How Studying Abroad Can Help Your Career

Studying abroad is something that crosses the minds of most students at least once during their studies at university. However, not everyone acts on it. Some miss out by opting away from what could be the best year of their higher education – or even the best year of their lives.

How Studying Abroad Helps Your Career With Four Important Skills

As well as giving you the fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture and experience an entirely new world, studying abroad can have a dramatic impact on your job prospects. Here are a few benefits:

LANGUAGE SKILLS

With technology developing at a dizzying rate and ease of travel continually bumping up intercultural knowledge, a global mindset is a valuable quality in the eyes of employers. Many companies have a foothold in a multitude of countries, making language skills absolutely key.

Even if you are not going overseas to study a language, you will pick up some of the local dialect. This is great news post-university as candidates with another language often fare well in the job hunt.

ADAPTABILITY

Studying abroad demonstrates that you are flexible; that you are content and capable wherever you might be. Whether you navigate public transport strikes or alter your schedule to fit around a siesta, you will come back having learned to adapt to new situations and jump obstacles with ease.

Employers might need you to drop everything to go to a last minute meeting or make a snap decision about whether you’ll be attending an event at the other end of the country – or even overseas. Companies will be more prepared to hire someone who can prove their flexibility and is happy to say ‘yes’ than those unwilling to do so.

WORKPLACE SKILLS

Some cities are renowned for specific qualities. Barcelona is known as a cultural city brimming with artistic treasures while London is identified with business and first-rate education facilities. This makes studying at business schools in the UK an attractive option for overseas students looking to enhance their business skills and employment prospects.

Wherever you decide to study abroad, you can rest assured you will return home at the end of the year with improved communication skills, sky-high confidence levels, and a wealth of cultural knowledge – all of which could fast-track your CV to the top of the pile.

INDEPENDENCE

Sure, you’ve learned how to do your own washing and can rustle up a mean spaghetti bolognese, but that’s not a patch on studying abroad. The ability to get on a plane, jet off to a foreign country and be willing to call it home for the next few months is a valiant and admirable feat – and something that will not be lost on recruiters.

From renting a home in a foreign language to standing on your own two feet in unfamiliar territory, a year abroad screams autonomy. Independence is a key attribute employers look out for and, while teamwork is equally important, firms like to know they are taking on people who can work without constant direction and support.


Photo Credit: Shutterstock

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