How would one go about finding employment abroad, dear fellows?

[Mobius]

My temp work at BP Shipping ends in early December and I'm not accepting another extension because it's becoming far too depressing now. I hate where I live and only rented it due to its proximity to work so that's another reason I want out. I enjoy travelling but at my age I can't afford to go without combining it with work or something to keep myself going, so this seems like a good idea for me. My family live abroad and my chums have all gone off to uni and stuff so there's not alot holding me back, so now seems like a good time to get a bit of life experience.

I quite like the idea of working abroad but frankly I'm not particularly qualified. I have read a little about teaching english in Asia and it seems great but looks as if you need university degrees for that. What other options are available? I don't really have any reservations about what sort of work I'd do and so long as it puts a roof over my head and crisps in my mouth that'll do for me.

Thanks alot!

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Unfortunately, you do not need a degree to teach EFL.

 

[Jonty]

Hi Mobius

In my experience, personal contacts can help to open a lot of doors. That's not to say you don't deserve the job, merely than they can help to introduce you to the right people. You say your family live abroad, so if you wanted to be near them, perhaps that's a good place to start? Alternatively, BP might be able to put you in touch with people in the same industry, although that may or may not be a good thing You may also want to consider careers services, as many offer free advice and can provide information on gap years or longer placements. Then of course there's the internet, with many international job websites. Finally, many international employers offer placement schemes abroad as part of their training, so that may be worth considering if you don't want to arrange everything yourself.

As for teaching English in Asia, you're right, it's fairly easy (many countries cry out for native speakers) but you usually require a university degree in lieu of any teaching experience (usually if the requirements are higher, the nicer the place is to work at). Also you should think long and hard about (in no particular order):

• Is this going to benefit you in the long-term? (a big gap in your CV history and nothing to show it never looks good).
• Could you live abroad? (linguistically and culturally, some places are very demanding, especially if you don't know anyone there).
• Would you enjoy the work? (private English schools don't always offer great working conditions, and foreign teachers are sometimes considered unable to earn a proper living back home).

You also need to consider all the paperwork involved. Getting a visa, work-permit etc. can be long process. If you find a good employer then they will help you, but it still takes take. Some people opt to be a student, since student visas can be easier to obtain and sometimes (but not always) allow part-time work. Alternatively, others just make roundtrips (i.e. leave the country and come straight back) and keep applying for tourists visas (not recommended, especially since working is nearly always illegal). Then there's things like accommodation, insurance, taxes, foreign bank accounts, foreign currency, passports, utilities (mobile phone, internet access), and a whole load of other things Some people just jump on a plane and hope for the best, but it really helps to do your research beforehand (and this is also why knowing someone there really makes the biggest possible difference; I can't emphasis this enough ).

Anyway, these are just a few random thoughts, I'm sorry it's not more constructive. I think it can be a great experience to live and work abroad, especially when you're young and have no commitments to tie you down. But don't just bumb around in Bali or somewhere, really make the most of your time so you can develop skills that are going to be useful to you later on in life (e.g. learning another language, business experience in a different country etc.). Good luck!

Kind regards

 

[SilverHood]

Mobius, try these guys:

https://www.secure-hb.com/holidaybreakjobsonline/
Positions Available

Canvas pay better, have better acoomodation for staff, but have less sites, and less staff on each site.

I spent a summer working for Eurocamp and it was awesome. Sunshine, birds and booze. It can be hard work, but meh, you're living on a campsite, you can go to the pool / beach at lunchtime/after work and you have zero responsibilities other than keeping customers happy. No bills, just need to pay for food and booze. They start work on the campsites around March, and shut up end of september / begining of october, so I guess you're out luck until then. Alternatively, you might try looking for jobs in the ski resorts. I had a friend who spent his winters in ski resorts and the summers working on campsites like above. It's not a career, but really awesome experience, and of course, loads of fun.

 

[Chilly]

find a job in a bar the moment you arrive then look once you are settled in. Some hostels exchange employment for food+bed+pocket money.