things about being female in the 21st century is the opportunities that women have laid before them for success, personal development and exploration. Past generations never dreamed of being CEOs of multinational companies or even small business owners, managing their own books and their own team of devoted employees.
Travelling the world and working abroad is something that every independent and determined woman should try at some point in her life and Rome is a great place to start.
Why work abroad?
Working abroad is extremely challenging. These challenges are not only present in the form of a new job, a new team to work with and a new boss to impress, but they also present themselves outside of the office. Women working abroad need to make new friends, which is much harder than it sounds. Finding people to go out with is never a problem, but finding people to be there for you when the chips are down is another thing altogether.
Working abroad is about learning how to operate within a new culture, with different social customs. Even if those customs are European and therefore close to British customs in some ways, the differences are there and they become more apparent over time. Like most things in life, once the honeymoon is over and the daily routine seeps in, those differences that were at the beginning interesting, beautiful and exciting to experience, can suddenly become strange, difficult to deal with and they can make you feel“foreign”, which of course is exactly what you are.
Anyone who can live in a foreign environment and make a real success out of it, whether or not they end up returning “home” again afterwards, is a person with immense inner strength and someone who knows exactly who they are. Women who take on this challenge never regret it and invariably end up being admired by other women for the feats that they throw themselves up against.
Why choose Rome?
As an avid world traveler, the initial response is “Why NOT choose Rome?” However, the more comprehensive response to the question highlights the following positive factors for women who are thinking about taking the leap and working in Rome: Rome is beautiful. If you are going to live and work abroad and force yourself to learn a new language, make new friends and prove yourself in a new job all at once, make sure that the backdrop to the scene will make you smile. The Roman architecture, the art, the fashion, the people; everything in Rome is beautiful to look at. Don’t underestimate the importance of surrounding yourself with a beautiful environment. British women can work in Rome without having to seek out a visa. Pack your bags and go. No hassle, no bureaucracy and no boring administrative tasks. It’s not too far away from home, so flying back on cheap airlines every now and then to visit friends and family if you need a little support is always a possibility. Italian men! Falling in love with an Italian god, who seems to have sprung up from the world of the ancient Romans, with athletic body and stunning dress sense in tow, is never a bad idea.
Learn Italian with success. If the idea of working in Rome and building up your CV appeals,make sure that you take the time to learn a little of the language and gothrough at least some of the language learning steps highlighted below beforeyou make the jump. From personal experience, leaving home to work abroad without knowing anything of the native language is very stressful and reallyhard work.
So, if you are wondering how to learn this beautiful language, here’s how:
1. As a complete beginner, buy some grammar books and teach yourself the basics at home before you do anything else. This obviously requires time and dedication, but women who want to work abroad already have this determined streak ingrained within.
2. Read, read and read in Italian every single day. Anything that you can get your hands on and underline all the words you don’t know and search for them in the dictionary. Again, this is an extensive task, but it is the only way to really build up vocabulary and learn how to use grammar in context.
3.) Take a few short trips to Rome. This is good for working out where you want to live and for making friends before you move by joining groups or doing activities with natives, but it is also an excellent way of practicing what you learn bit by bit.
4.) Take an intensive language course when you feel you have a good base of Italian to draw on. UIC Language School in London can provide both group and private sessions. A mixture of both is advisable.
James Brown once sang “This is a man’s world, but it wouldn’t be nothing, without a woman or a girl.” The world is our oyster, ladies. Rome awaits!
