How to Find Paid Short-Term Work Abroad

Travel doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, there’s no reason that you can’t earn money while traveling. While you may need to factor in startup costs like airfare and travel insurance, consider it a case of spending money to make money! There are many short-term job opportunities abroad across a range of industries that can help you not only gain experience but also earn money while you travel.

Here’s how you can find paid short-term work abroad!

There are many benefits to working overseas without a long-term commitment.

• Flexibility and convenience: Short-term work abroad can provide you with insight into an industry or a country’s work culture without having to relocate permanently. Also, It can often fit in around other commitments, whether you’re studying abroad, at home, or on your gap year.
• Unofficial trial period: Short-term work abroad offers low levels of commitment and a “trial period” where you can decide whether working abroad is for you. It also lets you explore different locations and potentially different industries, too.
• Cultural insight: Rather than hopping from one place to the next and barely scratching the surface, working in one place for an extended period of time allows greater insight into your destination’s culture.
• Transferrable skills: Whether you work in a bar, become a sports coach, or teach English at a summer camp, you’ll gain plenty of transferrable skills that will be applicable to many different fields. This is a great way to make a gap year not only financially viable but productive career wise.
• Earn money while traveling: Many people think that ‘traveling’ means ‘expensive’. However, short-term work abroad allows you to break even or even save some cash while traveling the world. Although you may not walk away with enormous savings in a short timeframe, paid work and benefits such as free accommodation can help to sustain your travels and stretch your budget.

Fortunately, short-term jobs abroad span many industries. Aren’t too keen to teach English or work in a hostel? There are alternatives to consider for your unique skill set and personality.

• Visa type: Working holiday
• Best countries: US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand

Working Holiday Visas cater specifically to working travelers. These visas can be applied for independently or travelers can join a program that hosts an in-country orientation and provides them with job support throughout their time abroad. InterExchange’s work & travel programs, for example, run in the US, Canada, and Australia, and will help travelers obtain a valid working holiday visa. You can find many working holiday gap year programs here!

• Visa type: Intern, student, or temporary work
• Best countries: UK, US, Ireland, France, Spain, Japan

While most internships are unpaid and offer college credits instead, this isn’t always the case. There are many industries where people can find paid internships. Cultural Vistas and API Study Abroad are only some of the providers that offer paid internship placements abroad. However, keep in mind that paid internships are likely to be very competitive.

• Visa type: TEFL or work
• Best countries: China, Vietnam, Spain, South Korea, Thailand

Teaching abroad can be a short-term experience as well as a long-term career. Native English speakers - and non-native speakers in some cases - can find plenty of teaching jobs across the world. You can work at a summer camp in Europe or you can sign a semester-only contract to work at a public school abroad in Asia. There are also teaching internships that only last a few months.

• Visa type: Research or work
• Best countries: Germany, US

If you’re interested in academic research, DAAD supports short-term research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students of all academic disciplines in Germany. You don’t have to be German to apply for DAAD funding, but there are eligibility requirements for each position. Participants generally receive a stipend to cover living expenses.

• Visa type: Working holiday
• Best countries: France, Australia, US

Whether you want to work on the coast with a summer breeze or a wintery mountain, seasonal work can come in many different forms. Popular positions include becoming a ski or surf instructor, lifeguard, or working in summer camps as a teacher or a team leader. This is particularly convenient for students or workers who are free over the summer but want to earn money, gain experience, and see the world.

• Visa type: Work or working holiday
• Best countries: Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia

With more and more young people traveling, the demand for tourism and hospitality workers is only increasing. If you’ve got excellent presentation and social skills, consider working as a tour guide, hostel rep, bartender, waiter/waitress, receptionist at a hotel. Due to the nature of working travelers, the turnover for these positions is high which means you’ll find many job openings. These types of positions are most associated with working holiday visa holders due to the difficulty of obtaining a work visa.

• Visa type: Au pair, work, or working holiday
• Best countries: Germany, Switzerland, Australia, UK, Sweden, Italy, US, France

An au pair requires a caring nature and patience as their responsibilities center around looking after children. While not the highest-paid positions, au pairs receive a monthly stipend in addition to benefits such as free accommodation, meals, and language exchange.

Read more: Best Countries to Au Pair Abroad: Free Housing and High Pay

• Visa type: Tourist or working holiday
• Best countries: France, US, Italy, Costa Rica, New Zealand

There are also plenty of unpaid positions abroad that won't stretch your budget. Farm work and programs such as WWOOFing offer plenty of benefits such as accommodation and meals, which cuts travel costs significantly.

With so many countries and short-term job opportunities, it can be difficult to know where to start. To make things easier, let's break the process down into smaller steps.

1. Define your skills & consider your line of work: While most short-term jobs won’t require you to have extensive expertise, it’s important for you to consider what you’re naturally good at and what industry you’d like to work in. If you love kids, you’d make a good teacher or au pair. If you’re sporty, maybe you’d like to become an instructor, or if you’re an extrovert, you’d thrive in hospitality. Also, don't discount trying something outside your comfort zone!
2. Research visa requirements: While it’s possible to rock up and land short-term, cash-in-hand jobs, it’s important to go through the process legally. This means obtaining the right visa and work permit. Many countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, have a ‘working holiday’ visa scheme or equivalent which allows you to travel and pick up work legally.
3. Prepare your documents: Some employers will require you to provide proof of a clean criminal background check, qualifications, and references. While hostel work may not require hard skills, TEFL or sports instructor positions will often require proof of certification.
4. Start your search: Now you can find short-term work abroad! You can search online job postings such Anywork Anywhere, Seasonal Jobs Abroad, or right here on Go Overseas! Or, you can network in-country if you've a valid visa, as you’ll meet many travelers, some of whom may have business connections in your field. Lastly, you can sign up for a recruitment agency, which will match you with suitable job opportunities.

Read more: How to Apply for Jobs Abroad

The most important thing to remember about finding short-term work abroad is that flexibility and creativity will take you far. It might require some extra research and networking but if you’re proactive, you could find yourself having a gap year experience that’s even better than you imagined! Read more about working abroad: 

• The Ultimate Guide to Working Holiday Visas for US Citizens
• 10 Best Countries to Work Abroad
• What Type of Meaningful Travel is Right for You?