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Working Abroad - Find a Job

March 20th, 2007 by Andrew

This is Part 3 in a series on “Working Abroad.” In this series, we’ll examine the possibility of jobs abroad and highlight some practical steps to aid an overseas career. Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2.

At this point you’ve seen why a job overseas might be good for you, and we’ve looked at a couple cool jobs that you might consider.

Now it’s time to get to the meat of working abroad. How do you find a job?

Work remotely for a domestic company

We already covered part of this idea in the series, but it merits repeating. If you already work remotely, you might be able to simply move to another country for a little while. Definitely talk with your employer about this, but they might not mind, depending upon your work needs.

If you don’t currently have a telecommuting job, perhaps you could find one. There are numerous companies these days who are seeking qualified and talented candidates, regardless of their location. If you land a job with flexible location requirements, this might be your ticket to living abroad.

Foreign offices of domestic companies

Another easy route to take would be finding large domestic companies who have foreign offices. Many times these companies will consider relocating job candidates, if they fit the company’s needs abroad.

For this type of job, your best bets are to work on your professional networking, let people know what you are seeking, and search out potential opportunities on job boards. It may take a little while to find a job of this nature, but the rewards are worth it.

Find a teaching job

If you are a teacher looking for work abroad, you’re in luck. There is a huge array of teaching opportunities in other countries.

One notable opportunity for teachers is to teach your native language to people in another country. Obviously you’ll need to speak the destination country’s language as well. There is a great Canadian website that specializes in helping Canadians find this type of work (although it would probably help any English speaker). There is also another comprehensive site for English speakers in general.

Contract work overseas

If you have experience in construction, engineering, or other similar fields, companies may need your help abroad. In fact, there are job boards specifically for overseas contractors.

One comprehensive site to check out is Road Techs, which has an extensive overseas job board. Based on a quick look, this site is updated very often, and there a lots of jobs to peruse.

Do some searching

This post is not meant to list every type of job you could find in another country. It is meant to show you that for most any skill set, you can find overseas opportunities. Do a little searching online, and you’ll be amazed and what you find.

Be sure to check back for Part 4, where we’ll cover tips on getting visas and other paperwork for working abroad. To easily read future job and career tips, subscribe to Job Tuition by email or RSS.