In this thread, which is about outsourcing of American jobs to other countries, it was suggested that Americans could relocate to the countries (e.g., China) where the jobs are. I pointed out that it was not that easy, since there are immigration requirements that must be met; one of which is that a job for which someone wants to immigrate must be one that cannot be filled by the local job pool.
I was then told that “having a specialty” is just a formality:
Okay, I’ve applied for a job in England. (I fear I’ve no desire to move to China.) As it happens, the position is at the coporate headquarters of the company that laid me off in California. I have nine year’s experience in that position, so I would be a very good candidate to fill it.
Now, I have nothing tying me to the U.S. except for my house. I can let it out, and especially collect a lot of rent in the Summer. Or I can sell it in two years. My family is 1,400 miles away; and when you’re that far away, what’s another continent? I have no romantic ties. No pets. My only debts are the house (previously mentioned) and a motorcycle (which will be paid for this year). So why not move to another country?
Although I don’t speak French or Italian, I wouldn’t mind living in France or Italy. I can learn the lingo. I live very close to Vancouver, B.C. I wouldn’t mind living in Canada; but Vancouver is so close it would make sense to just live here and work up there. Seems like cheating. I’m of English ancestry (my 8-times great-grandfather was a cousin to the Archbishop of Canturbury), and I speak English fairly well for an American. As someone who loves the ocean, Australia would be great if I could land a position near the coast.
So let’s say I want to just chuck it all and move to another country. Who wants to help me “outsource myself”?
Finally, this book claims to be a how to on the subject. It contians in one of the reviews “Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans and their families accept the challenge of living and working abroad.” Not an acredited cite, I’ll admit, but clearly someone thinks it does happen with some frequency.
I found these by googling “americans working abroad”. There were many other matches I did not look into.
Lots of stuff to look at, so I can’t give an immediate and comprehensive response. But I did check out a couple of things.
The second link is a list. I tried looking at their WSJ link, but could not find the “Working Globally” section they mention in their link. I did a search on “Working Globally” that returned three links, one of which was germaine. It suggested looking into multinational corporations (which I did when I applied for that job in Nottingham).
There is also a link to Overseas Jobs Express. I checked for jobs in England, Ireland, Australia, France and Italy. Only Whitworth Enterprises is listed. “Own your own business. Work at HOME on your computer. No cold calling - people come to you! Plan your schedule to fit in with your famly life. Earn $500 to $1500 P/T $7500+ F/T” Yeah, I see that sort of thing posted on telephone poles.
The link to the book says this: “Thought-provoking treatment of aspects of living and working abroad from a sociological perspective.” Hm. I get along with people pretty well, and I like other cultures. I don’t think I’d have a problem being an ex-pat; but I’d have to get over the first hurdle first: Get a job, or at least get a visa that allows me to work in a country.
GOINGGLOBAL, another link on the site, is selling “career guides” for $15 (download) or $20 (printed, plus shipping).
I checked out Escape Artist. Here’s something from their page:
[quote]
Work permits are issued for varying time periods depending on the circumstances of the application. The maximum period covered by a permit is five years. Although there are numerous categories within the scheme, all applications would normally need to meet the fundamental requirements, which are as follows:
[ul][li]The position must be of a high level of specialisation and/or seniority; [/li][li]The overseas national should be appropriately qualified and experienced (see ‘Skills Criteria’ section below); [/li][li]There is no other person from the resident labour force suitable for the position (the resident labour force includes the EEA). [/ul][/li]In order to meet the skills criteria to obtain a work permit an overseas national must have either:
[list][li]A UK degree level qualification or; [/li][li]A Higher National Diploma (HND) level occupational qualification which entitles a person to do specific job or; [/li][li]A general HND level qualification plus one years work experience doing the type of job for which the permit is sought or; [/li][li]At least three years senior level specialist skills acquired through doing the type of job for which the permit is sought. This type of job should be at NVQ level 3 or above. [/li][/quote]
So you see, it’s not that easy. For one thing, I had to make a choice: I could either have a job and earn a living, or I could go to school. If I went to school, I would be in a better position than I am now – but how would I have lived without a job? Unfortunately, higher education in this country is not available to all – only those who can afford to pay for it, or to those who are so poor they can qualify for public funds. Those of us who are neither rich nor poor are stuck.
I’m American and I worked abroad (in Africa) for three years. If I can do it, anyone can. A partial rundown of opportunities available:
Volunteer type organizations: The Peace Corps places people in the developing world for two years. Requires a BA and sometimes specific skills, depending on the country.
Teaching: If you speak English and can read and write, you can work in East Asia. Pay is miserly in China (enough to live on reasonably, but not save a lot). Pay is better in Japan or Korea, but you’ll need a BA (any subject). Taiwan and S.E. Asia, and perhaps Eastern Europe are also possibilities. Search for a website called Dave’s ESL Cafe.
Another possibility is teaching in private schools abroad. The pay can be good. You might need a teaching certificate. Sometimes a BA is all you need. (It was for me.)
Under the table work: In parts of Europe where there are a lot of English speaking tourists, it is possible to get bar work. Since you are American this will be done under the table, so you’ll have no protection if the boss decides he doesn’t want to pay you, for example.
Technical work: If you have engineering/computer skills and qualifications, you may be able to get work for ARAMCO or other oil producers in Saudi Arabia. The pay and benefits are great. The risk of being killed by Al Qaeda is a definte disadvantage.