Posted on February 15, 2013 with No Comments
As unemployment continues to remain high in the U.S, many Americans are looking abroad for new opportunities. Aside from the opportunities, a change in landscape will offer a new and exciting experience to grow and learn in a different culture, gain valuable skills – learning a new language – and expand your global network. But moving to a completely different country is a big and risky decision. Here are a few steps to consider:
Setting Goals: Where do you want to work? In what industry or field? What are the skills you want to gain? When do you want to go?
Finding the Opportunities: Begin researching and connecting with organizations you want to work for. Even if an organization is not hiring, it is still beneficial to build connections and gain insights about living and working in that particular country. Other options to consider are: teaching, “paid” volunteer programs (Peace Corps and UN Volunteers), teaching or research fellowships, and study abroad (graduate or undergraduate programs).
Evaluating Your Options: While landing an opportunity is important, considering other challenges that you may face will help you make a more informed decision. What are the costs (airfare, housing, etc.)? How do you apply for a work visa? How long should you stay abroad?
Like finding any other job, it all takes time. Take the necessary time to learn what kind of career you want to develop and your reasons to go abroad. In the meantime, you can learn a language, save up for your trip, and network with people who have studied or worked abroad.
~Hai Chi, Career Peer Advisor
Tags: advice, Career, career path, Experience, how to, international, job search, Jobs, photos, search, tips
Category: Career Exploration, Job Searching, Uncategorized
Posted on March 24, 2011 with No Comments
We’re glad to be able to open up this space to a guest blogger, Kailee Brickner-McDonald, a former practicum intern with Non-Profit Programs here at Career Services, for this Doing Good, Doing Well post. We are glad she was able to share this story of networking with us!
UVM’s Alternative Winter Break and Vermont Institute on the Caribbean–Partners since Career Services’ International Non-Profit Career Panel in 2009
In the spring of 2009, UVM Career Services hosted an International Non-Profit Career Panel. Similar to the networking panels offered this semester (link to calendar for those kinds of events), it brought together alumni and local employers in the non-profit field and students with all levels of interest.
Among the students who participated, Leondaro Badia, ’09, showed up. He shared how he was going to be interning with the Vermont Institute on the Caribbean (VIC) that summer. At the time, UVM Student Life’s Alternative Winter Break’s (AWB) leaders were looking for a new hosting community for their international service trip. Talking with Leondardo about his connection to VIC’s Baseball Exchange Program through a service-learning class, it seemed like a good match for AWB. Thanks to the connection, AWB started to work with VIC. In the winter of 2010 the 11 UVM students on the AWB trip helped with the Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Kids initiative and a park building project with 4th and 5th graders in Los Dominguez, a marginalized neighborhood in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. This year another 11 UVM students returned to the same school to lead workshops on girls’ self-esteem and leadership. AWB plans to continue the partnership with the community and organization into the future.
Check out this photo of the 2011 Alternative Winter Break group in the park that the 2010 group helped to build:
This fruitful connection at the International Non-Profit Career Panel demonstrates how “networking” is truly a community-building experience. Peer-to-peer student collaboration and information -sharing that night was just as important as the relationships which also began among employers, alumni, and students.
–Kailee
