I found my first overseas job by attending a social event and heard about a friend that was working in a language school in Seoul, South Korea. I became very interested in working in South Korea too, so I started getting ready. I updated my CV, researched job openings and Korean culture, and sent out my resume to numerous schools in Seoul.
My friend came home for a visit about a month later and agreed to show my CV around Seoul. Soon after, we both received job offers from a middle school. So I gave my notice to my employer, bought my ticket, and had a farewell party. It took about five months from beginning my job search to arriving in Seoul.
This article has 2 sections. In section 1, I’ll give you a few tips on performing your overseas job search and in section 2 I’ll give you some tips on preparing for your overseas experience.
A) Resume
This is your top priority if you don’t already have a resume. There’s just so much free information on the Internet on resume writing. Just do a search on the keyword “resume” - I got 229 million results Monster.com and Monster.ca are very popular sites, as well as Workopolis.com (Canadian job search website).
B) Search Engine Keywords
How you structure your keyword search can greatly effect the number and quality of results you receive, e.g.
“overseas + accounting + recruit” no results
"overseas" + "accounting" + "recruit" 250,000 results
Another example:
“overseas” + “teaching” 6.9 million results top website - joyjobs.com
“teach” + “overseas” 3.9 million results top website - teachoverseas.org
I recommend trying various ways to structure your keywords until you get the best results.
C) Universities, Associations, Classifieds
Recruiters for overseas companies usually contact universities and their respective professional associations to find candidates for their companies. Make an appointment to talk to your university employment opportunity office, and professional association office. Universities also conduct job or employment fairs. A job fair is a great way to meet with recruiters directly.
Your local newspaper classifieds will have overseas recruiting classifieds if there’s a local recruiter working in your city, or if a recruiter is planning a trip to your city.
Online classifieds are useful if you’re interested in connecting with an employer in a certain location, e.g. Thailand - The Bangkok Post frequently has classifieds for teaching English in that city. These classifieds are intended for local hires, but it gives you the contact information of companies that are actively seeking new hires.
I landed the job in Thailand through my local newspaper. I saw an ad for a local recruiter and applied for the job through him. Be careful, though - check their credentials. Unfortunately, scam artists are alive and well on planet Earth I’ve been lucky but I’ve had friends who parted with their money and received no return for it.
D) Networking
Networking is a very effective way to land your next job. The people in your network include other people with your qualifications - friends in your field of work, coworkers, and previous employers - as well as family and friends. Forming a support group or buddy system is also an effective method of brainstorming and planning how to connect with employers. Again, I recommend Barbara’s book for how to plan a networking party (like a Tupperware party).
I landed the jobs in South Korea and North Carolina through connections I made through my teacher friends.
2) Arriving in Seoul - The Blessings of Being Prepared
My flight to Seoul included a one hour layover where I switched planes. This was good because I arrived in Seoul at a reasonable hour for my friend to meet me at the airport. But this was not so good because my luggage didn’t make it onto the second plane. But this was a good thing because the airline refunded me about $100.00 and gave me a very nice travel kit for my trouble. It was also fortunate that I had packed a change of clothing and toiletries in my carry-on luggage. My luggage finally caught up with me two days later in good shape.
Three days before my departure for Seoul, my friend called to tell me that she had changed her mind and wasn’t accepting the middle school position, but rather a position at another school. She told me that there was also an opening for me at this other school and was I interested? I decided to try this other school on her recommendation, but it meant that I was going to Seoul without a firm job offer, and no apartment waiting for me. This meant that for my first week in Seoul I camped out in someone’s living room, and then slept in an unheated classroom for the rest of January (the school did provide a space heater though).
Does this experience sound like a nightmare to you? Well I just loved it! I was soooo mentally ready to experience a completely different culture and to be on such a wonderful adventure. It helped immensely that my friend had given me some tips on what to bring with me - especially an air mattress.
Here I’ll discuss some tips on how to prepare for arriving in your host country.
A) Documents
This is NOT an exhaustive list of the documents you will need. Your recruiter/employer should be able to give you more specific information. These are the items you will definitely need:
i) Passport - you can get information about applying for your passport online through your government website.
ii) Passport size photos - at least 10 - must be within the last 6 months. You need these for visas. It amazes me how many times I needed photos but was never told by my employer. Assume every government office wants several photos.
iii) Visa - some recruiters do all the work for you in obtaining a visa and others don’t. It seems to depend on which country and field you’re interested in. Get a list of the specific documents you need from your recruiter/employer, and if you have to do the leg work yourself it wouldn’t hurt to double check the requirements with the embassy of the country you’re going to.
iv) Criminal checks - Your recruiter/employer will tell you whether you need a criminal record check. This has become a common requirement for obtaining overseas employment.
v) Health report and HIV tests - most companies want a letter from your doctor stating that you are in good health. Some countries, however, require that you also have a recent HIV test that’s negative in order to get a visa.
vi) Regular and original/official copies of transcripts, degrees, birth certificate, driver’s license, and references. Don’t give your original/official copies to anyone until you’re hired. They’ll need your original documents to begin work on your visa and work permit. You do need to keep track of this process, however. Some issues that have happened to me include my passport being mislaid in my employer’s office. Also my visa renewal deadline was close to my holidays and my employer didn’t start the paperwork in time.
B) Health
Vaccinations - each country has its own health issues and your travel health clinic can tell you what medical concerns are current for the country you are going to. Just google: travel health to find online information sources.
C) Finances
I recommend bringing the equivalent of 1 month of wages, 2 months if possible. (For developed countries travelers cheques (checks) are great, but if you're going to a developing country, they're a nightmare. (I’ve found that even Hong Kong doesn’t cash traveler’s cheques easily.) I would bring cash (euros or USD) for developing countries, or check with your travel agent for the best currency to take.)
When getting quotes on how much money it takes to live on in your host country for one month, get a quote from more than one person. I’ve seen people quoted amounts that made budgeting extremely tight until they received their first paycheque.
D) Housing
When you are researching a potential employer’s benefit package, determine whether your employer/recruiter will help you: locate/provide housing, secure the lease, help with the deposit/rent? Many overseas employers make these types of benefits available to their overseas candidates. Sometimes taking a lesser wage with better housing benefits makes your benefit package a better deal.
E) Travel
i) Once you’ve landed a job discuss who arranges for your travel, will you be reimbursed for travel costs, and who will meet you at the airport.
ii) You’ll need a contact number that is a personal phone number - home or cell - since your flight will probably land after work hours. If the people that were to meet you at the airport don’t show up, you need a contact number that will reach someone at say 11:00 at night.
iii) calculateme.com/ is a great resource for converting between metric and imperial measurements.
F) Learning about the Host Country
Before I went to South Korea I connected with several people who were Korean living in Canada. I learned about their food, some words, customs and attitudes, and the types of weather I could expect. If you don’t have any connections to immigrants from your country of interest, you can get great information from travel guidebooks. If these are not available at your local library or bookstore, you can purchase them through an online bookstore. At Amazon.com I did the following searches:
- On their home page I clicked on Books and then Browse Subjects. Each of these clicks brought up a new menu - I clicked on Travel, then Reference & Tips, then Guidebooks.
- In the search field I typed in “
Guidebooks are a great source of information on the country, language, what to bring, and places to visit.
No one can foresee the unique circumstances you’ll encounter, but getting as much information as you can helps a lot. I personally plan for a new situation as much as I can and then I leave a 15% margin of flexibility in time and money. Thus I have been able to go with the flow and enjoy traveling despite the challenges I encountered. Bon Voyage!
Jan Anderson © 2007 The Travel Coach
