Choosing a job where you’ll be working overseas is a major decision for most people. There are plenty of opportunities for expat work in the mining industry, so should you board that plane if you’re offered offshore work?
We’ve listed the top four benefits of expat work to help you decide.
An international education
Anyone who’s undertaken work as an expat will tell you that you can’t put a price on how much you learn. If you’re lucky, you may find yourself in an exotic and appealing location but regardless of where you are, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- develop foreign language skills
- step out of your comfort zone
- work with people from other cultures
- open your mind to new ways of doing things.
The future is global
The world is getting smaller, and different time zones and cultures are no longer barriers to business. The worldly insights that expat work provides is valuable currency in the job market and, increasingly, executive-level jobs demand global thinking and direct experience with other cultures. Whether you fancy yourself as a CEO down the track or you just want to position yourself for the best roles on offer in future, overseas experience is a highly regarded attribute on your CV.
Kudos to you
No doubt about it: working overseas can be challenging, confronting and stressful at times. It’s not always easy to be far from home, in unfamiliar territory and subject to different working conditions. But if you can cope with the pressure and deliver, you’ll prove to your employer – and yourself! – that you’re brave, smart and capable.
Doors will open
As we’ve already mentioned, companies value international experience when they’re hiring, so expat work gives you an edge in the job stakes when you go searching for your next role. Besides this, the new skills and perspectives you glean overseas are likely to open your mind to broader possibilities in work and life. You may find that, after flying across the world and stepping into the unknown, the sky’s the limit.