Westhill
Consulting Career & Employment out of Australia has many more tips and
warnings about working in Southeast Asia.
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. You’ll 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 individual’s 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 you’ll never know the benefits unless you take the
leap of faith and try to work abroad - go for it!
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.
3. 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!).
4. 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!
5. 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.
6. I don’t 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 you're thinking of learning the local lingo, see our
useful article: 7 secrets of learning language fast.
7. 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!
8. 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.
9. I’ve
never been abroad – how will I cope with a different culture?
I won’t 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 - you’ll be surprised by how many familiar
brands and establishments you’ll 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, don’t give up and don’t rush the
process. It should take you a few months to feel confident and comfortable in
your new locale (and you’ll still have occasional moments of culture shock).
Don’t 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!
10. 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!
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