Where and how to find jobs abroad
Unless you plan to put all your faith in indeed
There are two ways to go about moving abroad. The first is to land a job before making the move. The second is to start looking after touching down and setting up shop. The first option obviously has more pro’s, namely a sense of security. However, convincing a company to take a chance on you even though you haven’t even moved to that country is not an easy feat. Most companies by far prefer to hire foreigners already residing in their country at the time of job search.
How can I already be in the country if I don’t have a work visa?
This is obviously a hard question to answer generally since each country will have unique circumstances. Some countries have long tourist visas, like Russia. In other countries, it might be an option to move there with a student visa and convert that to a work visa. Another option would be to find an English teaching job which offers you a work visa until you can find something in your field of work (English-teaching visas are usually the easiest kind to get).
Country-specific job boards
Most countries have their own specific job boards which advertise postings specifically for foreigners. Gainjinpot.com, for example, posts jobs from all categories for positions all throughout Japan. These boards are particularly useful for spotting English teaching positions which offer visa sponsorship.
HR Companies
Why spend all your time looking for job advertisements online when there are human resource professionals whose full-time work is finding qualified recruits for available positions. By sending your resume to a recruiting agency in your target company, you can open access to positions you might not have seen otherwise. More importantly, your representative can be a useful guide through salary and contract negotiations.
Japan: Pasona S. Korea: Koisraup
International group Facebook pages
Some International groups are full of foreigners who mostly complain about their city. The Barcelona “expat groups” I know are mostly full of complaints about muggings, scams, and predatory landlords. However, some are very useful for posting local events, freelance jobs, and opportunities for making money. You can find postings seeking nannies, tutors, and dog walkers. In two separate cases, I landed opportunities for voice acting and TV extra work through FB international ladies groups.
Newspaper of local city
The benefit of being able to navigate the web in your host country’s language can be another reason why it is more fruitful to job-hunt in your new host country. A lot of local newspapers, like Padova Oggi in Italy, have a special section for job postings, whereas I don’t usually see many positions outside of urban centers on the main websites
Networking at social gatherings
International language exchanges and “expat meet-ups” are a good way to make connections. I used to avoid these kinds of events because I normally get trapped speaking English at them, but I can’t deny the networking potential and I’ve definitely worked the circuit a few times.
Freelance
If you’re considering making the switch to freelancing or you already are a freelancer, it might be more profitable for you to live abroad. Slash your cost of living and earn at the same rate. I would prefer to escape the harsh winters by shacking up in more affordable warm-weather places, like Puerto Rico.
Start a blog
Writing a blog about your experiences abroad is a great way to advertise your skills, no matter what your profession is. Your unique prospective on the country/city you’re living in will be made richer by your own identity. Starting a travel blog several years ago turned out to be one of the most lucrative investments I’ve made. Multiple companies reached out through the blog to offer freelance work. Some of those clients I still work with today. Copywriting, restaurant reviewing, and food-industry consulting are some of the opportunities that have come my way thanks to my small blog.
Leaving home to start a new life is a big decision and it can seem really scary, especially if you don’t have a clear idea in your mind what the next step will be. I want to emphasize that whether you relocate to start a new job or save up to make the move with the intention of finding work in your new country, there are always ways to make money. It’s less scary than you think and you will be rewarded in so many ways other than just monetarily.
