Travel. It’s the Hot New Career Move.
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 02.26.06 | 7:53 PM ET
Hillary Chura’s story in the New York Times business pages this weekend about the career benefits of traveling and working abroad seems to have struck a nerve. During the past 24 hours, it’s been the most e-mailed article on the newspaper’s Web site, to which I say, “Hurrah!”
As Chura writes:
Foreign experience demonstrates entrepreneurship, resourcefulness and independence, according to recruiters. Rosalind Clay Carter, senior vice president for human resources at A&E Television Networks, said people who work and support themselves overseas tend to be inquisitive, flexible and adaptive — valuable skills in today’s workplace.
“You are interested in that person who can move quickly and is nimble and has an inquiring mind,” she said.
Chura also quotes several job-seekers, who say that their experiences abroad have been great assets in the business world.
Julie Androshick, now 41, spent two years teaching English, history and algebra to high school students in American Samoa from 1987 to 1989 with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Room and board were free, and she taught algebra on the side. After Samoa, Ms. Androshick spent more than a year tending bar and getting a master’s degree in international relations from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Ms. Androshick later worked as a journalist and a McKinsey & Company analyst. She now helps big clients manage internal information as a partner with Kenning Associates, a small consulting firm. Based in Manhattan, Ms. Androshick said working abroad had expanded her worldview, gave her the courage to purse long-shot jobs and made her a more loyal employee.
The Times also has a useful sidebar about places to start your own search for a job abroad, including links to Transitions Abroad and Dave’s ESL Cafe.
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
Carl Parkes 02.28.06 | 6:31 PM ET
WorldTeach is another excellent group mentioned in the sidebar, and if you’d like to learn about teaching English in Thailand, visit http://www.ajarn.com