For many of us, the topic of 'job-hunting' is usually something which we would take great pleasure in giving a nice old kick in the shins to….then running away from, if it were a person of course.
However, last September I was expected to secure a suitable work placement pronto in Spain as part of my language degree programme. Everyone else I knew was going to teach English or study at a city University but I really wanted to do something different. After a few weeks of spinning around on the computer chair I received a series of thumbs up emails from a Madrid modelling agency keen to take me on as an intern.
Within a week of arriving in the city, all it took was one phone call to ruin everything. One of the agency's delightful P.A's informed me that there had been a slight confusion in the director's dealings with me. The conversation was quick, sharp and merciless.
It was possible that this had just been an incredibly harsh example of 'be-wary-of-the-job-snatcher' syndrome. All I had to do now was to find another job…..with my seriously amateur level of spoken Spanish along with my utter lack of knowledge of the city business environment.
Note: This happens to job seekers all over the globe but if you are a young foreign student in a different country for the first time, incidents such as this can be off putting. When contacting potential employers, be sure to use all methods of communication; email, fax and more specifically telephone to avoid any misunderstanding.
Take two, the next place I set my eye on was a rather
grand and well known hotel with a fairly central city
location. What a great opportunity it would be to improve
my Spanish,
see some celebrities and get a small dose of that glitz
and glamour I thought I had lost out on.
I had received a number of enthusiastic responses from HR briefing me on the internship offered and asking me to bring in personal documents straightaway.
Not once being allowed to see the director at any point during this correspondence I thought this quite strange but eagerly waited to hear the start date of my placement that I was told would be very soon.
One week later, I was asked to confirm (again) the position I had been applying for because they had forgotten(!?). The following day it was made clear that there was now no internship available for me. My email was cursed.. obviously.
Note: People are often busy however this does not excuse taking others for a fool. If you are desperate to find a work placement or job, know your rights as an employee abroad and be sure to speak face to face with the person who has the most authority within the company. Even if you are not confident with your level of language it will show that you are keen and not one to be messed with. After all, it is your time and money.
The final stages of my job hunt included weeks of trekking through the city and spending hours on end stuck in a metro carriage lugging beneath the weight of a backpack filled with CV's. Alternatively my nights were filled with gruelling visits to the local internet café applying to vacancies. Soon I just knew that I was going to have to return to the U.K with a failed couple of months behind me.
One important fact that I had disregarded was that in some countries the unemployment rate is higher consequently meaning that it is more difficult to find a job there. I had naively thought that I would be able to find a bilingual job at the drop of a hat but this was not the case as I had found out so miserably.
It didn't all end in tears though. My job hunting experience had taught me more about the city, the culture and had given me a great deal of practice with my language so I was confident enough to continue with my search.
As an English speaker I had realised that the best option available was teaching English and it is true to say that abroad there is such a huge market for it. It was my last resort, but I did now, after all, have no alternative.
In late November just as the panic was about to kick in after receiving word from the University that I did actually have a deadline to find my work placement, I made the giant leap to apply for a teaching post at a private education academy. A week later I was teaching English to adults and enjoying every moment of what I had achieved.
It may seem as though 'everybody' teaches English abroad but it really does have its advantages. You are not always required to be trained or fully qualified and it gives you an independent role. Moreover there are often chances to not just teach English language, but to also guide other subjects in spoken English and be creative in your own way.
There are many places advertising for English assistants and tutors and trust me when I say it is so much easier applying for one of these than it is applying for a general job abroad. If anything it's a good starting point for anyone seeking work in any country. You get great experience, a smooth application process and a nice couple of spaces filled on your CV. The opportunity is there so why not take it?
By Rosemary Van Der Westhuizen
