Best way to get a good paying job overseas?

[drizzt3117]

Another option may be consulting. I'm not sure which firms hire out of UBC and whether you're qualified for a position but that's certainly one path to go internationally. That said, I imagine that the top consulting firms will favor native speakers in Spanish over people who learn it later. I did consulting in Asia for almost five years, and started shortly after undergrad with no international experience, but I have strong language skills and was hired from an investment bank.

My ex-boss told me that his path to going international started working in industry, for a large pharmaceutical/medical device company, and he started as a management trainee, did his two years in NY, and was told he had to do another year and kick ass to get the opportunity to get an international job, and he wouldn't be able to choose what country it was...

 

[cmrocks]

I guess I don't really have much of an idea of what I'm getting into right now do I?

Wouldn't a masters in economics be enough to get some sort of job that looked at trade between that Latin American country and exporting countries such as Canada? That is sort of what I had in mind.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

Wouldn't a masters in economics be enough to get some sort of job that looked at trade between that Latin American country and exporting countries such as Canada? That is sort of what I had in mind.

why?

 

[Joffrey]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

I guess I don't really have much of an idea of what I'm getting into right now do I?

Wouldn't a masters in economics be enough to get some sort of job that looked at trade between that Latin American country and exporting countries such as Canada? That is sort of what I had in mind.

http://www.edc.ca/

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

I guess I don't really have much of an idea of what I'm getting into right now do I?

Wouldn't a masters in economics be enough to get some sort of job that looked at trade between that Latin American country and exporting countries such as Canada? That is sort of what I had in mind.

To answer your question, not really. Your education isn't going to make that much difference in getting an international job, unless you have a degree in an area that is in high demand (as previously mentioned, medicine, or civil engineering, for example) or if you graduated from a very top school at or near the top of your class (for consulting).

People hiring for a position such as the one that you mentioned, will be looking for someone who actually has experience in trade between Canada and Latin America, not someone who read about the concept in a book.

 

[Matt]

English teaching is seldom a path to a better role. I have a feeling Nantucket Red started out teaching, but I may well be completely wrong with that recollection. Red? Anyhow, it does happen sometimes, but generally speaking there is a stigma among the professional expats against the English teachers (lazy/good for nothin/drunk/irresponsible etc.....). And it is a trains-dont-meet situation here - the teachers drink in the backpacker area for the cheaper beer, and the professionals seldom set foot in that part of town. Call us snobs (hell, they do), but I suspect that Latin America is pretty much the same. I am yet to meet a networking English teacher at any Chamber of Commerce event - which is where you would have to be to make that kinda transition. I suspect teaching is a trap in which the teachers stay with the teachers - and for the most part, they are just kids on holiday - which I have no problem with really...I just wouldnt hire a kid on holiday. That is not to say all of course, but there is a stigma, and the transition isnt as easy as 'did a couple months teaching at 12 bucks an hour and met this dude who made me VP of his bank!' Ive thought about hiring an English teacher as an account manager from time to time, just to take some of the weight off of me, but yet to meet one I would trust with my clients. I do have one who comes in part time to help with English editing, but beyond that, based on what I have seen, I am yet to meet one that I would hire one for a 'real job'. Oh...and 60k is not a small salary by any means!

 

[drizzt3117]

DC, for a reality check, you might want to check the starting salaries of your school in your major... A quick check shows that MBA graduates (who have 2-3 years experience on average) start at 71k CAD... That's essentially 5 years experience. Do you think you're going to make close to that much, working in LATIN AMERICA, with no experience or advanced degree?

 

[cmrocks]

The other option that my brother and I are seriously considering is doing something with my Dad's company. It would involve me having stop school and finish it later. There are a lot of mining companies based out of Vancouver, BC that are doing exploration work in Latin America. Most of them contract Canadian drilling companies for their work.

My Dad has done overseas work in the past but has been out of it for a while because the diamond exploration business in Northern Canada keeps him busier than he can handle right now and it's close to home. He has mentioned to my brother and I that he gets calls quite frequently from companies wanting him to ship machines south. This is something that we could do pretty easily I think. My brother works full time for my Dad and I've been working him in the summers since I was 13 so we both know what we're doing quite well.

Does that sound like it could be a successful way to get a decent life going in another country? It seems like trying to rely on my schooling won't get me very far.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

The other option that my brother and I are seriously considering is doing something with my Dad's company. It would involve me having stop school and finish it later. There are a lot of mining companies based out of Vancouver, BC that are doing exploration work in Latin America. Most of them contract Canadian drilling companies for their work.

My Dad has done overseas work in the past but has been out of it for a while because the diamond exploration business in Northern Canada keeps him busier than he can handle right now and it's close to home. He has mentioned to my brother and I that he gets calls quite frequently from companies wanting him to ship machines south. This is something that we could do pretty easily I think. My brother works full time for my Dad and I've been working him in the summers since I was 13 so we both know what we're doing quite well.

Does that sound like it could be a successful way to get a decent life going in another country? It seems like trying to rely on my schooling won't get me very far.


DC - what you need is to leverage something that you have that other people don't have. you have some knowledge of miniral exploration - try to leverage that. the way to get into international sales is to be able to put together some type of international skill - language, knowledge of international trade practices, etc and a product specific knowledge.

but with that - no body is going to relocate you to south america based on your wanting to get into it. you are looking at probrably selling for a year or so in the US first, at least, and then traveling and selling for a while, before you can leverage that kind of situation into a position that would allow you to live someplace. the better you know the local economy and language, the more likly that you can find a job that allows you to settle in one place - but you need to do the learning curve on your own dime.

 

[globetrotter]

DC, let me summarize, there are 4 possibilities

1. teaching - easy to get and keep, probrably not well enough paying for you to have the lifestyle you want

2. government/ non-governmental org - may take years to get to a place that you like, money ok but not great, more likly to place you in a hellhole.

3. working for company/corporation - you will need to work for a few years to develop skills that will make you viable to anyone, possible long term career with good financial returns.

4. going off by your self and developing a place for your self - may be risky, works best in less atractive places, requires investment of money and time, may be very lucrative, may not pay off at all.

 

[Joffrey]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

The other option that my brother and I are seriously considering is doing something with my Dad's company. It would involve me having stop school and finish it later. There are a lot of mining companies based out of Vancouver, BC that are doing exploration work in Latin America. Most of them contract Canadian drilling companies for their work.

My Dad has done overseas work in the past but has been out of it for a while because the diamond exploration business in Northern Canada keeps him busier than he can handle right now and it's close to home. He has mentioned to my brother and I that he gets calls quite frequently from companies wanting him to ship machines south. This is something that we could do pretty easily I think. My brother works full time for my Dad and I've been working him in the summers since I was 13 so we both know what we're doing quite well.

Does that sound like it could be a successful way to get a decent life going in another country? It seems like trying to rely on my schooling won't get me very far.

Why not finish schooling then work for your father?

 

[Journeyman]

DC,

A few points that spring to mind:

- Teaching English will get you overseas quickly and easily, but it is usually a dead-end job. I have known some English teachers who have gone on to be translators, interpreters, academics, businesspeople, corporate headhunters or corporate real estate leasing types in the country in which they were teaching English, but these examples are few and far between. I hate to say it, but as M@t says, there is commonly a class divide between English teachers and "professionals" and it's not easy to bridge the gap.

- Unless you want to work for the government or a quasi-governmental organisation (ie Canada's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN or subsidiary etc etc), then language isn't vital. Language isn't unimportant, but it's not crucial.

- What is crucial are your other skills. If you have a very good generalist degree and language skills, you stand a good shot at getting a govt job (IMHO). However, if you want to get a good business position in banking, consultancy etc, then you need other skills (as Globetrotter indicates). These might be good business quals, or they might be "niche" skills such as your knowledge of the drilling/exploration industry. You should be able to identify what your skills are, how they will benefit other people, and how those people will be able to help you get the job that you want overseas.

In short, what you need to know is what you really want to do.
If you just want to get overseas, then you can teach English. You can travel the world doing that if you want to.
However, if you want to get overseas and do something that will advance your career, then you really need to know what you want a career in! Do you want to be an economist or banker? Do you want to be a salesperson? Do you want to be involved in the mineral exploration industry. All of those can potentially give you professional fulfillment and considerable monetary wealth.

I have a couple of friends who have worked extensively in the mining and exploration industry, both in Sth America and Africa. There are a lot of opportunities out there - particularly if you're willing to take some risks. Sth America is probably more volatile than Africa at present, unless you're trying to run a mine in the Democratic People's Republic of the Congo...

Similarly, I have friends who have developed very successful and lucrative careers in consulting, and who have lived in various countries in Asia and travelled widely throughout the world.

Although both sets of friends are very different, they have one quality in common - they knew what they wanted to do by the time they finished university, and they set out to achieve it with a game plan already in mind when they started.

As I indicated in my post further up the thread, why don't you talk to some of the your economics lecturers about what you can do to achieve your goals? Most academics have worked in different countries during the course of their careers, and quite a few (particularly in fields such as business/economics) have been exposed to work outside the ivory towers of academe. They might have some good suggestions for you.

Also, talk to your dad and to his friends and business contacts. They may well have good suggestions for you, too.

Finally, as Jodum5 says, why not finish your degree and then concentrate on working out a deal involving your dad and brother? If you've started a degree, you might as well try to finish it and get the piece of paper.

Cheers,
JH

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

The other option that my brother and I are seriously considering is doing something with my Dad's company. It would involve me having stop school and finish it later. There are a lot of mining companies based out of Vancouver, BC that are doing exploration work in Latin America. Most of them contract Canadian drilling companies for their work.

My Dad has done overseas work in the past but has been out of it for a while because the diamond exploration business in Northern Canada keeps him busier than he can handle right now and it's close to home. He has mentioned to my brother and I that he gets calls quite frequently from companies wanting him to ship machines south. This is something that we could do pretty easily I think. My brother works full time for my Dad and I've been working him in the summers since I was 13 so we both know what we're doing quite well.

Does that sound like it could be a successful way to get a decent life going in another country? It seems like trying to rely on my schooling won't get me very far.

I don't understand why you wouldn't finish your degree. Certainly it won't make the difference in you getting an international job, but without a degree you'll be at a distinct disadvantage both locally and internationally. As GT said, unless you have unique skills in the exploration area or work for your family business, it seems unlikely someone will hire someone without experience over someone who is already doing it (and I imagine there a number of people already in the field, and some of them are likely looking for work)

 

[CTGuy]

I don't want to sound like an asshole here...but it sounds like the main advice here should be: you're getting ahead of yourself. You're not even out of college and you want a jetsetting job with high pay in South America. It doesn't seem to work like this... Either you take the low pay, get the experience while you're young job and be a teacher (and live like a backpacker-- which is pretty cool!) or get more experience in Canada/US and at least 4 or so more years of experience to get to the income level you desire.


Your dad seems like a smart/successful guy and obviously he has tons more experience than a college kid, so why not ask him for advice on getting started in the right direction so in 4 years or so you can have your "dream job". Honestly 4 years isn't long to wait to achieve a career goal like this.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by CTGuy

I don't want to sound like an asshole here...but it sounds like the main advice here should be: you're getting ahead of yourself. You're not even out of college and you want a jetsetting job with high pay in South America. It doesn't seem to work like this... Either you take the low pay, get the experience while you're young job and be a teacher (and live like a backpacker-- which is pretty cool!) or get more experience in Canada/US and at least 4 or so more years of experience to get to the income level you desire.


Your dad seems like a smart/successful guy and obviously he has tons more experience than a college kid, so why not ask him for advice on getting started in the right direction so in 4 years or so you can have your "dream job". Honestly 4 years isn't long to wait to achieve a career goal like this.

+1