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This is Part 2 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.
In the first part of this series, we discussed why you might consider an overseas job. Now, we’re going to talk about several interesting avenues you might pursue.
Telecommute around the world
Telecommuting is definitely not new to today’s society. Many employees work remotely with companies all around the world. With technology continually advancing, employees can commute from virtually anywhere.
If you’re lucky enough to be a telecommuter, you already have a global job in your hands. That’s right, you can take your job on the road.
Perhaps you’ve already done some work while on vacation. Why not pick up and work across the globe for six months?
Here are a couple of many things to consider:
- Permission - Be sure to clear the arrangement with your supervisor. You don’t want her to find out when you’re already in another country.
- Connectivity - You’ll need to work and communicate. A good solution might be wireless internet access (hotspots, net cafes, etc) and VoIP (like Skype).
- Backups - These are important at home, but essential on the road. Your equipment is at risk every day, so protect it with backups.
For more thoughts, check out this article at World Hum.
Be a freelance journalist
News happens all around the world. There’s work for journalists in many places. That’s a prime benefit to a journalism career.
Being a freelance journalist is similar to telecommuting in many ways. You’ll be working on the road and communicating remotely. Thus, many of the previous considerations apply.
However, freelance journalists also frequently end up in harm’s way. This especially applies to journalists seeking to cover war, disasters, and other turmoil.
For this reason, it’s important for journalists to have an extra eye on security and safety. This means knowing the region you’re in, planning ahead, and letting friends know these plans.
There are definitely other considerations for freelance journalists, so do your homework. Poynter Online has a great article to get you started.
Be sure to check back for Part 3, where we’ll cover a huge list of job boards with opportunities abroad. To easily read future updates in this series, subscribe to Job Tuition by email or RSS.
This is Part 1 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.
In today’s society, everything is global. We travel internationally. We instantly communicate around the world. Why shouldn’t your career be global as well?
Think globally
The first step in considering a job abroad is to think globally. You need to get out of the mindset that jobs and careers are limited to your own country, wherever that may be.
With today’s proliferation of global corporations, this mental shift might not be too difficult. Simply realize and understand that, regardless of your ultimate career path, you can find an overseas opportunity in your field.
Expand your horizons
The primary reason to seek a job abroad is to expand your overall experience. This type of experience will be on-the-job and cultural, so it will enhance your resume even more.
Your global cultural experience provides a great addition to other work experience, as well as your formal education. Employers definitely like to see candidates with knowledge of other cultures, given today’s global marketplace.
Enjoy yourself
Aside from these career benefits, many jobs abroad allow travel and personal enjoyment of the area in which you are working. If you play your cards right, you might be able to travel a signifiant amount on weekends or during short work vacations.
And this is not even considering the enjoyment you can get from immersing yourself in another culture, trying to learn the language, and understanding another way of life. Plus, the photos you will have contain a million memories!
Learn what to do
Now that you’ve got an overseas job in mind, it’s time to do your homework. Fortunately, you’re already reading a great resource: Job Tuition. This series will explain a few different job options overseas, as well as providing some information on work visas and other formalities.
In the meantime, there’s a great article at The New York Times on this subject. But don’t forget to come back, since we’ll have more details for you in the next installment of “Working Abroad.”
To easily read future updates in this series, subscribe to Job Tuition by email or RSS.
This is Part 3 of our “Evaluate Education” series. We have covered several different types of education and examined the pros and cons of each. Be sure to check out the previous posts about vocational school and undergraduate education.
Graduate school provides an interesting final focus for this series. You already saw how vocational school trains students for a specific occupation. On the contrary, an undergraduate degree is generally for a broad field of study. Graduate school can actually be either of these types. The examples that follow will clarify this point.
A tale of two degrees
A basic graduate school degree is a master’s or doctorate degree. Many people choose to earn these degrees in their undergraduate field of study, such as math or history. Thus, you could attend graduate school, obtain a doctorate, but still have a general degree relating to a broad field of study.
On the flip side, medical school is also a graduate degree. However, once a student obtains a medical degree, she is actually prepared to engage in a specific occupation.
As you see, a graduate degree could appear similar to vocational school OR undergraduate, depending upon what type of degree you seek.
Time and money
Of the three types of education we’re covering in this series, graduate school definitely takes the longest. Generally speaking, students obtain a graduate degree only after getting an undergraduate degree. So if undergraduate takes an average 4 years, a graduate degree takes 4+ years.
The added time for a graduate degree depends upon what type of degree you’re seeking. A basic master’s degree usually takes an extra year. A doctorate might take 2 more years, a law degree takes 3 years, and a medical degree takes around 7 years (to finish residency, etc).
The cost of graduate degrees also varies, depending upon the field of study and school chosen. A law degree from a private school can cost $100,000 USD in tuition alone. However, a master’s degree from a public university might only cost a couple thousand dollars.
Think about your career
The mantra here about Job Tuition is always to think “career.” Thus, you’ll need to decide whether a graduate degree is right for your career.
Here are a few considerations to keep in mind:
- Do you need a graduate degree (ex: lawyer, doctor, etc)?
- Will a graduate degree increase your job or promotion opportunities?
- Would graduate school increase your salary?
- Do you want to commit to the extra school and expense required?
In the end, be sure to decide whether further education is right for you. There is no “right path” that everyone should follow. Gather information and evaluate education.
Thanks for reading our “Evaluate Education” series. For future tips, be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed.
These are by far the easiest of interviews I feel simply because you can relax in your office or home. Others don’t find it as comfortable as a face to face interview as you can’t see the body language of those who are doing the interview.
To make the process less confusing try the following tips:
Research
Use your research to your advantage by making notes and pinning them around the room you will be using for the interview. They can be simple dot points highlighting your skills, key words that you want to use or that will trigger more information for your responses.
Speech
Make sure you speak slowly and concisely. Of course don’t go overboard and say one word a second but speak at a normal rate and try not to rush. Don’t use long or complicated words that may not be easy to understand. Also, definitely do not eat or drink while you are on the phone. You would be surprised by the number of people who do this as they think that the person on the other end won’t know.
Clarification
As per a normal interview, if there is something you are unsure of do not hesitate to ask for them to repeat it or rephrase it. You need to know what they are asking and they need to know that you are hearing the question accurately. Another idea is to paraphrase their question just to ensure that you know what they are asking of you.
Smile
This may sound strange but you can hear a smile over the phone. If you are grumpy or in a bad mood this will be picked up by the interviewers, however, if you are smiling you sound cheerful and positive which makes you look good. Furthermore, a smile makes you feel happier and more confident even if you are feeling nervous.
So in short a phone interview is like a normal interview, but over the phone. It can be made easier by having research notes located everywhere. Most companies will fax through a list of questions prior to the interview so you know what they are asking. This will assist in tailoring your responses to their questions. If they don’t offer, don’t be too shy to ask if they will fax through the questions as there is nothing gained if you don’t ask, they might not have thought to offer that service to interviewees. This will show initiative at the very least.
This is Part 2 of our “Evaluate Education” series. We will cover several different types of education and examine the pros and cons of each. Be sure to check out the first post about vocational school.
After considering vocational school, the next logical option for education is a basic undergraduate degree, typically a bachelor’s degree.
Longer term
The first thing to understand about an undergraduate degree is the length of time required to obtain it. Vocational school can take a couple years, but an undergraduate degree usually takes about four years to complete.
However, don’t let the longer term scare you off from an undergrad education. There are some great benefits.
Flexible costs
Undergrad degrees might take longer than vocational school, but the costs can be flexible. A big reason that college costs are flexible is due to public universities. These schools are subsidized by government money, so they can generally offer lower tuition rates, especially for area residents.
Another factor to help mitigate costs is scholarship and grant money that students can obtain. While this financial assistance might be available to attend vocational schools, it is widely available for undergraduate degrees. Scholarships and grants can often cover a significant portion of college expenses, even taking care of all tuition costs.
Broad degree possibilities
Undergraduate degrees are inherently flexible. Students typically earn a general degree in a broad field of study, such as business, art, history, etc.
This has a couple implications for careers. First, it means that your undergraduate degree will not limit you to a single job. Unlike vocational schools, undergraduate degrees do not target your education for specific job skills.
However, this same feature is the second implication: undergraduate degrees do not typically train for any specific job. A bachelor’s degree in history does not testify to your job abilities in a particular field, other than something like a history teacher. With that said, many employers look favorably on an undergraduate degree in any field, since it illustrates your work ethic in general.
Consider your plans
As always, be sure to consider these thoughts in your career plan as a whole. Undergraduate degrees are not necessary or even beneficial for every career path. In fact, many careers might not require any formal education. Others might require some type of vocational school training. It’s always best to consider your options, but to not feel roped into a particular path.
Be sure to check back for the final post in this “Evaluate Education” series. Better yet, subscribe to keep track of all updates.
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