Working abroad: how to find jobs overseas

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Working abroad how to find jobs overseas

• Westhill Consulting Employment

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1. What are the benefits of working abroad?

• There are so many its hard to only pick a few! If
  you study or specialize in a foreign language, an
  obvious benefit of working abroad is immersion
  into your target language. Youll also be fully
  experiencing a new culture, which typically
  proves both challenging and rewarding.
  Professionally speaking, employers find
  candidates with extended experience abroad
  attractive, as it showcases an individuals
  understanding of the global economy. Working in a
  multi-cultural office often means developing
  advanced intercultural and interpersonal skills.
  You could test out the experience of working
  abroad by taking a working holiday see our
  article 10 Paycations how to make money on
  holiday - but youll never know the benefits
  unless you take the leap of faith and try to work
  abroad go for it!

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2. What types of jobs are on offer for those
looking to work overseas?

• The most common job pursued abroad is teaching
  English. Those who speak English as a native
  language find that their skills and expertise are
  in high demand in a range of (often well paying)
  locations. These jobs are typically short-term
  (one year or less) and can be taken in both major
  cities and rural areas. Other popular options
  include business consultancy, food service,
  tourism companies and property. Many people
  choose to work for a company from their home
  country that allows for short term trips abroad
  to complete work.

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Where is it easiest to find jobs abroad?

• For an English-speaking native, without a doubt,
  the easiest job to find abroad is a teaching gig.
  If you travel to countries where your physical
  appearances stray from the norm of the locals,
  you also may walk down the street and find
  yourself approached by multiple people offering
  you modelling jobs. These are quite easy to come
  by, especially if you do it once (the
  opportunities just keep on coming!).

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Do you need any special qualifications to work
overseas?

• The biggest challenge that individuals face when
  finding work abroad is working for a company that
  will sponsor a proper work visa for their
  employment. Many companies try to sneak around
  this in order to avoid the high fees the
  government will tax for employing foreigners.
  They may ask you to use a third party agency to
  sponsor a visa or ask you to work on
  tourist/other type of visa. Some may tell you it
  is quite commonplace and normal to earn money
  without a working visa but it is also best
  practice to do it the proper (and legal) way!

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How difficult is it to get visa/work permits?

• This varies from country to country and
  unfortunately often depends on your nationality.
  Certain countries will have an easier time
  getting a specific type of visa to a country than
  others will. If you are considering moving
  overseas to work for a company, make sure they
  are legitimate contact past employees or read
  reviews of others experiences working there if
  possible. The company should have no problem
  organizing the documents for you to apply for a
  proper work visa before you arrive.

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I dont know any foreign languages but would love
to work in a non-English speaking country what
are my options?

• Of course, learning a foreign language has its
  benefits, but you can get by without. As
  previously mentioned, teaching English to others
  (especially children) or relying on that pretty
  face of yours may get you some good gigs to
  enable you to sustain a life abroad. You could
  also work with tour operators and lead groups
  around the country just make sure your company
  has hired a local who speaks both English and the
  native language! Many companies will find that
  their clients feel at ease when they are being
  lead by someone who speaks a familiar language.
  There are also many larger companies that operate
  in an English-speaking business environment.
  Typically, these companies are owned by expats
  themselves. Warning, watch out for scams. Check
  job boards and the like on popular classified
  websites in your home country to seek these types
  of opportunities. If youre thinking of learning
  the local lingo, see our useful article 7
  secrets of learning language fast.

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How much money can I earn working overseas?

• The amount of money you earn will really vary
  dependent on where you choose to live and your
  line of work. Speaking specifically to teaching
  English, east Asia is famous for offering high
  salaries and great benefit packages to teachers
  willing to commit to one- year posts. South
  America, conversely, operates on more of a
  teachers-break-even payment scale. The Middle
  East also pays teachers an above-average wage.
  Your company may pay you in local currency or in
  the currency that it does business in (such as
  the British pound or USD). A perk of living in a
  less-developed country is that it often means
  your dollar can go a lot further. The lower cost
  of living coupled with your salary (even if it is
  not particularly fancy by the standards in your
  home country) mean for extra money in the bank!
  More established companies will offer a fancy
  salary package to current employees willing to
  relocate overseas. Be warned of getting too
  wrapped up in expat circles and not interacting
  regularly with the locals!

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How long do I have to commit for?

• You should commit to living and working abroad
  for at least a year, as that is the minimal
  amount of time to even just begin getting to know
  and understand a place. If you want to make the
  most of your experience and potential, consider
  sticking around as long as possible.

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Ive never been abroad how will I cope with a
different culture?

• I wont lie, it can be tough to adjust to a new
  way of living, especially when that experience is
  magnified by trying to function in a new culture.
  For newbies, consider living in a more
  internationalized and larger city in a foreign
  country youll be surprised by how many
  familiar brands and establishments youll see
  popping up on the streets. Most larger cities
  have a great expat crowd you can fall back on
  should you feel particularly homesick. Most
  importantly, dont give up and dont rush the
  process. It should take you a few months to feel
  confident and comfortable in your new locale (and
  youll still have occasional moments of culture
  shock). Dont feel discouraged. Having new
  friends will certainly ease the pain and help you
  grow more attached to a place. Be social and up
  for anything!

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Where (and what jobs) are the most popular places
for getting jobs overseas?

• Expats looking for work in the IT, manufacturing,
  finance or international marketing fields will
  find Shanghai appealing as well as the nearby
  cities of Singapore and Hong Kong (great first
  tastes of Asia as they are financial giants and
  largely do business in English). Those interested
  in engineering, aeronautics, automobiles etc will
  be most drawn to countries such as France,
  Germany, and England. The UAE and Guangzhou or
  Shenzhen, China are popular with expats
  interested in manufacturing and trade. Australia
  will forever remain an attractive destination for
  working abroad, from backpackers to expats alike.
  It offers just about anything to internationals!
  For teaching jobs, popular locations include
  Japan, South Korea, China, Argentina, Jakarta
  Indonesia and Peru!