Working Overseas
Getting a Job Overseas
Between 2008 and 2010 I had a job I loved in education in the public sector in the UK. Although it wasn’t a fulltime contract, which was hard to come by, I was able to make up my hours in other ways and enjoyed being a part of the lecturing staff. As a result of the financial crisis and economic downturn the government made severe cuts in the sector so everyone had their hours cut down and we almost found ourselves without a manager as redundancies were rife. It was a struggle to pay the bills and saving wasn’t a possibility.
One cold winter’s evening it was snowing outside and I was sat in my freezing cold car eating a cheese sandwich for my evening meal. The sandwich I had made at 6am before leaving to go to my first job of the day. Having eaten lunch and dinner on the hop, I then went on to work my evening shift and get home at 11pm. Enough was enough - but what on earth was I going to do?
I had already spent time abroad, both working and studying, in France, Spain and the Czech Republic so going abroad was definitely not off the table. As luck would have it, eventually I was offered a position in Dubai after a friend of a friend recommended me. So what was the key to success – it was primarily my network but I had to submit a good CV and pass a 3 day interview process to actually land the job.
So what are my top tips for starting your Job Search abroad?
Step 1 Update your CV & Cover Letter
Are you looking for work in a country which speaks a different language to yours? If so, you need to take advice not only on getting the language right, but on ensuring that you meet the culture specific requirements of the country. In France, for example, you are expected to submit only a one page document, whereas the Cover Letter or Lettre de Motivation is much more important than in some other countries.
Check out my other blogs on CV Writing and How to beat the ATS system for more information.
Step 2 Think about the Application Process
Most people have to go through an application form process at one point or another. If you are a teacher or a medical professional the chances are you will have to use a very specific type of application process rather than simply submitting your CV. It is still important, however, that you gather the best information together and prepare for this as if you were working on your CV.
If you are submitting both, try not to repeat information from your CV. Get together a list of basic interview questions and rehearse your answers for them – you may be asked some of these at the point of application. As well as some of the more practical questions, such as salary expectations, here are some examples of some more job specific and cultural fit questions to prepare for:
· Why do you want to leave your current position?
· Can you give an example of a project you undertook and the outcomes?
· Discuss the positions you have held which are relevant to this position.
· What do you enjoy most about your profession and why?
· Why would you like to work for us?
· What are your career ambitions? How does this position fit in with your long-term goals?
· What strengths do you have that make you most suitable for this position?
· How will you cope with being away from home for long periods of time?
Step 3 Do you have the right language skills?
It is highly likely, when trying to get onto the career ladder overseas, you will have to take a language test. For UK and British Overseas Territories, you might need an IELTS test certificate for study and work – this will also be useful in the UAE for example. For the United States you might need a TOEFL certificate and for France a DELF might be necessary.
If you are not sure what level, you are and whether or not you can meet the requirements of the role I would highly recommend you seek advice from a Language professional. If you have never sat the examinations before it is worth knowing that much of the grade is derived from exam technique over actual language ability. Doing some exam practice sessions in advance, with a professional is highly recommended.
If you would like to know a bit more about IELTS and language testing for recruitment check out our page on the website entitled LinguiTalent.
Step 4 Do you have all your paperwork in order?
Qualification and birth certificates are a good example here – many countries require sworn translations of official documentation. It is a good idea to have this done in advance as it may involve going to/ sending documents to your embassy to be stamped. This can be time consuming and costly if required. Be sure to get trustworthy advice on this before spending your money, however, as some advice on this can be outdated.
When you are getting your paperwork together, scan everything and take multiple copies. No matter where you go in the world, you will need many copies of everything!
Step 5 Update your LinkedIn
If you haven’t already done so, it’s a great idea to get everything you have been working on, into your LinkedIn. Your updated CV information, extra relevant information which you may have prepared for the application process can also be incorporated to make it stand out.
Have you put in your language skills and grades? What other skills will make you a good candidate for an overseas worker? Have you set up a second language profile? It might be worth doing if your chosen country uses a different language to yours.
Once updated, this is your opportunity to use LinkedIn for networking. LinkedIn may not necessarily be the place you find your next overseas position, it might however, be the ideal place to find the right connections to help you. There are dedicated groups, recruitment agencies, and people who can point you in the right direction dependent upon your country of choice.
For more information on updating your LinkedIn profile check out my previous blogs.
As well as LinkedIn, there are some excellent expat groups on Facebook for example. Get researching.
Step 6 Research Cost of Living/ Living Standards
I often meet people who are desperate to move abroad but who really haven’t thought through the consequences of doing so.
· Do you know how much the cost of living is in comparison with your expected salary?
· What about schooling? Have you taken your children’s education into consideration? In many countries schooling is not free, and many companies won’t cover the costs. If your children don’t go to school until the age of 5, or even later in some countries, what will your childcare arrangements be without family or friends to help out?
· How about medical costs? Are you in a position to pay for these yourself or do you expect your new company to pay?
· What will happen to your pension in your home country? Do you intend to continue to make voluntary contributions? Will you be able to take out a private pension? What will happen if you don’t make these kinds of arrangements now?
· Do you have enough money in the bank to pay a deposit on rental accommodation, a car or hire car to get started with, furniture when you get there?
· How long do you plan to stay in your new country? Will it be economically viable after setting yourselves up?
The Practicalities
It is often worthwhile getting in touch with a good Handholding service to guide you through the entire process from start to finish. Setting up in France has been particularly difficult, even in comparison to the UAE, so to give you an example of some considerations here is what we have been through personally to get set up in France:
· You need to register with the government to get a long stay visa called a Carte de Sejour – this requires a huge amount of documentation including bank statements, income statements and bills, like for many overseas postings you have to prove you have enough money to survive in your new country.
· You need to register to get a Carte Vitale for healthcare dependent upon your status in country and an online account, as well as registering with various applications to aid this process you need to register with a new doctor, any specialists and a dentist. This can usually be done through an app called DoctoLib and your prescriptions come through OrdoClic. Setting up your accounts in each is not as easy as you might think! On top of your Carte Vitale, most people have a Mutuelle which is private top up insurance, finding the right one to suit you can be time consuming and costly.
· After the end of 2021 you will have to register to exchange your driving license for now, we can use our current ones but buying a car here is far more expensive.
· You will have to register with your local tax office as you will have two types of tax to pay for just residing here and this doesn’t include your income – so it’s really worth getting a good Financial Advisor and/or Accountant on board. As a self-employed person in France, I have to declare Social Security Cotisations every quarter as well as CFE tax at the end of the year. Each process requires a separate tax account and online systems.
· Of course, you need to think about your Will in the country you are residing in. In France for example your belongings will be subject to French law if you die without a will in place. You need to get a good lawyer, perhaps the one who helped you to buy/rent your home.
These are just a few of the things I had to consider for France, and I cite them as an example of some of the things you really need to take into consideration before making the move overseas. In terms of finding that dream job, networking is perhaps the best method I can recommend. Think about the timing of your job search and whether or not it fits in with the current climate. I have loads of experience of being an expat overseas and am really happy to offer as much help and advice as possible.
We have launched a brand-new service which is a dual language CV Writing package designed for Expats. If you are interested in hearing more, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me directly on yourconsultant@candehrconsultancy.com