INTERNATIONAL
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
According
to Peters-Behrens, (2001) the skills most sought after
by global employers include:
-
Domain
skills. These are skills that are either acquired
from experience or through some form of formal education
(e.g., trade schools, universities, etc.). Clearly,
in addition to specific domain training (e.g., accounting,
logistics, marketing, statistics, etc) skills like
critical thinking, decision-making, problem-solving,
communications ability, and social skills are all
highly prized.
-
Cross-cultural
competence: Speaking the language of the host country,
understanding customs, and the ways of foreign culture
are important. The United States is geographically
and linguistically isolated and this requires people
interested in working in other cultures to do more
preparation.
-
Work
experience: Employers in foreign cultures are oftentimes
looking for applicants who have been successful
in domain skills. Do you have a track record of
success in doing what you do?
Like
any job search it is always smart to do research on
what you are interested in. Talk to people who work
in import /export businesses, talk to people in corporations
that are involved in international aspects of their
companies business. There are no better information
sources than those that do the job. Clearly, resumes
and interviewing skills should be in place before
you attempt to begin this search.
Typically,
overseas work falls into one of three categories:
1) A U.S. company is paying you to work abroad with
expatriate benefits. 2) Working for a foreign national
firm and being paid in the currency of that country
and 3) Self-employed freelance operator. In this capacity
you are a vendor of some service or ability in a foreign
country.
Be
aware of the restrictions and limitations that may
be placed on non-residences. What kind of visa, work
permit, etc. do you need? Finding a job outside the
U.S. is similar to finding one in the U.S. One must
locate the organizations that can hire and do some
research. What are those companies looking for and
do you have the kind of skills they want?
The
U.S. Foreign Service presents an opportunity for overseas
employment. The Foreign Service is the diplomatic
corps for the United States and is located in the
State Department. The recruitment page is at www.state.gov/www/careers/index.html.
The
UNF Career Services library located in building 2
room 2039 houses various sources of information on
international jobs. Just to list a few of the sources:
International Business Careers, by Arpan 1996
Work Abroad, by Hubbs 2001
The
following web sites may be of value to you in your
overseas job search.
Dave's
ESL Cafe - This cite has a large amount of data
on teaching abroad
Overseas Job Index- Overseas job site
Jobweb - A useful
site for college students and recent graduates
International
Job Finder - British based site offering vacancies
Monster
Global Gateway - Overseas job postings
Planet
Edu - Worldwide international job directory
Web sites for internships and scholarships abroad:
Institute of International Education - Fulbright Scholarships
- Fulbright scholarships, official exchange programs
for study abroad.
Institute of International
Education - Institute of International Education.
Financial resources for international study.
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