For some, the idea of actually moving abroad permanently (or even for a few months) isn’t really an option. Whether for financial, personal or professional reasons, a full-time job close to home is preferred. But there are many jobs that are based at home but still give you the chance to see different countries and experience new cultures. What kinds of jobs include international travel?
It’s complicated. The truth is, tons of jobs include travel – international banking, consulting, flying airplanes…the list goes on. The purpose of this post is not to list them all, but rather to highlight some positions that have a surprising amount of international travel, but are also full-time career-oriented positions. The best of both worlds for a career-focused traveler!
- International nonprofit program management
Let’s start with the obvious – there are tons of placement organizations and nonprofit volunteer organizations that require administrative staff. People to manage the volunteers, programs and partner organizations are needed both at home and at volunteer sites. Most people will not land a travel job at entry level – these are reserved for people with project management experience or volunteer management experience, usually at for at least three years.
But one major selling point for a program management job abroad is previous volunteer-abroad experience (along with knowledge of a second language). Organizations that hire people to travel generally want to know that you will be comfortable interacting with people at all levels (local politicians, volunteers, senior staff members), and can manage your workload while one the road for a significant amount of time. In some cases, you can put in some time at the home office for a year or two before you are put in an international travel position, especially if you lack experience.
Some organizations that offer international nonprofit management jobs with at least 50% travel are:
International Rescue Committee: The IRC is a world-renowned humanitarian organization providing services in more than 40 countries, many of which are in crisis. They "respond to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives". There are myriad positions available at the IRC that involved either full-time placement abroad (at refugee camps, for example), or significant travel (program management). IRC jobs are highly competitive, due in large part to the organization’s excellent reputation, and the current public interest in international issues. You can search for jobs by interest area and/or country at the IRC Careers website.
American Jewish World Service: The AJWS is an international volunteer organization, placing volunteer groups on service trips in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Their extensive network of volunteers around the world necessitates a robust administrative staff, including volunteer managers (assigned to a specific region) who routinely travel abroad to check-in at program sites. Volunteer experience is preferred for many of these positions, as well as work experience. AWJS is a faith-based organization.
- Recruiting/admissions
If you’ve been to college or university, you are probably aware that most higher education institutions pride themselves of their diverse student body. And while many schools see a high demand for admission on an international level, some smaller colleges must actively recruit in foreign countries to attract students from abroad. That’s where the international travel comes in!
Recruitment and admissions professionals are hired to speak at school conferences, visit high schools and attend career fairs to help spread the word about their institutions programs. These jobs could send you just about anywhere – most schools will have target geographic areas where they are looking to recruit more extensively, but this can change from year to year. Again, the ability to be the face of the institution, adapt well to change, and interact with people at all levels are essential to international recruiting and admissions jobs.
Some colleges and universities currently hiring international admissions and recruitment professionals include:
NYU Polytechnic: Based in New York City, NYU-Poly is looking for an Assistant Dean of Admissions for International Recruiting, a position requiring significant travel.
University of California – Berkeley: Based in Berkeley, CA, UC Berkeley is looking for an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions to handle both domestic and international student recruitment.
Of course, these are just positions that are open right now. If you use a career search aggregator like Indeed, or use Google Alerts, you can keep track of colleges and universities looking for international admissions and recruitment staff on a regular basis using "international admissions" or "international recruitment university" as keywords.
- Travel and Tourism
It’s actually a pretty common misconception that if you work in the travel or tourism industry, you must travel a lot. The fact is, with so much research and communication to be done via the Internet, the need for extensive international travel in the tourism industry has dropped considerably. But there are still jobs requiring extensive travel to be found. Most common are trip leaders for international tours or volunteer adventures. These types of jobs can serve as a perfect fit for someone who has participated in tours in the past. The ideal person has a very outgoing personality, the ability to troubleshoot, and has a positive attitude. Other great travel and tourism jobs that involve international travel are cruise ship jobs , airline jobs, and resort jobs.
Some international tour operators who are currently hiring include:
Collette Vacations accepts resumes for their tour programs on an ongoing basis, and hires tour guides for their international vacations on a contract basis.
Vantage Deluxe World Travel specializes in small group tour for mature travels, and also accepts applications for tour guides on an ongoing basis. You might also be interested in their administrative career opportunities, some of which involve travel to their international offices.
Don’t be discouraged if you find that some of these jobs are at a middle management level – there are plenty of ways to gain experience, including internships and entry-level positions. Organizations are typically more likely to hire someone for a travel-intensive (read: more costly) position who is groomed from within, and knows the organization well.
If these jobs don’t fit into your long-term career goals, or simply don’t appeal to you professionally, don’t fret! There are plenty of volunteer vacation jobs, and eco-tourism trips to satisfying your cross-cultural curiosity while allowing you to work full-time and build a career at home. Be sure to read through the blog for more information about short-term placement agencies and voluntourism organizations!
Tags: travel jobs, work abroad
The gap year – a term that may not be familiar to our US and Canada readers – is one of the most popular times for young people to take a trip abroad for work, travel, or volunteer. So it makes sense that more and more travel agencies and nonprofit organizations have begun to focus on specific gap year programs that match travelers with meaningful work placements.
Oyster is one of these organizations, and calls itself the "gap and responsible travel specialist. " Based in the UK, they have placed more than 1,000 people in gap year travel programs around the world since they were founded in 1994. A number of their administrative staff is actually graduates of the program themselves, which is a very good sign.
Projects and Destinations
Oyster provides project opportunities on four of the five continents, in places like India, Costa Rica, Chile, Tanzania, South Africa and Canada. You can search either by region, or by type of work. They have extensive listing for animal welfare projects (lions and monkeys and turtles, oh my!), as well as volunteer work in child care and medical assistance. For the sporty gap-year traveler, they have a large number of placements with Whistler Mountain in Canada, where you can get paid to work in hospitality and hit the slopes!
Projects range in duration anywhere from two weeks to one year, and you can filter programs by length of stay in addition to location and service area. Shorter trips are perfect for those who want to do lots of travel during their gap year (some travelers may opt for multiple trips with Oyster during the year), while longer projects allow participants to embed themselves in the work, often learning a second language and gaining valuable work experience.
Application Process
They have a very straightforward application process, including an initial application where you make preferences for your program based on the information listed on the website. This is followed by a face to face (recommended) or phone interview with a "destination manager" to talk through some of the specifics on that placement, and answer questions. You will then receive an information packet with more detailed information about the project. You have a week to look that over before you officially accept the placement and start planning your adventure. There are few organizations that require an interview, and I completely appreciate that Oyster recommends an in-person meeting. They also build-in time in the application process for your own personal consideration of the program, which is incredibly important.
Fees and Services
The fees for participating in Oyster programs vary depending on program destination and length, and are anywhere from £1,000 – £5,000. They have fee options that both exclude and include flights, so you can decide whether you want to pay for the full-service package, or try to find a cheap flight on your own. The program fee includes assistance with the visa/work permit process, food and accommodation (this depends on the program – in some cases there is a fee for accommodation that is deducted from your wages), and an extensive training program before you begin work. Some of the Oyster placements are job placements, and include (in some cases, modest) weekly wages that are guaranteed by Oyster.
An overview of all programs as well as the associated fees is available on the Oyster programs price list, which is an incredibly handy resource if you are looking to compare projects to one another.
I’m also enamored with the Oyster blog, which is updated regularly, and features a ton of first-hand and in-depth information about programs. The photos accompanying many of the posts are stunning, and hopefully can help some prospective participants picture themselves in another country during a gap year service project. Check out this post about sharks off the coast of South Africa to see what I’m talking about.
For anyone who is UK based and thinking about how to spend their gap year, I’d recommend looking into Oyster. They appear to be very focused on personal attention during the application process and beyond, and certainly have some eclectic program offerings. Do you have an experience with Oyster? If so, feel free to leave in the comments. And be sure to check out our other organization spotlights for more information about gap year travel programs!
Tags: ngo, oyster worldwide, volunteer abroad, work abroad
If you have decided to volunteer abroad, either through a program or on your own, you’ll probably be met with a lot of enthusiasm by your friends and family. You’ll also encounter a bit of skepticism – especially by your parents and/or grandparents. Those who are concerned about safety, or who simply don’t want you to leave the country for a long period of time, will have lots of questions (often detailed) about your adventure. This is so common that some volunteer placement organizations have devoted parts of their website just to answer parent questions. If you are about to break the news to your parents, or are just curious about some of the FAQs that might come up about volunteering abroad, be sure to check out some of these resources:
- Amigos de las Americas devotes an entire website section to parent questions, going so far as to have video testimonials to Amigos parents. The information is specific to Amigos programs, but seeing another parent talk about their experience will undoubtedly be helpful to any parent who is working through their child’s decision to volunteer.
- Many universities offer a "family guide" for students studying abroad – one of my favorites is issued by Purdue University. As a volunteer, you’ll need to pick and choose the information that best pertains to your situation, but it’s a great start!
- Cosmic Volunteers also offers a parent section, which is a little more general than the one offered by Amigos. It features some interesting advice for parents who are welcoming their children home from abroad that can help offer perspective about how the experience affects both the volunteer and the family.
The best advice that I can give is to include your family in your decision to volunteer abroad as early as possible. People generally react to news better if they feel like they are part of the process, particularly if they feel like you considered their feelings. I cannot tell you how important family support is to an international volunteer – a supportive voice from home can help with culture shock, homesickness and other issues that volunteers typically face. Most parents and families will want to be supportive of such a life-changing decision, but will also need reassurance that you will be safe and happy in your volunteer placement. If you have a series of thorough, transparent talks with them before you leave, you’ll make sure that everyone’s needs are met. And if you can find a former volunteer to talk to you parents about their experience, that’s even better!
Tags: volunteer abroad, work abroad