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In today’s globalised world, working abroad has become an increasingly popular option for UK students who are looking to enhance their employability, develop cultural awareness and acquire language skills.

As such, it can be an important potential path for students to consider, since the benefits of international work experience can be huge.

And you can also have some good fun and great experiences along the way!

So, in this article, we will give you a brief overview of some of the benefits of working abroad.

Whether you are considering an international internship, volunteer work or a full-time job abroad, we will try to help you understand the advantages of working overseas.

And we’ll give you some clues as to why it is an excellent option for students looking to broaden their horizons and advance their careers at the same time.

So, without further ado, here are just 6 ways that working in another country can really set you apart from the crowd.

You can:

1. Boost Your Employability

2. Gain Cultural Awareness

3. Learn New Languages

4. Personal Growth

5. Build New Networks

6. Overcome Challenges

Obviously, there will be some overlap of benefits across the different categories, but let’s take a look at each of these in a bit more detail with some quick-fire bullet points to help you see just how much you could gain by doing even a short stint abroad…

1. Boost Your Employability

• Expose yourself to diverse work environments: Working abroad can expose you to diverse work environments, allowing you to adapt to new situations and gain valuable experience working with people from different backgrounds.

• Increased independence and self-reliance: Living and working in a foreign country can challenge you to become more independent, resourceful and self-reliant. All highly-valued traits across many industries.

• Improved communication skills: Working in an international setting can help improve your communication skills, including your ability to speak a foreign language, understand cultural differences and communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds.

• Enhanced problem-solving skills: Working abroad can present unique challenges and opportunities, forcing you to think creatively and develop innovative solutions to different sorts of problems.

• Global perspective: International work experience can give students a global perspective and a deeper understanding of the international business environment. This is already important, but will be increasingly so in today’s interconnected world.

• Adaptability: Working abroad can help you become more adaptable to change, as you learn to navigate new cultural and linguistic contexts, work environments and social norms.

• Leadership potential: Students who work abroad often have the opportunity to lead teams or take on leadership roles, which can help you develop important leadership skills which employers value highly.

2. Gain Cultural Awareness

• Importance of cultural awareness: Cultural awareness is becoming increasingly important as people interact with others from different backgrounds, cultures & traditions. Understanding and respecting cultural differences can help avoid misunderstandings and foster positive relationships with your peers and potential employers.

• Develop cultural competence: Working abroad during a gap year can help you develop cultural competence. This refers to the ability to understand, appreciate and effectively communicate with people from diverse backgrounds.

• Exposure to different cultures: Working in another country provides you with an opportunity to immerse yourself in a new culture, learn about its customs, traditions and values – as well as understanding how such things can influence the way other people think and behave.

• Improved cross-cultural communication: Working overseas can help students improve their cross-cultural communication skills, including their ability to communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds, interpret nonverbal cues and negotiate in a multicultural setting.

• Professional benefits: Culturally aware students are attractive to employers as they can work more effectively with colleagues and customers from different backgrounds. Usually, they are better equipped to understand and navigate international business practices and can help create a more inclusive and diverse work environment.

3. Learn New Languages

• Importance of language proficiency: Language proficiency is becoming increasingly important as companies operate in multiple countries and multicultural teams become more common. Being able to speak a second language can make students like you much more attractive to employers.

• Immersion in the language: Working abroad provides students from the UK with an opportunity to immerse themselves in a new language, hear it spoken daily and practice speaking and listening in a natural setting.

• Increased motivation: Being surrounded by native speakers and having to use the language in everyday situations can be a strong motivator for you to learn a new language quickly and effectively.

• Improved language proficiency: Working abroad can help you improve your language proficiency, including the ability to read, write, speak and understand a new language.

• Improved cross-cultural communication: Being proficient in a second language can also help you communicate more effectively with colleagues and customers from different backgrounds, better understand their cultural perspectives and build stronger relationships.

• Personal benefits: Learning a new language can also be personally enriching, as it provides you with a new way of thinking as well as opening up new opportunities for travel and cultural experiences.

• Professional benefits: Proficiency in a second language can be an asset in a variety of fields, including international business, diplomacy, translation and language instruction.

4. Personal Growth

• Independence: Working abroad during a gap year can give you an opportunity to learn to be more independent. You’ll have to navigate a new environment, culture and work setting on your own. You’ll also have to learn how to manage your finances, make new friends and handle unexpected situations without the support of family or friends which you might usually rely upon.

• Adaptability: Working abroad can also help you be more adaptable. You’ll learn to be flexible and adjust to new situations and expectations. You may have to adapt to different work styles, social norms and cultural traditions. All of which can be valuable skills in both personal and professional settings.

• Personal benefits: Working abroad can also promote personal growth by encouraging students to step outside their comfort zone, challenge their assumptions and broaden their perspective on the world. You can gain new insights into different cultures, lifestyles and values, which can help you become more open-minded and empathetic.

• Professional benefits: Personal growth can also have professional benefits, as UK students who are independent, resilient and adaptable are attractive to employers. They may be more capable of working effectively in multicultural teams, managing projects independently and dealing with unexpected challenges.

5. Build New Networks

• Professional connections: Working abroad can provide you with an opportunity to make professional connections in your chosen field of interest, as you can often end up working alongside colleagues, supervisors or clients from different countries and industries. These connections can help build your network and gain valuable insights into different markets or sectors.

• Personal connections: Working abroad can help UK students build personal connections, as they may make new friends or acquaintances from different cultures and backgrounds. These connections can broaden your perspective, help you learn about new opportunities and provide a support system while you are away from home.

• Global network: Building a global network of contacts can be beneficial for students in the long run, as it can provide access to information, resources and opportunities that may not be available locally. It can also help you build a reputation as a global citizen and expand your potential career prospects.

• Social media: Social media platforms such as LinkedIn can be used to build and maintain a global network of contacts. UK students can connect with colleagues, clients or friends they met while working abroad and use these connections to stay informed about international events and job opportunities.

6. Overcome Challenges

• Step out of your comfort zone: Working abroad during a gap year can provide UK students with an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and face new challenges – such as language barriers, cultural differences and unfamiliar work settings. By embracing these challenges, you can build resilience and develop new coping strategies which can help you overcome other obstacles in the future.

• Build confidence: Overcoming challenges can also help build confidence in your own abilities. You will learn to take risks, make decisions and handle unexpected situations. This newfound confidence can be applied to both your personal and professional lives, allowing you to pursue your goals and ambitions with greater enthusiasm and conviction.

• Learn from failure: Working abroad can also provide students with an opportunity to learn from failure. You may encounter setbacks or make mistakes while navigating a new culture or work setting, but these experiences can help develop a growth mindset where you can learn from your mistakes.

• Problem-solving skills: Working abroad can also help students develop problem-solving skills, as they may need to find creative solutions to unfamiliar challenges. You may have to adapt to new work environments, learn new skills or manage unexpected situations, which can all enhance your critical thinking and analytical skills.

In Summary

So, to sum up and give you a reminder of some of the benefits, skills and attributes which you should be able to add to your CV after working overseas during a gap year.:

• Cultural awareness

• Language proficiency

• Exposure to diverse work environments

• Communication skills

• Problem-solving skills

• Independence

• Resilience

• Adaptability

• Motivation