Question

Topic: Career/Training

I Would Like To Work Abroad - Seeking Input

Posted by Anonymous on 7/8/2005 at 4:13 AM ET 2000 Points
I'll first share some of my background, and then I will state my questions:

Background
I am a US Citizen. I lived in France and Belgium for two years (without any return trip home). I speak French fluently, and I am competent with written French as well. I have been back in the US for 6 years. I completed a double-major in Marketing and French last summer. I have been working full-time in Market Research for four years, and I've been a Market Research Manager for one year. This is solid experience, no envelope stuffing and the like.

Question
I constantly think about my time in Europe and wish to return there. I would like to work in any of the following areas: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, or Quebec City (Canada). I would like my family (wife and four children) to have that rich experience. My question is, how do I go about accomplishing this seemingly impossible feat? I've done a good deal of research, and it looks like the inroads are either hidden or non-existent. Here are some things I'm torn about:

1) Is now a bad time to move? I currently have only one year of management experience. Is next summer also bad timing? Does it behoove me to stay in my position for at least a few more years, rather than move on now or in just one year?

2) Should I attend Thunderbird University? Its MBA is ranked a long-standing #1 for international business. Would this really help me very much in a quest to get to a foreign company?

3) Am I in the correct profession? Marketing is so much about understanding culture and how others think. I would obviously have some measure of disadvantage because I am not native.

4) Should I try my very best to get a job in a Global company? I'm thinking Coca-Cola, IBM, Disney, McDonald's, DOW Chemical, Johnson Controls, GE, 3M, IKEA, Manpower, etc. The idea here is to get a stateside job, prove myself, discover an overseas opportunity within the company, and apply for a job there. There are obviously no guarantees that any given global company is going to be open to this type of opportunity.

5) How do I pave a path to make this happen? I care a lot about earning enough to provide for my family, about the country I can work in, and I care somewhat less about my profession, but I want to stay within the general area of Business Administration (i.e. I don't want to work as a clerk in a hotel, I don't want to work as a janitor, but I'm open to working in marketing, sales, or learn other areas of business (only if absolutely necessary) like accounting or operations.

6) What else am I not considering???

I am also interested in specific examples of perhaps how some of you have accomplished obtaining European positions.

Thank you all so much for your advice. I will be checking this posting often, so if you need clarification, please ask. You will have my prompt reply. The best few answerers will get my points.
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted on 7/8/2005 at 5:47 AM Accepted
    Hi Gabriel,

    Here are my thoughts. The biggest problem that you face is that you currently don't have a visa to work in Belgium (let me take this example as I am Belgian myself). But that does not mean that you have to give up your dream right away... you will just have to work on it :-)

    To answer you questions above:

    1) It will always be a bad time and it will always be a good time. I would not look at it that way. I would just say to go for it and try your best. Your experience should be sufficient to make the move.

    2) The MBA might get you in the door of a multinational. But with those companies, I think that you need to work a couple of years for them, before they send you abroad. As their expats cost them a couple bucks more. So in no way they will make you an expat on your first working day:-(. For the small companies (here located in Belgium) you will be too expensive and it will be so much harder to find a job with them as they only advertise locally. So yes, that MBA might be of value for a multinational.

    3) I would not worry about the position. If you are qualified in your field and you can give them an added value they will hire you. Your knowledge of French is already a GREAT asset. Now you should work on your flemish :-)

    4) If a multinational sends you over you will be able to provide well for your family as those companies really have great benefits for expats. But as I said, that option might take too long if you already want to leave tomorrow.

    Here are some tips of how I would approach it:

    1) Contact the Belgian Embassy in the United States. Ask them whether they can provide you info and tips on how to obtain a position in Belgium and move overthere.

    2) Browse the local job-websites such as: www.jobscareer.be, www.vacature.com, www.stepstone.be, www.monster.be, www.jobat.be, www.vdab.be (go down the page and click jobs, there you will find info on how to get a job abroad, jobagencies and such) You can read all these sites in French and English.

    3) Look for companies that have affiliates in Belgium. Or even look for Belgian company. A good link for a list of belgian companies you can find here: www.diplobel.us - click trade and government - Belgian investments in the US and then do a search. That could be a good start to find Belgian companies with branches in the US.

    4) For the rest I would try to build a network of friends/contacts of foreign people. I am sure there are many Belgians or French in the USA who could give you some tips or leads. I myself have worked in the US for a year and a half (and perhaps coming back soon depending on a job and visa) and I went to a gathering of Belgians in Philly. People that come from a different country tend to get together as it represents a piece of their homecountry that they miss in once and a while :-) A good site to look at might be www.viw.be. It is a site of Belgians in the world. Perhaps you meet people that way. But I would say, start looking in your neighborhood. Start talking to them and who knows they can give you more tips.

    That is all I can think of at this moment. If you need more information in detail don't hesitate to contact me. Maybe you can give me some tips on how I could get to the USA :-)

    Remember: The most important thing for you is that you find somebody that wants to sponsor you a visa. Once you got that, you are good to go :-)

    All the best in your search

    Thalieken
  • Posted on 7/14/2005 at 8:57 PM Accepted
    Hi Annmarie,
    To answer your question I would say you should visit all the countries you are considering to relocate with your family. You should plan your visit for at least 3 weeks. This will give you a feel of the place and how you can advance your career. Your best bet is to take a vacation and start to network with different people there. By so doing you will get some inside scoop on what you can do in getting your feet in the door
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Career/Training)