Maybe you’ve heard stories from friends or family members about job opportunities overseas, or even felt the lure of a certain culture you’ve dreamed of experiencing. Either way, being able to work overseas can sound like a dream come true, and comes with plenty of benefits.
- Having overseas experience can add value to your personal development and career progression. By venturing out of your comfort zone, you'll be able to gain a global perspective on the world around you.
- It's an open door for you to experience a new country with a clean slate. You'll be able to experience new cultures and meet people from diverse backgrounds, and ultimately build up a global professional network (and even future travel buddies) that could help you in future
- Employers generally favour candidates who are adaptable, independent and comfortable dealing with people from different background, traits you'll develop as you work abroad.
But before you start packing your bags, there's some prep work you'll need to do ahead of time.
Doing your research
Understand your skills
First, it’s important to remember that as an almost-graduate, your current major may or may not determine your career progression in the future, which can also influence your odds of being able to travel for work. Moreover, even if you’ve built a strong portfolio of work for yourself, the best way to prepare yourself for working abroad is to get some hands-on experience.
Recognise opportunities around you
An option to consider is to start with the openings around you. Most universities allow their graduates to utilise part of their credits for an overseas internship placement. Such placements might occur either mid-year or at the end of the year depending on the curriculum, and if you succeed in getting one that’s relevant to your desired industry, you’re already one foot in the door.
Although final semester internships may be quite short, the experience will allow you to truly digest whether working overseas fits you, acting as a trial run before you take the leap and commit to migrating for work. Following this, it’s highly likely that your school will walk you through the step-by-step process in preparation for your internship.
Branch out and look for alternatives
On the other hand, if the circumstances aren’t in your favour, you can still research online for companies that you could do remote work for, though the downside is that you’ll have to work with the time difference depending on which country you’ve applied to.
The next steps
If you're set on going overseas, there are some practical aspects that you'll need to look into before start applying for jobs. Among these, researching visas and work permits should be at the top of your priority list. Consider the exchange rates and cost of living, and compare the expenses against your offered salary. These factors might be additional costs you need to fork out.
Once you’ve done exhaustive research on costs, visas and work permits, scoured the net for potential job opportunities, and perhaps even received offers, lodging is a main factor that you have to consider, and should be your next step. Weighing out your financial and practical options will help you make better decisions when it comes to considering overseas employment.
Prioritising the planning process – preferably during your final year in university – is critical. Not only should you ensure that you can support yourself financially before receiving your first paycheck, but you’ll need to have a strong understanding of how overseas employment works in the respective countries.
Consider your options
Starting with an overseas internship placement as a final-year student can increase your chances of being converted to a full-time position with the internship company. It also eases you into unfamiliar territory, allowing you to transition better during the overseas stint. However, it also limits your ability to take risks, and you’ll tend to gravitate towards your comfort zone more often.
Although choosing to ride solo leaves you susceptible to the risk of forking out more than you can afford, it allows you to learn adaptability and independence much quicker. You will have to oversee multiple things on your own with little to no guidance, and learn to problem-solve much quicker without any help to fall back on. These skills will translate well into the job market.
Ideally, your next step after considering the overall cost of the above factors, is to research the companies that might be open to sponsoring your work overseas.
Securing lodging
Finding a suitable and safe location for renting is paramount, especially if you’re looking to feel at home. While some employers do provide accommodation options that fall within their hiring budget, other employers may require you to search for your own place.
One of the more affordable and common options is renting a room with housemates. Keep a lookout for Facebook groups and leasing websites for anyone who is looking to rent out their spare room. If you require a more private option, opt for a full studio apartment with around-the-clock security for yourself.
Chasing your career dreams and goals isn’t impossible, but they should be done systematically to help make your overseas work experience a seamless one.
