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Tips: Working Abroad Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, your refrigerator
A few, like Australia and New Zealand, welcome workers for short term assignments like carpentry, agriculture, and bartending. Many young Britons go to Sydney for short term work, during their gap year. That said you usually not be able to find non-skilled work in another country, particularly in the third world. Often countries have high unemployment rates and tons of unskilled labor. Common Jobs Abroad: English Language Jobs People in every corner of the globe want to learn English from a native speaker. Other travelers have made a career using English as a journalist (both as a freelancer for US papers and a staff journalist for an English language paper overseas) or as an advertising or website copy editor. Unfortunately many travelers have exploited these skills in ways that make it harder than it is used to be for Americans who seek work abroad. Far too many travelers sign up for a teaching or journalism job in another country and decide to hit the road before the conclusion of their term (most schools require you to sign up for a semester or academic year). As a result more and more schools require you to demonstrate that you have some specialized training in these topics (and thus are serious about the career) before they?ll hire you. In addition, occasionally Americans assume that they can teach (or write) English well; but, can?t. If you intend to use your English skills take some classes in teaching, journalism beforehand. Or volunteer to help tutor immigrants in your community. Better yet, invest $2000-$3000 for a teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate through a college extension program (in which case the classes will be part time and take an academic year to complete) or a private teaching school (most of these classes take place over a very full one month term). Look for classes leading up to a recognized certificate (like an RSA, TESOL, or C-TESL). In the US, private schools like St. Giles and several universities teach these classes in many large cities. You can also take these classes (sometimes for less money) abroad. As an English teacher you will not make a lot of money in most countries. The typical wages provide, as Conrad Haynes a TEFL instructor at Saint Gilles school in San Francisco notes, ?enough to get by in most of the world. You?ll live an equivalent lifestyle to an entry level teacher in the USA.? (some typical wages: Mexico $500-800 a month; China $800-1000 a month (often with accommodations); Japan $3000-4000 a month; South Korea $1500-2000). While this is not the roads to riches, it is one of the best ways to get an intimate insider?s view of life in another country. You?ll experiences the joys of life in another country (including being invited into your student?s homes) and the tribulations (some directors are corrupt and the bureaucracy can be stifling). One of the benefits of getting a certificate is that the school will help you find a job in another country. If you want more earning opportunities you can supplement your job with private tutoring assignments (often students will suggest clients or you can place ads on bulletin boards). One of the best ways to distinguish yourself is to study pronunciation. English learners are frustrated by pronunciation and most teachers don?t really know how to teach pronunciation well. It may be worthwhile to take a class in English pronunciation designed for foreign learners and copy some of the techniques shown. I have also heard people recommend taking classes for radio or TV broadcasting since both skills require careful enunciation. How difficult is it to find a job? In many countries, you can just show up and find a job with a few weeks of asking around. A good place to start is a youth hostel. In some places, like Tokyo, there are enough teachers so that they have dormitories primarily set aside for prospective teacher. You should make sure you bring your diploma, resume, and teaching certificate from home. Keep in mind the academic calendar in the country where you?ll teach. You?ll find a job much easier if you start looking just before the start of the semester or academic year. Some countries like China (which otherwise is one of the easiest places to find a job) may require you to have a job lined up before you get a visa to travel there. Even if you don?t need a job for visa reasons, you may want to try to line something up before you leave (this is supposedly really difficult in some countries like Mexico where they value face-to-face contact). Otherwise you should be prepared to bring enough money to sustain you during the job search (experts recommend planning for a two month search). In addition, some programs like JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching Program), Western Washington University China Teaching Program, World Teach (see sample Big Blue Marble newsletter article: Living on the Other Side of the Moon) and the Colorado China Council will provide service to help you find a job, enjoy your stay, and become a better teacher. Some of these programs are free, others require a fee. Check out Transitions Abroad magazine and website for a thorough list of these programs. Once you have started working, you may have issues getting a work visa. Teachers often avoid these issues by leaving the country before their tourist stamps expire (many countries give you up to three month stay as a tourist without a visa) and returning to the country on another tourist stamp. Some countries will let you do this almost indefinitely. Others are stricter. To find out the specifics of finding and keeping a job in a country, talk to English teachers. One of the best ways to do research is to check out the various teachers? websites for expatriates in the country. I maintain a thorough list of these links. That said if you have experience in teaching or journalism, you can find some good jobs overseas. A surprising number of famous reporters (including Walter Cronkite) became well known by working as a freelance journalist while abroad. While it is difficult to get a job as a foreign correspondent, most large media firms (particularly now that American news is more insular and consolidated) rely on freelancers to report the news from other countries. If you happen upon a good story and maintain a reputation for accuracy, you may find yourself as many reporters who were in the Soviet Union during glasnost (1988-91) on a career path that saves you several years as a cub reporter (note: most journalism majors get their first job in the US reporting local news, particularly city council meetings, for sometimes near poverty wages). Some reporters have also found that they can parlay expertise in a particular business related topic into a good career. I once met a fellow who made good money reporting on developments in the copper industry in Chile for a small, specialty newsletter for copper executives in the US. Experienced teachers can find good jobs in the International School System, a network of schools set up for expatriates throughout the planet. They can also find good jobs working at Universities in the Arabian Peninsula. These jobs usually pay an equivalent wage to that offered in an American public school. Some teachers love these jobs because they can live well on these wages in a less expensive country. Some Unusual Ways to Earn Money on the Road
Travel Writing And the ideal travel writer is consumed not just with a will to know. He is also moved by a powerful will to teach. Inside every good travel writer there is a pedagogue ? often a highly moral pedagogue ? struggling to get out. In a recent survey, Americans reported that their second most common dream job (after being a celebrity) would be as a travel writer. Travel writing has a lot of benefits: a chance to see the planet, opportunities to stay in some of the finest hotels and eat at gourmet restaurants for free (though increasingly media outlets will not accept stories if you have accepted any type of freebies), plus a lot of personal freedom. However, it also has many downsides. Most travel writers do not make much money. It takes time and perseverance to get a story published (most budding writers could paper their walls with rejection slips). Moreover, you have to maintain a thick skin. Editors sometimes destroy your work and no one likes to be rejected over and over again. That said many Americans make a living as a travel writer. Here are some of the ways they succeed: Specialize in a topic or a destination. Pursue a passion or specialized skill while on the road and tell your readers about your adventures. If you love golf or gourmet food then perhaps you can develop these passions into a slant for your stories (i.e. maybe an article about great golf courses near gourmet restaurants). If you become an expert in a specific topic after awhile editors will start to look for you to cover these niches for their magazine. Find a unique angle for a story. No one will accept a story on your trip to Paris since there are more articles written about the City of Lights than any place on the globe (For a couple years, I collected magazine articles on different parts of the world. I ended up with almost 500 articles on Paris; more than my entire collection of clippings for Latin American and Asia combined.) However, maybe you can find something unusual about Paris (like a list of unusual accommodation options that cost $50 a day or less) that will capture an editor and a reader?s attention. If you can take good photos, you?ll double (maybe triple) your earning capacity. Photos will help you sell your articles, particularly to newspapers and they?ll help you get some more income as well. Nowadays, it is possible if you know how to compose a good photo to do so with simple photographic equipment (one of David Luna?s best photos of the Washington monument was taken with a disposable camera). Probably the single easiest tip for being a good photographer is to take advantage of natural light. In most of the planet the best times to take a photo are in the morning or early evening. Work on honing your writing skills. Nowadays the majority of newspaper and magazine editors want stories that ?show, don?t tell?. They want to tell a story rather than simply report facts. The best way to develop a good story is to concentrate on using exciting, active verbs. Most beginning writers use too many useless (like beautiful and wonderful ? what does that mean?) and clich?d adjectives and expressions (most travel editors bemoan the use of phrases like the ?trade winds caressed the shore?). Take classes and read books about marketing your articles. Check listings for courses at local travel bookstores, community colleges, on-line, and adult education centers. If possible attend the four day travel writing conference at the Book Passage (www.bookpassage.com) in August in Corte Madera, California (about twenty miles north of San Francisco). Nowadays more and more American travel writers are basing themselves in other countries. With the advent of instantaneous communication they can live in a cheaper corner of the planet while they set up their career. Sometimes, this also enables them to make a living as the resident travel expert on such-and-such a location. This can be a real plus if you find yourself in a place that becomes trendy (like Argentina today, which is being discovered as a sophisticated bargain destination). It also can help if you want to write a guidebook since increasingly the large travel publishers are searching for regional experts rather than generalists to research their guides. Importing/Exporting In the old days, people used to risk their lives in India or in the new Americas in order to The key to success in importing and exporting is to find the right product. To be successful, you need to find products that are hard to find, expensive, and in demand in the US and/or your destination. One of the best ways to find a good product are to start looking for things that are unusual in your destination and to bring them home to friends and relatives and visit local stores to gauge their reaction. After you get back to your overseas home, you may also want to go through the same process with goods you bought in the US. The process of shipping and buying large quantities of goods can be complicated. Do a lot of research before you take the plunge. Travelers often discover that importing/exporting makes a good source of additional income on a small scale, but it isn?t worth the hassle on a scale large enough to earn a living exclusively as an importer/exporter. If you are traveling overseas and anybody tries to sell you something with a promise that you can make good money exporting to the US, run the other way. This is one of oldest scams in the book. Check the price of similar goods in the US before you buy a lot of stuff to export to the US. Nowadays many exporters can buy large quantities of goods (particularly from Asia), export the goods, and still make the goods available for not much more than they?d cost you to buy at your destination. Being a successful importer/exporter also requires a lot of understanding of tariff regulations, shipping costs, and other regulatory issues. You can get some idea of the issues involved by taking classes from the Federal government on these topics. You can also find some good links and books on this website. Hospitality Industry Jobs Many travel addicts naturally assume that jobs in the travel industry are the perfect ticket to traveling the globe. Sometimes they are right; sometimes not. The travel industry is notoriously fickle. They frequently reduce staffs to cut costs. In today?s environment, they?ve become so cut-throat that the pay and benefits are not very good. You can still get free and low cost accommodations if you work in the industry, but these benefits are eroding over time. Yet, as with anything if you commit yourself to the industry, work hard, and are creative, you may come out ahead (a good ability to handle details helps too). Many of the sources of employment in the industry nowadays for Americans require a specialized skill. It is almost impossible, for example, for Americans to make a living off menial jobs (waiters and maids) on a cruise ship (these jobs are almost entirely taken by Eastern European and third world country citizens). However, you can earn a reasonable salary as a performer or a cruise director on a ship. You can also arrange free, or substantially reduced, passage in exchange for port lecture. (Note: most entertainment, including port lecture, jobs are arranged through agents.) You can also from time to time find good work with some of the subcontractors of a cruise ship in spas, fitness centers, etc. (Note: most cruise ships rent space to a variety of companies who provide services to the cruise lines). I would encourage you to take classes, particularly through community college (the private schools are sometimes biased), on the travel industry. You?ll learn a lot about the industry and how it works. Even if you don?t decide to work in the industry, you?ll become a better consumer. The hospitality industry does provide a good way to make some extra money while on the road. You can work as a bartender, a ski instructor, or other such hospitality industry job for a short term in many parts of the developed world (US, Canada, Europe, Australia/New Zealand) as a source for extra money. A lot of these jobs don?t require a lot of skill (note: many overseas teaching and journalism jobs require a BA, hospitality jobs don?t), are easy to get, and while they don?t pay well, are a great way to meet people and help you get money to extend your trip round the world.
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