When I was deciding whether or not to move to Portugal, one of the main concerns I had was “What does this mean for my career?”
I had only ever worked in the U.S. I had no idea what job opportunities were available for a data analyst in Portugal in 2018. Would it mean taking a step back from my career trajectory?
I turned to LinkedIn for help. I looked for profiles of recruiters in Portugal and sent them messages asking what the job market was like for foreigners working in digital marketing – no one responded.
Then I started looking for people working in Lisbon for companies that I had heard of. I sent some messages out, and a few people got back to me this time. One of them was a Portuguese woman working at a well-known American company. She immediately asked if I wanted to schedule a call.
On our call she was extremely encouraging and supportive. She sent me the names of companies that I should apply to, in case I did ultimately decide to move to Portugal.
It was because of her that I felt confident enough to go for it, and my partner and I decided to make the move. But before moving, I needed to find a job to get a work visa.
How I found a job in Portugal
Fast forward three months. I had applied to a bunch of positions in Lisbon, but I’d heard back from no one. I felt like I was back in 2009, with only two years of work experience, moving to New York City in the middle of a recession, applying to jobs and getting nowhere. I didn’t have any contacts in Lisbon to help me. Well, actually, I did have one…
I sent an email to the Portuguese woman who had been so helpful to me. It turns out that one of the companies where I was applying was where her boyfriend worked.
“If your boyfriend would be willing to refer me, that would be amazing,” I wrote to her. “However, I’ll understand if he’s unable to do this since he’s never met me :)”
Less than a week later I got my first (and only) callback during my Portugal job search.
And that’s how I got my job at Farfetch, which enabled me to get my work visa to live and work in Portugal.
What is success anyway?
During my 5 years at Farfetch, I can say that I had many ups and downs. But I learned a lot about myself and discovered my passion for people, which is what led me now to coaching.
My fear about taking a step back in my career by moving to Portugal turned out to be false. I’ve learned that there aren’t actually any “steps back” in a career – it’s constantly moving forward. It all depends on your measure of success. (Sorry, I’m still a data analyst at heart!)
If your metric for career success is salary – well then you might say it was a step back when I took a 50% pay cut moving from New York to Portugal.
But if your metric is work-life balance, it’s been a giant leap forward.
Work-life balance in Portugal
Living in the U.S., I used to work 60-hour weeks. I hated how much time I spent at work, taking up my nights and weekends when I could have been spending time with friends and recharging. But I felt like that was the only way to keep up since everyone around me was working that much too. I became burnt out and depressed. I felt stuck because I thought that was my only option.
In Portugal, I have never worked on a weekend. And if I was still in the office at 6:30pm, that meant I was the last one to leave.
In the U.S., you may have experienced getting Slacks, emails, or even texts from your boss at any time of day or night and expected to respond. Portugal actually passed a law making it illegal for managers to message their direct reports outside of regular work hours.
And then there’s holidays. To the rest of the world, the amount of holidays U.S. workers typically get seems criminal. Workers in Portugal get 22 days of annual paid holiday in addition to federal holidays – and 10 of those days are legally required to be taken consecutively! (When was the last time you took a 2-week holiday?) And other countries in Europe have even more paid holidays.
I often feel like the weekends in Portugal are like mini-holidays, especially during the summer. From the center of Lisbon, it’s just a 30 minute train or car ride to a beautiful sandy beach. If the beach isn’t your thing, you can sit outside at a cafe or kiosk for hours, sipping on coffee in the sun while chatting with friends or reading a book. Or rent a car and take a day trip to see a castle built in the 12th century.
Having work-life balance has had a huge positive impact on my mental and physical health. I stopped biting my nails. I started working out regularly. I’m less stressed. I’m happier.
I’m no longer the person in 2018 who was worried about what moving abroad would mean for her career. Now I’m the person who makes decisions in line with my values and what makes me happy.
How can I help you find work-life balance?
If you want more work-life balance, you don’t necessarily have to move abroad for that. I believe it’s possible to take control of your life and find the balance you want in a way that works for you. It might not be the way that others would do it – everyone is on their own individual journey. Everyone has their own values and definition of happiness.
If you’re interested in bringing more balance to your life, click below to set up a call with me. And for making it as far as the end of this blog post, I can offer you a complimentary session where we’ll look at all the important areas of your life and discover where you can find more balance. Just mention this post.