[WeWantOut] 35F 39MTF USA photographer/artist -> Japan/Italy/France/Switzerland/Germany
Sorry if any of these questions seem obvious. I've tried to do my own research but it's difficult to know where to start and then after that, what information sources are reputable beyond government sites.
So my spouse and I are currently living in the US. We are both American citizens and we're born here. And our families have both lived here for enough generations that getting anywhere but here is not going to be a possibility simply through family ties (unless someone in our family randomly married someone outside the country).
I have had a small business as a photographer for over 10 years but it's not really gone anywhere financially and we've both been working 9-5 jobs since we were 17, before we even met. We're legally married and I have an associates degree while my spouse has a bachelor's.
I fully intend to work in the country we move to and eventually open up my own business selling art and books. My spouse would be doing the same though they only have formal retail experience they've done freelance graphic design work off and on over the years.
We're both willing (I adore learning new languages, I'm bilingual already but it's with English and ASL) to learn the language of the country.
There's a couple of questions in curious about for the above countries.
So my questions are thus:
- My spouse and I both take monthly medication for various health issues. I know that healthcare isn't nearly as expensive in Europe and Asia as it is here.
But I want to make sure we have access to the health systems. I believe Japan allows you (once you have a work visa) to pay monthly for access to their universal healthcare. Is that true? Does anyone know how much I should budget? How about for Italy, Germany, France or Switzerland? I'm just curious how that all works out the best way I can track down that information.
As far as I can tell, any of these countries will allow you to work so long as you get the correct visa for it. Are any of them not included in that? Are there any that require citizenship first?
Any language apps you'd suggest? I'm using lingolegends right now and I'm considering lingopie. I've tried babble and Duolingo but neither really fit my fancy.