7 Tips For Moving To Romania For The First Time

With an enticing Mediterranean-style climate, thriving entrepreneurial culture, and emerging-market opportunities, relatively low cost of living, vibrant capital and beautiful countryside — not to mention a path to citizenship for Brits suffering from the Brexit blues — there are plenty of reasons to visit Romania. However, the post-Communist bureaucracy and cultural differences can make it a hard place to navigate at first, but don’t worry we are here to help!

This is not a country where the locals will sniff at you if you fail to master their tongue. In the capital, Bucharest, and the major cities at least, almost everyone under 45 speaks some English, and many are fluent. English is firmly the language of business. I’ve sat through meetings with 15 people, held entirely in English to accommodate the one or two ex-pats in the room. That’s not to say you shouldn’t attempt to learn — Romanians love it when outsiders manage to say at least a few phrases. But it won’t impair your employment prospects if you arrive here with nothing more than “Va rog” and “multumesc” (please and thank you).

Romanians are plain-speaking Latin people. Don’t take offence if anyone addresses you directly. “Do you believe in God?”, “How much do you earn?”, and “Do you want children?” are considered conversational fair game by many. This is not rudeness; rather, Romanian culture hasn’t traditionally encouraged the practice of small talk and people simply ask if they are interested in something.

Along the same lines, capitalism and consumerism are still relatively new to Romania. The service culture is developing, but you may encounter waiters, shop assistants, civil servants and the like who seem to think they’re doing you a favour by serving you. Again, don’t take it personally: under Communism, jobs were allocated by the state-based in part on your favour within the Party, rather than merit, so there was little incentive to work hard and go all out to please customers.

Romanians know their country has a bad rep (undeserved) abroad, and want to give you the best impression of their homeland. They value Western business experience, as it has helped to rebuild the market after the 1989 Revolution, and particularly prize native English teachers who can help them boost their employability. Doors will open to you that would remain firmly closed in your homeland. For example, I approached a famous guitarist to work on my musical project — he agreed. Imagine the response if you rocked up to Noel Gallagher and asked the same!

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