How to Find Paid Jobs Overseas

5 Proven Strategies and a Worksheet to Land International Work

By Zahara Heckscher
Resources updated by Transitions Abroad 9/15/2023

Setting off to find paid jobs overseas can be both exciting and daunting.

I understand the dilemma of the first time international job seeker: You can’t get a job overseas unless you have experience. But how do you get experience if you can’t get a job? In this article, I’ll share five proven strategies to break out of this Catch-22. Plus I’ll suggest some additional creative options to explore to get yourself overseas without breaking your piggy bank.

1. Teach Abroad and Build a Network in Your Field for a Lateral Move

If you chose this option, consider investing in a 4-week TESL/TESOL certificate program that will provide you with assistance in finding a job. While you can teach without it, a certificate will make you a better teacher and will give you access to a worldwide network of schools. You’ll pay a couple of thousand dollars to get the certificate but you’ll almost certainly make it back in teaching wages. My husband used this technique to land a 6-month teaching job in Vietnam. He then volunteered at a local newspaper, got a paid job there, and stayed for six years. Transitions Abroad has many resources on teaching and certificate programs. Also the classic book Teaching English Abroad: Your Expert Guide to Teaching English Around the World by Susan Griffin. In sum, teaching can be a career in itself, or a paid stepping stone for an international career.

2. Get a Job in an International Organization and Make a Geographical Move

Use your career center, alumni network and informational interviews to identify internships and jobs at international organizations. You might land an entry level job as a receptionist or administrative assistant. If so, make a goal of having lunch once a week with a co-worker. Learn from them about options in the field. Attend your organization’s presentations and workshops to sharpen your skills and learn from colleagues who have worked overseas. Do the best job you can in your current position. Let your supervisor and HR office know that you want to go overseas eventually, but be prepared to pay your dues and work domestically for a while first. Check out very highly recommended My World Abroad by long-time guru Jean-Marc Hachey, and Interaction for lists of international organizations. (Some content at My World Abroad and Going Global may require access from your alma mater or paid registration.) Such an international career route is more prevalent than commonly realized for those with ambitions to land a long-term job overseas.

3. Become an Expert with a Technical Skill, Then Get a Job Overseas in Your Field

Technical skills include medical (nurse, EMT, PA, or doctor), veterinary, grant writing, accounting, non profit management, training, photography, solar technology, small business development. Whatever your skill, join a professional association and attend local meetings and annual conventions so you can learn from peers with that skill who have worked internationally.

4. Go to a Country and Do Your Job Search

The in-country job search is a great option only if you can support yourself for at least a month upon arrival and are good at networking (see my Networking Guide for International Employment for more). Plan on joining the local Rotary Club, Toastmasters, and/or faith organizations. My friend Jeff moved to Uganda with his wife (who used strategy #2) and, through networking, found out about a job he never would have found if he hadn’t been in country — directing Mango Tree, a fair trade small business. You might also consider finding a part-time volunteer job to give structure to your day, learn local business practices and expand your network. Research visa issues so when you get a job offer you know how to proceed.

5. Apply for an Exchange or Paid Volunteer Program

• Programs that cover all expenses for recent grads such as Peace Corps will pay a stipend at the end of your service of $8,000. Student loan deferments and other benefits are also available.
  
  
• If you already have lots of work experience or high level skills, programs available to you include UN Volunteers, International Executive Service Corps, and Doctors without Borders.
  

More International Options to Consider:

Fellowships: The Boren fellowship and Fulbright have wonderful (but competitive) options for folks who are comfortable in academia and want someone else to pay for their overseas experience. Rotary also has many options for people of different ages and life stages.

Study abroad or graduate school abroad: You can use scholarships and student loans to participate in programs that will get you an Masters Degree and international work experience. The School for International Training and the International Partnership for Service Learning are top notch programs to consider. 

Research: Ask your professors about opportunities in your field. If you are long graduated, get to know faculty at local universities by attending lectures and staying afterwards to talk. Many professors know people who need research assistance overseas. 

Writing. Be it journalism, freelancing, blogging, or articles for a website. These days, writing doesn’t always pay well, but if you have the talent and ambition you might be able to create a niche for yourself. One of the attractions of taking this route is that you can do your work in a location-independent manner, as so many of the articles by successful authors on this site demonstrate.

Take any job, then volunteer or intern in your field of choice: Be open to au pair work or hotel work — if you are 18-30, consider BUNAC for jobs in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, or the UK. See Susan Griffith’s book, Work Your Way Around the World: The Globetrotter's Bible, for more information on other options, but always research the visa options for any given country (the European Union has stringent restrictions for long-term work, work greater than 90 days). Transitions Abroad offers many examples of people who have found such short-term jobs.

Don’t get overwhelmed by all these options. Skim the list, circle the one that appeals to you the most, and start with that strategy. If that does not work, move on to another approach. Use the worksheet below to help you plan. If you stay committed to your vision of a job overseas, you will realize success.

Editor's Note:

Transitions Abroad was invited to the unprecedented White House Summit on Study Abroad and Global Citizenship. The following powerful economic statement relating to the increasing need for Americans to study, work, and travel abroad was emphasized:

"Nowadays, more and more employers want to hire people with a true 'world view' — with the adaptability and openness that comes with having experienced other cultures. In fact, a MetLife survey found that 65 percent of Fortune 1000 executives identified global awareness as 'very important' or 'essential' to be ready for a career." — Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Commerce.

At Transitions Abroad, we know that experience in paid and unpaid jobs abroad is one of the best ways to demonstrate global awareness and an ability to adapt to new circumstances. In conjunction, study, internships, volunteering, extended travel, and other forms of international experience and cross-cultural communication are also prized. Whether you work for a corporation as a manager or as a technical consultant, teach English, volunteer, intern, or freelance — the core values you learn while working/studying/traveling overseas are critical to long-term career success and mobility. Such international experience applies to any future job or career decisions you will make during your life, as our article on work after study abroad demonstrates statistically.

Whether your jobs or career are overseas or at home, you will likely constantly communicate with individuals and companies worldwide, in-person or online. You will always learn from the people you interface with at work, even as you continuously develop new skills. You may then use your personal connections and skills to network and be transferred to work in the country of your dreams.

ZAHARA HECKSCHER is the co-author of the book How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas, which includes evaluations of over 80 volunteer programs and suggestions for preparing to volunteer. Zahara co-authored a follow-up book which is an instant immediate classic titled "Learning Service: The Essential Guide for Volunteering Abroad."