Work Abroad and International Career Advisor

The Ultimate Journey

Working Your Way to a World Career

By Dr. Bob Sanborn

Working short-term jobs, traveling, and learning first-hand about international locales may be the best introduction to an international career. You can combine all of these into one jam-packed experience by taking the ultimate journey: work your way around the world.

Short-term work abroad can give you a feeling for which international careers best suit your skills and experiences and which countries or regions of the world represent the best possibilities for international employment. If you were to embark upon your own international tour of work and careers where would you go, where would you start, and what would you work at?

Preparation . Being ready for the obstacles that you will encounter on the road is the first key to success in your quest to work your way around the world. Planning ahead and arranging work in advance will save lots of legwork and high anxiety. Use the organizations that help with short-term work to set up a few sure things along your route. The most complete lists of organizations and resources are found in Bill Nolting's "Short-Term Jobs Abroad" and Susan Griffith's "Short-Term Work Abroad: The Key Resources and Organizations". Both are available as back issues from Transitions Abroad.

How long do you want to spend on your trip and what should you bring? Most working travelers spend about a year on a working trip around the world. Plan for your jobs to be a month to two months in length. Be prepared for those countries in which you cannot find work either in advance or in country. If you're fortunate, these will be countries where the dollar is strong; however, a good reserve of money before you go is reassuring. Bring clothes that are comfortable and long lasting, but also bring some clothes that can make you presentable in a job interview.

Be prepared for loneliness. As you move from country to country you won't always have a friend handy to discuss your problems with. Phone calls can be expensive. Expect culture shock and prepare yourself to deal with it.

Finally, read as much as possible before you go. Five key books can make your travels and job search around the world substantially easier: my own How to Get a Job in Europe and How to Get a Job in the Pacific Rim, Susan Griffith's Teaching English Abroad and Work Your Way Around the World (Vacation Work Books), and the CIEE's Work, Study, Travel, Abroad: The Whole World Handbook. Because the search for work will be different in every country, the more you read the easier your search will be. The best bibliography of resources on work abroad is updated every year by Bill Nolting in the July/August issue.

One word of advice before you start: Don't be picky about the kind of work. While all your experiences should help you with future career prospects, many jobs will simply be ways to make ends meet on the road.

Western Europe is the logical place for most working travelers to start their around-the-world journey such. Airfares to Europe tend to be cheap and culture shock is less likely to be a problem in this part of the world. The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) will arrange work permits for students in the U.K., Ireland, France, and Germany. London has long been a crossroad for working travelers, a wonderful place to look for other job possibilities around the world. Question the Australian travelers coming through about their job experiences. Paris and Munich also offer work opportunities in everything from professional work to bartending.

Eastern Europe and Russia. The opportunities in Eastern Europe are probably not as numerous or available as many would have you believe. Opportunities for teaching English do exist in Poland and in limited numbers in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Hungary. Wages, however, are very low. Keep your work time here to a minimum. Russia offers even fewer opportunities and prices can be high. However, the train to China is always available.

Africa and the Middle East . Travel through Africa is challenging and work opportunities practically nonexistent. Some short-term work may be developing in South Africa. In North Africa and the Middle East travel is a bit easier; however, no real jobs are available.

Asia offers some of the best opportunities for work on your trip around the world. In industrialized countries a multitude of job possibilities always exist. In Asia, however, the one clear choice for Americans and others who speak English has been to teach English. Local English language newspapers and student hangouts have ample job listings. If these don't work out for you, try approaching some of the language schools directly. Teaching jobs are plentiful in Taiwan, China, Japan, and Korea. Professional or business related jobs are also available in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Australia and New Zealand. Work permits for New Zealand are available to students through CIEE. This permit will enable you to work in ski resorts, hotels, and other temporary jobs. Australia is a difficult place for Americans to find work unless you are willing to go outside of the system and earn a lower wage. It is done, however.

The Americas. Latin America, like Asia, is another great place for those interested in teaching English, the major differences being that the pay is much less and the jobs less easy to find. Brazil and Chile are good places to search for teaching jobs. Costa Rica and Jamaica are included in the same CIEE program that arranges for work permits for student working travelers in Europe. Work is available in the hospitality area as well as a few business related jobs. The CIEE also arranges work permits for Canada. The U.S. military currently has positions in Haiti and Puerto Rico. The U.S. Virgin Islands require no working papers.