Moving abroad gets romanticized as a glamorous adventure of weekend trips, charming cafés, and exciting new opportunities. Behind every successful relocation, though, is something far more real: uncertainty, patience, paperwork, emotional goodbyes, and the courage to rebuild your life from scratch in a new country.
In this episode of the Move2Europe podcast, SueJin sat down with Pushpita, a tech professional who recently relocated from Boston to Dublin after landing a role at Google. From an eight-round interview process to learning to slow down to Europe's pace, she's honest about what it actually takes to make an international move happen.
If you're dreaming about a life in Europe, her story gives you a realistic, grounded picture of the road ahead, and why she'd do it all again.
In This Episode
- The One-Way Ticket Moment
- Why She Looked Beyond the US
- The Reality of a European Job Search
- Don't Bet on Just One City
- The Salary Reality Check
- Eight Rounds of Interviews
- Settling Into Dublin's Slower Pace
- The Emotional Side of Moving
- Her Advice: Start Now
The One-Way Ticket Moment
One of the most powerful moments in the conversation came when Pushpita described boarding her flight to Dublin.
"There's always that fun moment where you have to think in your brain, 'I'm not going on vacation. This isn't a round trip ticket. It's one way. I'm staying.'"
That single realization captures the emotional shift so many future expats go through: the moment dreaming about Europe turns into actually building a life there. For Pushpita, that moment was a long time coming.
Why She Looked Beyond the US
At the start of 2025, Pushpita was already sensing she wanted a change. She'd built a successful career in the United States, but something was missing. What she was really after:
- Better work-life balance
- A healthier pace of life
- International experience
- A genuine new challenge
- More alignment between her career and her personal goals
Europe had always pulled at her. She'd travelled through France and Italy and caught herself wondering what it would be like to stay rather than fly home after a week.
Then the decision got made for her. In July 2025, she was laid off. Like a lot of people in tech, she suddenly found herself re-evaluating everything at once, and instead of only looking at US roles, she decided to seriously chase the European move she'd been thinking about.
The Reality of a European Job Search
Here's the biggest takeaway from her story: moving to Europe takes time, and most people underestimate how much.
Pushpita started searching seriously in August but didn't land her first interview until October. That gap can feel brutal coming from the fast US hiring culture, but Europe simply runs differently. Companies hire more slowly, summer holidays freeze recruiting, and visa sponsorship adds planning on the employer's side. They also want to be sure you're committed for the long haul.
One question came up again and again from employers:
"Why do you want to move to Europe?"
That question matters far more than applicants expect. European companies invest serious time and money into international hires, and they want to know the move is real for you, that you understand the lifestyle change, and that you'll stay.
Know your "why" before you apply, and make it deeper than "better work-life balance." European employers ask this directly, and a vague answer is a red flag. The clearer your reason, the more seriously they take you. Our guide to the mistakes that sink most moves to Europe digs into this.
Don't Bet on Just One City
Another lesson she learned fast: don't pin everything on a single destination. Pushpita had her preferences, especially English-speaking Dublin, but she kept an open mind and interviewed for roles in:
- Germany
- Amsterdam
- Lithuania
- Dublin
Her advice to future expats is blunt:
"Don't focus on only one city."
Target one location and your options shrink to almost nothing. Instead, build a shortlist of five places you'd realistically live. And once you're in Europe with residency established, moving between countries later often gets much easier.
The Salary Reality Check
The most honest part of the conversation was about money. Adjusting from US compensation to European salaries was hard, and Pushpita doesn't pretend otherwise.
The first thing to accept: you'll probably earn less in Europe than in the US. For a lot of Americans, that's discouraging at first. But the salary number doesn't tell the whole story. European roles often come with:
- More vacation time
- Better work-life balance
- Stronger employee protections
- Better public transport
- More walkable cities
- Far less healthcare stress
- More time for a life outside work
Taxes and benefits also vary a lot between countries, some cities offer expat tax breaks, cost of living differs hugely, and relocation packages can offset a chunk of the move. Negotiating with Google in Dublin, she found that big international employers understand these realities and factor them into the conversation.
Eight Rounds of Interviews
The detail that surprised a lot of listeners: Pushpita went through eight interview rounds with Google. That level of patience and preparation is part of the deal for international applicants.
Her practical advice:
- Start preparing before the interviews begin
- Practise consistently
- Invest in interview coaching if you need it
- Rework your resume for European markets
- Tailor your cover letter for each role
- Stay ready even through the long quiet stretches
Because when things finally move, they tend to move all at once. After months of silence, she suddenly found herself interviewing with several companies in the same month, and ended up with two offers. If interviews are your weak spot, our guide on acing a European recruiter interview is worth a read.
Settling Into Dublin's Slower Pace
The biggest culture shock had nothing to do with work. It was learning to live at Europe's slower pace.
Deliveries take longer. Paperwork crawls. Government processes test your patience. Apartment logistics aren't instant. Where the US runs on "get it done now," Europe tends to put quality of life ahead of raw efficiency. At first that was frustrating. Eventually she realised slowing down was exactly what she'd needed, watching people linger over coffee instead of rushing with a takeaway cup, walking more, taking vacations seriously, living more deliberately.
Settling into Dublin meant finding her grocery stores, exploring cafés, learning the transit system, meeting neighbours, and adjusting to daily life without a car. The walkability was a revelation after American car culture: more walking, more public space, better transit, more outdoor life.
The work-life balance she came for has shown up too. In Ireland she gets roughly five weeks of paid leave a year on top of public holidays, and her employer lets staff work remotely from elsewhere in Europe for a few weeks each year. She's already eyeing a working stay in Spain.
The Emotional Side of Moving
The most meaningful part of the conversation was Pushpita's honesty about the emotional side. Relocation isn't easy. You miss your friends, your family, familiar food, your routines, your comfort zone. There will be moments of loneliness and adjustment, full stop.
What helps is building a support system early: staying connected with the people back home, scheduling regular calls, making local friends, asking for help, and finding community quickly. As she put it:
"It takes a village."
Whether it comes from friends, mentors, relocation support, or local community, having people around you makes the whole transition dramatically easier.
Her Advice: Start Now
When SueJin asked what advice she'd give someone considering the move, her answer was simple: start now. Not next year. Not "someday."
Because all of it takes time, the job search, interviews, visa processing, relocation planning, financial prep, and the emotional adjustment. The earlier you begin, the more options you create. She'd also tell you to stay flexible, curious, and open-minded the whole way through, because moving abroad isn't really about landing another job. It's about building a new version of your life. If you needed a nudge, here's why 2026 is a good year to make the move.
As she summed it up near the end:
"I signed up for this because I want something new. I want an adventure in life. I want to see what's out there."
Maybe that's the real reason so many people dream of moving abroad. Not just to change location, but to change perspective.
Whether you're just exploring the idea or already applying for roles in Europe, Move2Europe is here to guide you through the whole process, from your first conversation to settling into your new life.
Book a free consultation and let's figure out your path to Europe.