For those living abroad, locking down a job represents arguably your most pressing priority.
After all, how much money you’re able to earn ultimately decides your quality at life both at home and abroad.
For example, a high-paying gig means more options in terms of where you can settle down and how much you can save. Likewise, more money in the bank means more money you can send home via remittance payments via services like Remitly.
That’s exactly what expats shouldn’t just accept the first offer that comes their way. There’s often a misconception that those living abroad should be happy with what they can get or scrape from the bottom of the barrel employment-wise, but this simply isn’t the case.
In fact, many companies want to hire workers from abroad for the sake of filling specific roles that those at home are simply unable to do.
To guarantee that you’re maximizing your earnings and not sitting at a gig you hate while in a new land, we’ve outlined three tips to help you score a high-paying job while living abroad. No matter where you might call home, these tips are all smart moves.
Scope Out the Right City
Ideally, you should lock down employment before you go abroad when scouting potential places to settle down.
It might sound cliche, but location is everything. This is especially true when it comes to employment opportunities and income.
Think about what. What you may consider “high-paying” in Austin or Asheville wouldn’t go very far versus the likes of New York or San Francisco. It’s all about finding balance when doing your homework on potential cities to move to, taking into consideration factors such as…
- What job opportunities are available and how competitive they are
- The cost of living for that particular city (think: rent, food, taxes, transit and so on)
- Whether or not there’s a thriving community of fellow expats
There’s a common thread between many of the best places to live in the United States where expats can find their footing. That is, their economies are booming while maintaining a relatively recent cost of living: if you can find that sort of “best of both worlds,” you’re golden.
Look to Your Network
If you know somebody already living abroad, they should be your first point of contact when it comes to potential opportunities. Networking is still the best way to find a gig, especially if you know someone who can get your foot in the door.
Additionally, you may want to look into expat-specific forms and question platforms on Quora to pick people’s brains about a particular opportunity or company in a city you’re looking into.
Keep an Eye on International Job Boards
Job boards have become the norm when it comes to finding a job and it’s no different if you’re looking abroad. Actually, many companies in the United States hire expats based on their specific sets of skills. Some notable International job boards to check out include…
- Indeed Worldwide
- Monster Worldwide
- Jooble
- CareerJet
- Go Abroad
Bear in mind that these sites are very popular and therefore there’s likely a lot of competition for any given role. That said, if you can fine-tune your resume to speak to your strengths as an expat striving for a particular role, you can instantly make yourself stand out from the crowd.
Looking for jobs while living abroad might be daunting but it’s an absolute must-do to ensure that your experience as an expat is a positive one. Sticking to these tips will help boost your earning potential and find a gig that’s the right fit for you.