It always surprises me when I hear how few recent college graduates seriously consider going to work abroad.
Especially as many of them spend months looking for work in their field, often settling for jobs that don't require a college degree.
In his book "The Coming Jobs War," Jim Clifton, the Chairman and CEO of Gallup, says that job creation, especially the capacity to create "good" jobs, will determine which countries lead the world and which fall behind.
So which way is the U.
S.
headed? A couple of recent news headlines offer a clue: - "U.
S.
Job Creation on Downward Trajectory...
Net new hiring is at about the same level it was during the recession of late 2008.
" - "In U.
S.
, Worries About Job Cutbacks Return to Record Highs...
Three in 10 workers worry they could lose their job, double the level seen in 2008.
" But for recent graduates who have the guts and resourcefulness to look overseas and consider working abroad the chances of landing a "good" job actually increase.
Why Teaching English Overseas Is A Good Option Teaching English to speakers of other languages is one dead-simple option for recent graduates from English-speaking countries.
Armed with two things that make you just like every other foot soldier slugging it out in the trenches of the 'war for jobs' at home - the fact that English is your native language and you've earned a four-year college degree - you become an immediately employable commodity in places like Korea and China.
If you check the job listings for these countries at some of the popular English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching sites you'll find thousands of jobs that you could get hired for within the next couple months.
In some cases, part of your employment contract also includes housing provided by your employer, which means you don't pay rent.
Most employers will also reimburse your airfare.
And many things, like local taxes, health insurance, transportation, meals out, clothing and food, are relatively cheap.
Teaching can also be a springboard to other opportunities.
When I started teaching in Seoul, Korea back in the '90s, my class schedule allowed me time to do things like learn the local language and take on freelance writing assignments for a couple of local English-language newspapers.
Through some of the adult business English classes I taught, I was able to secure consulting work with small and midsize Korean companies.
Going To Get Worse Before It Gets Better The fact is, the job situation in most of the Western world is going to get worse before it gets better.
The numbers are daunting: In the U.
S.
and Europe there are about 35 million people out of work and millions more who are woefully underemployed.
That's why I just can't understand why so many recent college graduates choose to just stick it out where they're at, hoping that they will be the ones to get lucky.
Or they're waiting for the political class to "fix" things and suddenly start "creating" jobs.
I see so many who move back in with their parents and take jobs waiting tables or sweeping floors when there are better options out there for those who are willing to get out of their comfort zone and consider going to work abroad.
Are you going to keep pounding the pavement, cross your fingers and hope you get lucky or hope the government fixes the problem? Or are you going to take your future and your career into your own hands and start thinking bigger? I encourage you to take a look at the job boards on sites like eslcafe.
com and esljobsworld.
com.
See if something there sparks your interest.