The essence of the ideal backpacker is to save money and budget your way through other countries. Often as it is, one might underestimate their funds here and there and might need to work abroad to fund their adventures. Where does one start when it comes to looking for a job overseas? As a New Yorker, Craigslist.org is a great site I often use to find jobs, sell furniture, even look up tango classes. Although they also have links to other countries, I “stumbled upon” www.TransitionsAbroad.com a website dedicated to “Work-Study-Travel and Living”. I have to say I was quite impressed with the amount of information I found when it comes to finding work in other countries.
One could dream of the possibilities of working abroad. Whether you want to DJ in the biggest clubs overseas, write as a journalist at the scene of an event; but there are many more opportunities for careers abroad, both big and small. It is more than just sitting in a big cubicle desk doing temp work in a corporate building, but there are unique jobs that I didn’t even consider before I saw this site.
Au Pair work: “Au pairing (literally “living on equal terms”) provides single women and sometimes men over 18 and normally under 27 the chance to study a language and culture while living as part of a family abroad. The demand for live-in childcare is huge, especially for young women.” – Susan Griffith in Work Abroad as an Au Pair or Nanny.
This is a great chance to not only travel, but to closely interact with a family and their children in another country. There is nothing like the pure innocence of a child to bring you to the “coolest” places around. A great bond could be created for future travels to the country as well. If you are good with children or have younger siblings, this could be a good job for you.
Transitions Abroad lists many (and many) websites with links to Au Pair agencies or ads around the globe.
Here is one ad they list
Au Pair Placements in France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA Au Pair placements available throughout the U.S., Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, and more. Live as an extended member of your Host Family and provide childcare in exchange for room and board with your Host Family, a weekly stipend and insurance. Over 35 years experience arranging cultural exchange programs.
Cost: Varies
Dates: Year-Round
Contact: InterExchange, 161 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10013, 212-924-0446, toll-free 1-800-597-3675
Email: For U.S. citizens to work abroad workabroad@interexchange.org, for Non-U.S. citizens to work in the USA info@interexchange.org
Web: Placements for U.S. residents to au pair abroad www.WorkingAbroad.org; placements for non-U.S. residents to au pair in the U.S. www.AuPairUSA.org.
Under their list of travel jobs, I found an interesting site for New Zealand.
“Seasonal Jobs New Zealand, www.seasonaljobs.co.nz, has compiled many travel jobs from all over New Zealand and from many industries, such as fruit picking on farms and hospitality just to name a few. We have jobs in great locations and resort towns around New Zealand like Queenstown, Wanaka, Kaikoura, Taupo, Rotorua and many more.
Looking at a few listings, I saw ads for fitness instructors, farm workers and dish washers. You’d have to delve deeper and contact these positions to know if there are any certificates or training required. I couldn’t imagine a more unique opportunity than lifting weights in the beautiful country of New Zealand.
I find Transitions Abroad to be a great connector to other sites- one thing that I love about the internet. Backpackers, or even anyone alike are like sponges, waiting to soak up every ounce of information about travel.
The website also features informative articles about Teaching English Abroad, Study Abroad for students and Volunteer Work; all great options for keeping yourself busy overseas, as if you were bored anyway!
My favorite part of the site? Right on the main index page; it recommends books to read. As a journalist, I am bias to say that there is nothing like grabbing a good book on the go and reading someone’s opinion and/or story about something.
One book I will definitely pick up thanks to Transitions Abroad;
Work Your Way Around the World by Susan Griffith. A quick synopsis of the book is provided by the website.
“The employment resources in this section represent a broad spectrum of opportunities; while most are short-term or summer jobs, some are for a minimum of a year. Whereas some jobs are paid, many others involve volunteer work. Paid work is available, for example, in the field of English language teaching, for native speakers of English with a university degree or TEFL qualification (or both). The other fields of employment that sometimes rely on transient labor are the tourist industry and agriculture. In Europe and Australasia there are positions as au pairs, which will allow live-in child carers to learn a language and earn their keep by living with a family and helping to care for the children.
The distinction between paid and volunteer work is often blurred when considering work abroad. Internships arranged in companies in Europe, for instance, seldom pay a salary, and the agencies that mediate such job placements normally charge substantial fees. Similarly, many people are willing to subsidize themselves in order to join interesting volunteer projects abroad, a number of which are included here.
U.S. citizens may need special visas or work permits to work, volunteer, or intern legally in other countries. The officially recognized work exchanges programs listed in this resource section may be able to help.”
As a website for travelers, I would definitely recommend Transitions Abroad as a must go to site; focusing on working abroad. It also centralizes great information on various travel topics. So backpackers, make sure you add this sites to your bookmarks! There is a chock full of information waiting to be read!
