21 Best Traveling Jobs With No Experience

Look, we all want to travel the world and get paid to do so, but it’s not always that easy. Or is it? It’s actually a lot easier to get a job that allows you to travel than you might think, and you don’t need a ton of experience.

That’s why I’ve collated the 21 best traveling jobs with no experience so that you can get some stamps in your passport and earn some much-needed money at the same time.

While many of these jobs require no experience whatsoever, some might need a short training course that’s often provided by the company, or some places may require you to have a degree. For each role, I’m going to go into the different requirements that you’ll need for this job and where in the world you can do it. 

So, with that in mind, let’s dive in and find out more about the best traveling jobs with no experience!

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1. English Teacher

Okay, let’s start off with an absolutely classic work abroad job that a lot of the time does not need any experience. Many private international schools, or even state schools overseas, want native English speakers in their schools as a selling point to prospective parents.

This means that they aren’t always too fussy when it comes to experience, qualifications, and degrees. While a few countries require a degree to become an English teacher, many do not and instead focus on TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certifications. These are varying degrees of teaching English overseas courses and you can complete them in as little as a week in some cases.

In fact, some of the schools will fly you out before term starts to put you on one of these intensive courses. This is in addition to paying your airfare, accommodation, visa fees, and of course, an actual salary. There’s a reason this is one of the most popular traveling jobs in the world. 

Of course, some schools provide these complete packages and some will offer you a job and visa sponsorship, leaving you to sort your flights and accommodation yourself. However, it’s also likely that you won’t be the only international teacher at that school or in the city, so there are often networks and meetups to help create more of a community. 

Requirements

• Native English speaker
• A valid passport
• Under the age of 55
• Some places require university degrees
• Some places require a TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate

Where can I do this?

You can be an English teacher pretty much anywhere where English is not a widely spoken language. Many people opt to teach English in Asia, the Middle East, and South America. 

The most popular countries for teaching English in are:

• South Korea
• Japan
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Spain 
• United Arab Emirates
• Saudi Arabia
• Morocco

2. Resort Staff

If you love all-inclusive vibes, are bubbly and outgoing, and want to either have fun in the sun or chill out on the slopes, resort work might be perfect for you. While there are a lot of different roles within island resorts and ski resorts, a lot of them are entry-level, hourly positions that are entirely seasonal.

Whether it’s operating the ski lifts, working concierge at the resort, running kids clubs, or helping out with customer service, there are a lot of moving parts that make resorts work. The fact that they’re seasonal also makes them great travel jobs because you can hop from one seasonal gig to the next. 

Many of these jobs come with accommodation on or near the resort as they can be pretty remote. You’ll also be able to secure a sponsored work visa with many of these jobs which is always a huge benefit. 

Requirements

• Customer service skills
• Hospitality experience is a bonus

Where can I do this?

There are resorts all around the world from the Spanish islands to the ski resorts around Sapporo in Japan. Realistically, if it’s a popular vacation spot with families, then there’s a decent chance of getting a resort-based role there.

Some of the more popular spots are:

• Greek Islands
• Balearic Islands, Spain
• Queenstown, New Zealand
• Banff, Canada
• French, Swiss, and Italian Alps
• Lake Garda, Italy

3. Ski Instructor

Love flying down the slopes and want to help others learn how? Well, if you have the right qualifications and a passion for skiing or snowboarding, then you can become a ski instructor. This will allow you to move from resort to resort throughout the winter months, earning really good money while enjoying amazing ski conditions. 

Think about it this way, there’s normally a ski season somewhere in the world at any given time. Summer in the US means ski season in New Zealand or Argentina.

Winter conditions can extend out into the start of Spring in northern regions in Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia, so there’s a lot of scope to move around and patch together seasonal gigs for year-round work. 

Of course, for this role, you will need a little bit of experience, namely a ski instructor qualification, but you don’t necessarily need previous instructing experience to start off. You tend to get paid hourly and rates can be anywhere from $40-80 per hour depending on the resort and how experienced you are.

Many places will also help you with your accommodation, and of course, offer discounted ski gear along the way. You’ll also normally have your ski pass included as part of your package, so that’s a huge saving for when you want to ski during your off hours. 

Requirements

• A ski instructor qualification; at least level one (some may require level two) of a CSIA, BASI, NZSIA, or PSIA qualification
• Skiing or snowboarding experience
• High school diploma or equivalent

Where can I do this?

Anywhere that has mountains and slopes is fair game for this particular travel gig, however, some places are more popular for travel jobs than others. The most popular destinations tend to be:

• The Alps (Switzerland, France, Italy)
• The Pyrenees (Andorra, Spain, France)
• The Rockies (Canada, US)
• Southern Alps (New Zealand)
• The Hidaka Range (Japan)
• The Andes (Chile, Argentina)

4. Cruise Ship Staff

Want to see the world and have all your travel included? Well, that’s the vibe of working on a cruise ship. While the amount of your destination and port stops you’ll see depends on your role within the ship and your rota, you do get to visit a load of cool places in a relatively short period of time.

With roles ranging from entertainment to chefs to managers to bartenders to shore guides to general admin and back office assistance, there are a lot of jobs to choose from. Some of these will need more experience than others. You’re unlikely to be in charge of payroll on a cruise ship without experience or qualifications, but if you’re looking for an entry-level gig, there are plenty on a ship.

Obviously, if you’re a shore guide, the main time you’re going to be working is when you’re leading people around the destinations. Here it helps if you have tour guide experience or know some of the destinations well.

However, if you work onboard the ship predominantly while the cruise is at sea, once the prep is done, you can enjoy a few hours at your destination. It’s not a lot, but with repeat journeys throughout the season, it soon adds up.

Of course, you’ll get your accommodation and meals included as part of your employment package. Visa-wise, it depends on where the cruise company is based. For example, if your cruise line is based out of Southampton in the UK, you’ll need a British work visa, which the cruise line should sponsor for you. 

Requirements

• Passport
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Can pass a general medical exam
• Fluent in English
• Clean background record

Where can I do this?

While there are cruises that go all around the world, the majority of cruise lines have seasonal schedules. This means they’ll do the same route or explore the same region multiple times in a season before relocating either with the same crew or a fresh one in a different part of the world.

The main cruise regions tend to be:

• The Caribbean
• The Mediterranean
• Alaska
• Pacific Islands
• Scandinavian Fjords
• South East Asia

5. Tour Guide

Want to show visitors the best places to visit in your area or region? Well, tour guides are always in demand, especially if you have a niche like history, food and drink, or architectural tours.

Of course, you need to know a lot about the region you’re in, so it helps if you’re either a native or have lived there for a while. This means that there’s not always a lot of opportunity for further travel, but you might learn a lot about a specific destination.

There are also small group tour guides who show visitors around a few destinations on a multi-stop tour. Companies like Intrepid, G Adventures, and Exoticca run these kinds of tours and you’ll be on call for the duration of the trip, but you’ll get to tour some pretty great places. 

Requirements

• A deep knowledge of the area you’re showing people around
• High school diploma
• A tour guide license in certain places

Where can I do this?

You can be a tour guide anywhere there are tourists. You’d be surprised at how many people visit places that you think are boring or weird like your own hometown, but to someone from overseas, it might seem exotic! 

6. House Sitting

While this particular job doesn’t actually pay, you do get your accommodation for free. When you join a site like Trusted Housesitters, you can apply to stay in people’s houses while they’re away on vacation or business.

All you need to do is keep the house in order, make sure it stays clean, and generally look after the place. Other than that, you’re free to explore your new location to your heart’s desire. It’s not the biggest earner on this list, but if you want to travel, save money, and stay somewhere nice, it’s a great gig. 

Requirements

• Vetted profile on Trusted Housesitters

Where can I do this?

Trusted Housesitters have clients and gigs all over the world, but you have to be flexible with your locations as it completely depends on house availability.

7. Au Pair

If you like looking after children and want to live abroad, this is the travel job for you. Being an Au Pair is essentially being a live-in nanny, so you’ll have your meals and accommodation taken care of for you by your host family.

Many Au Pair gigs also give you access to a family car so that you can pick up the kids from school or drop them off at various activities and do the groceries. While the pay itself isn’t great, you basically have no outgoings at all, so it’s all money saved. 

Requirements

• Experience babysitting or looking after children
• A childcare certification is a bonus
• High school diploma or higher
• Valid and clean driver’s license

Where can I do this?

Lots of places have Au Pair gigs, particularly in European cities, where the practice is still very common. 

8. Truck Driver

Fancy hitting the open road and snaking all around the country? While this job might not be as international as other roles on this list, except if you’re driving within the EU or heading out of the US into Canada or Mexico, it’s a job where you get to see a lot of the world. 

Of course, you need to be able to drive for this job and get a commercial vehicle license, sometimes known as a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) license. However, these courses are run all around the world, and many companies will pay for you to take the training on the assurance that you’ll work for them afterward.

Truck driving is largely an introverted job, with you being alone for hours and sometimes days. It’s also not the best hours in the world if you have dependents or family members that you want to be able to see. However, it tends to be very well paid and you’ll definitely meet some characters out on the road! 

Requirements

• Be 21 or over
• Valid and clean driver’s license
• Valid commercial or HGV license
• Passport for international runs

Where can I do this?

Honestly, truck drivers are needed all around the world, so you can pretty much work anywhere that’ll accept your driver’s license and your commercial or HGV license.

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9. Cabin Crew

Of course, when you think of traveling jobs, you think of becoming a flight attendant. You’ll get to fly all around the world and stay for a night or two before jetting off again.

The training for this job is pretty rigorous and you’ll need to live near an airport for this period of time. For some airlines, like Etihad, accommodations near their hub in the UAE are included in the contract. 

Requirements

• 21 or over
• Over 4ft 11”
• Good physical health
• Valid passport
• High school diploma or equivalent

Where can I do this?

For most airline jobs, you’ll need to live near a hub airport. These vary from country to country, but most are in major cities and include:

• Amsterdam
• Atlanta
• Sydney
• Singapore
• Paris
• Abu Dhabi
• Doha

10. Diving Instructor

Have a passion for all things aquatic? Scuba diving and snorkeling are super popular vacation activities and resorts are paying well to have an onsite diving instructor who can guide their guests. This is obviously a big selling point and as places are becoming more sustainable and eco-focused, this kind of eco-tourism is only going.

Of course, you will need a PADI Instructor license to be eligible for this kind of job. This is not a quick and easy license as it requires you to take several health and safety tests, log 100 hours in the water, and be a competent open-water swimmer. 

So, while you can’t turn around tomorrow and apply for this kind of amazing travel job, if you love to dive and want to make a career out of it, you absolutely can. You also can benefit from having free equipment for hire from the resort or diving school during your time there, and spend your days exploring the beautiful reefs and oceans! 

Requirements

• Full PADI Instructor license with health and safety certificates including Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, Emergency First Responder, and Divemaster
• Over 18
• Have logged 100+ hours in the water

Where can I do this?

While there are plenty of great Scuba diving spots, some of the most popular vacation spots for diving include:

• Egypt
• Malta
• Thailand
• Maldives
• Mexico
• Hawaii
• Fiji
• Philippines

11. Yacht Staff

If you’ve been watching a lot of Below Deck and want to hit the open water on a luxury yacht for a season or two, you can. Realistically, this role is similar to being on a cruise ship, except on a much smaller scale, so you might be required to work a couple of different jobs due to the smaller crew.

You’ll also find that the seasons for luxury yachts are a lot shorter, but the pay onboard and the insane tips tend to be a lot better than cruise ships. So, you’ll have to weigh that up for yourself. Of course, you’ll have accommodation onboard and meals included which is a big bonus. 

Much like with cruise ships, the visa situation depends on where the boat is registered or based rather than the destination that you’re visiting. Onboard roles include housekeeping, deck crew, chefs, stewards, and more, and the standard tends to be high on yachts, so some hospitality experience goes a long way here. 

Requirements

• Valid passport
• Able to pass a basic medical exam
• First aid trained (some may do this on the job)
• STCW Basic Safety Training

Where can I do this?

Again, while luxury yachts can be found all around the world, there are some destinations that are more common than others. 

Popular places include:

• The Caribbean
• The Mediterranean
• Islands in the Indian Ocean 
• Indonesia
• Central America
• Hawaii
• Pacific Islands

12. Working Holiday Visa

Now, this job is a little bit different because it’s not really a job at all and more of an opportunity. Working holiday visas are open to citizens of certain countries, including the US and UK, who are aged from 18 to 30. This enables you to travel and live in a different country normally for up to two years and work while you’re there. 

At the moment, you can get working holiday visas in:

• New Zealand
• Australia
• Singapore
• Ireland
• Canada
• South Korea

On this visa, you can work as much as you like. You can get a full-time job and line yourself up for a sponsored work visa once you’re working holiday visa ends, or you can get a temporary or part-time gig to help keep your wallet full for new adventures.

When you sign up for a working holiday visa, you’ll normally get access to a lot of resources about finding jobs, accommodation, and getting set up in your new country. There are thousands of people who do this every year, so it’s pretty easy to find people who are in the same boat as you. 

Requirements

• Normally between 18-30
• Valid passport
• Proof of funds to support yourself – this varies depending on the country
• Clean criminal background check

Where can I do this?

As it stands, you can get working holiday visas in

• New Zealand
• Australia
• Singapore
• Ireland
• Canada
• South Korea

You do have to be from specific countries to apply for these working holiday visas, so it’s not for everyone, but if you’re eligible it’s a great way to find a job overseas! 

13. Yoga Instructor

Do you know your Savasana from your Uttanasana? Well, you’re just a 200-hour yoga teacher training course away from becoming a yoga instructor yourself. With the explosion of yoga in the West, many resorts, hostels, and wellness hotels have onsite yoga instructors or like to host yoga retreats in picturesque locations. 

While 200 hours of training might sound like a lot, you can also do these courses overseas and immerse yourself in the local culture at the same time. Yoga teachers tend to get paid by the class or by the hour, so that rate largely depends on the resort or studio and their associated fees.

Depending on whether you work for a specific wellness resort or hotel, or you work for a few places in the local area, you may or may not have accommodation included. If you work for a resort and it’s a little remote or the classes are early in the day, you might be able to have accommodation included in your work package. 

Requirements

• A completed 200-hour yoga teaching training course certificate

Where can I do this?

Pretty much everywhere in the world has yoga in some way shape or form now, so there are a lot of places to choose from. However, the wellness crowd tends to hang around in certain places where there might be more demand for yoga instructors. You’ll also find that surf and yoga go really well together, with the stretching and mobility aspects, so the destinations usually align. 

• Sri Lanka
• Costa Rica
• Bali
• Australia
• Morocco
• Hawaii

14. Bartender

Serving drinks is a classic work abroad gig and it’s one that’s ideal if you need flexibility and don’t want to commit to a full season or contract length somewhere. As you’re often working evenings, you’re saving money on going out, but still have the daytime to explore the local region.

Most places in the world, except devoutly religious places, have bartenders. Whether you work in a hostel, hotel, bar, pub, or club, there are always people serving drinks, so the availability is usually pretty high.

Requirements

• Cash handling and hospitality experience
• Cocktail-making experience is often preferred
• People person!
• Over 18 (21 in some places)

Where can I do this?

Pretty much anywhere in the world, except for dry states! 

15. Restaurant Work

So this one is very similar to bartending, however, many places will let you waitress with less experience than if you want to bartend. Don’t ask me why, but that’s the way it seems to be!

Again, this is a pretty flexible gig that isn’t the best-paid job on this list, but depending on the country that you’re in, you can make some pretty great tips. This is an ideal job if you want to explore a lot in the daytime, or if you’re on a working holiday visa. 

Requirements

• Cash handling and hospitality experience
• Over 16 in most places

Where can I do this?

Practically anywhere in the world! 

16. Hostel Staff

Do you love the social vibes of hostels and think that you can make it better? Working in a hostel is a quintessential travel job because it comes with free accommodation. It also tends to come with bar discounts and excursion perks, which is always a good thing! 

You do have to be social for this role. You’ll be checking people in, running quiz nights and bar crawls, and making sure that everyone is having a good time all around. Of course, you’ll have downtime to explore the city or town that you’re staying in, and you’ll meet tons of new people along the way.

Requirements

• Social and outgoing
• Multiple languages are a bonus

Where can I do this?

You can do this wherever there are hostels, but of course, some places have more young and budget-conscious travelers than others.

Some of the best places include:

• Central America
• Southeast Asia
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Europe

17. Fruit Picker

Another classic travel job is being a fruit picker. Now it doesn’t sound glamorous, but it can be a decent way to work outside in the sunshine and get accommodation included in your work package. 

If you’re doing a working holiday visa in Australia, you have to work part of the two-year period in agriculture, as this is a job that is underserved. You can also work in a vineyard or winery picking and squashing grapes, and that has the perk of great wine at the end.

Requirements

• Good level of physical fitness

Where can I do this?

• Australia
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Canada

18. Summer Camp Staff

If you like working with kids and want to spend the summer in a new country, try getting a job at a summer camp. These are all over the world, but mostly in the Southern Mediterranean, USA, and Canada. 

Work as an activities guide or as house staff and help kids have the best summer possible. It’s intense, but you get free accommodation and flights, and, in the US, you get a J-1 visa that allows you to travel around for 30 days after your contract finishes. 

Requirements

• Over 18
• Outgoing
• Good with kids or experience working with kids
• Clean criminal record

Where can I do this?

• USA
• Canada
• Italy
• Greece
• Spain

19. Travel Photographer

Do you have a good eye for the perfect shot? Well, you could be making money as a travel photographer. Now, I’m going to preface this by saying that there are an awful lot of wannabe travel photographers out there, so you’ll want to find a niche.

Maybe it’s mountainous shots, maybe it’s adventure sports, maybe it’s luxury hotels and restaurants. Having a niche will help you focus your efforts and ultimately build a reputation.

As a travel photographer, you’ll most likely be working as a digital nomad, so going to countries that have digital nomad visas or journeying to places on short time frames on a visitor visa is also possible. You can sell your photos to magazines, tourism boards, newspapers, websites, and more. 

Of course, it’s always good to get a commission, so build that portfolio and reach out to brands that your work is aligned with. Working with businesses is a great way to ensure you’ll get paid for your content regularly so that you can travel and do more artsy content for magazines and publications. 

Requirements

• Camera and equipment
• Portfolio
• Editing gear including laptop and software subscriptions
• Passport 

Where can I do this?

You can go anywhere and be a travel photographer, that’s part of the beauty of it! Going to lesser-known regions might help set you apart, rather than photographing more established tourist hubs.

However, there tend to be more businesses looking for new imagery of existing hotspots, so have an experiment and see what angles work for your clients!

20. Blogger or Writer

Want to travel the world and write all about it? Travel writing and travel blogging have become huge businesses with multiple publications, websites, and businesses wanting content all about new destinations or interesting places.

While blogging and writing is a great career, it’ll take you time to build up reliable clients and get a feel for the kind of content that works. Pitch publications you like, get in contact with bloggers you like and see if they want any content written for them.

One thing you definitely have to be is resilient in this game because there are going to be more nos than yeses! 

Requirements

• Laptop
• Portfolio

Where can I do this?

Anywhere in the world with a stable WiFi connection.

21. Outdoor Guide

Love being in the great outdoors and want to help people get outside more? As an outdoor guide, you can be leading hikes, showing people how to rock climb, traversing rapids, or kayaking across calming lakes. 

You will need some outdoor sports certification for this role, and the specific one will depend on the sport or activity that you want to focus on. Just because you have a watersurfing instructor certificate, doesn’t mean you can necessarily be a kayak guide, and so on. 

Requirements

• Specific outdoor sports instructor certificate
• Health and safety certificates
• Love of the outdoors!

Where can I do this?

For this kind of gig, you want to be out in the wilderness, surrounded by nature. There are plenty of spaces around the world to do this, but some key places to look include:

• National Parks
• Mountain Towns
• Popular vacation lakes
• National forests
• Coastal hotspots

FAQs About Traveling While Working

Okay, let’s round out this guide to the best traveling jobs with no experience with a few frequently asked questions. It can be intimidating to move abroad to work, so here’s some expert knowledge so that you can be as prepared as possible! 

Can You Work While You Travel?

First things first, yes, you can absolutely work while you travel. Whether you jump from contract to contract, opt for seasonal work, or work entirely remotely, you can move around and travel while having a committed job. 

Of course, this all depends on the flexibility of your role and the kind of visa that you’ve secured. If you have a work visa that’s tied to a certain job and the contract ends, you either need to find another sponsored job, or leave and go elsewhere.

Some jobs are more travel-friendly than others. If you work cabin crew, you’ll be traveling more often than an Au Pair. However, some jobs will allow you to live overseas rather than just travel around, like being an English teacher or working in a hotel.

So, think about whether you want to travel a lot, or settle down in new places for a set amount of time and then move again once the contract finishes. 

Do I Need a Visa for a Travel Job?

Yes, it is highly likely that you’ll need a visa for a travel job. With the exception of roles that are based in your home country but have a lot of business travel, like being cabin crew for instance, you’ll need either a sponsored work visa or a digital nomad visa to work abroad.

Many of these jobs, especially resort roles and teaching English, will include visa sponsorship as part of the work package, so it’s fairly straightforward. Also, with many countries offering digital nomad visas with set minimum income requirements each month, it’s fairly easy to see which countries are viable if you’re self-employed, freelance, or working remotely. 

Finally, you can opt for a working holiday visa. Some countries offer these including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The whole point of these visas is to work and explore a country at the same time, so you can get a lot of temporary jobs or hourly-rate gigs on a part-time basis, giving you the flexibility to explore. 

Do I Need a Digital Nomad Visa?

If you work for yourself or are a freelancer and want to work from a foreign country, then technically yes you would need a digital nomad visa of some kind. While many people log onto their emails and do a little bit of work while they’re on vacation, if you’re going to a location with the intention to fully work from there, you need to make sure you have the correct visa.

There are plenty of countries with dedicated digital nomad visas now, which makes it easy to live in a new country from six months to five years depending on the country. The main thing you need to check is the minimum earning allowance. All digital nomad visas have them and they’re all different.

Normally, the minimum income allowance is two and a half times the national earning average of the country. So, the cheaper the country, the less you have to earn to be eligible. This is so that you have enough money to support yourself but also spend money in the local economy while you’re there. 

If you’re working for a specific business in your new country, you don’t need a digital nomad visa, but you will need a sponsored work visa instead. Do not try and work abroad without a visa. In most cases, it is illegal. 

Do I Need a Visa to Work in the EU?

Unless you are from a country within the European Union (EU), you will need a visa to work here. If you are a citizen or a settled person from the EU, then you have the benefit of freedom of movement, which allows you to live, work, and study within the EU member states. 

Can I Travel if I Work Remotely?

Depending on the agreement with your company and the terms of your contract, you may be able to travel if you work remotely. Some companies state that you can work there if you’re remote within the US or within a certain time zone. Others are completely worldwide remote but do require you to work core hours within a specific time zone.

You need to check the terms of your remote working agreement to see how widely you can travel and what your limitations are. Remember though, if you have worldwide remote working, but you have to work EST hours, make sure you’re not traveling all that way to be working all night long and sleeping during your exploration hours! 

However, if you’re not in a collaborative role, for instance, if you’re a web developer, you’ll probably find that you can largely work wherever there’s a stable internet connection, and check in with your project manager or team lead at semi-regular intervals. It’s very dependent on the role and the company that you work for. 

Do I Have to Pay Taxes if I Work Abroad?

Yes, you have to pay taxes if you work abroad. As the saying goes, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Cheery, but true. If you’re a US citizen, the IRS will get to you anywhere in the world, so make sure you complete your tax return on time, each and every year.

If you’re overseas, you do have a slightly longer deadline, but if you’re unsure, I’d recommend using a service like MyExpatTaxes to sort it all out for you.

Also, any returning customers can use code “WanderReturn” to get 10% off!  

If you’re not from the US and you are working abroad for a specific company, for instance, if you’re teaching English in Qatar, you may not have to pay taxes back in your native country, and instead, pay taxes through your payslip to your new nation. 

All in all, you will have to pay taxes somewhere, but where and how depends on the country that you’re a citizen of and the type of job you have overseas. Self-employed people and freelancers can expect to pay taxes back home as they usually do, but if you’re more traditionally employed, then you may be paying taxes through your payslip. 

Do I Need a Degree to Work Abroad?

You do not necessarily need a degree to work abroad. There are plenty of jobs out there that don’t require a degree, even positions like English teacher that you think might require a degree don’t always need one.

For many of these roles, it depends on the company themselves whether you need a degree or not. Some countries require English teachers to have degrees before teaching in their country now, but others just require you to be a native speaker with a short TEFL qualification that you can earn on the job. 

However, if you’re working on a resort, as cabin crew, or as a sports instructor or guide, you’re unlikely to need a degree. If you’re unsure check with the individual companies or resorts as they might have their own guidance on the necessary education level. 

Do I Need Experience to Work Abroad?

No, you do not necessarily need experience to work abroad, but as with any job, it does help. It doesn’t even need to be official work experience or previous job history. For instance, if you want to become an Au Pair and you used to babysit for neighbors back in the day, that counts and shows that you have a genuine interest in caring for children.

Of course, if you’re on a working holiday visa and you’re going up against locals for minimum wage, low-experience gigs, most places will opt for the local (as they should), so a little experience in retail or bar work can help you get a job overseas.

Experience is one of those things that isn’t always necessary but definitely helps secure a decent and well-paying job overseas. 

Do I Need to be Bilingual to Work Abroad?

So, personally, I think that if you’re going to live and work in a country for an extended period of time you should make the effort to learn the language. If not to help you get a job, but at least to be respectful and connect with local people. However, it can also help you get a job over other candidates. 

Especially if you’re in a customer-facing role, having two languages at your disposal can only be a benefit. Some working visas also require you to meet a basic language level, so it also depends on where you’re moving to. Even if you can speak a little bit of the language, it can be a big help when you’re trying to find a job overseas. 

Despite this, it’s not always necessary to speak another language to work abroad. If you’re on a tourist resort with mostly English-speaking tourists, then you should be okay. Similarly, if you’re a remote worker or an English teacher, then not knowing another language is unlikely to be a dealbreaker. 

Can I Earn a Lot of Money Working Abroad?

Yes, there is the potential to earn a lot of money working abroad, depending on the job role and destination. If you’re a remote worker or a digital nomad working for a company from a high-paying company like the US, New Zealand, Singapore, or Germany, for instance, and then live in a much cheaper country like Laos, Guatemala, Portugal, or Indonesia, you’re going to be able to save a lot more money.

You can also earn and save a lot of money if you get a travel job that covers your accommodation. Jobs like an English teacher, cabin crew, resort work, cruise ships, and Au Pairs all tend to provide housing as part of the remuneration package or help you find affordable options. This is great as you don’t have to worry about paying rent or bills and then you can use your money for fun stuff or save it responsibly as you go.

It all depends on where you live and what you do. If you’re doing Workaway, you’re not going to make a ton of money, if any, but you won’t have to spend that much at all. If you’re a remote worker and want to live in Switzerland, you’re not going to have as much disposable income as you would if you lived in neighboring France or Italy.

How Expensive Is It to Work Abroad?

The main costs that come with working abroad are airfare, visas, insurance, and accommodation. Some jobs take care of accommodation and visas, and some even cover your airfare too if you’re lucky. So, if that’s you, it’s actually pretty reasonable to work abroad. 

However, if you’re paying out of pocket for all of these items, it can be expensive, especially for the first couple of months when you’re getting settled. Visas can cost anywhere from $100 upwards depending on the length and country. Airfare is obviously a huge cost if you’re going long haul as well. 

If you’re in a cheaper city or country, accommodation might be reasonable, but you’ll still need to pay a deposit and the first month’s rent if you’re looking for a long-term stay, or you’ll have to book a hostel room for a large block of time if you’re unsure of your plans. 

So, the initial outlay of working abroad can be pretty expensive, but as long as you don’t opt to travel to super expensive countries or blow the budget on airfare, you should be able to settle into an affordable lifestyle overseas. 

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