Sunday, January 24, 2010

Passport? Check!

I spent the last week in London--oh charming, beautiful, classy, utterly fashionable, historic London--on vacation with my husband to spend some quality time with our best friend, aka "third wheel." Third Wheel is a consultant and happens to be in London on a 6-month work assignment.

I can't even begin to tell you how jealous I am of him.

Have any of you ever studied abroad while in college? Was it awesome? I'm jealous of you guys, too. For some weird reason studying abroad was never something I considered as a student, like, it wasn't even on my radar. I SO regret missing out on that opportunity.

Fortunately, it's not too late. This London trip has taught me (aside from the fact that leggings/tights, ultra-skinny jeans and sexy knee-high boots are still definitely in) that as working girls, we have many opportunites to live abroad via working abroad.

For Third Wheel, working in London is preparing him to move up the corporate ladder at a quickened pace, given his broadened international experience. Very significant, since that is exactly what his Director told him. Working abroad is also teaching Third Wheel how to adapt to a new environment, a new culture, and new kinds of people putting him on the fast track to becoming a very well-rounded individual and an overall stronger leader. And not to mention, think about all the perks he's getting, such as: making new lifelong friends, eating amazing food (seriously, London cuisine is not bad at all), sight-seeing, SHOPPING, etc.

I'm so excited now about living and working abroad that I came up with a few questions to totally bring up in a job interview. I'd even venture to bring these questions up at my current job just to see what opportunites are out there.
  • I understand Company X is a global brand, does it have a corporate presence in other parts of the world?
  • I'm very interested in working abroad someday; as part of my ongoing professional development, are there opportunites for Company X employees on Team X to work on international assigments?
  • Is there an employee program for those who are interested in working abroad?
  • (Assuming there are international opportunies) At what levels within the organization are international opportunites available for employees? Any level? Manager and above? Director and above?
Obviously, these questions are just a start and a guide to get you thinking and depend greatly on the type of industry you're in and the nature of your work. For PR Working Girls, I think working abroad opportunites often depend on where clients are based since many companies prefer their PR agency of record to be somewhat local.

So, anyone else pumped yet, or is it just me? Anyway, happy dreaming of a new far away home and life experiences. That's what I'll be doing!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also regret missing out on an opportunity to study abroad. I am intrigued by all these tips for working abroad.

christinamg said...

A few of my friends studied abroad in London and I got to visit them. Which introduced me to Traveling abroad. So many things to see outside of our own country. I say we visit as many places as we can. Even if you can't "work" or "study" abroad....just go out and travel! It's amazing experiences! You learn so much about yourself and others. It really opens your eyes. :-) I wish more young people would realize this! Happy Travels!!

MARY IN SCOTLAND said...

My husband and I were transferred out to Scotland years ago. They just asked him to apply for a position in Spain! I'm stoked! Spain is sunny and has plenty of hot beaches! I can practice my Spanish!!!

I love living and working abroad. There won't be opportunities lke this forever and we should jump on them while we still can!

Sydney Anne said...

My study abroad in London was the best thing I ever did! Though, very little studying actually was done - there was too much traveling!

It's a wonderful experience to LIVE somewhere abroad and not just visit - one day you wake up and realize that you're not a tourist anymore ... it's great!

Content Director - Strong Female Leaders said...

I've always wanted to work in Asia, especially with China's booming economy. But in my field, which is IT, the talent there is enormous.

Wow! So jealous you went to London. That must be quite an experience.

prashant said...

Spain is sunny and has plenty of hot beaches! I can practice my Spanish!!

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