jobs abroad?

[edie]

does anyone have any thoughts about the availability of jobs for US citizens abroad as teachers in higher education?

My big dream is to do a PhD in the states and then work in Central/Eastern Europe. Is this a naive fantasy or something that could be a reality?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

thanks!!

Edited November 1, 2011 by edie

[clover123]

Absolutely!

Look up the colleges you might be interested in working at.. in Europe. And just ask them

Good luck!

[edie]

thanks clover.

[ecritdansleau]

I've thought about this same question. Although I'm not an expert on this career trajectory (and I'd love to hear the experiences of someone who is actually pursuing it), I imagine--in agreement with the above poster--that it's all about getting in contact with the schools that might hire you, as well as networking at international conferences. It's probably a very real possibility if one takes steps like that early on.

[kuzotz]

Very realistic. Look, once you have a bachelor's degree you can literally work anywhere you want in the world. So long as you're proficient in English, and you are willing to pick up a second or third language. Many Americans think its a myth and a pipe dream to find full employment in another country other than the US because we are so familiar with our immigration laws we forget that other countries actually look for highly educated and qualified individuals to contribute to their economy. Anyway with that being said. Getting a work/culture/education visa is not going to be difficult with a PHD also you are open to a lot of different occupations abroad. Anyway get your foot in the door with that first job. Also check out Fullbright. Yes, it is competitive. So what? The worse you can do is no apply because well you make it easier for someone else to get it because they chose to give it a go. XD

Anyway I have a professor who just took a job in Macau and he's very excited about the new opportunity before him. Anyway I hope to have an international oriented career. I'm not going to sit here and let some yank tell me that its unrealistic because they haven't done it, and don't know how to do it.

Tip: Someone who discourages you from this goal you must question their life experiences, you must question if they have ever left the US before, you must also question if they have ever been offer a job overseas or a chance to study overseas. If they have none of those experiences then don't take them seriously. Anyone who has had those experiences know that what you are proposing is very much plausible.

[edie]

Thanks for the encouragement, Kuzotz!