Remember that time you were nervously preparing to move abroad for your new internship, or new job? The unknown and uncertainty that was ahead of you! It took a lot of courage to depart from your family’s nest, the welcoming homey smells, the predictable days and familiar, lovely faces of your friends. However, you took a leap of faith and went out into the world, where you experienced new ways of living, fell in love with new traditions, made new friends and soon enough the term “abroad” turned into “home.”
You’re back home from a meaningful professional experience abroad. Now what?
You’ve gotten used to having a “local” breakfast at your new job with your new colleagues, taking a siesta in the middle of the day then continue working in the afternoon, going shopping in the middle of the night, bowing when greeting people or showing appreciation, and speaking bits and piece of different languages in your international environment. Now that you are back, there is none of that happening. Life is just so normal, yet so different and you are not sure what to do after working or interning abroad.
Truth is, you’ll never stop dreaming about moving back abroad but you’ll also never stop loving your home. So how do you satisfy both wanderlusts? Luckily for you, the GoAbroad team understands your struggles and as always, we are here to give you a few ideas on how great your life after your internship abroad can be. Keep on reading and all your fears about what to do after working or interning abroad will be put at ease!
Your overseas work experience is just the beginning
Need a little direction on where to go next in life? Read on.
Whether you’ve interned or worked abroad, for however long, know that this is a huge accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself! We are! You’ve grown as a person, you’ve developed skills that you probably didn’t know you could ever have, you’ve become more humble and open minded, you’ve created meaningful and valuable memories, and most importantly, you’ve made new life-long friends (AKA you’ve gained more couches to sleep on next time you want to travel to another part of the world!). Whoop whoop!
It can be hard to come back home from such an experience and to realize that here, the world has also changed without you. Your dad finally decided to get a dog and your younger siblings look so grown up, some of your friends got engaged or are having kids, some moved away, some took on new hobbies, and some have worked harder on their careers. You might get the feeling that you were left behind, but truly you were not. Remember that you’ve also gone through your own personal experiences and have changed as a person. Your interests might have changed a bit, but everyone loves a good story!
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Now’s the time to take what you’ve learned abroad and apply those oh-so-fresh lessons to your next step in life.
Light precedes every transition. Whether at the end of a tunnel, through a crack in the door or the flash of an idea, it is always there, heralding a new beginning. —Teresa Tsalaky
8 pro tips to nailing life after overseas work experience
1. Expect change
Life after your internship abroad can be tough to adjust to. Just as you felt a culture shock when you landed in a foreign country, you will experience what is called a reverse culture shock when you get back home. Change is the effect of time passing, and you will experience change in yourself, as well as the people around you and your relationship with them. Expect to see things that once seemed normal in a different light, but don’t rush to judge or criticise. Reach out to friends and family and talk about the differences you notice between the cultures.
You can fight them, or you can rock out to them!
2. Plan in advance
We hope that you are one of those people that plan everything to a T. Ok, maybe not everything, but a little bit, so you’re not taken by surprise when you come back home. If you’ve left a job, or are in between studies, you should always plan for your return. That being said, keep a watchful eye on the industry you want to work in, be up to date with new positions at companies you are interested in, be in the known of what skills you should try to gain or improve on while aboard, sign up for newsletters and follow your companies on social media.
That way, when you get back, instead of wondering what to do after working abroad, you will already have a goal in mind, a plan of action and a place where to start from.
3. Find similar people
Life abroad is not something that a lot of people experience, and you might be confronted with a disinterested attitude from some of your friends and even family members, at moments when all you want to do is share the most exciting parts of your experience. And while it is hard for some to understand and relate to you, there are other people out there with international experience that have, or still struggle with the same feelings. So keep your stories short with your friends (don’t risk becoming the annoying friend that won’t stop talking about his amazing experience) and expand your circle of friends, find a similar group of people with international experience, who are interested in your tips, advices and laugh at your embarrassing moments. Because we’ve all been there!
4. How to keep what you have learned
It is possible that whatever you’ve learned abroad might not so easily translate into a job or career you can find back home. But it’s alright, don’t despair! You can always consider doing some freelance work to stay on top of your game, while you’re doing some extra certification courses and acquiring new skills. Consider it an investment in your future career, because put together, new skills and international experience look very good on a resume and it is exactly what companies are looking for nowadays. The more the better!
Never underestimate the power of journaling to document what you learned while working abroad.
5. How to maintain your connections
When you get back home, the first thing you should do is try to reconnect with your old friends. After all, they’ve only been by your side your whole life before you went on your new adventure, but they are still your friends, and they will help you adjust to your old — or at this point new life, quickly. Not to mention, they can be great references and resources for new job leads if you don’t know what to do after working abroad.
Some of the most important connections you should (we can’t emphasize this more!) maintain are the ones you made during your time abroad. If you’ve loved your job abroad and did your best at it, you want to keep a good relationship with your old employer, managers and colleagues, because one day you might be the first person they reach out to for a new, exciting position. The same goes for all the friends you’ve made, even the locals you interacted with. With today’s advanced technology, maintaining these connections as well as making new ones, is literally at the tip of your fingers, through platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn. Even better — you can go completely old school and send out some letters or cards once in a while!
6. Travel again and keep refining those intercultural skills!
After you’ve tasted the sweet life of living abroad, chances are you will want to experience more of it. It’s like an itch you can’t scratch! You’ve come home, seen your friends and family, but you can’t and shouldn’t settle just yet. There are more places to experience, more international skills to develop and refine, new languages to learn, more people to meet, and more memories to create. You already know what the process entails and what to expect, so this time around it should be a lot easier, but not less exciting than the first time. So, what to do after working or interning abroad? Travel some more!
7. Adjust to the new work environment
More traditional “desk jobs” can be fun and interesting too—you just need the right attitude!
If you haven’t had the chance to experience different work environments yet, you should know that every employer is different. This may be due to factors like an intercultural working environment, the company’s goals, mission and vision, the size and diversity of your team and so on. And even if you are aware of these changes and are going in prepared, your body might take some time to also adjust from having lunch at 12:00 when you were working in Germany, to having lunch at 14:00 when in Spain. Working hours can also be different, some companies are very flexible (luckyyy!!!) and some are more strict; you might have to commute to work now, whereas when you worked abroad it only took 10 minutes to get to work.
It’s impossible not to make comparisons, but don’t let these little differences discourage you! Every change and adjustment you make in life, is a new learning curve and skill improvement.
8. Get a meaningful job / live a meaningful life
Notice the word meaningful. Obviously we all need a job because...well bills, and a lot of us just take a job, that does not make us happy, because we don’t know better. But now you know better. You’ve been out there, you know what awaits you, you know your opportunities and you’re a master at adjusting. So why not take your time and find a job that makes you happy and gives meaning to your life? The world is yours to conquer.
After you’ve come back home, you’ll realise how much your view on the world around you has changed. Some traditions and superstitions might seem silly now, and you will notice the difference in mentality between your own culture and your ‘adopted culture(s)’. Just because you are back home, doesn’t mean you have to fall back into “old habits”. You know there are better and bigger views on life, and now you can make your own through your travels. Take a first step towards a more meaningful life and start recycling, stop wasting food, be more active, explore the nature, volunteer for a good cause and travel again!
Start writing your next chapter
We’re SO excited to see where life takes you!
As you can see, coming back from a life abroad does not mean that your life adventure is over and will become just a beautiful piece of memory. You are not stuck! Your value on the market has just increased, because not only have you become a better person, but you’ve also become a great member to add to a team. So put yourself out there!
Also just because you have a job or a busy schedule, this should not keep you in place from traveling and exploring. Did you know about that little park a few miles up on Elm Street? We bet you didn’t! And we can also bet there are tons of other gorgeous sights nearby, that you didn’t even know about. Take the time and explore your own hometown, and you might start seeing it in a different light. What we’re trying to say is that the world is full of mysteries and surprises, and you still have so much more to see and learn.