Hi, I’m Sofia, a 25-year-old male from Bangalore. I have wanted to transition from a very young age. I was able to start HRT in 2023 but had to stop after just three months due to financial issues. At that time, I wasn’t working and was still studying engineering. Later, I had to come to Saudi Arabia for work, where I have lived with my family for most of my life.

I have been trying to move abroad (preferably to Europe or an English-speaking country) since my teenage years, but I wasn’t able to. My parents kept giving me hope and then shattering it when the time came. My family is very controlling and unsupportive. I haven’t told them that I want to transition, as I am afraid for my safety.

Recently, I lost my job and am currently serving my notice period until the first week of February. I was terminated because the new management wanted to bring in their own people and cited manpower reduction. My role involved making schedules for projects and reporting. I have hated the engineering field from the beginning, but my family pushed me into it anyway.

I feel this might finally be a chance to escape. My resident ID in Saudi Arabia expires in July or I will have to go back to Bangalore. So I either need to find a job abroad or risk being stuck here for another year or more. My family will likely try their best to get me settled here again, but I don’t want that. The only 2 reasons why I don't want to work in India are that the pay is very less and my entire joint family is there so I will have to live with them and they are toxic in their own way too.

I have some savings but not enough to move to Europe and start a new life. I have been searching for teaching jobs in Thailand, but I keep getting rejected. I have no experience in teaching and no real interest in it; the only reason I’m considering it is because it gives some financial stability, time to think, and a way to start planning my transition.

I have also thought about taking IT courses to aim for remote jobs, but right now I am focusing on getting a teaching job. I am trying a lot, but I can’t seem to find a suitable job abroad that will allow me to begin my transition.

I should also mention that I have struggled with depression for over 10 years, mostly since high school, which has made it hard to have interests outside of transitioning.

Kindly let me know what I should do in order to move abroad and solve this situation. Any recommendations, advice, and help are much appreciated.