London is the favourite destination for expat workers
A recent study carried out by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network, has listed the most desirable cities for expat job seekers. Over 200,000 people from 188 different countries participated in the study and, with 16% of the votes, London was chosen as the favourite city amongst foreign workers. Perhaps this doesn’t come as a surprise due to its vibrant life, beautiful architecture and melting pot of cultures as well as the fantastic job opportunities. However, no other UK city made it within the top 40 most desirable cities for expat workers.
The five most desirable cities to work in for expats in 2014 are: Read More →
St Paul’s Cathedral and Millennium Bridge by David Matthew Parker (CC BY 2.0)
Do you find working in your home country is becoming boring? Well, if you are looking for a job abroad, London may be your best option in the next year.
What’s so great about London?
London is a dynamic, diverse, creative, multicultural, successful, ambitious, open-minded, modern, food-loving city full of parks, museums, high buildings and architectural landmarks. It is a city with good working and living conditions and where you can never get bored! London welcomes people from all around the world who hope to make it their professional and personal home – in fact, nearly 38% of Londoners were born overseas.
The UK economy is slowly recovering and businesses in London are recruiting again. The British are very comfortable with giving promotion opportunities, and working in the UK will be a great way to improve your skills and qualifications.
Before you make any plans, make sure you are eligible to work in the United Kingdom. EU/EEA citizens and Swiss nationals can work freely in the UK, but non-EU citizens will probably need to apply for a work permit.
After the financial and economic crisis many people associate the Spanish job market with a high unemployment rate, low salaries and long working hours. While it might be true that it’s difficult to find a job in Spain at the moment, it’s definitely not impossible. There is still a strong demand for highly-skilled foreign employees in certain industries.
Engineering
If you have some experience and basic knowledge of the Spanish language you will be a good candidate for many companies in Spain. It might be useful to know at least some technical words and phrases in Spanish. However, it won’t be a problem to get along with English if you work in one of the multinational companies that have offices in Spain.
These emerging nations will be expat hotspots over the coming years.
Most of those looking to move abroad for career advancement and financial reasons will be aware that a BRIC isn’t something you build houses with, but a term first coined in the early 2000s to refer to Brazil, Russia, India and China – four emerging national economies linked by their growth and large size.
Yet, in 2014, if you’re looking to be an expat in an emerging market you don’t only have to navigate the move, a new culture, and manage your money abroad, but will also be faced with a host of confusing acronyms which have sprung up to describe other groups of countries with shared economic characteristics.
New cities are emerging as destinations for expat workers.
HSBC, in association with the Guardian, has recently published their guide to cities on the rise: A world of expat opportunities. We take a look at the destinations they say will dominate this year and some others that are looking to tempt the ever-growing global workforce.
Brasilia, Brazil
In recent years Brazil has become a popular destination for many people looking to work abroad. However, this blossoming economy has more to offer than just Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
The capital, Brasilia, is often overlooked but as the home of the headquarters of many of Brazil’s biggest companies it is set to become a favourite among expats moving to the South American powerhouse. Also the political centre of Brazil, it is home to diplomats, foreign correspondents and journalists.
China is ranked first in the Expat Explorer Survey
Some say ‘the grass is always greener on the other side,’ and some people are actually brave enough to try and find their luck and fortune somewhere else. So, which country gives you the best chance of finding a better life?
HSBC Expat recently published their annual Expat Explorer Survey comparing expat destinations across three main criteria – economics, experience and raising children.
Westerners are having difficulty finding work in China
It’s well known that China has been the world’s fastest growing economy for over ten years. With countries like the UK clamouring to cosy up to the Chinese government in the hunt for lucrative trade agreements and a slice of economic success, you could be forgiven for thinking western job seekers have a bright professional future in the country as expats.
However, the booming economy masks a state of affairs which isn’t always conducive for finding work if you’re a graduate from overseas. When interviewed by the New York Times, expat Mr. Sliwinski said that he’d originally gone to China to work as an English teacher. When he decided he wanted a career change, Sliwinski found that other kinds of work were closed off for him. In short, the demand for expats in China seemed very small indeed if he wasn’t willing to work as an English teacher.
Top tips to ensure success in video interviews
The unstoppable rise of the Internet has facilitated many areas of modern life, and job interviews are no exception. A common problem for both expats and their potential employers is that they’re often not in the same country, or even on the same continent.
This can make conducting a normal face-to-face interview both expensive and impractical, and so a great way to work around this geographic conundrum is through an online video interview.
This is a very different experience to that of a traditional interview, and therefore requires different preparation and tactics. These tips will help you to ensure your video interview goes as smoothly and positively as possible.
A recent survey, carried out across 12 European countries by the non-profit market research group GfK Verein, has revealed that unemployment represents the greatest dilemma in Europe.
Interviewees were asked the open question, “In your opinion, what are the most important issues that need be resolved in [relevant country] today?”.
The answers were not limited, and the majority of those asked named two problems on average, but Germans mentioned an average of 2.5, making them the biggest worriers. On the other hand, the Swedes and the Irish replied with an average of 1.2, distinguishing themselves as the most ‘carefree’ countries.
USA, UK and Australia remain popular whilst China and Brazil miss out on the top 10
Graduate professionals regularly ponder over the option of moving abroad to launch their career. Indeed, taking your skills elsewhere can be very beneficial to you as a professional and to your potential employer. But where are the best places to move to?
A recent report by The Global Professionals and Hydrogen outlines the results of a survey of 2,000 professionals to determine the most popular locations for job-seeking expatriates.