I love traveling and love being overseas experiencing new cultures. There’s always a part of me that dreams of maybe one day taking up an extended residence overseas and working. I’ve got a few friends who’ve done that and it seems pretty sweet. Or perhaps you’re looking for a change of pace, or are seeking better opportunities elsewhere. Whether you’re moving near or far, change is never easy, but can be worth it. Here’s a quick guide to help inspire your dream of working overseas.

Start Looking Now

A journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step. Even though you haven’t set foot in the destination where you want to gain employment, you should start looking at job boards now. It won’t cost you anything to start looking and dreaming. The internet has opened up a global jobs board where people from all over the world can compete for the same jobs regardless of location. This enables employers to have a bigger net of exceptional candidates from which to pluck their dream employees.

Head onto job boards and apply. It doesn’t matter too much whether you have a slightly different resume format from the norm of that country. If the employer is interested in your experience then the chances are they will organize a Skype call. Be sure to treat this like a face to face in person interview, so smile, dress up and maintain good eye contact!

Choose Your Location

Make sure you choose your destination wisely. If you don’t speak Spanish, don’t head to Argentina. If you don’t speak Mandarin, don’t venture to the Sichuan province of China to embark on a business administration career. You need to be bilingual in these countries before you can even consider venturing abroad. Thankfully, you can get by with just English in many places, and there are always language schools to help!

You may consider your jaunt overseas to work a relatively short chapter of your life, or it may be something more permanent. It’s not unheard of for individuals to fall in love with a culture, meet a partner and buy a house. If this happens to you, the chances are that you will require the services of an immigration law firm to help you gain a more permanent residency. Ensure that your representation is high quality to maximize your chances of staying in your country of choice.

What Work?

It may seem difficult to get your foot in the door when you are fresh out of college with little or no experience. Perhaps consider a TEFL qualification that would certify you as an English teacher and give you a great starting point when looking for jobs. The certification takes a hundred or so hours, costs very little, and opens up a whole world of possibilities. You might not want to be teaching nursery kids how to sound out English words in Japan forever, but it’s an effective way to get yourself in the country that you want to be.

If teaching English isn’t your thing, consider looking for remote type work. Perhaps your current employer would be open to letting you work remotely, and as long as you get the work done they won’t care where you are. Get creative and keep hunting around for opportunities, you may never know what you’ll find!

Heading abroad to work can be a powerful way of gaining professional experience and it can help you see the world. Whether this is a short or a long chapter in your life, working overseas can extend that trip into something more!

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