Finding a permanent job abroad

There are many reasons why you might want to emigrate to one of the countries where World Unite! is active, such as the thirst for adventure, better wheather conditions, a romantic relationship abroad, unemployment at home, or the fear of terrorism in your home country.

 

We also get an increasing number of inquiries about emigrating. How are the chances that in one of the countries, in which World Unite! is active, I can stay forever (or for a longer time) and find permanent employment?

 

This text wants to give you an overview.

 

 

a) In the countries where we operate, it is generally difficult up to impossible to find a remunterated job from home, before travelling to the respective country, if you have never been there, if you are unfamiliar with the country, and if you don't know anyone or only a few people there. We therefore recommend you to first do an INTERNSHIP or volunteer assignment for a couple of months at your country of choice, and to familiarise yourself with its working style, job market and culture. You should work hard and well to prove you are capable and motivated for a permanent job. This will possibly result in permanent employment or you can get a reference for other employers at your desired country. At the same time you should spend effort on networking with people who are working in the same sector, and commend yourself through your good work. We have many examples of former participants where this has worked out well.

 

b) Professional qualification and hard work are essential - in many countries there is no lack of poorly qualified workforce. If you are not able to to bring about anything at home, you will probably neither be able to succeed abroad. Abroad, it will rather be more difficult that at home.

 

c) An essential factor to succeed with your life and work at a new country are intercultural skills. You have to have the ability to recognize and to act accordingly that many things such as the way how tasks are addressed, or communication is done, are considerably different than at home. If you are not able to cope with this, your stay abroad will quickly lead to frustration and a possible termination of your plans. World Unite! puts effort into intercultural preparation by providing various documents and videos about this important topic, which are tailormade for your country of choice.

 

d) Solid language skills are key. For some of the countries where we operate, you should be proficient in the language of the country (e.g. Japan and Latin America), for others you should have a level of English which is sufficient to be able to clearly communicate (if it is not your first language), or (if you are a native speaker) have the ability to communicate in English well with non-native speakers.

 

 

The large cities of China are full of young (and not so young) people from the whole world who work as English teachers, or at numerous international companies that have branches in China, or with Chinese companies that want to sell to worldwide markets, for instance from the IT, technology, manufacturing, trading sectors etc.

 

The chances to find jobs, if you have good English language skills, if you are professionally qualified and if you can think internationally, are excellent. The Chinese business world is very optimistic, forward-looking and seeing chances rather than risks. For many, China is providing an inspiring work environment and the large Chinese cities are very international, which makes adaptation easier. Large companies can apply for employment visa for their foreign employees.

 

We arrange remunerated jobs as English teachers in China, and internships from various sectors, which might serve as a first step into permanent employment. In many cases, our interns have used their internship as an opportunity to make a long-term stay in China possible. The families that accept our foreign Au Pairs are generally relatively wealthy and well connected.

 

 

In comparison to the Chinese megacities, Japan is not very international. For private and professional success in Japan, you should be able to understand the Japanese culture and work culture very well, which is something you won't be able to do just incidentially. Therefore, we recommend Japan as a country to emigrate only to people who feel a particular fascination about Japan and to whom it means great fun to try to "understand" Japan. Being proficient in Japanese is essential for most jobs.

 

The salaries and life standards in Japan are very high. The country and its society are stable and you will feel very little of the "crises" occuring in the rest of the world. Visa-wise Japan is rather difficult, but not impossible. You should have a good relation with an employer, which is possible to establish through an internship in Japan, or through a temporary job that you might find when doing a "Working Holiday" in Japan (and then trying to climb up the corporate ladder and having your employer change your visa status). World Unite! arranges internships in Japan and supports you on your Working Holiday. We also offer Japanese language lessons.

 

If you are truely interested in Japan and you know the language well enough, you can definitely find well remunerated jobs and happiness in Japan.

 

 

Similar to China, but to a far lesser extend, the megacities of India such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore offer employment options to foreigners, particularly with international companies, and with domestic companies that offer services to expatriates, e.g. real estate, finance, and education. If you are able to understand your sector's causal relations and to see opportunities, you can succeed professionally in India.

 

Salaries in India are however low in an international comparison, but the living expenses are also much lower than elsewhere, and, as opposed to for example at the African countries, in which we operate, the Indian megacities boast with an array of products, leisure activities etc. similar to Western countries. However, you need to really like the peculiar atmosphere of the crowded Indian metropoles if you are planning to stay there for many years.

 

In terms of visa requirements, India is easier manageable than many other countries. We arrange numerous internships and volunteer placements in India.

 

 

Tanzania is a country that is developing tremendously fast, offering magnificient opportunities to people who are qualified and motivated to achieve something. Tourism in particular is one of the sectors that generates revenues and employment. In Daressalam, other sectors such as logistics, trade, finance, industrial production and real estate are flourishing.

 

In November 2015, the newly elected president Magufuli however has decided to make life harder to foreigners living in Tanzania, in order to secure employment for his fellow Tanzanian nationals. Since then, it is substantially more difficult and also more expensive as a foreigner to get long-term visas and work permits. This is almost only possible for qualified positions for which the employer can prove that there is no Tanzanian of the same qualification level. Anyway, there are typically possibilities of how to explain this. However, when renewing the work permit at a later moment, the employer needs to prove then that the foreign skilled employee (typically within 2 years) has been training a Tanzanian and empowering the Tanzanian to be able to take over the job from the foreign employee, which makes long-term employment for foreigners in Tanzania difficult, but not impossible.

 

Difficult, due to low salaries and legal conditions are jobs in education, social work, nursing, etc.

 

If you are able to work self-employed and if you have an entrepreneurial mindset, there are gigantic opportunities in Tanzania, for instance in industrial production, food production, farming and trading. It is of advantage to do this in partnership with a Tanzania who you can trust as a business partner. This should be well considered and requires some time in the country.

 

Through an internship or a volunteer assignment with World Unite! in Tanzania and/or in Zanzibar, you can get to know the country and lay the foundation to your new life in sunny, warm and friendly East Africa.

 

 

Ghana has more professionally qualified locals than Tanzania as there are better vocational and professional training opportunities in Ghana than in Tanzania, e.g. in tourism, IT, business and technologies. The Ghanaians are proud about their country, their knowledge and skills. International tourism doesn't play a significant role in Ghana (as opposed to Tanzania) and hotels and tour operators are usually owned and operated by Ghanaians. These factors make it more difficult for foreigners to find employment. Difficult, due to low salaries are also jobs in education, social work, nursing etc.

 

If you want to gain a foothold in Ghana, you need personal relationship with locals. Self-employment and entrepreneurship are an option, but if you consider this, you should know the country well and you should be well connected to Ghanaians, which requires some time.

 

We arrange numerous internship and volunteer placements in Ghana, which will help you to familiarize yourself with the country.

 

 

Morocco is a country where many foreigners have settled over a long period of time, particularly from France and Spain. If you know Spanish, French or English well enough, there is the opportunity to find jobs as language teacher or other teaching positions in Morocco. Due to their proximity to Spain and the European Nation, at the Moroccan free trade zones and industrial areas near to large ports such as Tanger Med, offer many jobs, particularly technology-related, engineering and IT jobs in manufacturing (e.g. automobile industry). Good skills of the French language are not an absolute necessity, but are of course of advantage.

 

By spending time in Morocco with World Unite! you can familiarize yourself with the country, take language lessons and do some local networking.

 

 

Nicaragua and Bolivia are typical countries for those who are tired of the rush and pressure from back home. You might succeed to find simple jobs such as receptionist at a backpacker hostel or as a waiter/waitress at a tourist bar. However, the salaries for such jobs are very low and the question is whether this is something you want to do for a longer time.

 

It might be hard to find more qualified jobs in these countries, which possibly can only be found with foreign organizations that are active in international development and cooperation, if you have the qualification and work experience. Difficult, due to low salaries and legal restrictions are also jobs in education, social work, nursing etc.

 

There might be opportunities if you have the ability to work self-employed, for instance in tourism, trade, IT or other growing sectors. This however requires that you understand about the respective markets. An internship or volunteer placement in Nicaragua or Bolivia will give you the opportunity to do some networking in the respective country and to enter the respective country's work environment. It is essential that you have solid skills of the Spanish language. Knowing the language and understanding local culture are the base to settle successfully.

 

--