8 Necessary Skills You Should Gain Before Relocating To Another Country

How To Begin

Have you ever wondered why it’s common for you to see people outside the country doing a lot of things themselves? You go on YouTube and see a lot of video tutorials on how to make hair, how to put makeup on, how to make clothes and so much more. It’s because these things are very expensive to do outside Nigeria. These services cost more.

Macmillan Education talks about the security that having a vocational skill provides

“Job security: When you have the skills that are in demand, you are more likely to keep your job, even during tough economic times.”

Especially because you are moving to a new country entirely, it is always advisable to have skills that you can monetize that will give you more income on the side.

Today, we will be focusing on some handwork that will do you well to gain the skills for before you leave the country because outside the country skills like this are worthy and will be sure to fetch you a lot of money if you know how to do them well.

Handwork That Can be Monetized

1. Hairdressing 

If you have to skill of making hair, you can make as much as $200 and even more in a day, just from making hair. You can make a lot of money just by knowing how to make simple African hairstyles. A lot of black people and even non-blacks will pay a ton of money to be able to get their hair done and done well.

Yes, it can be expensive to open a hair salon outside the country but you can always start from the house and have customers come to meet you. When you go on the internet you see a lot of black hair stylists, working from their houses and yet they still make a lot of money.

Learning this skill can take you about six months to a year or two depending on how fast you are able to grasp the skill.

2. Barbing

This is another skill that is bound to fetch you money. Your demographic would include men, women and even children who need a haircut. Everybody wants to look good and there is just a certain confidence that comes with getting a fresh cut and people will pay for that. You can make as much as 28 to $30 and even more on just one cut, now imagine if you have multiple clients a day.

This is also a business that you can run from your house before you have money to open a proper barbing salon. Training for this can take you also from as little as 6 months to 1 year to gain the necessary skills to be a top-notch barber.

3. Makeup

We all know that my Nigerians like to turn up. The owambe slay must be slaying. Even here in Nigeria, it cost a good sum to get your makeup done professionally, now picture if you were outside the country. Professional makeup artists charge their clients a pretty steep amount of money to make them look good for occasions.

It doesn’t matter what part of the world you are in, women will always want their makeup done sometimes professionally for events and special occasions This is where you come in, if you have the skills you’re able to make money on the side. There are a lot of standard makeup studios that run training regularly, it can take you as little as one month to six months to learn the skill and you also have to go back regularly for training upgrades. It is also advisable to keep tabs on new makeup styles and routines, by following other makeup artists, and makeup influencers, on Instagram TikTok and also on YouTube.

4. Tailoring/Fashion Designing

One thing Nigerians are always going to do is look good for every occasion The owambe outfits be going in hard. If you have the tailoring skill, you’re a star especially when you’re really good at it. Your customers and clients will find you outside the country because there is a certain specificity to the way our clothes are made traditionally, especially the owambe outfits. You can make a lot of money on the side just by knowing how to make clothes for Nigerians and other cultures. 

It could take you as long as 2 years and as short as 6 months to be able to learn the skill of tailoring because so much goes into it. You can make clothes for children, for women and for men and you can decide to do all three or you can decide to specialise. Just know that no matter what it is that you choose you’re going to be in high demand wherever it is you go.

5. Furniture Making

If you’re good with your tools, it will open doors for you to be able to earn money on the side when you travel out of the country. You can custom-make pieces and take custom orders from clients. Beautiful, unique furniture for their interior decorations, from the room to the living room, offices and to wherever and whatever it is they may need.

There are also lots of opportunities from furniture companies outside the country who are willing to pay to have you on the team.

6. Plumbing

This is one job skill that wherever it is you relocate to in the world is bound to help you out and make you money. As a plumber, your services are always going to be needed. Both old and new houses have a need for plumbing expertise. for new houses, you can be contracted to install all necessary plumbing needs and for old houses, you can be contracted to fix plumbing issues that come up either by people who live in the house or the landlords.

The point remains that you will not run out of jobs if you have the skill. Learning the skill before you leave Nigeria might take you from 3 months to a year.

7. Jewellery Making and Bead Making

Women and men and even children wear jewellery and so having this skill is going to work in your favour. Choosing to learn this handwork before you leave the country will help you make money wherever it is you relocate to in the world. You can make a lot of money putting your custom designs up on Etsy, using Pinterest and having your own Instagram page, a landing page or a website. You can learn jewellery and bead making in as little as a month to 3 months.

8. Cobbler and Leather Work

This is also another lucrative skill to have because you have access to such a wide demographic of customers and clients and this is because everybody wears shoes. Whether you’re fixing old shoes or making new shoes, you’ll have a steady inflow of clients. People who want to fix shoes, bags, belts, purses and other leather works or maybe it’s to make new items. If you decide that this is the path for you, you can learn how to be a leatherwork expert in 3 months to 6 months or at most a year.

Which of these handworks do you already have or do you intend to learn? I’d love to hear from you.