Questions for Americans who have worked in other countries... (rental, opthamologist)

[Josh_1974]

This is my first post here...

I'm 34, single with no children. I was born and raised in the U.S. (southern gulf coast). In all honesty, besides living in northern California for a year recently (circumstances beyond my control forced me back to Mobile, Al.) I hate to admit that I've very rarely ventured far from the town I was born in - something I'm looking to change. The fact is, that I HATE Mobile and i'd do about anything to get the hell out of here....

Hence my questions - for Americans reading here who have worked in other countries:

- how did you learn of and come by the opportunity?

- in your opinion, what mediums are best for seeking out international work opportunities?

- did you find the experience rewarding in the end? elaborate.

- any other thoughts/advices/miscellany appreciated


I am not saying that i'm gonna run off to the north pole next week, but I would like to learn more about opportunities that exist out there. After all I am single and free, and for a long time now I have not liked living in Mobile, Al. on the gulf coast. Wanderlust is hitting me BADLY, and considering I will be 35 late this year, I can't help but wonder if i'm wasting my time, and how i'll regret it (now and later) if I don't at least try to get out there and do something....

Thoughts appreciated

(edit: this comes from a guy who in his late teens used to call real-estate agencies in points of interest to him all over the u.s. and have them send him rental brochures, and who once in college called the Norwegian embassy in the u.s. to ask them about work opportunities for Americans in their country...)

[azoria]

" in your opinion, what mediums are best for seeking out international work opportunities?"


It is all highly dependent on what you do and what your skills are and what you're willing to sacrifice for what kind of return.

Are you a plumber? An opthamologist? A translator? There is available overseas work for all kinds of skills. It depends on what you do, where you're willing to go, and what kind of compensation you require.

You'll need to narrow it down a bit.

If you're a an American copy machine repair specialist who only wants to work in Paris.....well, that's a tough bill to fit.

Unfortunately your post is too broad for anyone to provide you helpful recommendations.

[Cornerguy1]

One broad recommendation for you: if you actually do work and live overseas, remember to file your US income tax return.

The United States is one of the few countries which taxes based on citizenship rather place of residence.

[bale002]

Originally Posted by Josh_1974

Hence my questions - for Americans reading here who have worked in other countries:

- how did you learn of and come by the opportunity?

- in your opinion, what mediums are best for seeking out international work opportunities?

- did you find the experience rewarding in the end? elaborate.

- any other thoughts/advices/miscellany appreciated

The following assumes that you have internationally marketable business and/or technical skills.

Unless you consider UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and similar different countries (from some perspectives, different branches of the same country), the first order of business is to know the language of your target country, at least well enough to converse in a work and bureaucratic setting.

- how did you learn of and come by the opportunity?

First, by reading industry literature in the language of target country(-ies), then direct contact with target companies in their primary language of business.

- in your opinion, what mediums are best for seeking out international work opportunities?

Direct contact with target companies in their primary language of business.

Of course having a direct personal contact within a company is always very helpful.

- did you find the experience rewarding in the end? elaborate.

Yes, in the end, I had experiences in around a dozen countries on three continents, learned five languages, parlayed all those experiences and the skills gained into an internet-based international business.

If you are not skilled at foreign languages and cannot offer in addition specific business and/or technical skills, I suppose you could always try to teach English as a foreign language, but even then in many cases you need training, possibly a certificate, and in any case the pay is usually not rewarding, probably not even enough to live independently.

Perhaps you need to say more about language, business, and technical skills.

[nuala]

Oh the wonderment about other cultures and worlds... so familiar. As a person who did the jump in her early 30s (what's up with that age?), from a non-English speaking culture to the North American one, I'd say there are two ways of doing this. One is through thorough preparation, as the above posters described. The other is more of a blind jump, as I did, though I did grill myself with the language for several years prior. At one point, I was equally interested in three languages/cultures: English, French, and Italian. The English prevailed, and here I am.

You have the advantage of not having to learn a language as there are several English-speaking countries. If you are interested in more exotic cultures, the language will be a must, though at first you will get by with English.

Yes, personal interest is the foremost... What culture you are interested in? - you need to answer that question first (otherwise you'll find yourself stuck just like in Mobile), and then slowly collecting info about that country, about the culture, working or immigration rules.

[Josh_1974]

Thanks guys for your time and replies - it wasn't anything specific I wanted to know, just broad thoughts and tales of experiences within the frame of the questions I asked.

As far as language skills go, I can speak German on a basic level, but i'm by no means fluent. Along with this I can speak/understand bits of Norwegian, Swedish, French, and Chinese. Honestly though I am more interested in opportunities in English-speaking countries. I am particularly interested in opportunities in Ireland....

I was looking at job opportunities aboard cruise-ships last night, and they seem to be possibly a good gig, so if anyone has experience with this, please feel free to relate.

Regarding education, I have enough college credits probably for a double major, but since I didn't follow the degree program properly and went off to the left and right taking whatever course I saw fit to, I don't have a degree. Last time I checked i'd need 8 more courses to get a proper degree and they are mostly all in my major (I didn't stray that far from the degree program). My major was in anthropology with minor in psychology - relatively useless except when trying to understand humans on different levels. Also I'm a pretty experienced computer "tech", I can troubleshoot hardware and software and do basic networking - though I only finished half of a computer certification I was once studying for. I think my case is one of suffering today for lack of self-discipline yesterday - had I focused my efforts more properly I could have achieved much more.

Anyway as before, thoughts are appreciated, even if you just want to tell personal stories

(And please, no-one recommend I join The French Foreign Legion - it's definitely not my thing)

[bluebeard]

I hope you don't mind if I don't go by you list.
Don't hate your hometown. I'm from California and currently in Birmingham, AL, pretty close to you. I don't love it, but it's good for now. You shouldn't hate your hometown, unless you have good reason (people there are cruel to you or something).
The easiest to find jobs abroad are teaching English in Asia. I think you could find a number for China and Korea on idealist.org, although I haven't looked at that site for anything in a while. And this is the caveat for most of my info, it may have changed due to the newish economic situation we find ourselves in. But as of a couple years ago, here goes.
If you're interesting in teaching in Asia:
Japan has all the comforts and reliability of a developed country. You might be able to save a bit of money, but not much. There are the "big 3" teaching companies. A little research should find out what these 3 are. There is also "JET" the gov't sponsored program. This is the best, but you have to apply.
Korea pays you almost as much as Japan, but if you don't have to live with all the comforts and entertainment that are offered to you, you could actually save a bit of money (although this probably has changed to due a falling Korean currency).
China offers a diverse set of teaching experiences, either in Shanghai (decent pay but you will probably spend it) or far out in the countryside (seemingly low pay, but easy to save). If you want to look to teach in a developing country setting, a non-coastal city or town would be your best bet. You could even teach in Xin Jiang, where many places have majority Central Asian populations with cultures more similar to Afghanistan or Kazakhstan rather than what you typically think of Chinese.

Living abroad can be an eye-opening experience. Alternatively, some people are unable to take off their goggles colored with bias, and choose to say what reinforces their prejudices. People can live in a place for years and fo this (I bet you know people that have lived in your area for years and don't really get it either).

So, it really depends what you are looking for.

[Josh_1974]

Bluebeard, thanks for taking the time to speak your mind on things - sometime maybe you could tell me what took you from California to Birmingham, I myself was about 8 miles north of San Francisco in Pinole for several months before basically having to return to the south due to circumstances beyond my control. I will be researching your suggestions - thanks again for the thoughts

[oberon_1]

Another alternative is working in the oilfields of Dubai, Qatar, etc. There you will be able to save much more then with the Japanese option.
Peace corps - very little money, plenty of places.
Also, if you are interested in a specific country, why not visit their embassy and they may be able to provide you with more specific information.

[wanneroo]

Probably the easiest program available to work overseas in whatever you choose is the 18-35 year old working holiday visa for 1 year in New Zealand. You can work any job you want.

There are other work programs easy to get but the age limit on those run out at 30.

The english teaching thing. I looked into that years ago but long ago moved on to other things. Never really seriously considered it for a variety of reasons. I have a number of friends that have done it and for some it was great and others a total disaster. One guy I knew who went to Japan ended up in a big mess when the school got bought out or something and he didn't get any pay for the time he was there. He was out thousands of dollars. So I would make sure you know what you are getting into and also I wouldn't bother unless you have a serious desire to teach english in a foreign country. It's something if you are not 100% passionate about, don't bother.