Taking the leap and moving abroad can prove a great professional and personal experience on many levels. Many expats (as they are commonly known) earn more in their new countries than their home nations. Many also find that their skills are in greater demand when they turn their job search further afield – for example, engineers are in great demand in both Portugal and Germany, banking profiles in Frankfurt, and so on.

Better quality of life

International job seekers may also find better paths to job progression when moving abroad, thanks to the culture of the country, or indeed the company they work for there. Many are also looking for a better quality of life, such as being able to spend more time outside in nature, enjoying more culture than at ‘home’, or taking a more relaxed approach to work/life balance.

Sense of adventure

Another big driver of expats is an innate sense of adventure! After all, not everyone could imagine moving their entire life to a new country to follow a professional or personal dream. The ones who do, like Nathalie Juillard, Head of Data Services, PageGroup Shared Services Center (SSC) Barcelona, Spain, regret nothing.

“I’d honestly never given relocation a thought,” Nathalie explains. “However, when the opportunity arose, I didn’t really hesitate. It was the chance to do work I enjoy, just in a different location. I considered it simply as an office move.”

Personal challenge

“My personal challenge is making sure our teams work as one,” she continues. “My teams are split between Barcelona and London, while other data managers are located around the world: in LATAM (Latin America), US and APAC (Asia Pacific). 

“As for Barcelona, I simply love it. It is a beautiful city, the architecture is amazing, and the locals are extremely creative in the way history is presented in museums, exhibitions… What I like about the office is the effort that everyone makes to create an atmosphere, a culture, a work environment in which everyone feels valued and trusted,” she concludes. 

Destination – international departures

After deciding to leave for a new country, there are many things to take into consideration – ranging from the type of company you want to work for to the kind of city you want to live in. Barcelona, where the PageGroup European Shared Services Centre (SSC) is based, has a huge range of different companies searching for candidates with native language skills, often mixed with specific functional skills.

For example here in the PageGroup SSC, we have many open positions ranging from accountant to HR controller, recruiter with English to digital designer, digital analyst to senior recruiter with German, and much more. The wealth of skills already here, and the opportunities for growth within the company, are second to none – all you need to do is click the button below to open the possibilities for your future.

Don’t take our word for it, read some of the testimonials presented below to see what people who made the jump feel about their choices, and what it is like to work in an office that represents some of the best aspects of modern working, such as flexibility, healthcare, and lunch vouchers.

Our testimonials

Andra, Office Assistant, PageGroup Services Barcelona

“I really enjoy the balance between work life and social life I have here in Barcelona. There are so many things to do and places to see, it’s the mix between big city and beach life, and the amount of international, young people in the city.

“Here I feel like I really belong in my team, I have a lot of freedom to voice any concerns or new ideas I may have, and I feel supported in all aspects. I also like the fact that we are very engaged in volunteering and social responsibility initiatives at Page.”

Fulvio, Service Desk Support Lead, PageGroup Services Barcelona

“One of the biggest differences is that here we have closer contact to the client, while in my previous jobs my experience was more B2B centered. I really like the fact that here we [Service Desk] are considered as colleagues and we all work together. There is a great collaboration within the team, and we are able to share our knowledge with other teams as well.

“With the growth of our teams, many new positions open, and so there is also the opportunity to climb the ladder. I have recently been promoted to Service Desk Support Lead, and I have many new responsibilities that are proportional to our growing needs.”

Julita, Key Account Management (KAM) Coordinator, PageGroup Services Barcelona

“I was provided with structured training when I first joined Page as an Accounts Receivable Accountant for the Italian market, including a trip to our Milan office to get to know the business.

“Very soon my manager and I realized that my skill set was more suitable for the newly created KAM team, to become a European Key Account Coordinator. For this position I also received a great training, especially in Stakeholder Management, and the full support of my team.”