6 Tips for When You Are Working Holidays Abroad

Working holidays abroad can be a very rewarding experience. However, it’s important to go into a working holiday knowing that your trip won’t only be about fun in the sun, and being away from family and friends can be mentally and physically draining. In order to avoid the potential pitfalls, knowing six key tips for working holidays abroad will help you enjoy your time off, improve your mood, and maximize work done during your holiday.

6 Tips for Working Holidays Abroad

1. Find the Best Jobs

A career or side hustle that grows in popularity all the time is TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language). The flexibility of Teaching English in classrooms or online is the perfect travel job.

When you decide to work holidays abroad, you should take time to find the best jobs out there to fully enjoy and avoid homesickness. If your company is closing during the holidays, taking a part-time job in a tourist destination like Magaluf, Mallorca is a great idea—you’ll soak up the sunshine and meet new friends while making money. 

2. Learn About the New Country

In order to learn how to adjust working abroad, you have to be ready to adapt to a new culture. You may not have problems adjusting to the work itself, but changing other aspects of your life within an unfamiliar country can be very difficult. This is especially true if you don’t speak the native language. If you plan on working overseas in another country, find out as much about the country as possible with these pointers:

• Learn the Language: Learning a new language can help you adjust to working abroad, allowing you to communicate and express yourself confidently.
• Ask Around: Consider speaking to your friends who have already gone or those who are currently working abroad. They can give you some guidance on this topic.
• Be Independent: Make sure that you can adjust to living alone. You will have to make arrangements for hotel accommodations as well as transportation.

3. Adjust Your Work Schedule 

If you are finding that you’re becoming too tired to enjoy your work, you may need to adjust your work schedule. If you work at night and return to the office in the morning, make sure that you have adequate and reliable transportation to get around. 

4. Eat Right and Get Enough Rest

Your health and safety are important priorities when working holidays abroad. That’s why you have to take essential steps to avoid getting sick, which can be hard when you’re alone in a foreign country.

Make sure that you are eating breakfast to stay alert and focused during your work. Taking one of the coolest summer jobs in Europe is a great way to earn extra money, but it shouldn’t mean that you compromise your health. Eat right and get enough sleep to rejuvenate and perform at your best.

If you feel sick, inform your supervisor and consider taking time off. You deserve to take a break and allow your body to fully recover before going back work again. It’s also courteous to avoid passing on an illness to coworkers or customers. Take advantage of your health insurance and have yourself checked by a licensed physician. 

5. Learn How to Handle Homesickness

Avoiding homesickness during a working holiday isn’t as easy as you might think. You may be traveling to a foreign country to teach English, work in the tourism industry, or take your unique skills to a new location; as such, you might have no idea how things work in your adopted neighborhood. This can make you yearn for the comforts and familiarity of home.

Here are some helpful tips to overcome homesickness:

• The first thing that you need to do is to acclimatize yourself to the working culture of the country. It can take a little bit of time to get used to a new work environment, but the effort will be worth it. 
• Learn as much as you can about the industry you’ll be working in, and try to use your experience and knowledge to improve your job performance. 
• If possible, speak to someone from your department or your employer to learn more about the company. This will make the transition into your new job a lot smoother.
• Most importantly, get out there and make some new friends!

6. Don’t Pressure Yourself 

One of the most important tips for when you are undertaking working holidays abroad is to minimize the pressure you place on yourself. Otherwise, you will experience burnout, characterized by tiredness, lack of enthusiasm, lack of motivation, and irritability. In order to figure out how to avoid burnout, cut down on your stress and learn to take a break. Once you learn how to deal with your triggers effectively, it won’t be long until you’re living a stress-free life.

Try meditation, yoga, exercise, or even just closing your eyes for a few minutes. These techniques can help you manage your stress and work more effectively. If you need more help, contact your human resources department or a career counselor for additional information and assistance. 

Conclusion

If you’re considering the rewarding and empowering experience of working holidays abroad, it’s important to ensure you’re taking the job you’re most interested in. Adjust your work schedule, eat right, and make time for enough rest to avoid burnout. Don’t stress yourself too much and if things get too tough, take a breather—it’s a holiday, after all! Most of all, immerse yourself in the country, language, and culture you have chosen to increase your self-confidence, work productivity, and overall experience. This is the chance of a lifetime—embrace it!