Is It Time for an International Job Search?

Recently, a friend sent me a link to job postings showing a wide variety of positions for marketing in India. Given the range of opportunities, it appears there is a hiring wave for technical marketing positions in India. So should I move where the jobs are? As they say, if the mountain can’t come to Mohammed, then Mohammed should go to the mountain.

 

This could be an interesting solution to my unemployment status as well as give me a unique global expertise that few other folks possess. Additionally, it would allow my young sons to learn about another culture and possibly another language (Hindi?) in their formative years. Not only would their mother gain a competitive skill but so would they, and it would enrich them for life. The only downside is that their elderly grandparents won’t be able to make the long trip to another continent to visit them.

 

While pondered this possibility, I think back to my two previous assignments overseas and the skills I learned while working abroad. In both cases the firms that transplanted me had to do the paperwork required of American citizens so I was able to legally work and reside in those countries. The firms were able to support such a move for me since I already had the job in the US and the fluent foreign language skills needed for working in that country. I learned extreme patience when it came to filing with the respective consulates to secure the proper visas and documents.

 

In addition to moving my job, I also had to move my household overseas. In order to simplify things given unique electrical and different “norms” (standardization of sizes according to DIN), I moved mostly clothing and other personal items and rented furnished apartments. While the furnishings may have not been 100% my style, the ease in having a household set up allowed me to focus on my professional tasks in a new culture. There is only so much adjustment an individual can absorb in the first few weeks -- or even months -- at a new cultural location. 

 

I chose to live in a residential area, which was helpful in being networked into the new community rather than socializing strictly with other Americans. Plugging into the local environments translated to better understandings in the foreign corporate setting. Getting up to speed on the local sporting and arts scenes also helped me break the ice with new colleagues. It eliminated the “us vs. them” mentality.

 

While I was able to successfully live and work abroad as an individual, will I be able to do the same now with a small family in tow? At the end of the analysis, I have to financially support my family, so relocation to India -- or even LA -- may be a consideration that requires thought and preparation.

 

How do you see your own possibilities in pulling up stakes to gain employment?

 

If you’re thinking about conducting an international job search, these articles can help:

 

   * “5 Strategies for Finding Work Abroad”

   * “What to Expect in an Overseas Relocation Package”

   * “Family Life and a Job Abroad”

 

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