Finding a summer job abroad during the three months that make up summer vacation-June, July and August-is easier than trying to find a job during spring break or even the two to three weeks some students or teachers are off for Christmas Break. There are a few advantages and disadvantages of working summer jobs abroad, but finding the right job can make your summer vacation unique.
Goals
What are your goals for working a summer job abroad? Do you want to live in another country for fun while still making ends meet? Do you earn school credit for working in another country? Sometimes schools will give you applicable credits for language, art and culture experiences, so check with your school to see if this may be a possibility. Many people simply enjoy residing in another country practicing a recently learned language or just using the summer vacation as just that: a summer vacation.
Preparation
No matter your reasons or goals, you need to do a little prep work in terms of things to do before you move to another country for a few months.
- Make sure you have the job. Many overseas employees have no problem doing phone or webcam interviews, but you want to have the job before heading to another country for an extended period of time so you aren't scrambling to find a job after you've arrived.
- Have all your documentation ready. This includes any passports you need, birth certificates and any other paperwork that ties you to your birth country.
- Apply for a work visa or a temporary living document. Typically, either of those needs to be done before summer vacation starts. Three to six months before you leave is a good amount of time to complete this. this kind of time frame is also good for purchasing airline tickets.
- Pack! This, of course, is the most fun part of the preparation. Ensure you check weather reports and local attractions to pack appropriate clothing.
Where to Find Summer Jobs Abroad
Mostly likely, you will have to search for summer jobs abroad online. Fortunately, there are many resources available to you. The following are some of the better websites to find an overseas summer job.
- With Jobs Abroad, you start by telling the site in what country you'd like to work. It appears that no country is left out, though the most popular 15 or so searched countries are listed on the main page. You can also search by the type of job you want, like hospitality or theater. Jobs Abroad also makes it convenient for you to find out airline information and other pricings.
- If you are a teacher or plan on seeking a job in the education field, then see if there's a job at Go Abbey Road you can use your skills. This company mainly deals with teaching language to foreign high school students, but you may also find jobs as a Residential Advisor or a Program Director. Take note: some experience is required by most of the jobs, whether this is real world experience or classroom experience.
- Season Works has many jobs in the resort or hospitality industry, where you basically work to make others' vacations wonderful. There are a few sections where you can teach English as a second language or take on childcare jobs, but expect many results to come back on cruise ships, hotels, resorts and other vacation spots.
- One last resource you can use is foreign papers local to the area in which you want to work. While most initial website loads are in the country's language, you can use the Internet to translate (or why not practice the language?) the page for you. For example, Elpais (The Country) is a widely read newspaper in Spain. Like many major online newspapers, you can narrow down the news and jobs to sections of the country. Just do a quick Google search, like "[Insert Country Name Here] newspapers."
Advice
If you are just starting out or are simply interested in getting information on working abroad, then check out Transitions Abroad for many articles on the best jobs, trends and how you can even work as an instructor to teach English as a second language.
