Do you dream of travelling without sacrificing your savings? Panic not! Here’s 10 ways to work and travel your way around the world…
Teach English overseas
Teaching abroad has long been a popular gap year option with teenagers but it transpires that, in 2016, schools are reluctant to hire someone with little life, not to mention teaching experience. Rather they want professionals who, the theory goes, are more reliable and less likely to show up to a 9am class with a hangover the size of China. Teaching abroad is also a great way to get to know a country inside out and to forge friendships with the locals. Job opportunities abound all around the world and while a TEFL qualification can help you land a job, it’s not always necessary – you simply need to be a native speaker.
Au pair abroad
If you adore children, why not make like Mary Poppins and au pair overseas – a fantastic way to experience another country and culture à la the locals and, cru-cially, get paid for it. Of course, there is one caveat: your ‘charges’ could turn out to be the devil’s own. For an idea of salaries and job opportunities, visit www.aupair-world.net. Or follow in the footsteps of TNT and land an au pair job abroad via the classified section of The Lady (www.thelady.co.uk)
Work remotely
You may not even need to quit your current job in order to hit the road. If it’s not essential to show face in the office, why not have a word with your boss and see if you can’t become a digital nomad – famously defined by Forbes magazine as “individuals who leverage technology to perform their work duties and conduct their lifestyle in a nomadic manner.” Translation? In layman terms, digital nomads refer to those you see buried behind MacBooks in cafes across the world. They’re writers, journalists, graphic designers, IT consultants, personal assistants, online teachers, business owners – basically anyone who, thanks to the rise of the digital office, can earn an income just as easily in Colombia as Canary Wharf.
Get hired as a hair stylist
Hands up if you’re a hairdresser. Why not ditch the salon in suburbia, for some-where sunny and unleash your hair cutting and colouring talents on both the backpacking and expat opportunity? For inspiration look to Terrie Orr (https://gatanegro1.wordpr)- an Irish-born hairstylist and colour technician who first swapped Belfast for Buenos Aires and is now showing Madrileños’ locks some love. Advertise your services in hostels and on expat forums, then sit back and watch the bookings (and dosh) roll in. A masseur or beauty therapist? Same rule applies!
Bar chat
Fancy yourself as Tom Cruise in Cocktail? Become a bartender… abroad. It’s ac-tually easier than you’d think as the hospitality sector is one industry that always needs more hands. Occasionally it’s possible to find a job in a bar before boarding that proverbial plane but, more often than not, it’s a case of choosing your destination, touching down and approaching various bars to ask if there’s any available work. Then it’s all about mastering how to make a mean Mojito or Margarita…
Work at a hostel
Hostels are invariably always looking for new staff who are willing to work in exchange for a free accommodation and food. Case in point? In Punta del Diablo (Uruguay), TNT bumped into Charlie, a 20 something British backpacker who pitched up at El Diablo Tranquilo (one of Punta’s pioneer hostels) intending to stay for four days and… never left. Then there’s Tom who rocked up in Nashville for Music City’s annual Country Music Festival and ended up staying in NashVegas for the summer working at Nashville Downtown Hostel, in between busking (if you’ve got the skills to impress people, this is a fun way to make money) gigs. But don’t just rely on hostels: if you’re a practical type staying in an Airbnb property, talk to the owner and ask if they need any help with home improvement in return for free board.
Get a job with an international company that has offices overseas
If you’re convinced you want to work abroad for the long haul, apply for a job with a company that keeps on shuffling its employees around the globe. HSBC, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, UBS, Morgan Stanley plus too many oil and gas companies to mention, are all open to sending staff abroad. And, if you’re single and/or child free, chances are you’ll shoot straight to the top of the queue as you have no serious ties or commitments at home, to cause your employer concern.
Just cruising
Working on a cruise ship is a fantastic way to earn a lot of moola (food and ac-commodation is provided, plus you’ll have no expenses at sea) while getting a taste of the world – and networking with hundreds of people (both passengers and crew members) from around the planet. The job opportunities are endless too: cruise ships are calling out for shop staff, bartenders, chefs, casino staff, per-formers, DJs, hair stylists, massage therapists and more… One word of warning: if you suffer from sea sickness, then working on a cruise ship isn’t something you should consider.
Become a camp counsellor
Ask anyone who has worked as a camp counsellor what it’s like and chances are they’ll answer that it’s both ridiculously exhausting – and one of the most re-warding jobs in the world. If the idea of swapping your office for the great outdoors and spending the summer mentoring kids and making new friends sounds appealing, make a beeline for the BUNAC website (www.bunac.org). Established in 1962, BUNAC has enabled hundreds of thousands of travellers to realise their all-American dream.
Alternatively check out Camp America the current market leader in providing the uniquely-cultural American summer camp experience. Every summer Camp America sends 7000+ young people to camp, to work as activity leaders or assis-tants in a wide range of activities from swimming to horse-riding and arts and crafts. Participants receive return flights from London to New York and have the opportunity to travel for 30 days at the end of their placement. For the full low-down, visit www.campamerica.co.uk
Become a You-tuber
Being a You-tuber is now a real business so, if you have something interesting to say and are confident enough to record yourself and upload the content online for the whole world to watch, why not become a You-tuber?! Your videos can be about anything – so long as the content is engaging – and recorded from absolutely anywhere. If, like Dustin Lake (www.youtube.com/user/TheDustinLuke) – the young American who landed in Argentina and shot to fame for imitating the accent of the inhabitants of Buenos Aires – your channel takes off, you’ll be able to monetise your videos with ads.
Words by Kaye Holland
