Try an International Career

Walter-

Great post. This reminds me of David Brain’s post a few weeks back about traveling internationally. So much is to be learned from other cultures. I hope one day I will have great opportunities to travel abroad.

This post really got me thinking. Honestly, I have never considered working overseas. My idea of pushing the envelope would be a large firm in New York or L.A., but Sydney, never thought of that! I never considered studying abroad. I don’t know any fellow PR majors who have studied abroad, but I’m now wondering if I could intern abroad. I don’t think I would want to start my career overseas, but why not intern and learn a bit about international PR. I also think other cultures have so much to offer. Being overseas I would imagine that you never stop learning.

What a fun post to read! I have been overseas, but not to study. Unfortunately, I graduate in a few months and I have already completed my internship, which I must say was unforgettable. Though, I still plan to travel early in my career and I am hoping for a job that may offer those possibilities.
I have some questions for you. What has been your favorite place to practice communications? And, not including language barriers, which place was the most challenging to learn the ways of their practices of PR and communications?

I studied in Italy this past summer and honestly have nothing negative to say about it. I loved being immersed in a different culture. By the second week I could tell that the Italians no longer mistook me for a tourist; they actually would think that I was one of them. I loved that feeling of belonging and wish I could experience it again. I have wanted to travel to Australia since I can remember. Until this blog, I thought that it may never happen. I just never thought about the possibility of working overseas. It seems though that everything that I learned in school would be completely different so I would be starting from scratch. Is it really that different? Can beginning pr professionals expect to get a good job over there?

Reading about your travels makes me want to pack up and go! Going to Houston for my internship seemed far, but I sure wish I had considered going abroad. I would love to work in Europe for a few years. What are the odds that a firm would allow me to work there for a year or two and then relocate me to an office in America? That seems like it would allow for a taste of a different culture.

I always get so jealous of other people’s travels! Until this year I never thought of “going international” from a PR/Communication standpoint. I think that it’s so easy for us to get comfortable in our lifestyles and culture. But in an age of globalization, being comfortable and aware of different backgrounds seems imperative for successful business relationships. My trip to Paris two summers ago was all play no work, but it would be interesting to go back with a different point of view.

Wow you really made it sound so interesting and so worthwhile to travel. I was at lunch with a friend and her father, an alumni of my university, and he was just telling us to stay mobile there’s nothing better. I have one problem though how do I let go of the fear. I would love to travel, but I’m just a country girl who’s never been around the U.S.

I know traveling can only better my chances in the work world but I feel like I would be so out of my element. I’m not afraid to try news things which I see as a a plus. I think I’m just afraid of leaving home or leaving things behind, but I guess it comes a point whenever everyone must do that if you want to make it.

Thank you for sharing your opinion about taking the opportunity to live overseas. I lived in Saudi Arabia for a short period of time when I was younger in result of my Father accepting a job with U.S. Customs. It is certainly a unique and enlightening experience to live in a foreign country. Getting to know the ways of another culture is an eye-opening, but worthwhile experience. It causes you to develop a new found respect for beliefs and values other than your own. One of my goals for the future is to live and work overseas. I am excited about the opportunity to practice PR in a new environment and to once again leave the boundaries of a familiar lifestyle.

This was a really exciting post to read. I would love to get to travel abroad and get to work at the same time. I must admit, I’ve never thought about trying to find work outside of America. As challenging as it is to try to understand communications in our own country, I can imagine that it would be a blast trying to figure out the intricacies of communication in another culture. But, how many pr companies offer opportunities to work overseas?

I’ve dreamed about traveling. I find myself envious of my friends that have studied abroad in places like Spain (taking trips to France and such on the side), Italy and Morocco (maybe not Morocco-my friend got a parasite over there).
I would love to visit all of those places. I think it would be a lot of fun! I’m not sure I would want to work internationally. I like adventure as much as the next person, but I think I would miss the US too much.
An international internship would be wonderful. The usual internship period would give me enough time to absorb the culture, but I wouldn’t be stuck there for too long.
Who knows where my career will take me. I guess I shouldn’t turn down an opportunity because of fear. I bet working internationally is a once and a lifetime experience.

I agree with this post completely. The best way to experience or understand another culture is to travel and spend time in a particular country or area. However, many people aren’t financial able to do that, or you may not have the time to travel as much. Therefore, there are other alternatives such as studying information about a culture, or maybe interacting with people they may be in the United States that are from that area.

I have never thought of studying abroad because I don’t believe that lifestyle is for me. However, it is a great idea. I’m sure having “hands on experience” in another country can enlighten the mind, and open up the heart.

I feel exactly that it is in my best interest to follow the outward route, that is moving from Italy to Asia. I suppose that the best marcom suppliers base in terms of skills is in India, and that is why I am looking for a good opportunity to study there and be trained for the specific market conditions. I add that I did a good job in the financial PR area and that I did pursue a specialisation in dealing with corporate finance / asset management issues and clients.
PR is such a great scene, that I d like to take it fresh from where business rises!

This post was very interesting to read. I feel that working oversees would be a unique experience. It would be a great chance to learn about communication in other countries. What are the benefits to doing this? How do you feel this experience has helped you grow as a PR practitioner? I feel that a communication lifestyle abroad would be a challenge that I would enjoy. It would be interesting to see and learn about cultural differences, background, language, appeals, etc in another country. I feel that taking all these things and appying them to PR would help me grow and allow me to experience a new side to PR.

As much as I love to travel, I just don’t think working abroad is right for my first career job. I don’t feel prepared for PR situations in America, where I’ve grown up, much less in a country where I am unfamiliar with the culture and customs. I think instead, I will travel leisurely as much as possible before I settle down and begin a family. That way, if I find a place that I especially like, I can investigate job opportunities there. Hopefully by then, I will have had enough experience in the field to feel a little more comfortable learning and utilizing new communications techniques. Are there companies who require weekly travel, rather than yearly travel? Perhaps that is more up my alley.

I must say that reading this post has been a huge encouragement to me. I have never been out of the country, save a couple of cruises, and this post has helped me to understand not only the fun aspect of traveling, but the need to do so in order to be successful. Because of my classes, I am starting to understand the need to comprehend cultural boundaries, especially in the PR field. So much of public relations rests on the ability to communicate effectively, and what better way to properly hone those skills than to experience the cultural communication first hand. Thank you for encouraging me to go out of the country and out of my comfort zone.

I must say that the idea of working in a foreign country is scary. As a child I lived in Denmark for a couple of years and loved everything about it. Of course, then I was a child and had no responsibilities .There is no doubt that living in a new country would be absolutely exhilerating. However, the problem comes when you are an adult and have to work in a foreign country. I am only now beginning to grasp the concepts of PR in the United States and I feel that I am not prepared to make such a big adjustment. I would love to have a job that allowed me to visit other countries. I feel that that would be a good way to test out the water in new places. I respect you so much for making such drastic moves in your career. I have officially become inspired to dirty my passport!

I am excited to hear that traveling internationally is a possibility in the PR field. It has always been an interest of mine to travel to different countries and experience different cultures throughout the world. Although Auburn offers many study abroad programs in different countries, I have never had the finances to participate in one of these adventures. Working outside my home country would be a great way to gain an in depth knowledge of the PR industry, as well as satisfy my desire to travel. How much experience is usually needed when trying to obtain a position in another country?