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Resources for the overseas job search

Your options to connect with organizations based in another country may be limited by the languages you speak, whether you can obtain a work visa, the salary the organization can afford to pay you, and how much it will cost you to get there.

These obstacles, however, should not discourage you from trying to find work abroad. If this is what you want to do, the working abroad section is a great resource.

International nonprofits based in your country may be your best bet for finding work abroad. Many of these organizations list their job openings, internships and volunteer opportunities on their websites.

These listings provide you with a sense of what types of jobs are available, and the qualifications required for the positions.

Keep in mind that it's often more difficult to find a salaried position in an international agency without previous field experience or a relevant graduate degree. An internship with such an organization will provide you with the field experience that could eventually materialize into permanent employment.

Research organizations and find job openings

Research both organization and country before making a commitment.

Idealist.org staff reviews all site content, but we do not have first-hand experience with the majority of the organizations on our site and cannot vouch for their operations.

We do remove organizations and their listings when we receive complaints from users. However, we cannot guarantee that every listing on our site is legitimate.
Please review our Terms of Use for more information.

Personal Information

While it is reasonable for organizations to request information about future employees be cautious about the kind of personal information you release, and to whom. Disclosing the personal identification information in passports, drivers' licenses, national identity cards, and the like can all result in identity theft or scams, and should be handled responsibly.

Be especially careful about sending photographs unless you know exactly what they will be used for. Photographs can be easily manipulated with today's technology and you do not want them ending up in the wrong hands.

Payment

If your employment position involves some form of payment (application fee, placement fee, etc.) and you will be performing credit card or bank transactions, make sure you know who will be handling this information and under what terms and conditions.

Before paying for anything, make sure to request a written agreement about what the money is being used for, what the refund policy is, and what kind of a guarantee you will receive by sending money. Although email exchanges are a useful way to get this kind of information, make sure to ask for something more than an agreement established via email. The organization you plan to work with should be able to send you a scanned file, or to fax or mail a copy of some kind of signed agreement.

Visa Information

Please note that processing your visa is primarily a personal responsibility and should usually not require the intervention of your host organization. Be wary of organizations that request personal identification information and/or money to process your visa. Contact a local embassy/consulate for the host country to find out what kind of visa/working papers you will need, rather than going by information provided by your host organization.

Additional resources

The following resources may help focus your thinking about working abroad. As always, if you know of other similar resources that should also be listed here, please contact us here.