Guidelines For Getting A Job In Asia

Network Extensively

Networking is extremely important and you can start by getting involved in the expat scene in Asia. Thankfully, there are also numerous foreign chambers of commerce in the various cities as well as expat food places, sports teams and more. You can even start by networking on LinkedIn where you can connect with more targeted persons that work where you’re interested in working as well.

I have actually spoken to dozens of persons online as well as in person about working in Asia and other places. As a result, I am also very interested in talking to other people who need that advice as well. Lots of people have a great deal of success simply talking to country managers and executives. This is quite easy even if you’re young and inexperienced especially if you’re both expats.

Become An English Teacher

One of the most popular career options in China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan etc is to become an English teacher. The requirements for this job differ according to where you want to work, but in most cases all you’ll need is as Bachelor’s degree and sometimes an English course once you’re a natural English speaker. This job may not be a career you would want to do for the rest of your life, however, it is a fantastic short term career since you’ll be paid a good salary, get the necessary work permits and accommodation.

In particular countries, if you want to work in a corporate environment, you’ll need to know and be fluent in the local language. As a result, in many cases, you may be only able to teach English. However, it is still a step in the workforce and will help you to find other opportunities while living in Asia.

You can even get out of your comfort zone and speak at a Manila HR conference.

Use A Recruitment Agency

The vast majority of recruitment agencies don’t work with expats, however, if you have a particular skill set that is not easy to come by, then they may work with you. There are other agencies that can help you to find expat specific opportunities and help you to get a local job. Atkins/SNC ME/APAC can help you with your job search in Asia.

You should talk to expats who are working in recruitment in the country you want to live and work in. They can greatly assist you with meeting and talking to the right people who will help you on your journey. You may even meet other people who are on the same quest as you are or have been through the same journey.

Consulting

Being a consultant doesn’t require too much except specialized knowledge in a particular area that a group of persons would be willing to pay for. There are many expats who become sole proprietors and offer consultancy services in IT, marketing, sales training, virtual CFO and more.

This is a great start since it provides you an entrance into a particular field and you can work on one project to the next. Once there are persons who have problems that you can solve, you can rest assured that they will be happy to hire you to assist them.

Freelance Remotely

It is possible to retain your existing job when you go abroad to live. There are numerous knowledge workers who work in very modern businesses that are fine with their employees working from home or anywhere once they have a good internet connection. Many of these businesses also have a distributed workforce without a set office in any geographical area. Once you work for one of these companies, then you can easily travel and work remotely for as long as you desire. You can even opt to negotiate with your current employer and become a freelancer that works part time hours. It is highly possible to afford living abroad at much cheaper rates than tourists.

Create Your Own Business

Even though it is a well known fact that most businesses fail, you can still try to start a business abroad. As a matter of fact, there are numerous countries which give preferential treatment to foreigners who want to start businesses and even offer them incentives. This helps the country to get more money and jobs.

However, there are also other countries that have laws against foreign businesses and specific restrictions. As a result, you should definitely do your research and talk to lots of business owners who are also expats. Of course, it would be ideal to talk to expat business owners who also operate in your industry. You may find that it may be less risky and cheaper to simply do freelancing or consulting depending on the country you want to operate in.