Going Abroad

This morning, on the T, I was squashed into a corner on a full train when three gorgeous, brunette girls squeezed in next to me. From the minute I saw them, I could tell that they were very well dressed, and they had a sort of European air about them. "Possibly French," I said to myself, using my limited knowledge of fashion from my year in Paris, which told me that the pastel layers and boots they were wearing were euro-inspired looks. And sure enough, right after my clothing evaluation, I hear, "On descend où, là? On va à Park Street, non?" YESSSS, I thought, proud of my detective skills and my comprehension of the garbled teenage Parisian French. I got a little France-sick for a minute, which got me to thinking about my plans after graduation. As I'd LOVE to return to France immediately after college, I've been looking into some fellowship options as well as teaching English positions.

Timely enough, this week Brendan and I bring you a topic that overlaps with my aspirations: relocating to study and/or work. While most students leave home to attend college, whether it be another town, state, or country (for most of us, moving abroad is temporary, during our junior year), it's a bit more daunting for young graduates to decide to move abroad to pursue graduate study and work. In case our readers are toying with the idea, I've done a little research to find out what to do when our study abroad experience leads to a desire to once again jet-set away from America.

Although I'm pretty certain that each country has its own set of rules and regulations regarding work permits--and if you're thinking long-term, acquiring citizenship--many of the people I've talked to, both in the office and out, have told me that the easiest way to get work abroad, especially in Europe and Asia, is by teaching English. I would suggest starting at your school's career center to see if they have any affiliated programs with specific countries. Another great program is Peace Corps, which gives you a stipend to teach English (among other work opportunities) in a foreign country for two years. I would imagine that teaching English in another country would give you worthy insight into another culture as well as your own.

If you're toying with the idea of moving abroad, but you aren't sure how long you'd like to stay, I would recommend going as a student, as student visas are generally easier to come by than work visas. If you enroll in a graduate program, either taught in English or the native language, you will most likely be able to obtain all the required documentation to apply for a visa while still in the US. Also, most European countries allow visitors to stay in the country for up to 90 days without a visa, and these travelers are considered tourists. The visa I needed for my year abroad was called a carte de séjour, basically a long stay visa that's good for a year. If I had wanted to stay longer, I would have needed to show documentation to the government saying that I needed a renewal. With a student visa, many countries allow you to work a certain number of hours without having to apply for a work visa (in France you can work a maximum of 964 hours a year).

If you think you're in it for the long haul, there are ways to get a work visa if you find someone in the country who will sponsor you at a company. This can be tricky, since many times you can't get a visa without a sponsor, but you can't find a sponsor without a work visa. Catch-22, right? My thinking is that if you go abroad as a student or as a tourist and simply search for work while you're there, you can try to make that work long-term. For example, in France, if you hold a degree equivalent to a Masters, you can get a temporary residence permit valid for 6 months , during which you can work almost full time. If you're recruited by a company during this time, or while you're still a student, a legal procedure may let you change your status from student to employee. And the path towards citizenship widens.

Some of you out there may also be in luck, if you have European relatives. Take a look at Obtaining an EU Passport to find out more about if you're eligible.


If you're jones-ing for more specific advice on a particular country, or if I haven't been helpful enough, here are some more sites to look at:

Jobs Abroad is pretty general, but it has links to opportunities to get a degree abroad, and also to volunteer.
The Transitions Abroad website has some great testimonials and some student to student advice about studying and working abroad.

Job Monkey has a working abroad guide with great tips, especially if you want to teach English.

And there's always the Ventures Abroad page on Experience.com! Check out Lydia's blog - she's currently working in Milan!

Good luck, residents of the world! Maybe I'll see you across the pond.

-Kate