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The perks of an international career

The perks of an international career

3 aspects that sets international careers apart from other opportunities

Federica Montrone
August 28, 2024

More often than not, you hear about individuals seizing opportunities abroad. It appears to be the logical choice, yet lingering doubts persist.

Admittedly, it is a tough decision with plenty of associated costs. Nevertheless, reflecting on the true benefits of an international career is essential.

In today's issue, we dig into the perks of having a career abroad and why so many people decide to go after it in the early years of their careers.

We will explore three key features that differentiate an international career from a “steady” one in your home Country. In particular:

How does an international career help you build your confidence?
How does your marketability as a professional improve?
Does an international career improve your luck?

1- Confidence Boost

When moving abroad for an opportunity, you need to deal with everything related to moving to another Country: finding a place to stay, getting used to the Country's culture, understanding taxes and dealing with immigration bureaucracy.

This might sound like little problems, however, all of it is new and requires you to put to good use your problem-solving abilities. Every time something new arises, you will soon discover that everything is within your reach in one way or another.

And once you have overcome everything, you cannot be prouder of yourself.

A “steady state” opportunity, on the other hand, rarely poses these kinds of challenges. Of course, there are many ways to build confidence and changing Country is not always the simplest nor the most convenient approach. Whether abroad or not, good leadership can also help you succeed and achieve things you never imagined, making you more ambitious and pushing you towards more challenging targets.

However, rolling up your sleeves to change the status quo while only relying on yourself is hard to beat. Looking back, you’ll be amazed at how much this strengthens your personality.

2- Improve your Marketability

One common belief about working abroad and getting international experience is that it “makes your CV look better”.

But how does it work?

Improving your CV simply means proving that your skills have improved.

Going abroad forces you to improve your adaptability and your awareness of cultural diversity. As a result, your ability to communicate effectively in different environments improves. As one of the most important skills you can master, having above-average communication skills immediately signals that you are a strong candidate when it comes to working in a challenging environment or a diverse team, such as a startup.

Nonetheless, a recent study across 30 Countries demonstrated how international work experience has a positive relationship with financial success and work promotions, proving that this is not just speculative but there is evidence that moving abroad can be a good choice to accelerate your career.

Again, you can build a great career staying in your home Country. However, your home Country might not be the best place to work or explore your chosen field, the right opportunities could be harder to spot and you probably won't be exposed to the same challenges that a new environment poses to a young professional.

3- Increase your surface luck

If you’re a regular Kickigai reader, we talked about luck in a recent article “How to get lucky in your career”.

As mentioned there, the sheer power of motion might propel your career in ways that might not look obvious at the moment but start to make sense afterwards.

For example, one common yet invaluable perk of moving abroad is expanding your network. Getting to know people in your same industry, but coming from other Countries and different backgrounds might turn out to be key to deepening your expertise; not to mention the power of relationships when you’re looking for new opportunities or if you’re starting something of your own.

A cosy role close to home might still make you an expert but will rarely provide that kind of network that can change your career.

If you enjoyed this issue, share it with someone who wants to move abroad!

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