Almost Local #50 | Language, Confidence & Living Abroad: The Biggest Mistakes Expats Make

Are language skills really the key to confidence when living abroad? In this episode of Expat Experts, we go deep into what expats get wrong about learning a language, expat confidence, and actually feeling at home in a new country.

We talk about why obsessing over “perfect grammar” can backfire, the hidden mindset mistakes that keep expats stuck on the sidelines, and what you should focus on instead if you want real connection, friends, and a life that feels normal again overseas.

You’ll learn:
– Why language is only one part of confidence abroad
– The most common expat mistakes around speaking with locals
– How to build confidence even when your language level is “bad”
– Practical ways to practice, meet people, and stop feeling like an outsider

If you’re planning to move abroad soon, already living overseas, or stuck in the “I understand, but I’m scared to speak” phase, this conversation will help you shift your approach and finally feel more confident in your new life.

🎙️ Guest: Megan
Megan Nicholls is a British language coach and expat who helps professionals and expats build confidence in English and communicate clearly in international environments. Drawing from her own experience living abroad, she focuses on real communication, mindset, and confidence rather than perfection.

🔗 Guest Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megalanguagecoach
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@megalanguagecoach
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-nicholls-59a47077/
Website: https://megalanguagecoach.com/
Newsletter: https://megalanguagecoach.kit.com/newsletter

Level8: Upgrade your travel experience with luggage designed for people constantly on the move. Durable, sleek, and built to last—Level8 makes every trip smoother. Get 10% off with code LEVEL8Expat10.

PodMatch
Like a dating app by matching hosts and guests for podcast interviews with process automations.

Level8
Use code LEVEL8Expat10 for 10% off your next high-quality travel suitcase.

Slate and Key
The Key To Your New Life. A experience to curate the life of your dreams in the Portugal.

StartAbroad
Personalised relocation services for Costa Rica, Panama, Portugal and Spain. Code 5%: ALMOSTLOCA

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

0:00
Moving abroad changes more than your address. It changes how you communicate, how confident you feel, and how you
0:06
connect with the world around you. For many experts, language isn't only about words. It's about being understood,
0:13
feeling at home, and finding your voice in a completely new culture. The goal of languages is to communicate
0:19
and interact with people. And if that means using hand gestures, if it means using um mimming or conjugating the verb
0:27
in the wrong tense, but the the person you're speaking to is understanding, that's the most um useful tool of a
0:35
language to communicate with other people. But living abroad isn't always easy, even when the things seems to be going
0:41
well on the surface and you mastered communication. I um have struggled with
0:47
homesickness in a way that I never imagined because I've been quite independent and I've got lots of
0:52
experience living abroad and then suddenly it hits you like a ton of bricks and you're like why am I feeling
0:57
like this? I've been doing this for 10 years. Um but you can't fight it like it it it just happens out of the blue.
1:03
In this episode we explore language confidence and the realities of expert life with someone who's lived it the
1:09
first time and now helps other do the same. Today on expert experts Megan
1:14
Nichols. Let's start.
Guest’s Expat Journey: Fears, Challenges & Moving Abroad Mistakes
1:24
I'm from the UK, Manchester, and I love languages, teaching and learning, which
1:30
kind of goes hand inhand with traveling and expat life. So, I created my business, Mega Language Coach, to teach
1:36
other people English. And yeah, I'm very enthusiastic about exploring new places, living in new places because I think
1:43
there's definitely difference and yeah, that's what I'm passionate about. Maybe we start from the beginning a
1:49
little bit on on your expert journey because you lived in multiple countries and you traveled quite a lot. So when
1:55
does this passion for traveling or like when does the moment of living abroad comes from being from Manchester, being
2:01
from UK and how was life back then before moving let's say like this all those years ago? Um yeah, I feel
2:07
really lucky that I had parents that encou encouraged traveling. Um we did it a lot as a family. One of my key
2:13
memories from growing up is reading the Dr. Zeus book, O the Places You'll Go. I don't know if you've read it. Um and it
2:20
was instilled in me from a very early age like go and see the world, go and travel, go and make the most of life.
2:27
Neither of my parents speak uh other languages, but I kind of felt like whilst I was traveling that that was an
2:33
important aspect of it. So I kind of picked that up myself. But yeah, from an early age I was thrown into French
2:39
lessons and kind of extracurricular activities to to go and start that expat
2:44
journey I guess. So you were always driven to learn languages like uh it was one of your
2:50
core things in life. Let's say like this. Yeah, I guess for me it was always like a game like decoding and encoding like
2:57
the new vocabulary and like figuring out what are these meanings like it was always fun for me. I never thought of it as learning at the time until much later
3:04
when it became academic. Well, that makes that makes it easier also because learning is also sometimes
3:10
a little bit more imposing than just like finding it as a as a game. When is the moment that you decide, oh, I need
3:16
or I want to go and live abroad uh more permanently. Yeah. Um so after my A levels, I wanted
3:22
to take a gap year. Everybody else I knew, everybody else that I'd studied with went straight to university. So I
3:27
kind of felt like swimming against the tide but I knew it was right for me. I wanted a break from formal education and
3:33
so I decided to go to Germany and stay with a family and I worked as an OPAIR
3:39
for about 9 months and that was kind of the beginning and then when I went to university I studied languages and
3:44
business and part of the degree the third year was abroad. So I split my time between Germany and France,
3:50
teaching, working in chocolate factories, working in Disneyland, like a whole variety of things. And I just
3:56
haven't really unpacked my suitcase since then to be honest. So that first years were more like study
4:03
related or not studying related the first one and then then the study more like the it was like a typical Arasmus
4:10
program or it was like a Yeah. fully partitional. Yeah. So I taught English in Germany and
4:16
then I did a commercial internship in a chocolate factory in the south of France and then another internship in
4:22
Disneyland Paris. So yeah I was always learning but kind of learning by doing which I think is the best way to do it.
4:28
And when you finish this internships and studies do you go back home or you you are one of these that they never go went
4:35
back home? I try and avoid it if I can. No offense to any of my family watching but I like
4:41
to go and explore the world. So as soon as I graduated, I got a job on a cruise ship, which was amazing for travel, but
4:48
that was actually 2020 when the pandemic was happening. So cruise ships were not in the industry at that time. So I moved
4:55
to Germany for a couple of years. I was in Frankfurt and I loved it there. And then I worked on a cruise ship for 2
5:01
years. So I lived in the middle of the ocean and got to travel to Alaska and Australia and all around Europe, the
5:08
Caribbean. So that was amazing. And then last year I went to live in Mexico for a
5:14
year and now I'm back home temporarily where I figure out a new visa and where I'm going next.
5:20
So never stopping. No, I'm really looking forward to the to the
5:25
first reply questions about Germany and Frankfurt because you know as you know like I did the same video and I lived in
5:31
Frankfurt for four years. I'm looking would be curious to see the other perspective of your perspective on on
5:38
Germany and and Frankfurt specifically because it's it's a international city. So it's interesting uh to have it uh
5:45
from actually we lived during the same time in in the same city. Yeah, it's a completely different I'm
5:50
sure if I went to live there now it would be completely different because the pandemic just changed everything and Germans took it very seriously. So yeah.
5:57
Yeah, but at the same times the regulations were a little bit less strict than in other places. At least if
6:03
I compare it for for example for my back home in Barcelona or now here that I'm in Italy they or Greece people were
6:10
telling you no no no we couldn't it wasn't a strict quarantine in Germany in Frankfurt yeah the lockdown and just
6:16
we still could go around into the parks I mean yes there was the social distance but if you had a little bit of
6:22
precautions you could still go out so it was a little bit softer I think at least in comparison to back home that was a
6:30
good thing. What about Mexico? Why Mexico in that? Why not in this whole equation? Like it was just
6:37
a motivation to learn Spanish or it was like uh let's leave Europe for some time.
6:42
Yeah. Um I'd kind of been in this Europe bubble for a long time and never really considered anywhere else. I mean, I'd
6:48
done summer camps for a couple of years in the US. So that was then different again to Europe. And I'd done big trips
6:55
to like India or Kenya, but not living there. And so yeah, I met my partner on
7:00
the cruise ship and we were like, "Okay, let's let's try life on land. Let's try and learn some Spanish, eat some tacos,
7:06
live the Mexican way for a little bit." And yeah, it was amazing. I was pleasantly surprised. And I don't mean
7:12
that in a negative way. It's just I didn't really know what to expect and I loved living there and I miss it a lot.
7:18
What about the life in a cruise ship? I'm I'm curious about that. I know that it's not like really an expert life, but
7:23
it's a kind of like floating country. Yeah. No, like there is dynamics, there is uh ways of doing, there is a lot of
7:30
adaptability, I suppose. How was life in the sea constantly? Yeah, like you're just surrounded by
7:36
expats and it's just a different version than what we would traditionally think of because you don't have to register an
7:41
address or like do any of the formal bureaucracy, but I love the fact that you're surrounded by people from all
7:47
over the world. There was like 160 I think nationalities on the cruise ship and you go to different places as well
7:53
as working with people from different places. So, I was using my languages and getting to see people, getting to see
8:00
places with the locals, and that was amazing. The thing that I would say, and I think that's often overlooked about
8:06
cruises, is that it's so intense. So, I would work 5 to 6 month contracts without a day off. Sometimes up to 80
8:12
hours a week and like all around the clock, not 24 hours a day, but like the
8:18
shifts are constant because the guests are there constantly. So, I think you see the glamorous kind of Instagram side
8:24
of cruise ships and you're like, "Wow, it looks amazing." Or working is a different kind of situation.
8:29
Can't imagine. I've been willing to ask you, how many languages do you speak? Because a lot of moves, a lot of
8:36
learning. Not that many. I would like to collect more. So, German and French, and then I'm learning Spanish and English. So, it's already four.
8:43
That's not bad. I mean, yeah, not bad. Come on. I mean, Brits have a reputation
8:49
of not learning any languages, so I'll take it. You know, yeah, you learn three more. That's okay.
8:54
I've got a list. It's like list. I'm like, oh, which one which one should I pick next? Italian is definitely in
9:01
the top of that one. So, yeah. I mean, you have Spanish and France and there it's Latin language is always No,
9:08
not really. But I'm joking.
9:14
For me actually the Catalon is the one that helped me more with Italian. It's probably the closest one at least
9:21
tonality one wise and phonetically wise. Yeah, I'm looking to move to Spain and I was like okay perfect. I'm just about
9:27
getting the grips of uh Spanish. And then I was like Valencia Catalan and I'm like that's going to be starting from
9:34
scratch, you know. Not really. I mean in Valencia life it's I mean a lot of people speak everyone
9:39
speaks Spanish everywhere in Spain. It's not the Catalan. It's a nice sign of respect, but Catalan also it's it's a
9:45
Latin language at the end. So if you grab Spanish, it's relatively easy to to
9:51
start with Catalan. Pretty similar. That's good news. Thanks for the reassurance. No problem. So in regards of your
9:59
multiple experiences abroad like I know that you are you said I don't want to go permanently back home besides loving
10:06
your family, let's say like this. that so you were really convinced about living abroad from the pretty beginning.
10:12
Did you have any reality check moment that you said what I'm doing here or was what was the biggest challenges that you
10:18
face it besides having this straightforward conviction from the beginning? I love that you put it in the the past
10:24
tense as if these challenges are finished because I can't question my uh life choices and I think that's part of
10:30
the expat experience. We have these situations where we miss weddings or birthdays or important events and we're
10:36
like, why are we doing this? For me, the rewards have always paid off, but definitely on a frequent basis. I have
10:42
struggled with homesickness in a way that I never imagined because I've been quite independent and I've got lots of
10:48
experience living abroad and then suddenly it hits you like a ton of bricks and you're like, why am I feeling like this? I've been doing this for 10
10:54
years, but you can't fight it. Like it it it just happens out of the blue. I think also like the the bureaucracy and
11:01
the paperwork and the visas, especially since Brexit has been really hard
11:06
and sometimes I feel like I'm, you know, fighting against this this tide of being like, "No, just stay where you are,
11:12
settle down, do what's easier." Especially when you compare yourself to other people your age group and peers
11:18
that are doing the same thing. It can be really hard to to go against that and stay true to those convictions.
11:24
Yeah, absolutely. What about Mexico life? Like I'm curious about it also a little bit. It's from from this European
11:32
bubble perspective. Suddenly you pop up that bubble completely and you have a culture shock
11:38
massively positive one. I mean the word shock doesn't have positive connotations but um it was just
11:46
yeah it was just completely different and I think I was so surprised at the welcoming culture and kind of the Latin
11:53
culture is so positive andospitable and warm and friendly and not in a way that
11:59
I've experienced yet in Europe. I'm sure it does exist, but if we look at going
12:05
from Germany to Mexico, it's like very stark contrast. Um, and the way that people were open to me testing my broken
12:12
Spanish and trying my best and, you know, ordering in restaurants, that was received in such a a like positive,
12:20
happy way that it made the culture shock a lot easier because just to show the effort and the willing of trying that
12:26
was that was really appreciated. But yeah, the pure chaos and noise and
12:31
people like that was really different for me. There's just always something happening. It's never quiet. It's never
12:38
peaceful. It's never like relaxing. It's always something happening. Sounds nice. I would like it. I'm very
12:44
Mediterranean in this kind of things. It's just very different. And it's not good or bad. It's just like, okay, this
12:50
is this is it now. Um it's never going to be silent again. Were you in Mexico City or DC or?
12:56
Um, I have visited Mexico City, but I was about an hour from Cancun in a place called Plato Car.
13:02
Yes. So, yeah, it was beautiful scenery right near the beach. So, yeah, I was really grateful for that.
13:07
Very touristic uh part of Yugatano. It was it was uh we did some road trips
13:13
to kind of get out of that um international bubble and that was really nice to see like the more authentic
13:19
culture and the you know the the different things to offer. I love Yukatan. I've been
13:25
Where's your favorite place? Like I would say Vid as a town. It's it has this I don't know vibe out of like
13:32
Yeah. And there's so many like beautiful cenotes. Exactly. Some artists doing their own
13:38
stuff and so on. It has a a cool vibe. Nice. Maybe the last question before we jump to the to the fast reply segment.
Fast-Paced Expat Q&A: Real Life Abroad, Wins & Struggles
13:44
So you're back temporarily to UK. You're already planning to probably Spain going to leave it
13:50
doesn't if you are not afraid of Catalan. Is this a more definitive move or it's
13:57
just like you want to keep continue trying uh countries one after the other?
14:04
Yeah, that's a good question. I think I'm ready to have a base and kind of settle myself with some kind of
14:10
community, some kind of stability. But the thing I love about Europe is the accessibility of the travel. So, I'm not
14:16
going to say that I'm going to stop traveling cuz that's unlikely to happen. But it might be nice to have some kind
14:22
of familiarity and then travel from there. Actually, sorry. Like last question of the last question.
14:27
It's okay. How does with Brexit has changed this? Like you need to apply for a visa in every country that you visit
14:34
in Europe individually. It takes much more time, much more effort.
14:39
Yeah. Okay. It breaks my heart a little bit because I used to do it so easily and I think a
14:44
lot of people took it for granted, myself included. So yeah, you can visit the Shenhen area
14:51
for 90 days out of every 180 um visa free. Applying for a residency or any
14:57
kind of permanent visa is a lot more difficult and it's like you know out of European country now.
15:02
I see. Wow. Yeah. There's not many positive things I can say about that to be honest.
15:08
Another challenge on top of the normal bureaucracy that you need to do. Yes. Anywhere. Nice. So, as I said, we could
15:15
uh jump to the first reply segment. I think we will do Germany because it's the place that you lived for longer. So,
15:22
yeah, as you know, I asked the same questions to to every guest starting for
15:27
the cultural adjustment. What thing took you a while to adjust in Germany for
15:33
you? Yeah, I think the the rules and schedules and this kind of strict
15:38
lifestyle. I thought it was in the textbooks that I'd been learning. I thought it was kind of theoretical but I
15:45
was like people surely don't live like this but they do. Um and the flexible and spontaneity is not there in my
15:52
experience. I was arriving or I arrived my first time in winter in Germany and I
15:58
think this made it extra difficult for me because I wasn't working on Sundays
16:03
for example and they have the ru tag and I think if you don't have a friendship group established and you're not
16:09
spending time with the family because you're on a day off and you can't really go to the supermarket or do much. This
16:15
was just like a big shock for me because it was the weekend and I was expecting it to be you know bubbly sociable
16:21
situation and it wasn't. M so yeah this this way of life I eventually learned to love it but it was
16:27
a shock at first I know I you get it yeah I get it absolutely well
16:33
talking about social circles and building uh the second point in social life how do you meet friends in there
16:40
yeah I think Germany is probably the country where I've had to make the most effort you really have to put yourself
16:45
out there because nobody's going to like spontaneously invite you for cafe and call if you don't like interact and if
16:52
you don't make those efforts and it takes time to make the social connections. I love a challenge so I
16:58
signed up for lots of language exchanges, expat groups, which is not optimal if you want to meet locals, but
17:04
for me it was a good start to kind of get in there. I think that there's like a really good scheme that uh the tandem
17:10
apps that they have which are great for language learning but also for meeting people and I know that you mentioned
17:15
this in uh your videos like the fair like the the sports clubs. I wasn't really aware that that was such a big
17:22
thing in Germany, but once you're kind of in one of them, it's it opens up a whole new circle and it makes the whole
17:28
thing a lot more enjoyable. Yeah. So, that would be my experience.
17:34
You touch upon it a little bit, but the third one, it's language. How did you
17:39
learn German? Could you go around without speaking German at the beginning? Yeah. Yeah. So when I was with the family, I was there to speak English
17:45
with the kids with the exchange situation that they would speak German with me. And this is honestly something I would recommend because speaking to
17:52
kids takes away the fear and if you can read kids books or you can, you know,
17:57
really simplify your language to speak on that beginner's level. That was a really good tool for me. I also went to
18:03
a few night school courses uh for that was more formal way of learning.
18:10
But honestly, like I think in the big cities you can survive with English. I love languages and I'm a nerd, so I
18:16
wanted to kind of get stuck in there. But speaking to people, if you have a language to offer them and you do that
18:21
exchange thing, I think that worked really well. Makes sense. What about the cost of living back then in 2022,
18:28
Germany, I think it went up, but yeah. Um, I was trying to remember it and it was a while ago. I would say
18:34
probably 1,500 2,000 a month. I feel like groceries and public transport are
18:41
reasonable. Eating out and renting, especially in Frankfurt, were not reasonable.
18:46
Yeah. And I know that they've got more expensive since then. Absolutely. Talking about another thing
18:51
that is difficult to do in Frankfurt, finding a home, finding an apartment in Germany. How was the experience for you?
18:58
Really difficult. I think it was like a job interview in a way that I'd not
19:03
experienced in another country. like they would do viewings for people and if
19:08
they like them more or just based on personality they would choose these people to rent the homes which is just a
19:15
little bit bizarre. I mean maybe this happens in other countries but it's a lot of word of mouth. I use some apps
19:20
like Immobilian Scout Gazul these kind of things but yeah the large deposits
19:26
really surprised me and also the fact that we had to paint the walls before you left. I don't know if you had to do
19:33
this, but we had to like completely whitewash the walls as a condition of leaving the apartment. So, not only you
19:39
packing up everything, but you're also doing a decorating job, which would not happen in England, I'm sure. I mean, it's still less strange than
19:46
taking the kitchen with you like Italy or Greece. Yes, that is a bit bizarre. Yeah,
19:51
you touched also a little bit about it, but uh living like a local, what's the
19:56
things that you use to blend in into into Germany's life? Yeah, it's I think this is a harder one. Top tip would be
20:03
to recycle properly because otherwise your neighbors are going to find out and they will know exactly who is not
20:09
recycling properly and they will hate you. Cash. I think I was surprised. I thought Germany was a very like modern
20:15
and digital country, but cash is definitely important for the small purchases especially
20:21
being polite to people, which maybe sounds obvious, but I think respect is a really big thing in Germany. and um
20:27
greeting your neighbors and yeah I don't I didn't do it because it was co but I know that it was happening that there
20:33
were lots of protests and lots of um like you would take your whole family to go and protest and kids were involved
20:40
and that was just a little bit bizarre for me. Yeah. A little bit more calm demonstrations normally.
20:45
Yeah. Absolutely. Compared to other places. Absolutely. What about your work life?
20:52
Mhm. How would you describe the work culture that you experience there? I think it's quite competitive but quite
20:58
professional. I was surprised by how formal and structured like the the language is and the big separation
21:04
between work life and personal life. People just don't discuss anything that
21:09
happens outside of the office walls. It's hard for me to give a full picture because a lot of the time I was working
21:15
from home because of co so I didn't go into the office. But yeah, I did find it challenging to find a job um especially
21:22
graduating in a pandemic. Not not recommended to be honest. No, no, I can imagine. It's a it's a
21:28
hard start. That's for sure. What about getting around? Like best way to move around the city, car, metro,
21:35
transportation in general. Yeah. So, I don't enjoy driving and I'm really grateful that in Germany it never
21:41
seemed necessary. Deutschean was that will get you from A to B. It will probably be late. um contrary to the to
21:47
the German stereotype, but I use that app all the time, constantly checking for like the schedules and the updates.
21:54
And I think since I left Germany, they have like a um 50 euro um the whole of
22:00
Germany. You can travel around a ticket. So, that would be something I recommend if anybody is thinking of moving there.
22:06
But I definitely got like the monthly pass for the metro or the buses and it's all pretty well connected.
22:12
Yeah. being the weirdest thing in Frankfurt that there one of the only cities in Europe that doesn't have
22:17
Google maps with a public transport in it but yeah sure it's weird what about healthcare uh you unfortunately to deal
22:25
with with healthcare system so it was a strange thing for me because
22:31
I'm coming from the UK where we have a national health service and it's free for everybody there's not really I mean
22:36
we have the public the private option but most people use the public and I remember that you need to health
22:42
insurance and there's a lot of paperwork to do this in Germany. But I was surprised that how little they prescribe
22:49
medications. So I went to the doctors once and I was expecting them, you know, to give antibiotics or something and the
22:56
doctor sat there and he was like, "Have you tried drinking tea?" And I was like, "Um, yeah, I'm British. I have had a cup
23:02
of tea, but I think I need something a bit stronger." So I think that was interesting for me how much they suggest
23:08
natural remedies you know honey, hot water, rest. Yeah, that was an interesting part of the healthare
23:14
system. Cool. I have three more. Next one. It's normally a nightmare for everyone. So bureaucracy.
23:19
Yeah. How did you deal with paperwork visas? Visas not at that point of time probably
23:25
or ready? I needed a residence permit I think. Yeah. Yeah. I want to use the word nightmare, but
23:31
now I'm looking at the Spanish system and I'm like, "Oh, Germany was quite organized in comparison." So, I think
23:36
just patience take every single piece of paper that you've ever been born with to every appointment and you'll be fine.
23:42
Yeah, that normally it's the best recommendation. True. That's all I'm going to say about that.
23:50
Um, two more. The next one is best thing about living in Germany and the worst
23:56
thing about living in Germany. Yeah. Um, I'm a big advocate for Germany. I think it might get a bad rep
24:02
and especially the German language, but I always felt safe and I think the
24:07
efficiency is a big plus of living there. A really good quality of life. I love the location kind of in the center
24:14
of Europe. It's really easy to access a lot of other countries on buses or trains without needing to fly.
24:21
Obviously, coming from an island, that that's a big difference. So, I love that. maybe on the more negative side,
24:28
the bureaucracy and like the initial social reserve because people come across quite cold and not as outgoing
24:35
until you get to know them. And what if you have the patience for that, I think you can get a lot of reward. And the last one, it's the top tip that
24:42
you would give to anyone planning to move to Germany. Luftton, which is going to be a little bit strange, but uh Germans love
24:49
Luftton, which for anybody that doesn't speak German is basically opening windows. And it doesn't sound
24:54
revolutionary, and it's not, but they love it. It's like a daily activity. If you want to be truly German, you need to
25:00
embrace the love of opening the windows, getting some fresh air in the freezing winter, and preventing mold in your
25:07
apartment. And you've nailed it. Good tip, actually. Cool. So, Megan, I would say we jump to the miniame now.
The Cultural “Mini-Game”: How to Connect Faster with Locals
25:14
Yeah, I'm excited. Thanks a lot for all the inputs on Germany, although I feel I knew some of
25:20
them. for the audience. It's always cool to have a different perspective. So the game that I created today, it's a I call
25:27
it finish the sentence and it's very basic. It's a I would read you and give you an statement and then you can finish
25:34
it with your own experience abroad. The first one that I have it's living abroad taught me that
25:40
just one thing that's really hard could be more than one
25:46
that you're not limited by your location. We're not trees, you know, we don't have roots. We can always move.
25:53
And I see a lot of people maybe upset with their their life or their job or
25:58
their relationship. And living abroad has taught me that nothing is permanent. You know, let like if you don't like it,
26:04
try somewhere else and have that flexibility to adapt and go somewhere new because you might enjoy it.
26:10
Nice. Second one that I have, it's language confidence really comes from. Yeah, this is something that I'm
26:15
passionate about. Ditch the idea of perfectionism. You will never be perfect in a language. I tell my clients all the
26:22
time like I'm a native English speaker and there's plenty that I can't do in my own language. So find the the confidence
26:29
in the areas that you need whether it's navigating a supermarket or going to a restaurant or a job and build the
26:36
confidence from there rather than trying to master the whole I mean maybe the response is the same but the biggest mistake language
26:42
learners do is I think people try and make it really difficult and they really want like hard
26:47
solutions and they want you know long vocab lists and hours sitting in front of grammar and they don't want to just
26:54
do the consistency maybe because it sounds too simple to just listen to a podcast for 10 minutes a day or you know
27:00
um switch your phone to the target language or watch Netflix with subtitles. It sounds like that's a
27:07
shortcut and people want to have the hard graph to prove like I I've mastered this language. I I've been working on it
27:13
for 10 years. I think you know the simple things are often the most effective. I love it. I mean I'm a horrible grammar
27:20
learner. Like I and I speak multiple language but I speak them. I don't know exactly. anything about the the grammar
27:27
and the logics behind which but you can be understood. So that's the most important thing.
27:33
Yeah. The problem is that my partner is the opposite of me. So normally when we have a shared teacher then we drive them
27:39
math because one it's very grammar based and the other it's only about talking. So yeah but I like the approach. Next
27:46
one that I have it's if I could go back to my first year abroad. I was just
27:51
turning 18 and I thought that I knew how to live abroad and how it was going to
27:57
be. Um, yeah, I think embrace the uncomfortable
28:02
if I could go back and not try and make it to feel like home or to feel like my
28:07
friends um that I was used to or the language or the culture like embrace the bits that are different because these
28:14
are the most terrifying but the most beautiful and that's where the biggest um learning opportunities come from. But
28:20
it's really difficult because nobody wants to feel uncomfortable. Yeah. It puts you in a spotlight. You
28:26
put yourself in a spotlight. Actually, that that's not the nicest moment. That's for sure. I have one more. You
28:32
don't need perfect English, too. That's a hard one for me. I'm encouraging people to to improve their
28:39
English, but I really believe that you don't need perfect English to do anything because the goal of languages
28:46
is to communicate and interact with people. And if that means using hand gestures, if it means using mimming or
28:53
conjugating the verb in the wrong tense, but the person you're speaking to is understanding, that's the most useful
28:59
tool of a language to communicate with other people. So I don't believe you need a perfect language to do to do
29:04
anything really. Cool. Well, we are talking about languages. So maybe I give you a little bit the floor to tell the audience a
How to Build a Career & Projects Abroad – Guest Promo
29:11
little bit about your project and what you're working and how do you approach your teaching and how do you work with
29:17
your clients in general and especially of course at the end if you want to share a couple of links that will be in
29:22
the description of the episode where people can find you. Yeah, absolutely. For me it's really important to practice what I teach. So
29:29
because I've learned languages and I'm still learning them and want to learn more. I know what it like it it feels
29:34
like and I want my clients to feel comfortable and in a safe space to make mistakes and I often encourage that with
29:42
the process of asking questions or getting it wrong and then figuring out why these things are maybe wrong and
29:48
there's a whole exploration journey. I kind of describe it as two experts in the room because maybe I'm the expert in
29:54
English language which is a bold statement to make but I'm definitely then with clients that are experts in
30:00
their own industries. So they might be lawyers or pharmacists or engineers and they bring that expertise and it kind of
30:07
meets together in the middle and I I love that harmony of bringing things together and I learn from them as much
30:12
as they learn from me rather than kind of being talked at or lectured to or I think we've all been in those language
30:18
learning situations that just don't feel comfortable as adults. You know, we're not at school anymore. And I want it to
30:24
feel more intuitive and more engaging and more fun so that if you're interested you're more likely to stick
30:30
at something which is true of everything not just languages. So that's kind of the method behind the madness.
30:36
So basically you try to tailor it a little bit more to a specific client that you have rather than having a
30:42
generic approach. Absolutely. All my sessions are onetoone and I might
30:47
have planned a lesson and then the client comes in and says, "Oh, tomorrow I have this this presentation. Can we practice this?" And so it's really
30:55
important for me to take a flexible approach to whatever they need in that moment rather than me dictating what I
31:01
think is important. They might come in in a different mood or they have a different energy level or they had a hard day at work. And if I can adapt to
31:08
that and give them what they need in that moment in terms of the English, I think that's definitely a more human
31:14
approach so that they feel more comfortable and they're learning what they want to learn rather than what I'm
31:19
telling them to learn. So yeah, all my classes are onetoone and online and sometimes I just have to ditch the plan
31:26
and go with the flow which is hard for me but I'm getting better at it. So you mainly work or you only work with adults
31:34
right now or in the past I've been studying in classrooms of 30 kids. I do have a
31:39
couple of teenagers clients or students at the moment training like for exams but most of my um clients at the moment
31:46
are adult professionals and they already have the kind of medium level of English
31:52
and we're working to improve it and enhance it and just build that confidence which doesn't necessarily
31:58
come with just learning more vocabulary or learning more grammar. taking the language they have and using it in
32:04
situations where they're going to need it so they feel confident when they have to reimulate that. I see. It's your audience, it's your
32:12
clients normally people living abroad or that they need it because at work they
32:17
work in English or Yeah, good question. Kind of a mix. I have clients from all over the world. English is becoming increasingly
32:23
important. You know, the corporate business language. So lots of them are working in international companies where
32:30
they're needing English to communicate with clients or colleagues around the world. But I've just launched an expert
32:36
program. So that's 10 hours of people looking to move to an English-sp speakaking country. And again, it's
32:42
really focused on the necessities and the practical language of how to navigate the bureaucracy, how to
32:48
register for taxes, how to, you know, make friends and do all of the things that you need as an expat rather than
32:54
just learning something that might not be be useful in that journey. It's more about the necessity of the language.
33:00
Nice. Where can people find you? Instagram website. Do you have any links to share? Yeah, I'll share them all with you. Mega
33:07
language coach is where you can find me. I have a website. Uh I have a free newsletter which I send once a month
33:12
with English tips. Uh I'm on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn. So pretty much anywhere uh you'll find me with a little
33:19
pink logo, Mega Language Coach. Perfect. Megan, thank you. Thank you so much for for being part of Expert Expert
Final Expat Advice: Language, Confidence & Thriving Overseas
33:25
and for sharing your story, but also your projects and probably some of the audience will contact you hopefully if
33:32
they are trying to learn English. That would be lovely. Do you have any I don't know last piece of advice that you want
33:38
to share? any last thought that you want to put into the episode before we close it? Yeah, I think expats live a very unique
33:45
and different life that's not understood by everybody, but it's actually an amazing community and if you meet an
33:51
expat or somebody that's lived abroad or learned a language, it's a really valuable skill. So, try not to compare
33:57
yourself to everybody else because you're on your own path and it's taken me a while to learn that, but be proud
34:02
of what you are achieving and what you're doing every day. That's perfect way of closing the episode. Again, thank you. Thank you so
34:08
much for for joining. Thank you for having me. Yeah. For the listeners, as always, the links
34:14
to the description of the episode uh where you can find Megan. Of course, if you like these kind of episodes, don't
34:20
forget to subscribe uh to Expert Experts podcast. Give some love and some likes also from time to time.
34:25
Absolutely. And uh yeah, so you stay tuned with the last episodes and videos of the channel
34:30
and the podcast. Until next time, keep exploring and stay curious. See you in the next episode of Expert Experts.