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are not in agreement with a statement. In many countries it would be considered disrespectful to present or accept a business card with one hand — or to fail to read and admire it when handed to you. At a business dinner with your foreign boss, would you know where to sit, or more importantly where not to sit? Learn the business etiquette and customs of your target country before going there. Consider Overseas College. In a prior lesson, students learned that going to college overseas is an alternative to a traditional American four year college experience. If you dream of a career overseas, going to university in your target country provides the opportunity to earn a degree while learning the language and making career contacts . If you’d rather attend university in the U.S., check out the possibility of completing one or two semesters of study abroad in your target country. Whether you are a full time, permanent student or on a semester of study abroad, you will need a student visa to be able to remain in the country for an extended time to study. Generally, these are not as hard to get as a work visa but may require an endorsement letter from the school you are attending and confirmation of financial support . Intern. Interning with a company abroad, also referred to as work abroad , is a great way to expand your cross-cultural competence. Keep in mind however that some internships are paid and some are not. Also, you are still required to obtain a visa and certify your ability to support yourself while in the host country. Between travel fees and living costs, foreign internships can be very expensive. If you want to know more about overseas internships try researching Go Overseas (gooverseas.com), Global Experiences (globalexperiences.com) and BUNAC (bunac.org) Expat Blogs and Forums. It helps to know a bit about everyday life in a country before you move there. It’s especially helpful to view it through the eyes of an expat. An expat is person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than where they grew up. Expats often have the inside scoop on things like good, cheap and friendly restaurants, how to find a gym, areas of the city to avoid, where to live, how to find a good dentist, and more. You can tap into the knowledge of expats through the many excellent online expat blogs and forums. Search “Living in [name of Country or City]” and go from there, or try The Expat Exchange expatexchange.com and Expat.com expat.com. III. The Overseas Job Search So you’re sold on the idea of pursuing a career overseas and you’re willing to put in the time and effort it will take to obtain a work visa. Where do you look for a job? Before you buy a plane ticket or spend hours pursuing a visa, explore the job scene in your target country. There are plenty of resources to help you find an overseas position. Here are just a few: Go For It. Many experts recommend applying for a job directly. Target the country or city you want to work in and research companies within the target area. Send your resume and cover letter to their human resource departments asking for a job. You can also search open positions by country. A few resources that enable you to search by country are Going Global (goinglobal.com) and International Jobs Center (internationaljobs.org) PRODUCT PREVIEW
Chapter 6 | The Global Employee 104
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