Hi Scott,

Dear Martin,

Good question! My short answer is to first assess the student’s tolerance for risk. 

Hi Ana-Maria,

A significant proportion of US-based jobs already require international experience, and the trend is only getting bigger. With each year, Internet technologies move us further and further towards a new global economy, and students in all fields are going to have better job prospects if they have international skills when they graduate. Almost every profession will soon require workers to have global career skills.

Hi Craig,

Dear Nadine,

As a technical writer (and this applies to most fields), you can certainly make better headway in your international job search by teaching English abroad and networking with professionals in your field. Because teaching in Europe without an EU passport can sometimes be difficult, why not try South America or Asia instead? There are more jobs available in these locations, and it can be much easier to get a visa because of that.

ANSWER: The way you target your international job search will be determined by your education and areas of expertise. You're correct to assume that finding meaningful international work is not as simple as sending your CV around the globe. You’ll need to prove to international employers that you can function in an international environment, one that may be very different from your home. If you have no previous international experience, I would recommend taking a sabbatical for four or more months.

Hi Nick,

There are fewer and fewer free volunteer NGO experiences to be had. Students almost always have to pay an NGO or a private company to find a volunteer placement position abroad. Some NGOs (especially faith-based NGOs) require that you fundraise to meet your travel and accommodation expenses. Students can save money if they arrange their own placement directly with a third-world NGO, but this is only recommended for those who are very independent and have a high degree of risk tolerance.

You should definitely question this offer. There are similar situations in which unsuspecting new employees are asked to process financial transactions to ensure their position. This, of course, turns out to be fraud. Your offer contains none of the normal parameters expected from an international employer. Even though it looks attractive, you should proceed with much caution and undertake a thorough background check, including references from other recruits. My first reaction would be to ignore this “to good to be true” offer.

Hi Nima,