Most of us these days are working from home. The world seems to have come to a standstill with countries announcing lockdown to deal with the pandemic situation. Do you miss your daily routine of going to work? Do you miss your well-earned vacations? Has travel been on your mind?
What if I tell you that you can get paid to travel? Interested? Well! The simplest way to get paid to travel is to get a job abroad. I am sure most of you know of someone who is working abroad. Have you also considered if working abroad is the right thing for you?
To work abroad, you will first need to have a Visa. There are several visas available to work overseas but the most popular ones are Work Visa and Permanent Resident Visa. Different countries have different rules regarding these Visas and you will have to fulfill their criteria to obtain one.
Most of the Work Visas are employer-sponsored. Your employer abroad sponsors you to work in that country. The most well-known Work Visa is the H1B Visa in the USA. If you want to work in countries like Canada and Australia, you also have the option of applying for the Permanent Resident Visa directly. In this case, you do not need an employer to sponsor your PR Visa. Canada’s Express Entry Program is the most popular route to a Canada PR Visa. The program uses a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System to rank eligible candidates. Highest scoring candidates are invited to apply for a Canada PR Visa. Interested candidates can use the CRS calculator to understand their scores.
Back to the question of why you should work overseas. Here are 10 reasons why you should:
1. You get paid to travel
If you have traveled abroad then you know that it is expensive. Even if you stick to a budget, overseas travel can still burn a hole in your pocket. If you have ongoing expenses like a home loan or an education loan, it may be very difficult to adjust overseas travel in your budget. However, if you get a job overseas, your employer pays you to travel abroad. You get to experience a whole new country without giving up on your career. To top it, you get paid as well.
2. You get to learn new skills
Irrespective of which country you choose to move in, you will definitely learn new skills. Not just the skills required for your job but other soft skills like communication skills and networking skills too. You will be working in an international team that will not just hone your communication skills but also immensely develops your people-handling skills.
3. Personality development
You will be forced to move out of your comfort zone when you move to work abroad. Moving to a new country will not elicit the same comfort as your home country. Every day you will discover new things about yourself and interestingly enough, also about your home country. Moving abroad will not just help you grow professionally but also personally. People who like travelling generally like to learn more about themselves. Travelling abroad gives you a new perspective on life. Something which is a taboo in your home country may be the usual norm in another country. Travelling abroad helps you analyse a situation from more than one angle.
4. Learn a second language
There are very few chances that the country that you move to speaks your native language. This could work to your advantage as you will get the chance to learn a new language. Learning a new language will not only help you connect with your work colleagues but also help you better integrate into the workplace culture of a new country.
5. Network with different people
In this Internet age, it is possible to network with people from all around the globe. But nothing beats meeting them face to face. When you meet expatriates from different countries and locals, you not just expand your professional network but also get exposed to new job opportunities. You can build a wide circle of friends and acquaintances globally which can help in any of your future job searches.
6. Boost your resume
Having international experience can make you more attractive to employers. Most of the jobs in the future will need you to have overseas experience. Working overseas proves that you are independent and flexible and gives your resume an edge over other applicants. Also, if you learn new skills abroad, like a new language, it can further boost your resume.
7. Truly experience life abroad
It is very difficult to experience the real culture of a country when you are on a short vacation. You have a fixed itinerary and budget which leaves little time to explore the culture of a new country. We often end up visiting the tourist spots in a country and do not get to know the local culture at all. However, when you move to work abroad you become a part of the community. You get an inside view of the country’s culture, family life, and maybe also politics. You get to know about the unique traditions that the country follows and the unique quirks of its locals.
8. Higher pay
When you work abroad, you will obviously draw a higher salary than what you did in your home country. If you want to earn more in your home country, you may need to put in more hours of work. However, when working overseas you get higher pay without compromising on your work-life balance. You can have a great career, enjoy a high quality of life, and spend enough time with your family, or pursuing your hobbies, all at the same time. With the extra time, you would be able to travel, even more, making up some of the best memories of your life.
9. Learn to manage your resources
When you move to a new country, you need to get everything from scratch. From a place to stay to kitchen essentials, you will need to get everything. Managing everything in a foreign country will need you to carefully plan your budget. You will learn to prioritize the things you need which will help you stick to a budget. The skill of sticking to a budget is going to come handy all your life. You may not have a family in the country that you move to. This means that you will need to do everything on your own. You will become independent and self-reliant in the long run.
10. Find your dream career
Most people who work abroad do so because they want to try out new roles or different jobs. Working abroad may help you explore some new industries which you may not be able to in your home country. You may also discover a new passion and new interests when you work abroad. This may encourage you to explore job opportunities in different sectors. A stint abroad could lead you to your dream career, one that you may have never realized.
