Job hunting abroad: CVs by country
Choose your route, write a CV each market recognises, and search and interview abroad with confidence.
Free — the whole course, with a certificate when you finish.
- Lessons
- 6 in 3 modules
- Total time
- About 1 h 8 min
- Level
- Beginner
- Taught by
- Kaitu consultants
Working in another country is one of the most rewarding moves a person can make, and one of the easiest to get out of order. People polish a CV before they know whether they can legally work in the country, or send the same document to five markets that each expect something different. This course puts the job hunt in a sensible sequence.
Over six short lessons you will decide which of the three ways to work abroad fits you, understand the right to work in outline, adapt your CV to the conventions of the market you are targeting, write a cover letter that answers the practical questions employers have about international candidates, search and network from a distance, and prepare for interviews that may run quite differently from those at home.
Immigration rules, employment law and application conventions are set country by country and change over time. Everything here is general guidance to help you plan. Confirm the details with the official government source, and with someone who hires in your target market, before you rely on them.
What you’ll be able to do
- Explain the difference between a local hire, being sent by your employer and working remotely, and name the route that fits you.
- Describe the main sources of a right to work and find the official immigration website for each target country.
- Adapt your CV to the conventions of your target market, including the UK CV, the US résumé, the German Lebenslauf and the Japanese rirekisho and shokumu keirekisho.
- Write a cover letter that states your right-to-work position, availability and reasons for the move clearly.
- Build a simple networking and application tracker and use it every week.
- Prepare for interviews across cultures, including the questions "Why this country?" and "Will you need sponsorship?"
Syllabus
6 lessons · about 1 h 8 min · preview lessons are open to everyone
Module 1Choosing your route
- Local, foreign or remote: the three ways to work abroad Free preview11 min
- The right to work, in outline 10 min
Module 2Your application documents
- CV conventions by country 14 min
- Cover letters and online profiles 10 min
Module 3Searching and interviewing
- Searching and networking from abroad 11 min
- Interviews across cultures 12 min
Who it’s for
- Graduates and students planning a first job or internship in another country.
- Mid-career professionals weighing a move abroad, whether with a new employer or their current one.
- Former international students thinking of returning to the country where they studied.
- Anyone who has sent applications abroad and heard nothing back, and wants to know why.
What’s included
- 2 short films
- 6 written lessons
- 4 printable worksheets
- 3 short quizzes
- Progress and notes saved as you go
- A certificate of completion to print
Your instructor
Kaitu consultantsWritten by the Kaitu team — the consultants who guide families through careers & business every day. Meet the team.Questions
It depends on the route. Employer-sponsored work permits generally require an offer from an employer willing and able to sponsor you, while some skills, post-study or remote-work routes do not. If you already hold a right to work through citizenship, family or a free-movement area, you may not need an offer at all. Lesson 2 explains the main routes in outline.
It depends on the country. In the UK, Ireland and North America photos are usually left off; in some continental European countries they have been more common, though practice is changing; and the standard Japanese résumé form usually includes one. Check current expectations for your target country and sector, ideally with someone who hires there.
No. Which routes are open to you depends on your nationality, occupation, study history and current rules, which change. The course shows you the common types of route and the questions to ask, so you can check the official source or take qualified immigration advice.
Kaitu is not a recruitment agency, and nobody can promise a job or a permit: employers decide whom to hire and authorities decide on permits. What we can do is help you choose the right route, prepare your materials for each market and plan the steps in the right order.
