Cultural Etiquette 101 for Students Working Abroad

In Spain, not kissing a person when you’re meeting for the first time would be considered rude. In Mexico, most people will be arriving later at work and other events because showing up early is considered disrespectful.

Though we’re all similar, there are tiny details in our cultural codes that can change the situation completely.

And while you may never have to face kissing a stranger or arriving late purposefully in your home country, you will likely have to adapt to relevant etiquette rules if you happen to study and especially work abroad.

What Is Cultural Etiquette?

In short, etiquette is a commonly accepted set of rules concerning what’s polite and impolite within a particular group of people.

Cultural etiquette, in turn, is the term used to define specific etiquette codes applicable to different cultures that define what behavior a particular culture considers appropriate and inappropriate.

Why Does It Matter?

When you’re spending significant time abroad, for example, while being a foreign student, you are inevitably encountering people from a culture different than yours.

This difference might be minor or very tangible, depending on the place where you stay. And most often, it will give you a cultural shock when faced with irreconcilable differences.

On the one hand, you can dismiss the differences and focus solely on your studies and work. In this case, you might gain new knowledge but fail to receive a wholesome experience of studying abroad.

On the contrary, you can enlist the help of an essay writer online to save up more time to delve into the cultural etiquette. Understanding its basics can help you in a number of ways:

• Reducing cultural shock by making you more prepared to face differences.
• Helping align yourself with the culture and tradition of a place you’re staying at to receive a more all-rounded experience.
• Avoiding offensive behavior that could get in your way of making new friends.
• Demonstrating your interest and respect for the culture that surrounds you.
• Helping you fit into the new society.

As you can see, understanding cultural etiquette can generally help you abroad, whether you’re studying or simply traveling. Yet, it becomes even more crucial if you’re a student working abroad.

In this case, you will have to spend significant time interacting with people from a different culture and you want to be able to understand what good manners are in the place you’re visiting in order to fit in the workplace.

Cultural Etiquette for Working Students: 6 Tips to Fit Into the Workplace

Of course, the specific customs and traditions may vary significantly from one country to another. Hence, there are no one-size-fits-all etiquette rules that would be applicable everywhere.

Nevertheless, there are a few tips that will help you get on the right track:

1. Do Your Research

Getting used to the culture and customs of the place you will be studying and working at should begin far before you arrive. In most cases, you can avoid plenty of uncomfortable and awkward situations by simply doing sufficient research before you arrive.

Be sure to research your destination and its society. Figure out what social norms are followed there and look out for any drastic distinctive features in your culture to be aware of. Now, we know that it might be slightly out of hand for a busy student to spend plenty of time on research.

But trust us when we say it can change a lot and delegate your current tasks to a reputable online paper writing site to carve out some time for researching your destination.

2. Learn How to Dress Appropriately

Different cultures may have a different understanding of what dress codes are appropriate and not.

For example, in some countries, it might be inappropriate to wear shorts or crop tops. If you’re visiting a country like that, you definitely don’t want to arrive at your first day of school or work dressed up in a way that’s not commonly accepted.

To avoid this, be sure to research appropriate local dress codes. Figure out how the local population dresses up for school and work, and use your findings to blend in.

3. Complete Your Vocabulary With Basic Local Phrases

Learning at least a tiny bit of the language of the country you are going to study and work in will help you show respect to locals and make it easier to create connections. Besides, knowing basic phrases can greatly reduce the stress of being a foreigner in a different-language country.

You can use language-learning apps or vocabularies to learn the basics. Here are some key phrases you want to learn to give yourself a good starting point:

• Greetings and farewell;
• Basic politeness phrases like “please,” “thank you,” and so on;
• Introductions; 
• Language-related phrases, such as “I don’t speak your language well” or “Do you speak English?”

This starter pack should help you right at your arrival. However, if you’re planning to study and work in your destination, you will likely have to delve into the local language more.

Possibly, you’ll want to equip yourself with an online helper whom you can ask, “I want to pay someone to write my dissertation,” or delegate other assignments to focus on learning a new language.

4. Be Observant and Follow the Locals’ Lead

Another one and probably the most effective tip for fitting into new societies and adopting cultures is to be as observant as possible.

When you arrive at your destination, people around you, including your fellow students and coworkers are your best sources of cues on how to behave yourself right.

From day one, keep an eye on how locals behave in different settings – how they greet each other, what gestures they use, how they dress up, and so on. Note down cultural specs that you see and don’t be afraid to follow locals’ lead.

5. Mind the Manners at the Table

As a student working abroad, chances are you will have to interact with people of other cultures at the table, for example, during a welcoming dinner or at an everyday lunch. So specific manners at the table should be among the etiquette basics you are aware of.

Different cultures have different norms of dining behavior. For example, in Brazil, it’s inappropriate to eat with your hands, even if it’s something like a sandwich or pizza.

In China, it’s considered impolite to eat all of your meal or leave chopsticks upright in the rice. To learn what customs are applicable to your destination, follow the tips above – 1) do your research in advance, and 2) watch how people around you behave.

6. Learn the Norms of Business Communication

Since you’re going to work in a foreign environment, local norms of business communication should also be among the things you want to get accustomed to. And there might be quite many distinctive features in how people do business across the world.

For example, during business meetings in Japan, younger participants let senior people lead the conversation. In India, it’s generally common to avoid the word “no” in business communication as it’s considered rude.

These small details of business etiquette can help you fit into the workplace faster and ensure that your behavior is not offensive or disrespectful to anyone.

The Bottom Line

Cultural etiquette is an important part of traveling and especially studying/working abroad.

With its help, you can avoid many awkward situations, network more effectively, and demonstrate respect to the locals. Yet, while it’s undoubtedly important, it’s never an easy task to get acquainted with a new culture’s behavior norms.

Something that might be completely normal and habitual in your home country, may turn out to be a sign of disrespect or even aggression in another. So be sure to follow the tips we shared with you and stay observant to adapt to cultural etiquette in your destination and fit in!

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