This blog entry is for the 18-22 year olds planning their big international adventure.
Setting out on a big international adventure is exciting and nerve wracking. (especially for your parents!!). Finding your first overseas job when you are on the other side of the world can be difficult, especially if you are chasing an entry level position and you don’t have an extensive work history or qualifications list in your resume..
Before sending out your resumes, put yourself in the employer’s situation.
They are:
- Concerned that you’ve never lived out of home before
- Concerned you may not have had a full time job before
- Concerned you will get homesick and leave half way through the season.
- Concerned that you will party too hard and neglect your work commitments.
- Concerned about your lack of experience or formal training.
- Concerned you might not get on a plane.
- probably going to hire a local person before considering you.
This doesn’t mean you can’t get employed as an 18-20 year old. It just means you have to ease employer’s fears when applying for the job.
There are a couple of options for very young job hunters.
Applying for jobs directly with employers can be frustrating. You’ll be competing against more mature, more experienced applicants with a history of living away from home.
To compete against these candidates, you’ll need to have all your ducks in a row. Visas locked in, flights booked, references, and strong interviewing skills. Your cover letters should show you’ve researched the company that you want to work for. And then it may come down to luck and timing. One of those older candidates may withdraw their application, opening the door for you.
Another option to get your first overseas job is going through an agency that specialises in placing very young people.
For example, being an au pair or working in a North American summer camp are classic examples of those first overseas jobs.
Image courtesy of Camp Canada.
Another good option is to take a gap year position as a teacher’s aid or sports coach at a secondary school.
If you are a skilled sports person, there are great options to play cricket, rugby, football or basketball etc. Clubs will usually look after their contracted international players with accommodation and side jobs.
All these examples provide a user friendly first overseas job where you’re not landing in a foreign country wondering where you are going to be sleeping in a few days. You will also receive support from agencies before you fly, and during your work contract.
Let’s look at the example of a Northern Hemisphere Summer Camp.
These placements are typically 3 months long, and include housing, food, and insurance. You can pretty much save all the money you earn because your living expenses are taken care of.
By the end of the summer you’ll have the following:
- More money than you started with.
- Local experience which is really helpful in Canada.
- A US / Canadian bank account, tax number, phone number, and a local reference.
- A group of friends to go travelling with. Hopefully one of them has a car!
- More confidence and skills.
- And you’ll still have valid working holiday visa
If you’re staying for a North American winter being in Canada or the USA really helps you find your next winter gig. You’ll also have completed a contract that involves full time work. (Yes you’re starting to look like a reliable candidate for future winter employers.)
We see a lot of very young wannabe seasonal workers with unrealistic expectations. Sorry guys, but you just aren’t going to walk in to glamour jobs like cocktail bar-tending or chalet hosting in famous ski towns. You need to walk before you can run.
Taking that summer camp job, an au pair position, or a specialised gap year role as a teachers aid, helps you build a resume and it puts you in a much better position for your next seasonal gig.
In short, a camp job is very employee friendly, and a fun stepping stone at the start of an amazing international adventure.
Please see our new Camp Canada ad with more details about summer 2025 work in Canada.