Work abroad includes short-term paid positions and entry level positions. Short-term paid positions are usually temporary or summer positions; entry level positions are most often for graduating seniors or recent graduates, and are usually paid, have specific duties, required skills, and a longer time commitment.
A Job Search Like Any Other...Only Different
Finding an overseas job can be an easy or difficult prospect, depending on where you want to go and what you want to do. The keys are flexibility, preparedness, and a willingness to seek out people, resources, and opportunities that will eventually lead to a job. Most of the techniques and strategies that you would use in a job search at home are equally useful in the overseas job quest. Your search will likely involve research on the industry and employers in which you are interested, networking with people in the field who may be able to help you (both here and abroad), and the actual applications and
resumes you will be sending out. Within those strategies, though, you must be mindful of differences in language, culture, government and legal requirements for work permits and visas, and professional practice.
A word about work permits and visas
To work in a country in which you do not have citizenship or residency status, you must obtain permission from the government of that county to take employment there; more correctly in many cases, your employer must obtain permission from that government to hire a foreign worker. This takes the form of a special visa, commonly called a work permit, which allows you to enter the country for the purpose of taking a specific job. In most cases this must be applied for and approved before you enter the country and is a process which must be initiated by your proposed employer; it is usually not a process which you can initiate directly by yourself through a consulate or embassy.
Regulations governing work permits and the exact process which you must undertake to obtain it will vary from country to country. Information on visa regulations may be obtained from that country's consulates or embassy in the U.S. In addition, certain organizations can help you obtain visas or temporary work permits for specific countries and/or types of work. A partial list includes the following:
BUNAC provides assistance with work visas for Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
CDS provides work authorization for Germany for students or recent graduates, and for Switzerland for recent graduates. Participants must find their own host companies and negotiate the terms of employment.
The American-Scandinavian Foundation helps arrange work permits for internships that you have secured in Scandinavia. You must be a US citizen or permanent resident over the age of 21. They also have resources for finding work in Scandinavia.
AIPT can provide you with the necessary work documentation for internships that you arrange in more than 70 countries. This service is open to both U.S. citizens and international students/permanent residents currently studying in the United States.
The French American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) helps Americans obtain visas and work authorization to live and work in France once they have received an offer for a paid full-time training position.
Work in Ireland provides work authorization for four months in Ireland for students or recent graduates.
Resumes and Cover Letters
Whenever possible, resumes and cover letters should be in the commonly spoken language of the country or region to which they are directed, unless you are certain you are communicating with a fluent English speaker. In your letter or other contacts (fax, phone, or e-mail) be brief and to the point, clearly stating exactly why it is you are contacting this person and what you hope to receive from them. Are you asking for:
Do not neglect to send a thank-you note to each and every person who responds to you; if you don't thank them for their help now, they may not want to help you (or another Harvard student) in the future.
Generally speaking, the more specific you are about the type of job you want and the location you want to be in, the easier it will be to structure your search. It is important to be adequately prepared for the type of international work you want to pursue, to be focused in your search for the right opportunity, but also to allow as much flexibility as possible in the options you are willing to consider.
The keys to success in this undertaking are motivation and persistence. It may take some time and a good deal of work, but it can be done if you follow your strategy and keep at it with diligence. Whether your interests are in finance, law, or medicine, whether you want to work in publishing, in a pub, or in public service, the opportunities to pursue your ambitions in an international setting are out there.
Work Abroad Resources