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Your life abroad

So, now that you have secured your position, what should you expect while you are living and working abroad?

Travelers who worked in the hospitality seem to agree that money should not be your primary goal in working abroad.

Working and living in a hotel will definitely put you in contact with many interesting people from all over the world. It will be an adventure in itself. The hours, however, are horrendous and you’ll rarely save up enough to travel.

Because there are so many backpackers throughout Europe trying to get a job in the hospitality industry, you are a renewable resource. If you don’t want to work those long hours for little pay, the next backpacker will.

“It’s a good working environment for someone who is looking to just have money to spend on entertainment,” Tracey stated.

Laurel, now a travel agent in England lives a different lifestyle. Work and life are kept much more separate. She said, “you may not meet as many friends, but you will certainly save up money and have vacation time with which to travel.”

“I have only been away for about four months and I have managed to take one trip up to Bristol and I'm going to Paris in about two weeks but the plan is to work, save, travel and then come back and work some more,” she added.

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She suggests that if working to afford travel is your goal, then securing employment as a travel agent overseas is ideal because in addition to salary, you will also get discounts on travel packages.

For Stacey and Kristiena in Asia, they both agree that working in a big city will give you the best options. Stacey believes it’s better deal overall because you have more job offers to choose from.

Kristiena adds that big cities also have better public transportation, which is quite cheap. Smaller cities will require large portions of your weekly pay check to be put towards travel in and out of town. In this case, purchasing an inexpensive car might be more ideal.

City or country, both girls agree that most Asian teaching jobs definitely include travel. Employers at English schools usually promote employee traveling as a way to help combat culture shock.

“They treated me like royalty … always wanting to show us around everywhere. [Our boss] allowed us time off and paid for us to spend a week in Beijing in the middle of our teaching,” she told me.

Kristiena also experienced this. “My present job is with the private/public school system, this allows for lots of paid time off to travel [and] travel in Asia is relatively inexpensive.”

Language Barriers

Stacey, who had traveled to various other countries before going to China, and took the TESOL course which was supposed to help prevent culture shock still claims that learning the culture and living the job is pretty much a 24 hour a day job.

Mariela claims that even though improving her English was a primary factor in wanting to work abroad, she still was not prepared for having to be ready to speak it to everyone all the time. She admits that deciphering the seemingly infinite versions of the English accent is frustrating.

However, she’s begun to think and dream in English, something she was not expecting.

Lionel, who also intended to improve his English found that sometimes people were impatient with his learning.

On the other hand, native English speakers found that working in an environment where half the staff did not speak English was difficult because it felt like they always had to interpret.

They also felt that extra work and responsibility would be put on his shoulders simply because they spoke English and the employers felt that it would be easier and more productive for them to deal with more customers.

The Small Obstacles of Living Abroad

When abroad, you may find smaller obstacles that make it harder to adapt.

Laurel, for example, can’t stand the fact that she’s been in England for four months and still doesn’t have a bank account. She claims this is a huge inconvenience, one that she took for granted when living at home.

In order to obtain one, you must provide proof you live and work in the country. Often an electricity bill or letter from your employer will suffice, but sometimes more is required.

Kristiena also ran into financial issues when she learned that in some schools in Japan, you do not get paid until after two months of work.

She also found it very hard to handle when her mother and grandmother arrived in Japan over Christmas and she was not allowed to have time off to visit with them. Kristiena explains that “the Japanese way is work first and family second.”

One thing Tracey found frustrating was that Europeans do not tip like North Americans do. “The odd time you would get really nice tables that would tip money, you would have to divide it between five people.”

Mariela also found the weather in Northern Scotland very cold and hard to handle.

What Would They do Different Next Time?

When you have narrowed down a job opportunity you might be interested in, both Kristiena and Stacey recommend talking to someone who held that position. This will help you identify what accreditations you may require and what you should expect from this place of employment.

Stacey emphasized the past tense of “held” as she communicated with someone who was currently employed at the school she was looking to work in. She later discovered that the school princinpal had been looking over the young teacher’s shoulder the entire time she was responding to Stacey’s e-mails. She warns that communicating with people who are currently employed might result in biased reviews due to ulterior motives.

Although Laurel is glad she’s making headway in the travel industry, sometimes she wishes she had taken a less stressful route for her adventure.

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"I really enjoy the social aspect of my job— I get to interact with people on a daily basis that want to do exactly what I’m doing—traveling, and so it's good but at the same time I hate the stress of it and sometimes I wish I would have opted for a job in a pub [where I feel I would have] no stress,” she said.

She recommends identifying the main objective of your trip, whether it be work, travel, or adventure before you leave and then determine your job based on that criteria.

Overcoming obstacles such as cultural differences, are what make your experience unique. So, be prepared to be unprepared. After all, that is what makes it an adventure.

Heather Lemen has had a travel bug since she could walk. From her backpacking adventure through Europe, to her wedding on a tropical beach of Cuba, she has tried to take advantage of every unique travel opportunity. She currently resides in Ontario with her husband Matt, where she is a bridal consultant.

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