So you are wrapping up college/uni and might be experiencing something like this: DEMPSEY-FACE-kick.
Yes, that’s the real world (figuratively) kicking you in the face! Being a REAL person is SCARY. I mean, scarier than not being an actual “real” person before. You have to pay for all of your living expenses on top of paying back your loans, so to find a job is crucial. sarcastic tone Who woulda thought?!
When I was in college, I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and the truth is that I’m still figuring that out.
Last year when I started to apply for jobs, I knew this much: I love to travel, I enjoy working with students, I strongly believe in a digital future and I want to work with people who have as big of a drive for adventure as I do.
With these things in mind, I found the perfect intersection of international education and marketing, which helped me to land my current job as the marketing coordinator for an academic program provider, my study abroad “Alma Mater” so to speak. I’m not saying that working in study abroad is for everyone, but I will say that there are all sorts of jobs to be had for all different experience levels within the industry.
These are some of the best types of jobs and careers to do after studying abroad and also how you can get them.
College Students:
- Student Assistants
Work at your university’s study abroad office and speak to prospective students about their study abroad options! Working at a university will also give you the opportunity to learn how to use software such as Studio Abroad and SugarCRM, which are commonly used by study abroad providers as well. (This will look great on your resume) - Campus Ambassadors
Represent your study abroad program on your home university’s campus! Organize potlucks and other international events to get students pumped about studying abroad! In doing so, you’ll be the liaison between prospective study abroad students and their program providers and can help to answer some of their specific pre-departure questions since you experienced the program first hand. - Interns
Internships are a great option for anyone truly interested in entering the field and working with different departments, from marketing to operations! Two of my interns recently wrote a blog post about what it’s like to intern for a provider, like ours. Why not get paid part time to do something you love?
Entry Level
- Program Coordinator
Aka the behind the scenes supermen or superwomen. In this position, you’ll work with a large number of students to make sure that their application materials get filed correctly, assist them in their visa application process and answer any question they might have about the program before they get there. - Marketing Coordinator
If you love social media, photography, graphic design and strategic marketing as much as I do, then this is a perfect fit! Be the voice of your organization in all forms of their media, both print and digital, via brochures and the web! Like any other position in the industry, the Marketing Coordinator also gets to work directly with students to produce content that will be a useful resource for prospective students. - Campus Relations Coordinator (CRC)
This position is similar to a consultant job in that you get to travel often to represent your organization by working on strengthening your relationship with prospective students and partner institutions around the country. - Resident Assistant
Perhaps the position I’m most jealous of, the RA gets to live at the program location and work with staff and students on the ground abroad! - Academic Adviser
Work at a university (even your Alma mater!) and assist students directly in the process of filling out their application. You work with providers to make sure that all of the deadlines are being met well in advance, and help to assist the organization of study abroad fairs and pre-departure orientations.
Senior
- Director
After working in the industry for a long time, you can eventually become the director of a study abroad office, a provider or more fragmented, a department within the study abroad provider company. - Program Manager
The program manager supervises the Program Coordinators, and works with partner institutions (in the US and abroad) to negotiate contracts which allow students to have the most positive experience possible! - Resident Director
This position works closely with the Program Managers to ensure that everything is running smoothly on the ground. Some tasks may include finding living arrangements, renting out classroom space, organizing activities and of course, being the main source of emergency contact on the ground. - Academic Director
Work directly with professors on the ground to help set up the purpose of the program by creating syllabi and itineraries for the semester! - Finance/ Accounting
Without the finance department, such opportunities would not exist in the first place! Use your accounting skills to help keep track of program expenses for a university or for a program provider.
Now that you’ve heard more about the variety of positions available within the industry, I really hope you consider pursuing a career in international education!
In order to do so, I’d recommend following your favorite study abroad offices and providers on social media, and especially LinkedIn because that’s where they’ll post opportunities, both office and online jobs for students. Niche list-serves such as SECUSS-L are a great resource as well.
Additionally, it’s always smart to check back to their “work for __” page on their website to see job openings. Lastly, you could always tell your CRC that you’re interesting in pursuing a job at the provider that they work for, and they’ll be likely to keep you in the loop as well.
Just remember that in order to travel, you have to actually work and save money, so don’t get fired. Or you could seek gap year jobs which allow you to live abroad and travel too.
With that, good luck! I hope you all have fantastic careers filled with fun adventures abroad! Go get ‘em!