How To Internationalize on Someone Else's Dime

So here's a question? Have you ever dreamed of living in an exotic foreign country, but you always had to shoot that dream down because you said "I can't afford it." or "What would I do for a job?" 

Well I have good news for you. Today I want to share with you several ways you can live abroad, at someone else's expense, or at worst just a minimal investment from you. So in no particular order let's begin.

1. Foreign Language Teacher: As I talked about in my previous post you can get hired on as a foreign language teacher in another country, i.e. Native English Teacher in Korea, or Japan. One of the perks of this job, is that often times the employer will pay for your airfare to the host country and will often provide housing or at least a stipend. Think about that. Airfare and housing are your two biggest expenses when traveling, so to have someone provide these for you  knocks out your two biggest obstacles to going overseas, plus your getting a salary to boot.

2. Corporate Relocation. Many companies such as Amazon.com, Apple, GM, Samsung etc. are global companies with offices all over the world. Many companies will transfer there employees from the home office to another country where they do business. For example, Samsung transferring some of it's employees to America. The benefits package or assistance will vary with each company, but it's worth exploring your company's options on this matter. 

3. College Program. I think most people are familiar with foreign exchange programs where a student from country A goes to study in country B for a set period of time, and vice versa. Now things may have changed since I was in college, but in my days these trips were often subsidized by the university or the sponsoring program. So if your in college and you are desperate to spread your wings, then look at what programs your university offers.

4. Military: This isn't for everyone, but many militaries besides the United States have an international presence, which means they deploy soldiers all over the world. Here in Korea, we often have soldiers from Thailand, Germany, Canada, the U.K., France, etc. That's just a small example, but think of this. If you were on assignment to another country for six months to a year, what could you accomplish? What financial, business, and even personal relationships could you establish while on assignment? Plus remember, the military pays for your food and housing while overseas.

5. Government Employee/Contractor: Government civilian employees and often contracted government employees can be found at many embassies, military installations around the world. So if you play your cards right you could get work with a government agency that needs it's citizens to go overseas, and of course the government will sponsor them in one way or another. I'm currently a civilian contractor in Korea, and my airfare, and housing were provided for via a free plane ticket to Korea and cost of living adjustments (to help pay for housing) to my salary.

5. Government Aide Programs: Some countries like the U.S. have the Peace Corp where they send volunteers overseas to live and work with the local population. These programs may not as glamourous as the above options, but it's still there. 

So that's it for now. Obviously these are not the only way to Internationalize, but the focus here is to get someone else to pay for it, and to get your creative juices flowing. Have fun with this and remember if you have the will, there is a way.