Posted on November 30, 2009
Photo from Flickr mexican_2000
International Must Do Mondays is kicking off today. Every week we will impart a bit of wisdom and provide you with an action item for the week to help bring you one step closer to your international dream. Plan of action this week – start filing the paperwork to get your passport. For those of you who already have a passport – no need to do so. This week, make sure that you know where it is and that you can easily access it for when you file any visas, apply to study abroad programs or when you are leaving the country.
For those of you who do not have one yet – no worries. Getting a passport is a relatively easy process. By spending less than a half an hour a day over a course of 5 days, you can finalize the process for a passport.
Day 1: Get a passport application (approximate time – 10 minutes)
Applications are available at a U.S. post office or you can download the passport application forms.
Day 2: Gather supplemental documents to your application (approximate time – 30 min)
Start gathering documents to prove your U.S. Citizenship and your identity. According to the U.S. Department of State examples of these documents include:
-
Proof of Citizenship:
-
Proof of Identity:
-
1 Current & valid: Driver’s license; Government ID: city, state or federal; or Military ID: military and dependents
-
Previous US passport (altered or damaged passports are not okay)
Day 3: Get 2 pictures taken (approximate time – 20 min)
Most drugstores and post offices have the ability to produce passport photos. Your photo must reflect your everyday appearance – no hats allowed. This includes glasses (if you usually wear them) or anything that may alter your appearance.
Day 4: Fill out all the paperwork (approximate time – 30 min)
Follow the instructions on pages one and two. Make sure you have your social security number handy to fill in the number when appropriate. Be sure to include the execution fee that is required per the application.
Day 5: Hand in the paperwork (approximate time – 15 min)
Find the passport office location nearest you. If you have your departure date available, provide it to expedite the process. Expect to receive your US passport in two weeks to two months. The State Department allows you to track the status of your application as well.
Comments:
Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on November 23, 2009
Photo Attribution to megan.leith on Flickr
What do celebrities, professional athletes, Fortune 50 CEOs and elite entrepreneurs all have in common? Yes, they’re famous and they all have a team of stylists, PR folks, mentors and coaches helping them look beautiful, stay abreast and informed of the latest news, perform at higher levels and motivated towards achieving their goals. While having a team behind you is ideal, sometimes it is not possible – yet.
At Goinglobal, we realize that getting an international job, an internship, a study abroad program or any type of international opportunity takes courage (to do something unique and different), perseverance (to stay motivated through the process) and turning those two into results. We want to help you along that process and be that coach that gets one step close to making that international dream come true.
Stay tuned every Monday for a weekly international must do, aimed to bring you closer to living, working or traveling abroad, step by step. Think of us like your international coach – motivating you to achieve your dreams abroad.
Comments:
Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on November 11, 2009
James Norris - Young Expat working in Singapore
Moving overseas to work as a young professional may be the perfect way to accelerate your career or it may just be the perfect time where responsibilities are far and in between. Even if it seems as if your student loan debt is insurmountable, there are plenty of creative ways to budget and save for a move abroad. The money, however, is not the biggest issue that I have found. More often than not, it is having the mental fortitude and the unwavering desire that stops most young professionals from even trying.
Living abroad as a young professional requires two things – courage and perseverance. In the traditional sense, courage and perseverance conger up romanticized images of knights in shining amour pursuing dragons to far off lands to save their villages. Having courage and perseverance, though, is much more of an inner journey than this fairytale story. Both these traits help you to confront your fears and persevere, even though what you are about to do is scary and perhaps different than all your friends around you.
This is what we learned this week from our guest, James Norris. An intended 4 day visit to Singapore led him to a full-time dream job where he is currently living and working. Two months ago his life changed from being a young professional in Houston to working as an expatriate in Singapore for a non-profit called Social Innovation Park (SIP) [www.socialinnovationpark.org]. He shares his experience as a young working professional abroad and imparts actionable steps at the end so that you can do it too!
If you would like to get in touch with James, you can find him at www.jnorris.org and jsnorris@gmail.com.
Goinglobal: Why did you choose to move and work internationally?
James Norris: This was a choice made for several reasons. A few passions of mine were combined through this opportunity: social change, traveling, experiential learning and personal development. Not only that, but the company that I work for, SIP, acts as a platform to incubate and scale social innovation in Asia. Building and promoting social innovation is where I see my purpose fulfilled. I was fortunate to build and create the infrastructure for a social innovation hub in Austin, Texas before I left.
GG: What was the tipping point that helped to make the decision to work in Singapore?
JN: It was always a life goal of mine to explore the world, so when one of my mentors, Gary Hoover, invited me to join him on a month-long trip through Russia, Thailand, and Singapore, I jumped at the chance. My original plan was to explore Singapore deeply for 4-5 days, with a focus on learning about the social innovation ecosystem here. I ended up staying two weeks and moved here two months later.
GG: How did you find the opportunity to do work abroad?
JN: Google, LinkedIn and a connection through a friend helped secure a few initial meetings. Those led to more meetings. It’s much easier than you think to secure a first meeting with people or enterprises that you’re aligned with—you just have to proactively, persistently, and politely ask. It helps if you can think of a way to add value to the people you’re meeting, as well as have a few differentiators under your belt (mine were domain expertise, a personal website, etc.). One offer came within 10 minutes of meeting with a CEO. Another came from an informal phone interview after I returned home. More offers would have materialized if I pushed harder, but I didn’t need to—both were extremely good fits for me.
GG: How did you mentally prepare for your work experience abroad?
JN: Beyond the basic research about Singapore and what makes it tick, I spent some time planning my workflow systems and rituals and clearing my backlog. A backlog is one of the worst things we can carry around in our fragile little heads—I tried to completely eliminate mine before coming. Failed miserably! Well, not completely—I did leave with much, much less mental baggage by closing open loops and finishing outstanding projects.
GG: What type of planning (logistics, documents, etc) did it involve?
JN: I had my passport already and Singapore didn’t require a visa, so all I had to do was buy a one-way plane ticket (first time I’d ever done that!) and Google map the location of my hostel and workplace. There was a form from the Singaporean Ministry of Manpower, as well (it took 3-4 painful hours—MOM doesn’t let you cut corners!). I spent a week or so saying goodbye to as many friends as possible, which was hectic. I should have allocated more time for that.
GG: How much did it cost for you to work internationally (a rough out of pocket estimate to give someone an idea of how much to project to spend)?
JN: $550 for the flight from Houston, Texas to Singapore using World Travellers’ Club [www.around-the-world.com]. $20 for an international adapter and some Texas memorabilia to give out. I’d estimate that my living expenses are about 20% less here than living in the United States, but that’s only valid for my lifestyle. One ranking I’ve seen puts Singapore on the top 10 most expensive cities to live in anywhere in the world, but I question the metrics they use to make that claim.
GG: What was/is your favorite part about working internationally?
JN: My favorite part is how it’s helped accelerate my overall rate of learning. Being in a novel environment stimulates my mind on a regular basis—I learn a fact or a new twist on something every few days. I’m quite ignorant compared to my friends and colleagues here, so there’s a lot of internal pressure (and joy) in closing the gap. I know this intellectual rush will likely fade as I acclimate, but according to some studies I’ve seen the longer I stay and become integrated the larger the boost to creativity. So it’s win-win.
GG: What was your least favorite part about working internationally?
JN: Well, Singapore is a tropical rainforest. With no seasons. I think you can figure it out from here.
GG: What are 3-5 steps that you can recommend for someone who wants to pursue a career abroad (looking for tactical implementations)?
JN:
1. Create a three-columned table showing: a) what you’re passionate about, b) what you’re good at, and c) what high-trajectory occupations appeal to you. Look for a match between all three.
2. Create a career hit list incorporating your insights from #1. Include small, medium, and large enterprises; educational opportunities; personal ventures; and any other options you can think of. Shoot for between 10-100.
3. Create a list of cities you’d ideally like to live in. Narrow to 2-3.
4. Hit Google, LinkedIn, Facebook to look for opportunities in your 2-3 cities. Remember, every person you know that lives in those cities is an opportunity. Emails, calls, messages, IMs, snail mail, courier pigeons—do whatever it takes to politely get your message across.
5. Follow up with leads professionally and promptly. Have your resume, CV, recommendation letters, portfolio of work (yes, this includes people who don’t traditionally need to supply a portfolio), personality tests, etc. all cleanly prepared and ready to provide on demand. Rehearse for the meeting or interview 5-15 times with different friends and colleagues. And so on. It’s hard to overprepare if you really want the opportunity. And if you don’t really want it, then why are you going for it in the first place?
What are your impressions for working internationally as a young professional? Do you have an experience that is worth sharing here?
Comments:
Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on November 5, 2009
Photo by: Karenglynn at Flickr
It’s official. You have the green light for your new international job assignment, volunteer position, study abroad or internship. As you’re jumping for joy, you suddenly realize that moving your whole life overseas seems like an enormously daunting task. When I moved to Europe for the first time, it felt overwhelming to transition my life, my friends and schlep all of my personal things to a new country. My saving grace was breaking my move down into categories that were both manageable and necessary for living in a new country. When my next move happened to Australia several years later, I was readily prepared to embark on the logistical moving journey.
Regardless of how far you are moving or the duration of your trip, identifying the moving essentials is your first step when relocating abroad. Moving abroad takes nothing but projected planning. The best part is that it doesn’t even have to be so far in advance. As little as 3 months prior to your trip will help to make your transition smooth. By using the moving categories of: documents, health care, money, shipping logistics & connectivity, you can develop a 3 month action plan prior to moving.
Documents: Passports, visas & other important documents
What are they & why do you need them?
The most important element of your move is having the correct documentation to go abroad. Having a passport from your home country is an obvious necessity. Passports generally take between 6-8 weeks to process, so be cognizant of that prior to your trip. Remember to check the expiration date of your passport as well! A common horror story is that of expiring passports while on a trip and getting held in customs for improper documentation.
Before embarking on your big trip, you will also need to have the proper immigration documentation. The nature of your visit, whether it be for pleasure, work or study, will be the largest determining factor in whether or not you will need a visa. AmeriSpan, a company who helps pair students with study abroad programs that will enrich their language skills, recommends using PassportVisasExpress to research and purchase both visas and passports.
Other important documents that you will need are your birth certificate, a driver’s license or some sort of identification aside from your passport, health insurance details and proof of residency for renting purposes (i.e. utility bill statements).
Health care: Insurance, immunizations & prescription medication
What is it & why do you need them?
Secondary to having proper documentation is protecting your health. It is imperative for anyone traveling overseas to have health insurance. Do not rely on socialized health care (if applicable in the country) because you may not be eligible for coverage. When choosing your insurance program, chose a policy that offers worldwide medical coverage & emergency evacuation. Some policies may include travel insurance on your goods, which if you are taking valuable goods comes in handy in the event your items are damaged or stolen. Always be sure to read the fine print and know exactly what coverage you will receive. The last thing you want is to have an accident and realize that you will not be covered.
Before leaving for your trip, check that you have had all the proper immunizations recommended for that particular country. A great resource for knowing what types of vaccinations are needed can be found on the Travelers’ Health page of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website at http://www.cdc.gov/travel.
If you are traveling with a pre-existing medical condition that requires prescription medication, you will need to have a letter from your doctor that describes the medical condition and details of your medication (i.e. name, dosage, etc.). Any medication should be kept in its original container and clearly labeled on the outside. Communicate with your doctor before leaving about having a stock of prescription medicine available for your trip.
Money: Credit cards, bank accounts & cash
The topic of managing your finances abroad is often skipped over the pre-departure checklist. Access to your money and avoiding hidden fees or surcharges is vital when moving abroad. Notify your bank & credit card company of your move or trip overseas. Providing specific details about where you will be traveling is always the best strategy. For example, you will be in Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. This technique helped me we had our HSBC debit card stolen online while backpacking through Europe. Because we had notified HSBC of where we were going to be, they were able to immediately notify use of the fraudulent charges and quickly reimburse the stolen amount.
It is not necessary to have foreign currency before you leave. However, have a small amount of reserve cash so that if need be, you can exchange money at the airport.
Shipping logistics
Moving all your personal items overseas is like spring-cleaning on steroids. The key is to consolidate all your personal belongings and not over pack. The nature and length or your trip will be the largest determining factor in what and how much to bring. For shorter trips, use the motto of “pack light and travel happy”. For longer more permanent trips, research (shipping costs, import fees, duty costs, shipping companies) & consolidation is key. Contact different international moving and shipping companies for quotes. Remember to plan ahead as it may take over a month for your belonging to arrive.
Travel arrangements
Why do you need them?
Don’t forget that you are the one moving. Aside from moving your belongings, having the right documents, managing your finances, you are the most important part of the move. Plan where you will be staying temporarily before your permanent residency is sorted. Staying in hotels, hostels, with friends or bed & breakfast places are all good temporary choices. Some good resources for students include www.hostelworld.com, www.couchsurfing.com, & www.hostelz.com.
Technology toolbox:
Having the tools to stay connected or document your trip requires prior planning. This is included in the checklist because it is important to have a plan for what you will take. Your technology toolbox may include a computer, phone, camera, PSP, etc. Your international experience will dictate what you will and will not take. Taking a computer may not be as important for someone backpacking through Europe, as it may be for someone transferring to an international working assignment. If you are a student, a good choice for a phone is the Student Cell, a pay-as-you-go phone. A good traveling camera is the Panasonic DMC-Z3S.
What other things would you include in your moving list? Let us know in the comments.
Comments:
Posted by: Olga at Going Global
