Whether you’ve spent a few years back in your home country and you’re itching to get back to life overseas, or have never made the leap and it’s now feeling like a pipe dream, remember that it’s always possible to move abroad!
You haven’t missed the boat, and living abroad isn’t just for your 20s.
Here’s a list of different ways you can move overseas at any age. I’m going to start with mid-career possibilities because the internet is full of stuff that young people can do, even though there is very much life and wonderment out there in the foreign world even after you’ve turned 30!
If any of these seem like something that would require a couple or a few years of work to engineer, just remember when Bill Gates said that:
“people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years.”
I’m not suggesting you wait ten years to move abroad, but start the process now if it’s what you really want to do.
- Mid-career
- Study (at any age!)
- 14-30 year olds and (recent) graduates
- Perfect for under-25s
- Final thoughts
Mid-career
Industry jobs abroad
If you’re in a highly-sought after profession, from engineering, to teaching or IT, then finding industry jobs abroad isn’t so difficult. I recently met an Iranian engineer who managed to crack her way into Europe by getting a job in Budapest, Hungary.
She required no Hungarian, just fluent English and her engineering qualifications. From there she moved to Germany, and is now securely established in Europe.
Getting a job abroad in a small to medium-sized company isn’t as impossible as it sounds; you don’t have to be an engineer or something else highly techy to pull this off. I managed to get a job in communications in Germany this way.
The beauty of this way is that you can find jobs the same way as you do in your own country, whether it’s LinkedIn, Indeed, or your industry’s specific platforms.
International company secondment
If you’re in a solid career and you’re worried moving abroad may interrupt your progress, then an international company secondment is the perfect solution.
If you’re already lucky enough to work for a company with offices abroad, then you may be able to wangle a temporary secondment, meaning that you can spend a year working in an office overseas, with your current job still secure back home.
For example, my brother works for a company in Wales, and he managed to spend a year in his company’s Vancouver offices, in conjunction with a Canadian colleague who was keen to spend a year in Wales. Score!
If you’re not currently working for a company with offices abroad, there’s nothing stopping you from getting a new job in your own country with an international reach, with a view to secondment in the years to come.
Anglo companies or large multi-nationals
You can also skip the step above and apply directly to jobs at multi-national companies.
Whilst Brexit has made things more difficult for British people to move abroad, an easier way to get a visa is to prove yourself in a company in your own country, at which point your workplace is more likely to go through the visa process for you to move to one of their offices overseas.
This requires you to do some really thorough research in your industry; work in aviation, and want to move to Germany? Keep an eye on jobs at Lufthansa. Work in finance and want to work in any of a number of countries across Western Europe? Check out Blevins Franks. Secondary school teacher keen to work in one of a massive array of countries across the globe? Browse Inspired Education Group’s schools across 4 continents.
These are just a few examples, but you get the picture. Don’t expect immediate results. These things always take time.
Digital Nomad visas
If you work remotely for an employer outside your desired host country, or for yourself, then you may qualify for a Digital Nomad visa, provided you are also above the age of 18 and earn over a certain amount (varies per country).
Bear in mind that digital nomad visas cannot lead to permanent residency or citizenship, so they’re very much a temporary fix for life abroad.
More information on this here.
Jobseeker visas / work permits
Many countries provide jobseeker visas whereby you have the right to work for a certain period, or until you gain permanent employment.
For example, Canada offers work permits, Australia has working holiday visas for under 30s, and Germany is due to implement a points-based jobseeker visa from this May, something I wrote about in my Work in the EU post-Brexit: Germany is the way post.
Study (at any age!)
Language sabbatical
This is what I call going and studying a foreign language in a private language school abroad, and is perfect for a short-term project.
If you work remotely, and have flexible hours, then it’s perfectly feasible to combine a course and your work, so that you can fund your time away.
I spent 3 months in the Basque Country, studying Spanish, in my early twenties, after which I managed to find a job and stay longer. Read more about this in my Do a short-term Spanish course abroad: why you should study Spanish at Lacunza International House San Sebastian post.
More recently, I did a 3-month French course in Bordeaux; more on this in my Do a short-term French course abroad: why you should study French at Alliance Française Bordeaux post.
Read my tips on booking and making the most of a language sabbatical in my 9 tried-and-tested ways to live your best short-term language immersion abroad post.
Complete your whole university degree abroad
If I could go back in time, I’d do my university degree abroad! Somewhere with good weather, solid teaching and fine food and wine.
This is what Veronica from English with Me did; read more about her experience in my Why study your undergraduate degree abroad (even post-Brexit!): lessons from English with Me’s Veronica post.
Bear in mind that doing a degree in certain countries will be cheaper fees-wise (e.g. Germany) than other countries (e.g. England), but you’ll need to pay for your course and accommodation up front.
To get a loan for your studies as a British person abroad, you’d need to study at a British university overseas or “satellite campus.” They’re largely outside of Europe (such as Middlesex University in Mauritius, the China and Malaysia campuses of the University of Nottingham), but the odd campus can be found in Europe, an example being Paris School of Arts & Culture, which is a University of Kent campus. Note that this campus only offers Masters degrees and PhDs.
Do a year abroad
You don’t have to study languages at university to do a year abroad; many courses across different disciplines give you the opportunity to do a year in industry overseas or to study abroad, where your performance at the foreign university doesn’t count toward your degree.
That said, I’m always an advocate for studying a foreign language, so why not pick up just a module alongside your main degree course, so that you can at least have a basic conversation on your study abroad?
Check out my Studying languages at university: 5 course types to consider post for more on this.
For a snapshot of what a year abroad can look like, read my 10 things I wish I’d known before doing my Erasmus year post.
14-30 year olds and (recent) graduates in the UK
Turing programme
This is a UK programme that has replaced the EU’s ERASMUS+ programme, which provides opportunities to young people to gain experience working or studying abroad, which encapsulates what was called the European Voluntary Service when I did it, and has since been renamed the European Solidarity Corps, and, of course, is still available to EU citizens under the age of 30.
The website for the post-Brexit Turing programme promises some similar opportunities, but, being in its infancy, it’s all a bit murky. There is some basic information for participants, but if you’re aged between 14 and 30, looking to spend anywhere from a few months to a year abroad by working on a community-based project, I’d recommend contacting the delivery partner Capita to see what’s available.
British Council China internship programme
Currently only online internships are open for application; in the past this internship path was regular and popular. It’s worth getting in touch with the British Council for more information. The requirements are as follows:
- be over 18 years of age
- have gained or be working towards a 2:1 degree
- be a UK passport holder
- be a student in at least your second year in any degree discipline, or a recent graduate (from 2018 onwards). This includes master’s degrees.
See more information on this on the British Council website.
Perfect for under-25s
Government programmes
Be sure to do your research and see if there are any programmes provided by your government, which could get you an internship abroad, for example.
The two examples I’ve given above (Turing programme and British Council China internship programme) are specific to the UK, but of course, different countries offer different things.
For example, my employer here in Germany has an agreement with the government of the Basque Country, whereby young Basque people can come and spend 6 months doing a funded internship, which in many cases, has led to permanent employment at my company.
Be an English Language Assistant
The British Council offers language assistant placements all over the world, for between 6-months to a year, in a paid position. Teaching time is limited to between 12 and 20 hours a week, meaning you’ll have plenty of time to explore!
See more information on this, including eligibility (Brexit does not affect this), see here.
TEFL
This is a great option for humanities or language graduates who haven’t yet figured out what they want to do.
You’ve got a couple of options to get qualified. If you want to teach in Europe, generally schools require you to have done a CELTA course. Some course providers will instead run a course called TESOL, which is for all intents and purposes, exactly the same thing. I did a TESOL course at International House Bristol, which has since changed its provision to CELTA. In-person courses take 4 weeks full-time, and online courses take 5 weeks.
If you’re looking to teach outside of Europe, then you can shortcut your training significantly. A good friend of mine took an 120-hour online course, courtesy of a company called i-to-i (many companies have similar courses). You can work this around your studying or working hours, or, if you want to do it in one go, and you’re willing to put in 8 hours a day like a job, you’ll be done in 15 days.
Upon completing the course, my friend headed over to Dave’s ESL Cafe, which has three jobs boards: International, Korean, Chinese. He replied to an advert posted on the Korean jobs board, got an interview, and then spent one year teaching English in Seoul. Korea is one of the highest paying countries for TEFL jobs, which allowed him to save lots of money, and he still spent Christmas in Japan!
tefl.com is another good site for finding jobs, which is where I found my first TEFL job some years ago.
Short-term contracts
There are loads of short-term contracts out there for an array of things, from ski season jobs, being an elf in Lapland, to teaching English in a number of different locations in a short space of time.
Note that the research I’ve done suggests that a lot of ski season and elf jobs are only open to EU passport holders, so you may need to go further afield for this kind of thing, like Japan or Chile, if you have a non-EU passport.
Another option is to use your TEFL qualification if you have one, to teach abroad in Europe on a short-term contract. This is something I did in my early 20s with a company called English in Action. I spent five weeks in five different towns in Austria, delivering week-long courses in Austrian schools. You can read more about this in my Work abroad post-Brexit: try a short-term TEFL job post.
European Solidarity Corps
I’ve already mentioned the ESC in my section on the Turing programme above, and I wrote in detail about my experience in this programme in my Work abroad with no experience: 7 reasons to participate in the European Solidarity Corps post.
You can choose from a wide array of projects in the EU and in some cases, beyond.
Au pairing
Au pairing is a great way to get experience working abroad, without feeling like you’re all on your own, as you have the support of a family. Depending on where you go, the accommodation is usually free, you get a stipend for living costs, and hours can be irregular (you’re working to the whims of children, after all!).
A good friend of mine moved to Paris to be an au pair, and she’s now married to a Parisian and has recently gained French nationality. Now that’s quite a lifestyle change off the back of an au pair job “just for a Parisian adventure.”
I’d recommend going with an established company if you’re nervous about this, or if you’re in possession of a passport that requires visas etc. Check out aupairworld.com as a start.
Final thoughts
There will be more options out there than this list, but hopefully these possibilities will get you started in your research for your future abroad!
I’ve done 6 of these, and know someone who’s done almost every other that I’ve listed. Which will you come under?
If you’ve managed to move abroad in a different way than those listed here, please get in touch, I’d love to add it if you recommend it!
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