Overseas Jobs
for Intrepid Backpacking Women
Overseas jobs may not have been part of your plan - but knowing how to find one could be a lifesaver when you're on the road.
I've usually found that making money to travel longer and further was a better alternative than turning back because I'd overspent.
I've taught English in Brazil, been a union interpreter in Algeria, written freelance articles from Cuba, managed an office in Italy, worked as a Unicef consultant in Laos, and developed this website.
There are thousands of kinds of overseas jobs, and many of them are accessible to women on the road...
Have you ever had a memorable job overseas? We'd love to hear about it!
Overseas jobs writing about travel
Travel writing is one of the best overseas jobs and my personal favorite. Believe it or not, it's well within your reach. Be warned, it's not easy money. To make top dollar, you have to be a top writer but today's top writers started at the bottom too.
The joys of seeing your name in print and your first pay slip are hard to beat. If your goal is to make enough to stay on the road, becoming a travel writer is definitely an option you should explore.
You could also break into travel photography. Payment varies wildly and the same photo could sell for $1 or $1000. But you'll have an advantage - you'll already be on the road, so no big out-of-pocket expenses to get that shot.
Your best bet?
Becoming both a travel writer and travel photographer!
Teaching English abroad
One of the most popular overseas jobs is teaching English abroad. It's a decent money earner, and somewhat easier to break into than travel writing.
Some positions will require a teaching qualification, but a few will not. Until relatively recently, demand was so high that many organizations would snap you up just for being English mother tongue.
That is changing fast. Today, an overseas job teaching English will often require some sort of qualification or certification as the number of English teachers grows and the profession becomes increasingly popular.
Often, but not always. Hired teachers have last-minute changes of plans, and being in the right place at the right time can make all the difference. Substitute work is often available, and private tutoring requires no qualification at all - other than speaking the language and being able to teach it.
Demand is highest in Asia but there are plenty of opportunities for teaching English abroad in other parts of the world. If you've always wanted to teach - and travel - this may be your chance to do both.
Overseas jobs with non-profit organizations
That's right! International organizations, including the United Nations and some of its agencies as well as charities like Oxfam and Save the Children sometimes have short-term work abroad for consultants in developing countries.
Non-profit jobs overseas with international organizations are usually long term and involve a long, drawn-out recruitment process. There is a loophole: if the position is short-term, say a few weeks or months, field offices can often simply hire people locally on a freelance or temporary basis.
This requires special skills - there is very little work abroad for unskilled workers and what there is goes to local citizens - as it should. But if you have good qualifications in an area of work needed by international groups, you might be able to pick up non-profit jobs as a short-term consultancy, especially if you've planned it in advance.
Casual and seasonal jobs overseas
What if you don't speak a foreign language, you can't type, grammar is a mystery to you, and the thought of teaching sends shivers down your spine?
There's always the 'odd job' - the pulling, picking, plucking or hauling trades you can exercise in season, when manual labor is hard to find - at least in North America and Europe.
And if you're staying north of the Equator (or in Australia or New Zealand) there's also the seasonal work abroad in the hospitality industry - serving in cafés or ski resorts, working in a bar, being a club DJ...
Here's one you may not have thought of at all... but what about employment on cruise ships - get paid to travel, as their recruitment posters say! Or sail the seas as crew by landing one of the many yacht jobs available for suitable staff.
Web-based freelance overseas jobs
The beauty of the web is that it allows you to telecommute - full-time while you're home, but part-time when you're on the road. There are literally hundreds of web-based jobs you can take on - all from the cozyness of an Internet café!
Plenty of jobs fall into this category:
- Editing
- Proofreading
- Web research
- Web design
- Virtual assistant
- Graphics
- Advertising
- Public relations
- Translation
- Write resumes...
These 'stay-at-home' jobs can be done from anywhere, and dozens of websites survive simply by putting job-seekers in touch with freelance projects.
Building a website
Building a website is much easier than you think and if you're looking for an overseas job, this is one you can have anywhere.
You might have to get started before you leave - but once your site is up, running and making money, you can make it tick over in just an hour or two each week.
This website - Women on the Road - is a website designed to earn me a modest income wherever I go, as long as I have access to an Internet café.
I'm still new at this, but thousands of others have been making a decent living building websites like this one about things they love or for which they feel passion. I've never built a website before - but I had my homepage up within a few days. If I can do it, anyone can.
Have you ever worked outside your own country?
We'd love to hear about it if you have! What did you do? Where did you work and where are you from? How did it change you? How did you find it?
Please tell us about your job overseas and what kind of experience it was for you: was it easy? Challenging? How? Would you do it again? If you have thoughts about any of these questions, we'd love to hear them!
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