What jobs requite tons of international travel?

[CeeNT]

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone has any sources for jobs that require tons of international travel. I have a desire to find a career that takes me all over the world, and would love any incite.

Some background info: I'm a Political Science Major with a minor in business (probably do some sort of graduate work).

[CeeNT]

or for our english speaking friends, WHICH jobs REQUIRE tons of international travel :)

[GorillaMan]

And I presume you're after INSIGHT? :D

The major question has to be, what languages do you speak? If only English, then you'd better start learning. The typical highly-educated young European has at least their own language and English under their belt, and probably at least one other as well. And they're who you're competing with, if you're looking to go international.

[RickJay]

I manage at a firm that does quality audits - ISO 9000, ISO 14000, TS, stuff like that. If you get a particularly juicy speciality to audit, like TL-9000 or AS-9000, you can travel all over hell's half acre. We travel quite a bit.

However, you will need industry experience before we'd hire you.

[Early Out]

Have you considered being a courier? (http://www.courier.org/) The catch, of course, is that, while being a courier enables you to get to exotic places cheaply, you couldn't actually earn a living doing it. You'd have to supplement your courier duties with something that would produce income. Have you considered prostitution or drug-smuggling?

[Tapioca Dextrin]

Ever considerd working on an oil rig? So far this year I've worked in India, Gabon and Singapore. I'm off to Eastern Russia in a few weeks.

[Early Out]

or for our english speaking friends, WHICH jobs REQUIRE tons of international travel :)Actually, "what" is OK. The tragedy is the unrequited international travel that you seek. Or is it love you're really after? :D

[China Guy]

International sales and/or management. Again you need experience.

CIA - this is a serious response. When I was graduating about 20 years ago, the only international stuff I found was the CIA. Did interviews but didn't pursue it because of a lot of reasons but also at that time it was 2 years in Langley to start with and I didn't want to wait those two years.

[CeeNT]

Have you considered prostitution or drug-smuggling?



Actually, "what" is OK. The tragedy is the unrequited international travel that you seek. Or is it love you're really after?[/quote]

:D haha nice.. :P

Ever considerd working on an oil rig? So far this year I've worked in India, Gabon and Singapore. I'm off to Eastern Russia in a few weeks.

Sounds very interesting, but I'm too much of a liberal nut to work for oil :D

International sales and/or management. Again you need experience.

CIA - this is a serious response. When I was graduating about 20 years ago, the only international stuff I found was the CIA. Did interviews but didn't pursue it because of a lot of reasons but also at that time it was 2 years in Langley to start with and I didn't want to wait those two years.

Yes, sales I would imagine would require tons of travel. I'm aware that any job that would give me options like tons of travel would require experience.

I thought of the CIA too. I still do.

[Balthisar]

Auto industry. And you don't even have to know the foreign language. We just arrogantly go to the other countries and expect them to know English. Really.

[Jonathan Chance]

English is clearly secondary.

My Brother-in-Law might well hold the record for this one.

He's in training and got picked up by a firm with a Dept of Homeland Security contract. He does forensics training at bases and offices all over the world. He spends at least 6 months a year on the road.

He just got back from Guadalajara yesterday and he's off to somewhere on the west coast shortly. Then July 1 he starts a WORLD TOUR that means he'll be on the road (through Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Australia) until mid-October.

And he does this all the time. He gives frequent flier miles as birthday presents. He says he'll never use them all up.

[CeeNT]

wow, does he speak many languages?

[PetW]

You could join the Navy.

[peculiar hailstone]

...or the merchant marine. I'm a sailor, and I've been to over 40 counries in the last few years. I work for an environmental organization, and there are people on board with all sorts of degrees.

[LuckySevens]

Work for a mining company, my uncle used to, flew to places like South America, Russia, Africa etc looking at mines and doing apprasels and that sort of thing.

Really good pay too.

How do you get the job? I have no idea, probably need some science degree and a lot of experience with mines.

Just about every cool job requires an extensive resume these days :(

[Sunspace]

So unless you have a university degree (or experience is some weird technical niche) it's pretty much a no go?

Drat. 2.5 languages and a technologist's diploma aren't enough then...

[xash]

CeeNT, questions seeking advice belong in the IMHO forum, not GQ.

Please don't do this again, or your next thread will be liable to be closed.

-xash
General Questions Moderator

[AwSnappity]

If you became a consultant and worked for a large firm (Accenture, for example), you'd have the opportunity to travel internationally quite often. A friend's dad has been working in Bahrain most recently. He's spent some time in nearly every country in the European Union. He doesn't really speak any foreign languages besides Spanish, and he's not fluent in that, so I suppose you don't have to worry too much about languages.

[False_God]

United States Foreign Service Officer.

Travel the world, get diplomatic immunity, and get a chance to implement foreign policy on a day to-day-level.

Oh, and mandatory change of station every two to three years. Plus conferences and temporary duty assignments.

Email me for details.


False_God
United States Foreign Service Officer
Colombo, Sri Lanka

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

In 1990 I found a small firm with international operations. 14 years later, I have worked in eight countries, on five continents, while collecting over 200 passport stamps and 3.5 milliion frequent flyer miles.

Often, the willingness to travel internationally for work translates to pretty good pay. In my case the pay was OK, but I didn't spend as much as other people because I was typically living on an expense account.

I love international work.

[Scribble]

...or the merchant marine. I'm a sailor, and I've been to over 40 counries in the last few years. I work for an environmental organization, and there are people on board with all sorts of degrees.

I don't want to hijack your thread, but I'm curious--what organization do you work for? If all goes well, I'll have a master's soon, and my research is in forest ecology. I'm pretty passionate about my field, I love to travel, and I love learning different languages. An environmental job that involves going to a bunch of different countries sounds wonderful.

[Scribble]

My first sentence should have read, "I don't want to hijack this thread..." I know that peculiar hailstone isn't the OP.

[Revtim]

My sister works for the US Army, and is involved with purchasing medical equipment for the Army hospitals and bases around the world. She travels around the world a lot.

And remember, you can work FOR the Army, and not be IN the Army!

[ccwaterback]

I'd vote for the Air Force.

[kiffa]

Why don't you check out the various online job searches for int'l jobs? This will give you an idea of what's out there.

Then there are a series of questions you need to ask yourself: Do you just want to travel or do you want to settle down some place for a few years? What type of travel do you want to experience? Europe, Asia, Latin America..... Africa where I have spent more than half of my professional life [public health]? It helps to have an idea of what you want [permanent or part time], is this going to be your professional career, where do you want to travel....

[Shirley Ujest]

In 1990 I found a small firm with international operations. 14 years later, I have worked in eight countries, on five continents, while collecting over 200 passport stamps and 3.5 milliion frequent flyer miles.

Often, the willingness to travel internationally for work translates to pretty good pay. In my case the pay was OK, but I didn't spend as much as other people because I was typically living on an expense account.

I love international work.


I would like to hijack this thread and ask a serious question that has been bothering me for long enough:

What, dear Og, is a Frumious Bandersnatch?

End my misery.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

I would like to hijack this thread and ask a serious question that has been bothering me for long enough:

What, dear Og, is a Frumious Bandersnatch?

End my misery.

I got it here.
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html

I'ts always been one of my favorite poems

Now back to your regularly scheduled hijack

[Mithgard]

I have had much the same desire to travel, im almost done a double honours in archaeology and classical studies, am fluent in english, german, spanish. I was thinking, what about working as a photographer for magazines such as National geographic, or something of that sort???
Thats teh best I could come up with short of being filthy rich and not having to worry about cash

[kdeus]

The Minot-Munich Principle:

Any military service that advertises highly desirable duty stations has an equal or greater number of undesirable duty stations. For example, the U.S. Air Force has a substantial presence in Munich, Germany. The U.S. Air Force also has a substantial presence in Minot, North Dakota.