Housing, travel costs, even bonus checks are paid every month!
It’s a big decision to move out of your comfortable hometown and work in foreign countries for at least two years up to five years. Government employees have financial advantages by living overseas compared to working in the States. I have been living in South Korea working as a government employee for the past year, and here are the financial benefits of living overseas:
LQA (Living Quarters Allowance)
The US Government pays for your housing. The amount depends on your location, rank/pay scale, and the number of family members, but the housing allowance is generous enough to find a decent home in your area. There are many real estate agents specifically for foreigners looking for local housing, and you can contact multiple agents to find a home you love. I worked with three agents who all had different houses on their lists. Once I found a home I loved, signed the contract, the housing fee came directly to my bank account. The yearly rent was approximately $30,000 for Daegu, South Korea, one of the largest cities. This rental fee includes all utilities, parking, and even gym access. For this amount, I am living in a four-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms. There is a maximum limit to LQA, and the government won’t pay the cost exceeding their limit.
You can also keep the LQA in your pocket if you own housing in the foreign country you work. It’s called POQ, Personally Owned Quarters, which depends on your location and housing valuations. Some government employees do purchase a home in a foreign country and get POQ. Still, it would be best if you did your homework before buying real estate (a considerable sum of money) in an area where you are not familiar.
TQSA (Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance)
Once you have moved out of your home in the United States, the government pays for your travel costs — transportation, food, laundry, and accommodations. Expect to live in a hotel for a couple of weeks until you find suitable local housing. The government pays TQSA up to 90 days if you prove that you are still looking for a suitable home. In addition, you will have to prove all of your spendings with receipts to get reimbursed.
The government ships your household items, including one car. Immediate household items will be shipped by air, so you will get them once you land in the new country. The rest will take months because they are sent by cargo ships.
Post Allowance
Government employees working overseas get post allowance, an additional paycheck in addition to your bi-weekly salary. Post allowance depends on your location and rank/pay scale; usually, government employees earn a few hundred dollars more than working in the States per pay period.
Tax-free on APO Addresses
You can apply for an APO address to still shop as if you are in the States. You can also shop at Amazon, although not all items can be shipped at APO addresses — mostly non-liquid, non-fragile items are available shipping. Even though you don’t have to pay taxes on these items, they take at least a month to be shipped and picked up at the post office on military bases.
Conclusion
There are pros and cons of living overseas as a government employee, but the financial benefits are attractive enough to those who want to explore new places. Living overseas is not easy, but you will get used to the new location, food, and people. It took me almost a year to get accustomed to this new place and learn new culture by making friends.
If this post helped, please applaud my story! :)
