One of your most significant decisions is selecting a suitable country for your international work placement. When narrowing down the list of potential countries you may want to work in, it’s an excellent idea to ask yourself a few questions.
Is there a region or culture that I have a particular interest in?
Choosing where to work overseas can initially seem overwhelming when you have many different regions and countries. If you’re unsure where you’d like to work, I recommend researching various areas of the world. This can help narrow your choices to three or four countries or regions.
What hobbies or activities, if any, would I like to be able to continue abroad?
Consider what activities are available in certain countries, like scuba diving, skiing, biking, etc. This could help you narrow down your search. Continuing with your hobbies can be a great way to meet people and get comfortable in your new surroundings, especially since you will not know many people.
Am I prepared to budget for a different living experience?
Some areas, like Western Europe, offer salaries without many benefits, and you lose much of your salary in taxes. Factoring tax expenses into your living expenses is vital to budgeting. To determine your salary, determine how far your dollars will go in your new country.
Does the company cover your living expenses?
Does it provide accommodations or transportation costs?
These are all essential factors in determining how much money you will make and how much you will have for living expenses.
Am I open to living with someone else?
In contracts where accommodation is often provided, single employees are expected to share an apartment with a colleague. Always find out this before signing your contract and, if possible, who you will share with.
These questions will help you confine your search to a few specific regions where you want to work. Researching different countries and territories may be required to find the answers, which will help you make a more informed decision.
Consider this job search like a job search in your home country. When searching for jobs at home, the available pool is probably relatively small because that’s all available in your specialty. If you limit your search to a specific city, your prospects drop even more. International job searches work much the same way.
Be careful when confirming your job search; you don’t want to go overboard. Overly narrowing down your search can end up hurting you by leaving only a tiny number of remaining opportunities.
Don’t miss an excellent career opportunity because you eliminated that area of interest from your job search. Keep this in mind when looking for international work opportunities abroad.
Need additional help? Reach out to Candace for assistance!