Spending time abroad is the dream for many, which is why more and more people are looking for ex-pat jobs.
Whether you’re looking to embrace a new culture, find love, or simply go on a career adventure through your new ex-pat job, there are some things you will want to consider because it’s no easy task. That said, getting a job as an ex-pat is entirely feasible for you, which is why Top Language Jobs is here to help you on your way!
Consider the direction of your career
Before sending your CV off to employers, jetting off to another country or packing your suitcase, it’s important to consider the direction of your career to better understand the sort of ex-pat jobs you’re looking for.
Ask yourself, what sort of ex-pat jobs do I want, and what sort of things am I qualified for?
Understanding your specialisms is the first step to wading your way through the many ex-pat jobs that are out there.
For example, if you’re a web developer and wish to do the same job role in another country, type your job title into Top Language Jobs’ search box, select the languages you can speak and the country that’s of interest to you. Once you’ve filled out your preferences, click on ‘find jobs’, and Top Language Job will generate a list of ex-pat jobs for you to browse through. To refine your search, you can filter the job type (whether that’s full-time, part-time or contractor) and date posted (to see the most recent jobs published).
Are you feeling uninspired? Read our blog on key signs it’s time for a career change. If you feel like you can relate to our previous blog, perhaps it’s time to start considering a career move and a job abroad!
Remember, ex-pat jobs vary just as much from one person to the next, so if you’re sick of being a sales manager and want to become a tour guide, it’s never too late to change careers.
Research salary expectations
Keep in mind that salary expectations vary from country to country. You can ensure the ex-pat jobs you’re looking for are viable options by checking the income you can expect in your country of choice.
You can use Top Language Jobs to find salary expectations in the countries of interest to you easily. Always research around the country you wish to work in. For example, in Russia, the salary stated on a job advertisement typically indicates the amount you’ll take home each month (so your salary, divided by 12 and after taxes). But in Europe, you can typically expect to see the salary you will receive over the entire year before taxes have been deducted.
As a rough guide, some of the best countries for expats include Vietnam, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Taiwan and Mexico, based on the quality of life, cost of living and ease of settling in. Of course, this does depend entirely on your chosen career path and your personal preference.
Look at your qualifications
Search through as many job vacancies as you can for the ex-pat jobs you’re interested in. By doing this, you will better understand the overall skills and qualifications employers desire in your country of choice.
When are you looking to apply to ex-pat jobs?
There are much fewer job opportunities at the end of the year, the most popular hiring months in the year tend to be January and February. However, if you’re looking for an ex-pat job that’s seasonal, such as a yacht worker or a diving instructor, then the months best to apply will be more towards the summer months. And the same applies to ski instructors, you will want to apply just before the winter months in your desired country.
The benefits of ex-pat jobs
Whether you’re moving to teach a language, work for an international firm or create your very own start-up, we’ve put together a list of some of the professional benefits that come from being an ex-pat including:
- Helping to improve your CV – having ex-pat work experience on your CV will give you a better advantage over other applicants who haven’t pushed themselves out of their comfort zone.
- Giving you a personal edge – if your current employer is looking to send someone abroad within the team, they might be more encouraged to ask someone with previous experience of working abroad.
- Improves language skills – ex-pat jobs tend to lend themselves to learning new languages or improving your bilingual skills. Naturally, you will pick up new speaking and listening skills and retain the local language by completely immersing yourself within this country.
- Building an ex-pat network – working abroad enables you to make friends in different locations, some of whom might be in an ex-pat job too. Building an ex-pat network will help you boost your international profile and open a whole host of doors for you throughout your career.
- Experiencing new cultures – understanding other cultures helps to broaden a person’s views, become more accepting and gain an appreciation for how other people live. Culture is made up of so many elements, so visiting a country for only a couple of weeks won’t give you the real insight you will gain from finding an ex-pat job.
- Advancing your career faster – it may be the case that your existing employer wants to send you abroad. Whether it might result in a pay rise, promotion or just an opportunity, it’s good to take the offer. It’s this sort of experience that displays competence and confidence. You needn’t think of your ex-pat placement as a limited time away, it’s the first step towards future-proofing your dream as a full-time ex-pat.
Get ahead with Top Language Jobs
Here at Top Language Jobs, we pride ourselves on making your job search easy as one of the leading ex-pat job agencies. Thanks to our state-of-the-art job matching process, you can tailor your job search to your employment history, your CV, previous searches and applications to help you make headway faster than ever before.
If you’re looking for expatriate jobs, make the process easier by registering with Top Language Jobs where you can benefit from our personal job recommendations, quick applications and useful job alert emails.
Apply to your dream jobs in seconds with Top Language Jobs today!
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