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OFFDHOOK tells you why women don’t mind leaving their jobs to relocate with Hubby Darling?

Relocation is a challenge and a most difficult time for couples where both are working professionals. So if a career-oriented wife also goes along then it becomes a bigger challenge. In the corporate world where takeovers and reorganizations are a fact of life this is often a reality. Sometimes you are forced to move for your current job and if not forced then you choose relocation as a way to follow new career path. It is simply a tough decision as it takes a lot from you, leaving a hometown, family, friends or a city you love. Working in a new city also comes with lot of snags and hitches like adjusting to a new work culture, new work place or finding a new home and get to know a new town. Relocating to a new city or country to fulfill your dreams has its pros and cons too. Husband moves to accept a new opportunity but for a wife it might be a time to take a break from work and struggle with the transition period.

But the big question remains “Is it easy for a working and ambitious woman to leave her well settled job and just go away with the spouse, leaving her dreams behind??? Is it a sacrifice of professional satisfaction or happiness of leaving a current job? OFFDHOOK tries to find out how wife’s cope up with the sitting at home syndrome for the sake of relocation.

 COPING UP WITH SITTING AT HOME SYNDROME

“I was never a stay at home girl so after moving out to Beijing with my husband I looked for some part time options and just in three months I made many new friends and got introduced to a lot of exciting and Interesting things in Beijing” says Arunima Singh, who left her well settled Corporate communication job. But for Bhawana It was an opportunity to take a break from work and go to US with her husband. “Before shifting to abroad, I was working in a media organization so needless to say that I used to work for almost 12 hours each day. Therefore, frankly speaking, shifting to abroad and doing nothing was a welcoming change. I indulged myself in reading and watching sitcoms. For almost a year I did not miss working as we both travelled a lot”says Bhawana saini.

Arunima with her hubby, happily settled in Beijing.
Arunima with her hubby, happily settled in Beijing.

Geetali, a media professional also holds similar views “ I decided to move because at that time I was considering taking a break from work to travel and do something more meaningful. So moving to US worked out pretty well. And it’s been a lot fun these past two years, travelling, meeting new people and volunteering with some great organizations”.

ANY REGRETS?

“Honestly there have been times when I regret, any day of struggle in Beijing reminds me of luxuries of being in one’s home country where language and communication is not a barrier. But I do enjoy a lot of free time, It gave me an opportunity to adopt pets which I couldn’t do back home because of my erratic work schedules. Hence it’s always a mixed feeling” says Arunima.

Shifting abroad with your husband is definitely not a cakewalk but then its also welcomed as a cool and adventurous break as for wife it’s a big opportunity to explore the world around her without any regrets. “ I did not regret the decision as it was a conscious one. Also as I moved to an altogether different country, it was fascinating to learn a new culture. I did volunteer work in Hospitals and Libraries and enjoyed meeting new people” feels bhawana.

Bhawna with her hubby during their US stay.
Bhawna with her hubby during their US stay.

Undoubtedly, settling down in a new place is full of adventure, surprises and opportunity to explore the world around you. Living abroad is also a lifetime experience but making the decision to go or not go can be quite tricky as well. Put your career at stake and settling wherever your hubby goes is certainly a big move, so is that all easy as it looks?

“Any such big decisions are not easy, lot of thought process goes into making such big moves. So yes it was a tough call but this was a good break for my husband hence I decided to take a back seat” says Arunima. But for Media professional Bhawana, freelancing work has made her life much easier “I have been freelancing now for 5 years. I find it challenging and rewarding as well and because of it I don’t find moving with my husband difficult as I can work wherever I want”.

Taking a long break from work can surely be fun and exciting; after all you go places with your spouse. But few years down the line you might feel, making a come back in the Industry. Would that be so easy then?

“Well yes, I definitely think I will be able to make a comeback but yes it may not be as easy as it is while switching jobs. Comebacks come along with a lot of pressure and at times it gets difficult to get back in the game. But thankfully for me I have not completely given up on working here. I keep doing part – time jobs and it does adds an international work experience on my resume. So I don’t think getting back into the industry will be too much of a trouble” answered Arunima.

“I don’t think that I would ever be able to comeback to the industry that I started with. Reason being, I have been out of touch for too long. In addition to that, over the last few years, my profession has taken a different direction” concluded bhawna.

Richa Sharma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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