Global opportunities: Careers in other countries

“Global opportunities: Careers in other countries”

International aid worker: Opportunities are available with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as major international organizations such as the United Nations, Amnesty International, the Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders. Some jobs may involve hands-on aid work, such as disaster response or assisting refugees. But organizations also need people with experience in accounting, communications, IT, human resources, and management, according to the London School of Economics.

Foreign service worker:Though a job with the foreign service may seem glamorous, it comes with many challenges. Foreign service officers must be ready to move anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice and may be stationed in dangerous or remote areas. While some postings allow you to bring your family with you, that’s not possible in all cases. The application process is competitive and involves multiple written and oral assessments, with an overall acceptance rate of just 3%.

Global company worker:Getting a job with a big company with overseas offices could eventually lead to a position abroad, if you play your cards right. Forty-seven percent of companies surveyed by Brookfield Global Relocation Services increased the number of employees that they had serving overseas in 2013, with the top destinations including China, the U.K., Singapore, and Germany.

Teach English:For those who are interested in working in another country but may lack the experience or skills needed for other positions, teaching English abroad is a common choice. Of 884 expat Americans surveyed by Migration Policy Institute in 2011, 20% worked in education. Plus, spending a year or two teaching abroad can be a way to get valuable experience and make you more competitive for other international positions.Some foreign governments sponsor programs that bring native English speakers to their countries to teach, including Japan and Korea. The Council on International Educational Exchange offers teaching opportunities in China, Mexico, Spain, Vietnam, and other countries.

Work exchange program:BUNAC, one of the oldest and best-known of these programs, helps people between the ages of 18 and 35 get work visas and find temporary paying jobs in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, often in restaurants, bars, offices, or in the agricultural industry. InterExchange connects people with au pair jobs and other work abroad opportunities in Australia, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and other countries. The Centre d’Echanges Internationaux has a job placement program for people under 30 looking for work in France.

Reflection: I would not like to have a career abroad because I don’t want to live far away from my family. I also have never been out of state, so I am not comfortable with traveling to far places. There is plenty of job opportunities in the US that i would like to follow and take advantage of. ALso, working in a foreign country make require you to learn a new language.