Product Description

Globalization is changing the way the world works, and employers are increasingly looking for workers who have solid international skills.

Research shows that students who graduate with international skills perform much better in their careers. While some international jobs are located abroad, the majority are based here at home in the USA or Canada. And with an increasingly multicultural workforce, students with global work skills will be better prepared for success.

Why MyWorldAbroad? Because every go abroad experience has career potential.

MyWorldAbroad partners with universities and colleges across Canada and the USA to help them graduate a global-ready work force. The website is built around the concept of the Global You which includes five components: Culture Smarts, Travel Smarts, Getting Experience, The Job Search, and The Professions. The website is an encyclopedic resource for students seeking to maximize the career value of their time abroad and to find work after graduation. The site features 3,500 resources, 300 expert articles, 75 Quick Guides (available in English and French), a Program Certificate in Cross-culutral Competencies (includes 6 Course Certificates), 118 Workplace Country Guides, international IQ Quizzes, inspiring student stories, social media campaigns and a monthly newsletter for students and staff. The unifying theme of MyWorldAbroad is international skill building because students that graduate with international skills do much better in their careers. MyWorldAbroad works alongside universities and colleges to enable every student to develop the skills they need to succeed in the 21^st century workplace.

• View our Overview Document to take a tour of our content & tools.
• MyWorldAbroad's New Training Approach: Summer 2024: MyWorldAbroad has launched an exciting new training program for advisors, including career, study abroad, academic, and international student advisors. Over 90 advisors participated in June, with more scheduled for July, August, and the fall. With today’s students having shorter attention spans, they need more guidance from informed advisors. Well-trained advisors are crucial for guiding students through MyWorldAbroad's extensive resources. As such, we are focusing on training a core group of advisors in various departments at our client schools, including career, co-op, study abroad, business, international studies, international affairs, engineering, and international student offices.

Attend a Free Demonstration Webinar

This is the best way to evaluate how MyWorldAbroad can help your students prepare for work in a global economy. Register here for one of our Wednesday webinars, or contact us (jmhachey@myworldabroad.com) to schedule a private session.

How Does It Work?

• Our business model: Universities purchase an annual site license (many schools sign up for a 3-year agreement), which allows students, staff and alumni access MyWorldAbroad's collection of articles, resources and tools. The license is purchased by a university (often the career center and/or the international office) or an individual department (e.g. the business faculty, global studies department, engineering faculty). Pricing is based on school size and is both affordable and cost-effective. (We also welcome inquiries from NGOs, volunteer/intern placement agencies, firms and government departments.) Contact us for details.
• How do students access the site? There are three methods for students/staff to access MyWorldAbroad via links on the client school Web site. 1) The School E-mail Registration System (SRS) allows students/staff to register using their school e-mail addresses. All client schools have access to the SRS. 2) The Quick Access System (QAS) is an additional system that provides direct access to MyWorldAbroad without students/staff having to register. QAS is only available to schools that have private portals on their Web site (i.e. the link is placed within a private site area only accessible by students). 3) The Student Prospects System (SPS) and the Alumni Access System (AAS) are both great ways to register students or alumni without worrying if they have a school-designated email address or not. (View more details about MWA registration systems.)

Our Objective

MyWorldAbroad is one of the only full-service sites that helps schools integrate the career component into students' go abroad experience. We empower students and young professionals to build global career skills. The underlying philosophy of the site revolves around encouraging students to build their international skills step-by-step, over time. By developing a broad range of international skills and experiences consistently over the course of their studies, students not only discover the personal satisfaction of cross-cultural encounters, they also build strong professional profiles and prepare themselves for successful internationally-oriented careers. MyWorldAbroad successfully helps students build global competence!

What is Global Competence? "Having an open mind while actively seeking to understand cultural norms and expectations of others, and leveraging this gained knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively in diverse environments." William D. Hunter, Ed.D., 2004

Start Your Global Journey (our main menu)

Our five-part process (outlined below) is centered on the Global You and helps students succeed from the first day on campus to the first day on the job. 

View our Site Overview document to take a full tour of our content & tools

• Culture Smarts teaches you skills and traits to help you become a cross-culturally successful worker and traveler.
• Travel Smarts explains how to prepare for your journey and the skills you’ll need to thrive on the ground.
• Getting Experience takes you through the multiple pathways to gaining international experience. 
• The Job Search is all about learning how to market yourself (and your international skills) with confidence.
• The Professions focuses on the most popular industries for young people working internationally at home or abroad.

About Our Content

The MyWorldAbroad site is built on two main components: articles and resources.

• 300+ Expert Articles: Our 300+ articles contain expert advice focused on practical strategies for international success "“ from overcoming the hurdles of culture shock to maximizing the career value of a volunteer term, we have it all. Articles are constantly being reviewed, updated and added to the site. Articles are written by Jean-Marc Hachey (publisher and founder of MyWorldAbroad) or by senior editors who consult with experts in the field. View sample Quick Guide / article.
• 3,600+ Valuable Resources: Each year, MyWorldAbroad researchers update and review all 3,600+ of our profiled resources. These resources include descriptions of international employers, job boards, placement agencies, key NGOs, internship/volunteer opportunities and much more. Our focus is on helping students with varying objectives find the information they need on every conceivable aspect of going international. Resources are organized into 50 lists, offering an extensive array of filtering options. View sample resource. View sample resource list.
• How We Update Content: Read about how we organize our staff to provide you with quality information, and learn how often we update our content. View
• Our Content Update Log: Scan our monthly log about what's new and what has been recently updated on the site. View

Additional Content & Features

• HOT NEWS: Certificate Program in Intercultural Competencies: Launched Jan 2, 2024 after 3 years of writing and development (Covid lockdown was a very creative time for us.) The Program is comprised of six Course Certificates crafted for students to seamlessly guide their own cross-cultural learning and can be delivered at scale with or without school oversight.
• 116 Workplace Country Guides available in English & French (login required), view sample guides: France, Barzil, Germany, India. These guides provide powerful insights into a country's culture. BIG IDEA: make your office the “go-to-department” on campus for comprehensive cross-cultural advice for students, staff and faculty.
• Quick Guides: Our popular Quick Guides are packed with critical information about building international competency and succeeding abroad. Our guides cover 75+ of our most popular go abroad topics and help schools promote global career skills. Students and staff at subscribing schools have FULL REPRODUCTION RIGHTS to our Quick Guides, which are engaging pdf files that are easy to view and share. Use our guides for one-on-one advising, or design an entire workshop or pre-departure / re-entry course for students. Guides are available in English, French and Spanish to help students learn the terminology to sell themselves to future employers. View
• Monthly newsletter Student Bulletin: Take Action to Build the Global You
• Stories from Abroad: This collection of stories is the key peer-to-peer learning component of the site. Students learn best from other students. 90 in-depth interviews and essays with students provide first-hand insight into what it is like to intern, volunteer, study, teach, travel, work and live abroad. In addition to the Q&A component, profiles also include travel photos, top quotes and next-step career-building advice from our editors. Sample application documents are also included, to highlight how real-world candidates have been successful abroad. Our Stories from Abroad feature is getting rave reviews for its accessible, valuable approach to offering advice. View
• International Quizzes: Our quizzes are fun and quick. These popular quizzes can be used to measure student progress, identify knowledge gaps, and promote discussion. To measure progress, have students complete quizzes and record their scores before and after going abroad. Seven quizzes help students audit and track their international potential in three different areas: international IQ (view), international experience (view) and preparedness for the international job search (view). Individual scores are rolled-up to a master scorecard (view). Use our printable score cards (Word file, PDF file or Student Excel file) to track progress both BEFORE and AFTER students go abroad. The Excel file is particularly useful for schools tracking groups of students in a workshop, or students taking part in a group visit abroad.
• Social Media: We help schools reach out to their students by providing quality social media content with multiple messages based on the school year cycle. View
• Sample Application Documents: Your students will be inspired by actual documents that real students used to successfully apply for internships, volunteer positions, working vacations, teaching English and study abroad. Students can emulate their peers' application documents (cover letters, resumes, application essays) or see what we have to offer (example The Go Abroad Application Process). View
• Self-evaluations: Students are encouraged to think analytically about their experiences by tracking and thinking deeply about their international skills before, during and after going abroad. We provide insightful questions for eight popular types of go abroad experience. View
• Top Tips and Student Quotes: Scan our top tips in 40 go abroad subject areas: international skills, getting experience, finding work, and the professions. View
• My Starred Items: Users can "star" any article or resource for future reference. Starred items are visible within the navigation bars for quick access. View

Our Writing Style and Target Audience

MyWorldAbroad's content is equally relevant to undergrads, graduates and young professionals. Our writing style is designed to empower users with crucial information, while remaining accessible and motivational. The advice offered in the guide has an innovative and entrepreneurial angle, while being easy to implement. In every section and sub-section, we incorporate a career-building angle, ensuring that readers know how to maximize the professional potential of every international experience at home and abroad, and we focus on encouraging readers to step outside their comfort zones in order to build valuable skills. 

What students are saying about MyWorldAbroad! Quotes from four students, including three Stories from Abroad contributors: 

MyWorldAbroad has been nothing short of essential for my research. It has incredible resources about government, travelling as a woman, and even immunization vaccines. This Website has really helped ease my anxiety, offering enough information to alleviate my concerns before and during my time away. I've found the tips and quotes from other students who've been abroad especially helpful. With this information, I feel more at ease and mentally prepared. I look forward to using the site more and more while I'm abroad and once I get home." 
Pre-departure student, Mount Royal University

MyWorldAbroad's resources helped me think about my experience not just as a fun trip, but as an experience that could help me professionally. Reading other Stories from Abroad has also given me a lot of ideas about experiences I'd like to have in the future."
Julia, International Affairs Student, George Washington University (View Julia's Story from Abroad.)

After reading the inspiring abroad experience stories of other students on MyWorldAbroad.com, I was filled with conviction to pursue an experience of my own. This resource was useful in that it motivated me to develop a concrete plan of where I was going to go, what I was going to do and set my plans into motion."
Bushra, Communications student, University of Ottawa (View Bushra's Story from Abroad.) 

It's the best place to go for every kind of international opportunity, whereas other sites are tailored to one type (i.e. just working abroad or just studying abroad)." 
Meryn, Education student, Dalhousie University (View Meryn's Story from Abroad.)

Benefits for Advisors and Faculty

• MyWorldAbroad supports schools' internationalization efforts with practical advice, tools and resources. Subscribing to the guide also encourages communication and cooperation between college/university departments such as Career Services, Study Abroad and International Student Services.
• The site is a valuable resource for Career Services offices and student advisors. Many Career Services offices have dedicated staff, but some may not have extensive international experience to draw upon when advising. MyWorldAbroad is a perfect tool for strengthening and broadening your advising capabilities.
• The site empowers Study Abroad and International Student offices to forge links between their programs and the career aspirations of their students. The guide highlights the "career value" of going abroad in a way that school administrators, student advisors, students and even their parents can connect to. 

Features for Advisors and Faculty

• Marketing Campaigns : MyWorldAbroad has over 50 marketing projects (with accompanying tools and documents) to help you spread the word about the availability of MyWorldAbroad and to promote global career skills to your students. View
• Marketing Products : MyWorldAbroad offers marketing products (view) that are specifically customized for each school: School posters (view sample print-poster or view sample electronic-posters) and promotional cards (view sample).
• Staff Training Webinars: We regularly hold training webinars for staff, faculty and office interns. Schools can also request a group training session for three or more staff. View

• SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS: The Global Nudge Social Media Campaign (GNSMC) boosts student engagement and encourages success. We offer several fully-developed, year-long social media campaigns for your office to share. Based on the statistically-proven concept of nudging, we've designed a collection of share schedules populated with high-quality content, including encouraging messages, inspiring quotes, links to MyWorldAbroad quizzes and Quick Guides, and much more. Share schedules are totally customizable and easy to implement. In just a few hours, a staff member can easily load half a year of content into Facebook. With social media management tools, preloading can take as little as 30 minutes. Versions of the GNSMC are available for study abroad offices, career services offices, French-language institutions, and mini campaigns are available for offices wishing to share only the key messages. (View campaigns.)
• TRAINING: Student Workshops and Individual Student Advising: MyWorldAbroad can be used for creating student workshops and for individual student advising. MyWorldAbroad training products: Quick Guides (view), International Quizzes (view), Self-Evaluation Questions (view) and "In A Rush?" Article Suggestions (view), Stories From Abroad (view), Sample Application Documents (view), Sample Resumes (view).  WORKSHOPS: Your International Resume & LinkedIn Profile (view); International Skills? Be More Than Just A Tourist! (view); 100+ Ways To Maximize The Career Value Of Your Time Abroad (view). Applicable training areas: pre-departure and re-entry orientation, international job-hunting, and each of our eight go abroad experiences (view). A few schools have designed credit-based courses entirely around our Web site.
• Alumni Access : Alumni have full access to MyWorldAbroad. View
• Usage Statistics : Schools have full access to live usage stats. View
• Jean-Marc Hachey's Seminars: Client schools benefit from substantial discounts for campus lectures by Jean-Marc Hachey. View

Our Client Base

• MyWorldAbroad is trusted resource supported by a wide cross section of schools in US and Canada. Some of our longstanding client schools have been encouraging their students to go international for decades while others are just starting to encourage students to build international skills. The lead sponsor of our service in 50% of cases is career services, and the other 50% is with the study abroad and international student office. In either case, we always maintain contacts with a wide body of staff in multiple departments on campus promoting global experiences (example, 20+ staff at a mid-size school, and 50+ staff at a very large school. The relationships are maintained and everyone benefits by recieving our monthly Student Bulletin: Take action for the Global You. We are there to help you in all circumstances. 

Why Join Us?

Students are graduating into a working world where cross-cultural skills are essential and a global mindset is priceless. MyWorldAbroad helps you give your graduates a strong start in the new global economy. We promote international skill-building, cross-cultural travel, global awareness and an entrepreneurial approach to building careers. We look forward to partnering with you! We welcome your inquiries and/or consider attending one of our free demonstration webinars.

Share MyWorldAbroad Talking Points

This is an easy way to explain our product. Share our Talking Points with staff, faculty and students. (View MyWorldAbroad Talking Points.)

Comparing MyWorldAbroad
to Other Vendors

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC JOB SEARCHING? Our competitors' approach is based on a country-specific job search for finding international jobs. These services can be helpful to foreign students at your school who are looking for jobs in their home country, but the value to US/Canadian students is less clear; the main issue being the difficulty of securing a visa for professional work abroad with a foreign company.

At MyWorldAbroad, our international job search approach is based on over 20 years of experience working with thousands of students to help them follow the most effective international job search strategies. What our experience has taught us is this:

1. A country-specific job search only works for low-skilled work (volunteer, intern or working vacation placements), since it is much easier for US/Can. students to secure a working-vacation level visa for such temporary positions.
2. A country-specific job search does not work for professional international work since students generally cannot secure the necessary working visa (for professional work) with local employers abroad. 

WHO HIRES US/Canadian GRADUATES FOR INTERNATIONAL WORK? The facts are clear: approximately 85% of young professionals working in international jobs are hired by US/Can. firms, US/Can. NGOs or the US/Can. Government. It is these employers who send recent graduates to work abroad, or to be based in the US/Can. while working on international files and projects. There is an especially huge demand and solid growth prospects for international jobs that are based in the US/Can. With the power of the Internet, the ability to put together international work teams and the ease and low cost of international travel, US/Can. firms (small, mid-sized and large firms) are entering the global economy faster than ever, and they need a pool of qualified student-graduates to compete globally. To effectively search for this type of US/Can-international job, students need to undertake an industry-based job search with US/Can. employers (rather than a country-specific job search with local employers abroad). By doing this they are increasing their chances of success, and building towards a truly sustainable international career.

SUPPORTING THE GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS OF THE US/Canadian ECONOMY: At MyWorldAbroad, we help US/Can. schools graduate a pool of globally-experienced graduates to help build the global competitiveness of US/Can. firms, NGOs and the US/Can. Government.

STUDENT FOCUSED QUICK GUIDE (related to the above info): Here is a link to one of our most popular Quick Guides: Debunking the Myths: The Real Deal on International Work. This guide is written for a student audience and addresses the futility of undertaking a "country specific" job search when looking for "professional jobs" after graduation. Our clients use the above Quick Guide when doing one on one advising, i.e. when a student walks into the office and says "I'm about to graduate, how do I find a job in Italy?"