Working abroad is a great way for students to get experience and a bit of cash during the summer holidays. As the UK academic year generally runs from late September to June, thousands of university students head overseas before their courses resume in the autumn. As their time is limited, students tend to focus on jobs that bring excitement or unusual experiences on a daily basis. Working in summer resorts is a popular option as demand for staff peaks in late spring/early summer, and volunteering abroad is a perennial favourite. However, a small industry has sprung up to send students abroad to work at summer camps, particularly in the US. Freshers’ fairs across the country have stalls manned by BUNAC and CCUSA representatives, securing the next year’s crop of young ...

Each country has different requirements for foreign nationals who want to find paid work there, which can cause red tape nightmares for would-be employees. Visa applications are notoriously complicated to complete, with some countries needing you to find a business to sponsor your entry, and others requiring enough cash in the bank to support yourself for months on end. Certain countries will not let you in to work unless you already have a job waiting, others insist you show an acceptable amount of experience in a specific field to fulfill a vacancy quota. It is extremely subjective, as visa and entry requirements depend on which country you come from as well as the one you want to work in, and can alter according to how well the two are getting on. Although visas are tricky ...

Working abroad during the long university summer holidays or on gap years enables students to get away and earn money at the same time. Working abroad affords a fantastic opportunity to discover new cultures and gain invaluable work experience. Teach English Abroad Many of the largest graduate recruiters are international businesses; they need employees who can demonstrate the ability and willingness to adapt to working abroad. The majority of travelers look for a job overseas at some point during their gap year to increase their dwindling funds. Work can either earn or save the traveller crucial cash. Working abroad is a realistic opportunity for summer holiday adventures and is a fabulous way to meet new people, retain independence and of course to earn some money. On my gap year I took ...

Many people think working abroad is a glamorous career move, but often the most vital work in other countries is tiring, difficult and demanding. In north-west Pakistan, where the worst flooding in 80 years has swept away thousands of homes and killed at least 1,200 people, humanitarian aid workers are desperately trying to get medical supplies and basic items to people in need. Natural disasters are sudden and devastating events, resulting in death and destruction around the globe and countries can take many years to recover from the damage to economy and infrastructure. People working for non-governmental aid agencies and missionary groups have played a vital part in stemming the death toll caused by the Pakistan floods. Aid workers tend to work in developing countries suffering...

There is one personality trait that links the types of people who want to work abroad: curiosity. Some may be motivated by higher wages in another country, other tempted by better weather or improved work/life balance. Perhaps the overwhelming factor in the decision is a change of scene or stagnation in current employment. But underneath that, few people leave their job, familiar routines and family and set off into the unknown without a desire to find out more about the world. Curiosity is an overriding tendency in journalists as well, and it is not unusual to find trainee reporters dreaming of life as a foreign correspondent, posted to some far-flung destination to cover wars, political upheaval or even an international event such as the World Cup or Olympics. Check out our sto...

Nick is an American from Cincinnati, Ohio, who has lived in Vail, Colorado – a skiing mecca in the U.S. – for the last 4 years. During the summers in Colorado you can find Nick working as a ski instructor at Valle Nevado in Chile. In this WAM interview we learn from Nick how he got into the instruction business, and how to find work abroad in Chile. What’s your background? I grew up ski racing. Then I instructed in the mid-west, but never took it too seriously. After graduating from Miami University in 2006, I started instructing both alpine and adaptive skiing full time in Vail. I earned full certification for these specialties with PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America). Then I spent a summer working at Cerro Castor in Ushuaia, Argentina. Searching some work abr...

In the last blog we looked at the benefits of working abroad in the European Union for residents of member states, but now let’s consider an opportunity across the pond. Each year, about 300 people find work in New York through a programme called the Mountbatten Internship, a sponsorship arrangement that enables non-US citizens to spend a year working at a paid job in the Big Apple. It’s a graduate scheme that offers university leavers the chance to gain business experience with blue chip companies in one of the world’s largest financial centres. Successful applicants can gain a qualification in international business practice – either an MBA or a postgraduate certificate depending on which programme they choose. The placement is primarily business and management-or...

Spending an extended time volunteering abroad can be the most intimate way to discover a new country. Paid work is exciting, but ultimately the beneficiaries are businesses and you may find yourself spending more time working for the system than experiencing another culture. Working abroad for free, i.e., volunteering overseas, may not bring financial gains, but can broaden your mind and provide experience for a new or different career. That was Alex Quinn’s motivation when he left his home in Stretford and took six months out to volunteer in Uganda. The Manchester University economics graduate worked for a community based organisation called the Women’s Initiative for Prosperity, spending half a year in Kamuli, a small town in Busoga, eastern Uganda, and travelled...

Casual work is one of the greatest ways to earn a living abroad, granting you the flexibility to move from country to country or city to city without the danger of life becoming as boring and humdrum as back home. If you are a people person, working seasons gives you the chance to make dozens of new friends, and create your own web of contacts that stretches across the globe. While casual workers, like beggars, cannot be choosers when it comes to finding a job abroad, one industry that always needs more hands is the hospitality sector. Wherever there are people, there are places to feed and water them, and a cheerful smile always helps a drink taste better. That’s right, we’re talking about finding bar jobs abroad! Unlike a professional career move, casual work does not requ...

Unless you absolutely hate everything about your home country, the chances are you will feel a bit nervous about upping sticks and working abroad. Luckily, many causal jobs in foreign climes are seasonal, so you can try out the work for a few months and come home again if you do not like it. The hospitality sector is a huge employer during the summer months, as hotels, hostels and campsites need staff to look after their guests. Jade Leeming, 20, from Skipton in North Yorkshire, spent almost four months working in France as a camp courier for Canvas. She worked at Le Bois Masson campsite in western France, near a seaside town called St Jean-de-Monts in the Vendee, from May 26 to September 10 in 2008. She heard about the job while completing a BTEC in Travel and Tourism at Craven ...