Managing Expectations when Going to Work in a Foreign Country

Gabi Stein
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read

My experiences with working abroad include time at an STI hospital in China completing research about HIV and a stint at a biotech accelerator in Ireland on their operations team. Both times, I went in with the expectation that I would travel all around, learn about the culture deeply, and truly walk away with a sense of fulfillment that I gained an understanding of the area I was in. Unfortunately, both times this was not the case. You see, working full time and wanting to travel full time just don’t mix. So, for me, I was able to do some traveling, try some of the area’s food and culture, but there was no way that my experience would match the amount of places someone who was purely traveling or visiting as a student would be able to see.

Now, I am by no means saying that working in a new country for a short stint is a bad thing. It is amazing to learn how to responsibly live on your own in a new setting, meet new people, and gain skills, but I want to share the warning: you might not have as much free time as you think.

Personally, after working 40+ hour weeks, it’s exhausting to plan a full weekend trip and be back on the grind at 8:30 or 9 AM the following Monday. I was able to do this a handful of times, but it is hard to manage your energy when you have no time to fully recover.

In contrast, I was able to gain a better sense of an area when I was a visiting student abroad. I attribute this to having a sub 40 hour work week, and a larger community that wanted to also travel, so the onus was not just on you to plan the trip. I do want to say there are others that want to travel when working abroad, but when going into a new place that has people who live in the area, they often give advice, not necessarily accompany you and help you make the arrangements of the trip.

A short, funny story to go with this nugget of advice was when one of my friends from university came to visit me in Cork, Ireland. She had been studying in Dublin and wanted to come see Cork for the day. I met her at the bus stop and we discussed some of the things she looked up and what the plan should be. She started listing places in cork: the English Market, University College Cork , the Cork City Gaol….

This is where I stopped her. I had heard of and walked through the English Market, I worked at UCC, but there is a jail to visit in Cork? My friend the tourist knew more about the place I had been living, than myself, because I was so consumed with work.

Now, I do like to pride myself as a time manager, and had explored many of Cork’s local coffee shops, but there were places I was not able to visit until they were thrown into my face. So, to sum it up, be aware of the work load and have realistic travel expectations when accepting a short-term opportunity abroad. If you want to explore the area you are planning to work in, I would recommend planning time before or after to fully submerse yourself in the new place’s culture and geography.

The Post-Grad Survival Guide

We're confused twenty-somethings. We dish on our post-grad blues, successes, failures, and everyday life right here. Featuring topics related to work, relationships, travel, finances, and so much more.

Gabi Stein

Written by

Lead TA @COMP110, incoming PM @Microsoft | Formerly intern @Quizlet, speakers manager @TEDxUNC, operations intern@rebelbio , researcher @sesh_global

The Post-Grad Survival Guide

We're confused twenty-somethings. We dish on our post-grad blues, successes, failures, and everyday life right here. Featuring topics related to work, relationships, travel, finances, and so much more.

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