Looking Abroad For Work

From quarter life crises to general malaise, the current doom and gloom economy makes for a depressing job search.

While many students are looking in numerous cities for leads, few students are looking abroad for jobs.

My older brother, Roheet, was facing similar prospects after he graduated and decided to look for a job in the Middle East.

He is now an Urban Finance and Local Economic Development Expert in Syria, for Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, a development branch of the German Government.

In his words he:

Works to increase the economic utilization of the private sector in regards to restoration efforts in Old Damascus.

With a decrease in available jobs, and an increase in competition, it is especially important for graduating students to consider working abroad.

There are benefits to working abroad: Not every country has economic problems to the extent that the US does, working in a different country is exciting, in many cases you don’t have to pay US taxes, and you often get to travel to neighboring countries. For example, in addition to traveling throughout Syria, my brother has traveled extensively in Kurdistan, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.

My brother was able to get his job by networking while studying Arabic in Syria. In many countries you get a job solely by meeting the right people, so it pays to have connections. If you are studying in a particular country, you can job hunt while you’re there. Some people also take the more risky approach and simply move to another country and hoped to find a job.

In the mean time there are a few things you can do to jump-start your global career:
* Talk to a counselor at the career center
* Check idealist.org for non-profit jobs throughout the world
* Apply for positions at US embassies
* Check foreign government websites for career help
* Talk to Professors with foreign connections
* Work on your foreign language skills

Would you consider working abroad? Have you worked abroad already? Do you have any tips for people looking for work abroad? Discuss in the comment section!

Update- There seems to be some confusion over the question of whether you pay taxes or not. If you work for an American based company, and paid in US dollars, you have to pay US taxes. If you're working for a non-US based company and paid in either local currency or another currency you don't have to. Tax laws get tricky if you're an diplomat/government employee or if you're not paid in a typical manner (ex: you get paid less but have your living expenses covered as part of the job). It's always best to check with either a tax specialist or HR professional before deciding not to pay taxes.