Adventure Abroad, Round Two: Working Overseas after Studying Abroad

Posted by Suzanne Swartz Mar 2, 2009

Wanderlust!

It's a great word. A German word, in fact, with no English equivalent, which makes it even more near and dear to my heart. Back in college, I spent seven months studying in southwest Germany. I loved it so much, I decided I wasn't done with Europe yet. Austria, a country I'd visited a few times and fallen in love with, was at the top of the list.

And okay, going to Austria was not exactly the biggest culture shock ever after having lived in Germany, but my experience teaching there was markedly different from my experience as a student overseas. That's usually the case the second time around.

Most of the time when you decide to work abroad, even if you are returning overseas on a program such as the Fulbright, you don't have as much support as you would on a study abroad program in finding housing and securing a visa, among other things. And the type of visa required to work in the destination country will be different from a student visa.

A few other notable differences:

• Making friends requires more effort. When I was in Austria, I wasn't taking classes with the same people and participating in study abroad program events all the time. Get to know your coworkers, and consider pursuing an activity you love by joining a local sports team or a community organization.
• You're on your own for keeping your language proficiency on the same level as when you finished your study abroad program. If you're in a country where the native language is not English, I'd recommend communicating with native speakers as much as possible, or even taking a refresher class.
• You do need to maintain a certain level of professionalism, as you would in your home country. Remember, you're not a college student anymore...
• You're actually making some money.

So if you decide to listen to your Wanderlust after returning from a fantastic semester or year studying abroad, go for it. But just remember you're in for a different type of experience, and you'll have much more independence!