You’ve landed. After months of planning, paperwork, and anticipation, you’re finally in your new country. The first week abroad is a blur of jet lag, bureaucratic errands, new faces, and sensory overload. It’s exciting, exhausting, and often overwhelming — sometimes all at once. Knowing what to expect helps you navigate the chaos and set yourself up for a smooth transition. This guide walks you through a realistic day-by-day breakdown of your first week and offers practical strategies for managing the overwhelm.
The Reality of Arrival
Despite what Instagram suggests, the first week is rarely glamorous. Most teachers describe it as some combination of:
- Exhaustion from jet lag and travel
- Confusion from language barriers and unfamiliar systems
- Anxiety about getting everything done before classes start
- Loneliness as you adjust to being far from home
- Excitement and disbelief that you’re actually there
This is normal. Every teacher goes through it. The goal of the first week isn’t to feel settled — it’s to complete the essential tasks that get you legally and logistically established. Settling comes later.
Day 1: Arrival Day
The first day is about getting from the airport to your accommodation and surviving the initial disorientation.
What Typically Happens
- Immigration and customs: Present your visa, passport, and any required documents. Have your school’s address and contact info ready.
- Airport pickup: Many schools send someone to meet you. If not, use an official taxi or ride-hailing app (Grab in Southeast Asia, KakaoTaxi in Korea, Didi in China). Avoid unlicensed touts.
- Get to your accommodation: Whether it’s school-provided housing or a serviced apartment, get there, drop your bags, and rest.
- First meal: Find something nearby. Don’t expect to navigate menus confidently yet — point, use Google Translate, or pick a place with photos.
- Sleep: Fight the urge to push through. Rest helps reset your body clock.
Day 1 Priorities
- Stay calm and go slow
- Keep your passport and documents secure
- Hydrate and eat something
- Contact family to let them know you arrived safely
- Sleep on local time to beat jet lag
Day 2: Orientation Begins
Your second day is usually when school-related orientation starts — or when you start tackling the bureaucratic essentials.
School Orientation
Most schools run 1–5 days of orientation for new teachers. Expect:
- School tour: Meet colleagues, see classrooms, learn where everything is
- Curriculum overview: Textbooks, teaching methods, expectations
- Administrative briefing: Schedules, payroll, policies, dress code
- Cultural introduction: Basic etiquette, what’s expected of foreign teachers
- Practical logistics: Health check appointments, bank account setup help
Independent Tasks (If No Formal Orientation)
- Get a local SIM card (essential for everything else)
- Download essential local apps (maps, ride-hailing, translation, payment)
- Familiarize yourself with the neighborhood — locate grocery stores, pharmacies, ATMs
- Start a list of things you need to buy
Day 3: The Bureaucracy Marathon
Day 3 is when the errands hit. In many countries, you need to complete several registrations within your first week to stay legally. Typical tasks:
Health Check
Most countries require a medical exam for your work visa/residence permit. This usually includes:
- Blood test (often checks for HIV, hepatitis, sometimes drugs)
- Chest X-ray (tuberculosis screening)
- Basic physical and ECG
- Height, weight, blood pressure
Your school usually arranges this — bring your passport and several passport photos.
Residence Registration
You typically must register your address with local police or immigration within 24–90 days of arrival (varies by country). Your school or landlord usually helps, but it’s your legal responsibility. Fines for late registration can be significant.
Bank Account Setup
You’ll need a local bank account for your salary. Bring:
- Passport with visa
- Employment contract or letter from your school
- Alien registration card or receipt (if already processed)
- Local phone number
- Passport photos
Your school often sends someone to help. Without assistance, expect the process to take a few hours and some patience.
Phone and Internet
- Local SIM card with data plan (postpaid usually requires a bank account or ARC; prepaid is easier for the first weeks)
- Home internet setup if not already in your apartment
- Local payment apps (Alipay/WeChat Pay in China, KakaoPay in Korea, etc.)
Day 4: Apartment and Household Setup
If you’re in school-provided housing, day 4 is about settling in. If you need to find your own place, this is when apartment hunting begins in earnest.
For School-Provided Housing
- Inventory the apartment — what’s included, what’s missing
- Photograph any existing damage (protects your deposit)
- Buy essentials: bedding, towels, kitchen basics, cleaning supplies
- Set up utilities if not already active
- Test Wi-Fi, water heater, appliances
- Learn how to take out trash (sorting rules vary wildly)
For Finding Your Own Housing
- Visit 3–5 apartments you’ve shortlisted
- Compare rents and neighborhoods
- Don’t sign on day 4 — give yourself a few days to compare
Day 5: Work Begins (Or Almost)
For many teachers, day 5 marks the transition from arrival mode to work mode.
If Classes Have Started
- Observe experienced teachers if possible
- Review the curriculum and textbook
- Begin planning your first lessons
- Meet your co-teachers or department head
- Get your teaching schedule
Common First-Week Feelings
- “What did I get myself into?”
- “I have no idea what I’m doing”
- “Everyone speaks too fast”
- “I’m so tired”
- “This is amazing”
All of these are completely normal. You’re not failing — you’re adjusting.
Days 6–7: Finding Your Feet
The first weekend is for rest, exploration, and beginning to feel human again.
- Sleep in and catch up on rest
- Explore your neighborhood on foot
- Find your favorite local coffee shop or restaurant
- Join expat or teacher social groups (Facebook, Meetup)
- Start learning basic local phrases (hello, thank you, please, how much)
- Video-call family and friends
- Reflect — write down what’s going well
The Essential First-Week Tasks Checklist
- [ ] Local SIM card with data
- [ ] Local payment apps installed and set up
- [ ] Bank account opened
- [ ] Residence/immigration registration completed
- [ ] Health check completed (if required)
- [ ] Apartment inventoried and essentials purchased
- [ ] School orientation attended
- [ ] Teaching schedule received
- [ ] Local maps and translation apps downloaded
- [ ] Emergency numbers saved
- [ ] Embassy contact info saved
- [ ] First lessons planned
Tips for Managing the Overwhelm
1. Lower Your Expectations for the First Week
You won’t be productive, settled, or fluent in week one. You’ll be tired and confused. That’s the normal baseline. Don’t judge your entire experience by how the first week feels.
2. Take It One Task at a Time
Looking at the full list of bureaucratic tasks is paralyzing. Pick one thing per day. Complete it. Move on. Progress compounds.
3. Ask for Help — A Lot
Your school, co-teachers, and fellow foreign teachers have all been through this. Most are happy to help. Asking isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s efficient. Questions to ask:
- “Where do I get a SIM card?”
- “How do I pay for the bus?”
- “What’s the best local bank?”
- “Where do other teachers shop?”
- “Can you help me read this lease?”
4. Lean on Translation Tech
- Google Translate — Camera mode translates signs and menus instantly
- Papago — Better for Korean and some Asian languages
- Microsoft Translator — Offline conversation mode
- Download language packs for offline use before you arrive
5. Prioritize Sleep and Food
Jet lag plus stress plus new food is a recipe for feeling terrible. Sleep when you’re tired, eat when you’re hungry, and don’t feel guilty about either. Your body is adjusting to a new time zone, climate, and diet simultaneously.
6. Connect with Other Foreigners
Local friends will come, but in the first weeks, other expats understand exactly what you’re going through. Join Facebook groups, attend school social events, and say yes to invitations.
7. Keep a Routine
Simple routines — morning coffee, evening walk, regular meals — create stability in an otherwise chaotic period.
8. Limit Contact with Home
Counterintuitively, calling home too much can intensify homesickness. Stay in touch, but don’t live in your home time zone. Immerse yourself in your new reality.
9. Document the Experience
Take photos, write a journal, record voice notes. You’ll want to remember these chaotic early days, and reviewing them later helps you see how far you’ve come.
10. Be Patient with Yourself
The teacher who arrives confident in week one is usually the one who crashes in month two. Acknowledge the difficulty, give yourself grace, and trust that it gets better.
Red Flags to Watch For in the First Week
Most first-week experiences are normal-but-stressful. A few things warrant concern:
- Housing doesn’t match what was promised — Document immediately and raise it with the school in writing
- Contract terms differ from what you signed — Don’t sign anything new without reviewing
- School withholds your passport — Illegal everywhere; retrieve it politely but firmly
- Someone asks for large cash payments — Verify before paying anything significant
- You’re asked to teach immediately with no orientation — Workable but unusual; ask for support
What the First Week Is Really Telling You
The first week isn’t a verdict on whether you made the right choice — it’s a transition. Most teachers who feel overwhelmed in week one are genuinely happy by month three. Give yourself time.
The adjustment period is real, and culture shock is part of it. For a deeper look at the emotional side of the move, read our guide on culture shock and how to handle it.
