Finding a job abroad

Want to work abroad? You’re in the right place! On Idealist we have tons of opportunities around the world (just search for a job in the country where you’d like to work), a site in Spanish that shares jobs in Spanish-speaking countries, and a site in French that shares jobs in Francophone countries.

Additionally, our community is always sharing stories of how they found jobs they love outside of the United States. Here’s how one Idealist found a job in India, while another shares the logistics of moving to another country. And here, one Idealist talks about how she launched a career in international development.

• What to know before you start looking
• The basics of working abroad
• Researching countries
• Researching opportunities (short term and long term)
• Don’t neglect logistics
• Additional resources

What to know before you start looking

Your options to connect with organizations based in another country may be limited by the languages you speak, whether you can obtain a work visa, the salary the organization can afford to pay you, and how much it will cost you to get there. These obstacles, however, should not discourage you from trying to find work abroad; instead they should give you a sense of the skills and resources you need to acquire to make yourself a competitive candidate while helping you focus on the opportunities that best fit you.

International nonprofits may be your best bet for finding work abroad. Many of these organizations list their job openings, internships, and volunteer opportunities on their websites and Idealist.org. These listings provide you with a sense of what types of jobs are available, and the qualifications required for the positions.

Keep in mind that it’s often more difficult to find a salaried position in an international agency without previous field experience or a relevant graduate degree. To start, consider an internship or volunteer work abroad so you can gain field experience that could eventually materialize into permanent employment.

The basics of working abroad

The first step in working abroad is to determine the who, what, where, when, and how. Think about your motivations for seeking paid employment in another country—are you hoping to learn a new skill? Build an international CV or résumé? Self-fund the exploration of a new country? Knowing more about why you want to work abroad will help you determine what types of jobs would be the best fit.

Also, start thinking about when you’d like to go, how long you’d like to stay, and where in the world you’d like to work, volunteer, and travel. If want help answering these questions, check our primer on volunteering abroad, which involves a lot of the same planning and decision making.

Researching countries

Check out these sites to get statistics, history, and general information about a country or region.

• Countries & Regions — The World Bank: Descriptions from the World Bank about countries and regions.
• Country Background Notes — U.S. Department of State: U.S. government publications that include a brief history and a variety of facts about different countries.
• Country Briefing — The Economist: Obtain news, forecasts, and statistics for countries from this business and current events magazine.
• Country Travel Reports — Canada Consular Affairs: From the Canadian government’s Foreign Affairs department, these travel updates can help you obtain more complete information for a particular country before visiting or working there.
• Country Profiles — BBC News: From this British news service, these are basic historical, economic, and political profiles about all countries and territories.
• Country Profiles — New Internationalist: Major country facts and human rights ratings for a long list of nations.
• NationMaster.com: This website compiles statistical indicators and basic facts about countries around the world, offering a number of ways to sort and display the data.
• The World Factbook — U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): From the U.S. intelligence agency, these reports contain a variety of information about countries and locations around the world.

Once you’ve got a pretty good idea of the type of work you’re seeking, you’re ready to tackle the question of who (or more accurately, which organization) to work for. Here you’ve got two options:

Short-term work abroad

Whether you’re on a gap year or simply want to work abroad on a short-term basis, there are a number of programs and opportunities available to you. You can explore fellowship programs like the Peace Corps or pursue academic programs like Fulbright. If you’re a student, you can look into gap-year programs. To learn more, visit one of these comprehensive resources for short-term work abroad opportunities Jobs Abroad.com  and TransitionsAbroad.com

Long-term work abroad

Alternatively, you can seek long-term or permanent work in another country. To get started, we recommend you read check out this section of TransitionsAbroad.com. Then, once you’re ready to start looking for international positions, start searching our database of international nonprofit jobs or TransitionsAbroad.com