When I was 8 weeks pregnant with the first little traveller I began to plan out my maternity leave. I figured 8 -12 weeks away from the office would suffice. With mortgage repayments on the horizon and a junior account manager eyeing off my list of clients, I didn’t want to be away from the office for too long. When I made my first visit to a day care centre a few weeks later, I experienced my first pang of uncertainty. Perhaps it was spurred on by the amount of women who asked with a hint of concern “8 – 12 weeks, are you sure?”
When G came home with a job offer in Indonesia it almost felt like an easy out. A year’s maternity leave, a pay rise to cover my loss of income, and a rent free experience in Asia with time to enjoy my new baby. We said yes, and within months I moved from life as Kirsty Major Account Manager, to Kirsty Stay At Home Mother in a foreign country. I had no no idea at that stage that there would be another move on the horizon in 18 months time. I, like many expat women, found myself trying to balance a mobile career search. Was it worth applying if we were going to get transferred again? When would we have our next child? Should I wait until we were sure? I worried about keeping my skills up to date and becoming irrelevant in my field, but most of all I worried about getting stuck. About becoming completely dependent on my husband. I mean this was the stuff that novels and movies were written and based on. Woman meets man, woman falls in love with man, woman follows man around the world, woman has children, woman supports man’s career for years only to find out man is bonking the 26 year old younger version of herself from the office. Woman sits jobless with children wondering what in the hell happened.
I have complete faith in my husband, but it doesn’t just take an affair for things to turn pear shaped and you to find yourself backed into a corner where your career choices are limited. Today I’d like to share some tips with you. My tips come as a former recruiter and a woman who has many times had to make something out of nothing during an international move.
10 tips to keeping you, your career, and your professional self alive.
1. Adjust Your Resume For The Location
It’s highly possible the industry you worked in previously may not exist in your current location. Adapt your CV accordingly for a job that will enhance your career prospects. A girlfriend who worked in Economic Development within the government found that there was absolutely no calling for the role in her current location. Business Development Managers in the private sector appeared to be very much in demand, she adjusted her resume accordingly. Have a look at what is being advertised. Which roles dominate the market? Maybe you need to be using a different language in your job title to explain your job description.
2. Hit the Books – Get Educated
If you can’t work, whether it be child related or because of your location, you can always study. Have a look at online education and see what takes your fancy. Take the option to further your career with an MBA, or perhaps this is your one chance to move into a different role? If you’ve secretly always been interested in Graphic Design or Print Media this is the time to see if its for you.
3. Volunteer
If you can’t get a work visa think about volunteering. What better way to feel good about yourself while keeping your resume loaded with additional skills. Volunteering is a great way to not only meet people out of your circle but to get a feel for the real issues in a city.
4. Keep Memberships/Industry Affiliations current.
I have many friends who travel each year to undergo further courses or exams to keep their qualifications current. Whether you’re a speech therapist, a nurse, or an accountant you’ll need to keep your credentials up to date. Keep your memberships and qualifications current. Take yourself seriously, it’s too easy to decide that because you haven’t used those skills for a couple of years they’re irrelevant, they’re not. Don’t give up on them.
5. Learn the Local Language
Use the time to learn the language “I spent two years traveling with my partner’s career” as opposed to “I spent two years studying Arabic and Middle Eastern Culture” are two very different interview conversations. I know time can be of the essence when you have a baby at your feet and a small child to collect from nursery by midday, but think about having a tutor come to the house.
6. Save For a Rainy Day
Keep aside some money every month, put it into an account that is not linked to your joint account or mortgage. It doesn’t have to be underhanded or hidden from your partner, but keep some money of your own. Turn money that you would possibly fritter away on a coffee or an item from the sales, into money for your next course or business venture. I recently stopped my morning run to Starbucks and now have an additional 100 riyals in my purse at the end of the week. That’s 400 a month, which is nearly 5,000 riyals at the end of the year that I have to spend on a whatever I choose. I have an idea of an online business I’d like to start – guess where I’m getting my funding from?
7. References along the way
Make sure you collect references from anyone you’ve done work for. If they asked you to design the logo for the school t-shirts, get a reference. If you collated the newsletter for the football association, get a reference. If you were the treasurer of the Australian/New Zealand Association Gala night, get a reference. And while you’re at it – get a housing reference from everywhere that you’ve lived. You may need to rent when you return home and if you’ve been out of the country without a job you’ll need to prove you’re trustworthy and reliable tenant.
8. Don’t Wait
One of my biggest regrets in my travels is the amount of times I didn’t get involved because “we’re probably going to be moved in the next 12 months”. When I finally learnt my lesson and just threw myself into a new job we ended up sticking around for 4 years. I outlasted most of the millenials in the organization who had moved onto bigger and better things by the 2 year mark. Don’t hold back.
9. Stay in contact with your previous employers
Keep in contact with your old boss. Networking is key when it comes to finding a new job. Make sure you old boss remembers how fabulous you were, when someone calls her/him for a reference in the next couple of years the last thing your new employer wants to hear is “Who?”
10. Create something for yourself
Brainstorm with friends, discuss ideas with your partner, research online. Keep looking for that one thing, the thing that you feel strongly about. I’ve watched my neighbour here in Qatar kick off quite a few different ideas, some of them worked, some of them didn’t. A couple of years ago she collated a book and it’s now perhaps the leading farewell gift in Doha. Your idea may sound crazy to everyone else but you. Give it a try. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Go do it!
Such a great list of incentives and ideas.
I’m limited to volunteering as my visa is always stamped ‘dependent’ because of the way G’s company moves us around. It’s funny (weird, not haha) how many careers are not transportable, and how qualifications aren’t necessarily recognized.
References are a must, especially when volunteering as the work you do is absolutely justified, just unpaid. They also help you when you arrive at your new destination and you are trying to break into the existing groups.
I’ve happily resigned myself to volunteering at school (tho even that isn’t always as easy as it sounds for newbies), with the International Women’s Club (or similar), local charity (after police checks are done) and doing courses – floral arranging, cooking, writing, pottery.
Makes expat life sound bliss doesn’t it – it can be, but it’s also called ‘filling in time’.
Sometimes I think it would be nice to be like friends, juggling career, kids, home, husband etc, but I’m not, so i make the most of it.
Good list, and I especially agree with #8. I’ve lived in four different countries and have been able to (legally) work half the time. It’s frustrating when you can’t, if that is what you want to do, but you just have to be creative and reinvent yourself a little. My other piece of advice is not to jump into too many things too quickly when you first arrive somewhere. I have made that mistake more than once, worried about how I would fill my days. Once you have yourself sorted, and discover what it is you REALLY want to give you time to, it’s often difficult to extricate yourself from commitments you might not want to continue. Pace yourself, and find what is meaningful for you.
great list and from somebody who really knows about it, not just a consultant who never sat breastfeeding endlessly while checking if the husband made it for the connecting flight on flightstats.com I would like to ask you if i can reblog your post adding italian translation and obviously making all the linking and quoting in respect of your copyright
Of course you can! xx
Jenn, that is BRILLIANT advice. I’ve done the same thing and you’re absolutely right, it takes time to work out how a city works and who/what you want to get involved with.
If you’re making the most of it, you’ll never be disappointed. I think it’s always cruel that when we’re not working we’re always thinking about if and how we’ll get back to work only to the finally get back to work and curse that we didn’t “enjoy” the time we had away. Enjoy the time, make the most of it. One day you might just miss it 🙂
Great article, thanks Kirsty! Points 1, 3 and 5 really resonate with me. I’m coming up to the end of my first 12 months of living in France and am about to start my first job here – eek! For quite some time I was really anxious about not working, worrying about losing my skills, being disconnected from the ‘professional’ world, etc. I was also worried that I’d “never” find work as I’m still learning French. So, I decided to start volunteering as a grant writer for an NGO in Papua New Guinea to keep my hand in writing projects (it’s via http://www.onlinevolunteering.org if anyone’s interested!), went to French lessons and started passing on my CV to some local companies. I’m thrilled that I’ve landed a job (it will be in English and French), which isn’t going to be all that far removed from my previous roles in marketing/communications. Now, let’s hope I don’t accidentally offend anyone when using my French language skills in the office 🙂
Love the budgeting. And getting references as you go. Evidence for later may be priceless. I would add keep your personal learning/accomplishment log. It’s too easy to undervalue what you are doing.
I agree! Especially when the work you do is undervalued at home. A friend became president of the expat association for her husband’s company (we’re talking 100s of people). A volunteer job. Folks back home kept asking:’when do you get a real job’. When you cannot commit to staying in one place, it’s hard to convince someone to hire you, so you turn to volunteer work. It’s still work. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I made the experience too, but for me it was ‘at home’-home. Any job you get will always pay less than your spouse’s. It doesn’t mean it’s not important. Think of it as furthering your experience, bumping up your resume. I got so much experience in a field very different from my original job, it made sense to look for a job in this new branch when I moved back. I’m glad to say I found work very quickly, after asking for a recommendation letter in my former city. It helped me get some financial independence and out of my marriage…
Great tips, thanks! Also homeworking worked for me. You may find that your skills are needed in a different country, and what you need is a computer and a good internet connection. It’s not easy but it happens!