Working Abroad
When seeking out an international job opportunity there are typically two ways for a US citizen to work:
Working as a US contracted employee.
In this case, you would be hired by a US company who will then send you abroad to work. Most often these jobs are for more experienced hires since they are so costly to the employer. If you find an opportunity like this the company will usually pay for your move. Other additional benefits may include possibly include airfare back home for the holidays, subsidizing rent, pay foreign taxes, arrange working papers and other ex-pat benefits. One of the most important aspects of this arrangement is payment in dollars.
Working as a national in a foreign country.
In this scenario you would be hired for a foreign organization and you will be paid in the local currency and receive a salary similar to citizens of that country. The challenges in finding this type of work is that there is a ready supply of nationals with similar education levels available for hire and the difficulty in obtaining your work visa.
Another way to obtain the international experience is through Volunteering.
There are often many international volunteering opportunities but you must remember the expense of traveling and living abroad without any pay. Some organizations may pay a stipend and provide room and board, but others may require you to pay them for the experience. There are grants out there for volunteering.
Identifying Job Opportunities
- If you have studied abroad stay connected with faculty and friends abroad
- Connect with international Alumni through Irish Online and Alumni Clubs
- Identify targeted international company information utilizing CareerSearch
- Look for opportunities on Go IRISH
- The Riley Guide
- Teaching English Opportunities
- Dave’s ESL Café
- Escape Artist; Escape from America Overseas Jobs Pages
- Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme
- The Haitian Project
- Maryknoll Volunteer Teachers Program in China
- World Teach – requires a program fee
- Wall Street Journal – “Advanced Search”
- Foreign Policy Association Job Board
- Idealist
- Jobs Abroad
- Notre Dame Student International Business Council
- Bunac
- International Employment
- Uniworld
Professional Organizations
Work Visas
Students need to arrange passports and work visas well in advance and the process may be lengthy. Research the requirements of the specific country that you are targeting in order to obtain the necessary documents for legally obtaining paid work abroad. Keep in mind that if you are not going through an exchange program or through BUNAC, this process is very difficult and rarely done for summer hires.