Key Takeaways:
- Taboola, Audible, Asana, Google, and Hyatt are all companies that offer the opportunity to work abroad.
- Each company has a different focus or area of expertise.
- There are many reasons to consider working for an international company, including the chance to live in a different country and experience a new culture.
- Before you start your job search, it's important to figure out your priorities and what you want from a position.
- Once you've landed a job with a company that hires Americans to work abroad, there are several practical steps you'll need to take.
Wish you could work abroad? The truth is that it’s hard to mix wanderlust and a traditional job. For every remote worker embracing a flexible lifestyle in Paris, London, Tokyo, or Dubai, many people are scrolling longingly through travel photos from their office cubicles back home.
Maybe your desire to travel is so strong that you want to become a digital nomad. Before you ditch company insurance and retirement accounts for a freer life, the good news is that some companies are hiring Americans to work abroad.
Keep in mind that hiring is just the first step. You’ll need to follow the legal process such as visa requirements and taxes for working abroad in a particular country.
Why You Should Consider Working for an International Company
When we’re adults, our responsibilities can clash with our desires. For example, someone who craves travel, new cultures, and new experiences might find themselves stuck at a stationary job in an office or service industry that saps the life out of them to pay the bills and keep the lights on.
This dissonance in a work-life balance can make people miss their college days or thirst for experiences that they never had. Maybe you miss your study abroad adventures where you had the opportunity to live in a different country, on a different continent, and experience the excitement and variety of a different culture.
Whether you miss your gap year adventures or want the opportunity to start making these kinds of memories, it’s never too late to live and work overseas by working for a global company.
It’s no secret that this can be a daunting process. Slogging through job applications proves overwhelming and time-consuming even if you’re looking at companies State-side.
That’s why it’s helpful to concentrate on US companies that have international offices. You might even find that some companies offer higher pay to work overseas, provide a common office work culture that’s familiar when you move to a new location, or allow you to take a company promotion or move laterally within the company ranks.
Most top-rated US companies that hire to work abroad are international giants that usually have a handful of positions open for hire at any time. Depending on your field of work, experience, language skills, or cultural intelligence, you may prove a good fit for a work abroad position.
When searching for US companies with global bases, you might even find a remote job that will let you work from home and save up some cash before moving abroad.
Before you hit the job search, it’s important to lay out some ground rules. Figure out your priorities, from location and job type to pay scale.
While some companies might have jobs in multiple countries to choose from, others may have limited overseas options. That’s why it’s crucial to figure out what you want to do and where you prefer to do it. Then narrow your search to those fields. You can always expand the job hunt later based on your priorities and parameters.
It's a good idea to contact your professional networks to gather first-hand data about what it’s like to work abroad and their experience in particular companies that you’re interested in working for.
Keep in mind that it’s not as easy as getting hired and packing your bags. When you’ve narrowed your country search or are working at landing the perfect job, there are several important practical steps that you’ll need to take to make your dreams a legal reality.
- Research everything about visas and work permits required for a specific country
- Calculate the cost of living vs. your estimated salary
- Figure out how to find a place to live
- Understand local transportation
- Arrange banking and other logistics
- Consider how much vacation time and time off you will receive to explore the area
- Start learning about your new country and culture
- Begin to build a network over there or connect with people at your chosen company
- Know that you’ll have to pay US taxes even when living abroad if you meet the filing threshold. You may also be required to pay taxes in your country of residence.
While these requirements might seem like a drag, getting everything in order before you book your flight will help you follow the laws of your new work-abroad location and enable a smooth transition.
A great adventure is just over the horizon. If you can’t wait to work overseas, check out these 5 best companies that are hiring people to work abroad.
1. Taboola
With over 1,400 employees at its global locations, Taboola not only has a New York head office, but international office scattered around the world in London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Tel Aviv, Seoul, Bangkok, New Delhi, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing, São Paulo, and Sydney.
Taboola is a unique, online “discovery platform” that helps thousands of companies tailor their marketing to consumers who want to experience new things.
If this sounds like something that you would like to help create, Taboola is a cutting-edge company that hires many employees into international positions.
2. Audible
Do you love audiobooks? Are you a content creator, and have experience in marketing, engineering, or software development?
Here’s your chance to merge your career with a chance to work abroad. As a leading creator and medium for digital audio content from fiction and non-fiction to broadcasts, entertainment, newspapers, and magazine publications, Audible is a diverse company on a mission to spread the power of the spoken word.
At Audible, you can feel like you’re making a difference by exceeding consumers’ expectations and becoming part of a team that inspires and motivates each other through the stories they tell.
As a global audiobook leader, Audible places cultural diversity, community engagement, and social impact initiatives high on its priorities list. You can also become a part of this diverse effort from an office in London, Tokyo, Berlin, Sydney, or Chennai, India.
3. Asana
Asana is a software-as-a-service platform that improves team collaboration with office projects to strategic initiatives. Millions of users and over 75,000 organizations in 195 countries use Asana to improve their processes. These include NASA, Airbnb, Traveloka, Air France, Sephora, AirAsia, Grab, AllBirds, Kohl’s, Viessmann, and Uber
Rated one of the best companies to work for by both Fortune and Glassdoor, Asana also opens the door to work-abroad opportunities. With 9 offices scattered around the globe, choose from its flagship offices located in Sydney, Dublin, or Tokyo to work overseas. Outside of its head office in San Francisco and a flagship office in New York City, the company also has offices in Vancouver, Canada, and Reykjavik, Iceland.
Since it’s an online work management platform, Asana provides the groundwork for the remote industry. If you’re a collaborative-minded person with a mission, Asana is looking for people like you to bring global teams together in seamless cooperation.
4. Google
According to Forbes, Google is a top company that allows Americans to work abroad. Google doesn’t just have more than 56,000 global employees, but the company seeks and embraces diversity and differences among its employees.
With a work culture that prioritizes mental and physical health and wellness, Google has free food on offer for employees during the day and encourages “bring your dog to work days”. Google believes that viewing differences as strengths and fostering their employees’ happiness and well-being not only increases productivity but makes them a company that people want to work for.
Even better, Google has international locations that range from Switzerland to Argentina and from India to Brazil. If you’re looking for location flexibility and cultural diversity, Google tops the charts for both.
5. Hyatt
As a hospitality giant, Hyatt boasts more than 100,000 locations in 56 countries. Hyatt’s employment opportunities demonstrate that you’re not locked out of working abroad if you don’t specialize in common remote positions such as IT.
Job openings range from finance to sales, human resources, marketing, and engineering positions. Known as the best company to work for in China, Hyatt also has work-abroad jobs available across Europe, India, and throughout the United Arab Emirates.
