12 Feb 2020 | 3 mins

Trying to snag a job overseas can seem a little daunting. You're way out of your depths in a completely different country, trying to work out the public transport and getting accustomed to the food and on top of that, you're supposed to find a job in this whole new culture? How the heck are ya supposed manage that??!

1. Sort out your visa

Visas. The bane of my existence. If only we could just pop to anywhere in the world for as long as we wanted and work/study, without going through all that bloody documentation. 

But alas, like it or not you will need to work out all the intricacies of your bloody visa. For example, some student visas only let you work a certain amount of hours a week. You'll need to make that clear with any potential jobs because getting kicked out of a country probably isn't ideal.

2. Work out your transferable skills

So. Have you worked in a bar? A cafe? Retail? Great! Where else? Could you be a swimming, snowboarding or surfing instructor? Or are you a hero at editing videos? Who knows, you could find yourself in a job you never expected and maybe have way more fun with it. So make these transferable skills known on your resume!

3. Suss out how the country writes resumes

Whatever country you're heading to, find out how they prefer to structure resumes over there. Will a cover letter be an expectancy, or will that make you look silly?

Being on top of their resume preferences will put you ahead of other international candidates, rather than at the bottom of the pile.

4. Hand your resume out

Sure sure, you can email and apply online, but really immersing yourself, putting yourself out there and handing in a resume IRL can give you bonus brownie points. You could even have a chat with the manager if they're free (they'll froth on the confidence)

5. Network

You'd be surprised how much goss you can get from just yapping away to people. For example, even if you don't really know anyone, if you apply for a certain job in person and they say that they're not hiring, you could ask if they know anyone who is and BOOM! Bob's ya uncle, they could tell you a popular bar that is known to hire foreigners. Talk to anyone and everyone and suss out any joints that are looking for staff!

6. Join an agency

Program providers offer a wide range of work, intern, and volunteer abroad opportunities around the world and help you sort out everything you did and didn’t think of. For a fee that ranges from agency to agency, you can get help with your visa, phone, and job placement among other things which can help you have more of a stress-free adventure overseas!

It may seem daunting, but at the end of the day, it's just like anywhere else in the world. You need a resume, you hand it out, and you hope for a callback ;)