Those who have not worked overseas may look at those who do and think that they are a different breed of people. What would motivate or drive a person to leave the comforts of a familiar culture and spend long periods of time away from closest friends and family members?

Many might simply shrug and say, “They must have gotten ‘the Call.’”

If you have not received (perceived) the “Call” yet, you may be thinking you are not meant to work overseas.

Is working overseas more challenging than working in the competitive “dog-eat-dog” climate that you currently find yourself in?

Are you being sufficiently challenged in your current job? Do you ever have the feeling that your purpose in life is meant to be greater than what you feel you are currently achieving?

There is a whole other world out there with different challenges you may have been uniquely created for.

A calling to work overseas involves many dimensions and is not something to trivialize or take lightly: It will be challenging. In most overseas contexts, you will not be able to jump in and perform at a high level of professional excellence. The first big step is not just learning a whole new language and culture, it’s learning how people learn and interact with each other. Things that seem so normal and “right” to you in your own culture may come across quite differently in the new context. But if you’re the kind of person that likes to take on a challenge and develop yourself further in many areas of your life, then consider working overseas.

Experience the Four Stages

Of course, the risk of taking on an overseas assignment might seem daunting. That is why I recommend “testing the waters” with a short-term opportunity. However, if short-term means just several weeks, one may simply experience the overseas context from a “tourist” perspective. Some people call this the “honeymoon phase.” Short-term assignments of less than 3-6 months might not give an accurate assessment of how suited you are to overseas work. However, just staying a few months longer could leave you in the “culture shock” phase, and going back home at that stage may leave you with more negative impressions than positive. If you can make it past that stage and into the adjustment - and then adaptation - phases, you can then make a more reliable assessment of how suited you are. Exactly when these four stages occur and how long they last of course depends on the person. But, in general, all four stages happen within a 9-12 month period.

Many times, when people have firmly decided they are not called to overseas work, it may simply be because they short-circuited the process by not allowing themselves to go through these four stages.

Regrets?

I have lived well over half of my adult life in different overseas contexts, and I am grateful for how it has stretched me and taught me so much about myself. While living and working overseas can be challenging, as I compare it to the stresses of my home culture, I would not trade these experiences for a more comfortable life in my own culture. The benefits have far outweighed the costs!



About the Author: Patrick is IDEAS Agriculture Sector Director and Orchard Training Program Manager and Consultant. He has worked in fruit orchard renovation and development in Central Asia for over 20 years. Enjoy other posts from IDEAS agriculturalists, such as "Finding Fruit from Failure."