Ten years ago - December 31st 2007 - was the last day I worked for a British Bank (or any other company) in the UK, I quit to search for a better lifestyle, advance my career and to achieve something that I can say -"I did that"!. Today I am Married with a family, I live in Singapore and own my own businesses. I hope the following helps others who want to work overseas achieve their ambitions.
Many people dream of their ideal job, and for some that may mean working overseas especially when we take vacations to wonderful locations around the world and think how interesting it would be to work in a foreign country where climate, living standards, employment and incomes maybe significantly better than our home country. A persons desire to work overseas may be for many reasons from economic, social, cultural, intellectual or like the author of this article who is from the UK, just to experience a year round sunny and warm climate. For some working overseas and traveling may already be part of their job, such as a Senior figure within a large company or working for Airlines or cruise ships and some lucky people may have had a chance to travel the world during their student years. This article is not only aimed at those with mere wanderlust but for those that would seek to enhance their careers and prospects. For most of us who work in jobs in a fixed location in an office or factory, the idea of going abroad maybe offers a sense of wonder or a chance to earn an improved income to support your family, and proceeding to go ahead and chase that dream may create a sense of excitement and even a bit of trepidation. Going abroad to find new career opportunities can bring some interesting results, because not only the fact that you know international experience and even languages skills can help you in your career, but you might also gain experience and learn skills that can bring personal and financial benefits for you and your company and family as well. With that in mind, it’s a really good idea to seriously think about overseas career opportunities whoever you are and whatever the reasons may be.
Moving abroad does come with some emotional considerations and challenging implications for not only any family responsibilities you may have but also the pure logistics of considering a move which may be more demanding for some than others, the reality is that making such a move can really give you a clean slate, re-invigorate your life, fulfil your ambitions and overall sense of wellbeing and that will greatly outweigh the struggle to achieve it.
But there are some issues as well, because the idea is that even if you might be the best at what you do in your company or even industry, you are still an expatriate, and thus you may think you have to find a place where companies are actually open to and maybe offering benefits to people like you. Reality check = most expats are unlikely to receive any special benefits or status unless you are a very senior figure within a company or your expertise is critically sought after in the country you have been assigned to, or the country is in the developing world bracket and is desperate for your expertise. Otherwise get used to accepting terms the same as a local may expect - you may be used to 30 days holiday per year, but in countries like Hong Kong the standard is 15 days, you may be used to finishing work at 5pm but many countries expect you to work to 6.30pm and beyond. Some companies offer promotions a lot faster to expatriates, while others tend to make the entire experience a lot harder so it all comes down to you to find the right opportunity based on your needs and expectations.
Master your language skills
If you go abroad and want to get a job there, then making an effort to learn the local language and even master it properly would be a great thing to do. Regardless of where you go, you do need to know the local language because that’s a crucial thing at all times, if you can become fluent in it over time then that would be amazing. The benefit here is that you can easily become a top-notch candidate when you come back, mainly because you know the economic situation, mastered the local language in that region and that on its own can be a huge advantage to say the least, you should keep that in mind.
A good tip here, if you plan on changing employers, is to learn a foreign language and most importantly one that is less common, as this can really bring a lot of value to your CV. In fact, this can help you if you are self employed, since it can deliver new clients a lot easier and provide you with a higher quality service to your customers. This is especially true if they are located in an area where your language isn’t that popular in the first place, Japan being a good example where speaking English will be a small asset vs learning to speak Japanese.
One of the standout things to focus on when you want to have a career overseas is to try and connect with them, learn their language and also try to make some friends. This will make the accommodation a lot easier and you should totally focus on doing such a thing since it’s really important.
Getting a promotion
While working abroad can be a true challenge on its own, receiving a promotion there is another thing entirely. Not only do you need to deliver the best service that you would normally have to do in the case of any job, but at the same time you will have to be certain that you have what it takes in order to impress your employers with dedication, the ability to speak that local language and also come back to the country with a better understanding of everything from economy to other important stuff being talked there.
But if you want a promotion you definitely need to do a lot more than your normal job. It’s mandatory that you make sure you focus on delivering a very good quality for your services and at the same time you have to evolve the best way you can. When you talk abroad you might have to learn some other languages besides the local one as well so there are tons of other important things that you have to focus on and which might not be that easy to do at first. The more time and money you invest in yourself and the more you focus on delivering a good outcome, the better the results will be in the end.
All companies that operate in an international fashion will never put their trust on someone that’s not eager to learn and which can’t surpass his skills or any expectations that come with his experience, all you have to do is to make sure that you invest in the best possible experience and the results will come in the long run, that’s for sure. Remember that a good language proficiency, combined with a great focus and results will deliver a stellar outcome all the same, however you need to be willing to improve your skills and make sure that the services you offer are the best in the business.
Pretty much like anywhere in the world, getting a promotion can be tough but being an overseas worker or representative can make this significantly tougher. Rest assured though that this is not an impossible thing to do, so it does come to you, your results and the outcome that you can provide, which is surely something to keep in mind. What you will like the most about any career opportunities found abroad is that these are created with personal and career growth in mind. All companies want to prepare employees for better tasks when they send them abroad, so working abroad might be a good sign that you might be getting a promotion, but this doesn’t really happen that often to begin with so you have to keep that in mind.
Update your CV
You always tend to find new qualifications and get new skills, so it’s mandatory to try and include these in your CV the best way you can. Just try to update your CV often, because you might have the ability to work in a field or on a project that just can’t be encountered anywhere else in the world so including that in your CV, and your LinkedIn profile if you have one, can be very useful.
It doesn’t matter why you want to go overseas in the first place, it all comes down to learning as much as you can about the workplace because that is essential preparation and it will help you make some good preparative decisions as you go along, which is what matters the most. Adding relevant details on your CV is a mandatory thing to do so you should totally keep that in mind as the experience will be well worth it in the long run!
How to find a job abroad
There are multiple ways to do so, but the most important thing is to actually think everything through and make sure that you have a dose of creativity and determination with it, as this will lead to a massive success in the long run and a great way to obtain the outcome you want when you work outside the country.
If you are one of the persons that works within a company that has overseas branches, then it may be easier to see if you can secure an overseas posting and your company should handle all the visa requirements and employment passes as well as the logistics of relocation family and home. However if you work for a company that has no overseas branches in the country you desire, or your company does not consider you eligible for overseas postings, you will have to use more energy and time to get the job you want abroad, and its going to be time to really do solid research on jobs overseas and agencies and personal contacts that may be able to assist. If you can try to take a couple weeks out to visit your chosen destination, for a holiday, and use that time to explore job opportunities that maybe available, as the local Recruiters and hiring managers will value your application much more highly if they get a chance to meet you face to face.
Never see this as something intimidating or unachievable because that’s not the case, instead you have to make sure that you do whatever it takes in order to be persistent and determined to find the job that suits your experience, studies, needs and expectations. The job you want might take a little time to come out, but it will be there for you and it all comes down to you to pursue your dream while also having the patience that you need in this regard.
Analyze the Employment Market
Even if it might be a good idea, you should never try to enter the job search world immediately without focusing on why you want to work overseas and what you will gain from it. Make sure that you take time to do research in order to obtain a good idea on the international job market as that on its own can be more than demanding in the long run. Getting some more relevant qualifications will obviously make it a lot easier for you to get a job there, so try to get the basics of a local language down and bring in as many skills as you possibly can to the table. The chances increase drastically the more you have to offer, so do try to keep this in mind as it’s a crucial thing to do in such a particular situation for sure.
You will need to be highly prepared in order to submit your application to companies abroad, because the higher quality your relevant experience is are and the more skills you can offer, the better the outcome will actually be. All companies try to find the best talent in the market for any given job, so it all comes down to you to obtain the results that you want, and the outcome will be well worth it. When you go to work abroad, you have to think about the benefit that you can deliver to that company, what are your unique skills sets, how deep is your experience and why they should they select you over someone else who is already working in the local market – do not underestimate this, many countries, from the USA, Australia, UK, Europe and around Asia have strict regulations that local candidates must be prioritised over foreign hires and a company will have to provide good justifications to hire you. You will need to research the Visa and Employment pass requirements of your chosen country, and how that country will view an applicant from your home country, sadly some Nationalities have far stricter limitations imposed on them depending where you want to work, you may need to start months in advance to obtain a Visa and Work permit, without a doubt, a local recruitment agency that specialises in foreign talent will help a lot here, so identify these contacts and start working with them.
Find the right employer
When you have multiple options it’s mandatory to carefully consider opportunities that you can obtain because the outcome can differ. It all comes down to finding the proper company to work with as that’s what will pay off the best in the end. Think about if you want to work with a large company that may have a diverse mix of cultures and skills and potentially have great support mechanisms, or a smaller company run by expats that may give you more scope and freedom within the work you are doing or even one step further consider working for a local company where you are in the minority of you want to gain maximise cultural exposure that you will certainly learn and gain a lot from especially if you believe you want to stay overseas longterm. The main idea here is to be certain that you choose the right company because you might end up working with them for many years so you do need to understand yourself and be realistic about your capabilities to adapt and invest your time in research to get it right from the beginning.
Have fun.
It is really a good idea to get involved with other expats and join clubs and societies that reflect your interests, such as wine tasting, running, hiking or team sports such as dragon boating and many other social activities. Within these clubs you will not only meet with many likeminded people to share your experiences with and make your overseas life a more fun one, but you will also get a good chance to socialise with local people who are also members of these activities and this will add extra dimensions of value to you and your overall sense of wellbeing and you could make new connections and friends for life.
Summary
Consider and plan out the following, and be prepared that this process may take a long time;
Think about the countries you would like to work in
Check job boards and read articles about the actual jobs available in these countries
Check articles about the appetite for expats in your chosen countries for your skill set and experience.
Reach out to family, connections and expats who are working or have worked in your shortlisted countries, ask lots of questions, do they have a contact working in a management position that could hire you or influence decision makers in the companies you would like to work for?
Reach out to recruiters in your chosen countries that cover or are doing work in your field of expertise, check salaries, benefits and job availability
Check Visa requirements for your nationality and profile to realistically get a job in your chosen shortlisted countries.
Check and investigate Employment pass requirements and paperwork and ensure you have all required qualifications and documentary evidence available, not just for you but also your family members that you may take with you.
Check Tax implications, if you are a USA national for example you will have to pay US tax even if you are working abroad.
Consider the logistics and costs of relocating, renting accommodation, schools for children, time frames, moving family and how much could your employer/ new employer can assist you.
Visit the country for a holiday beforehand and do some on the ground research on housing, transport, schools, social activities and so on.
Pack your bags!
Being an expatriate can be tough for sure, regardless of the country you might be in, and for many reasons from missing your family and friends to adapting to new cultures but at the end of the day it’s the excitement that comes from this experience and the personal development that really makes it very worthwhile, because in the end what matters the most is for you to pursue your happiness and fulfil your dreams and ambitions by finding the best career opportunities available for your skills sets in a foreign country and broaden your horizons. A great career abroad can really deliver that and the outcome will almost certainly be worth more than any financial reward.
Perry Barrow is the Managing Director of First Global Direct Executive Recruitment, and FGD Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrybarrow/
FGD Media http://www.fgdmedia.com/
First Global Direct Executive Recruitment - http://www.globalsearch.com.sg/ Specialists in Banking, HR and Management consulting Recruitment