How do people get into jobs that they travel with?
Discussion
-crookedtail- said:
Be careful what you wish for, travelling for work is not the same as travelling for a jolly!
I'm fortunate that I do get to travel with work, been to the USA, UAE, lots of Europe this year alone, not forgetting the delights of the West Midlands
Most of the time its a ballache, you rush after work to an airport, stay overnight in a hotel, deal with the client for a few days and then straight back on a flight home, typically over your weekends. So granted you do go to see places but its normally an industrial estate, glass office building, a hotel, taxi and an airport. There are some exceptions, I've stayed longer to see the sights and get the hotel chucked in for free, so its not all bad but not all fun either : )
ETA: I'm in IT/Systems training so occasionally need to be onsite. If you're in a job where 95% can be done remotely you will be unlikely to travel all that much - Unless the client specially pays for it.
This is almost word for word my past experiences! I worked for an international mail company who supplied industrial mail machinery. I was promoted from a Data Analyst role to a Software Specialists on said machines which required week to week travelling around the EU, USA and on one occasion Saudi Arabia. It was 5-6 days a week away from home every week, though I really enjoyed the job my home life deteriorated (long term partner + dogs). I also put on a ton of weight due to working long hours and being so exhausted that I ate pretty much whatever I wanted, and eating out/in hotels each evening, though I accept I am pretty weak willed with food.I'm fortunate that I do get to travel with work, been to the USA, UAE, lots of Europe this year alone, not forgetting the delights of the West Midlands
Most of the time its a ballache, you rush after work to an airport, stay overnight in a hotel, deal with the client for a few days and then straight back on a flight home, typically over your weekends. So granted you do go to see places but its normally an industrial estate, glass office building, a hotel, taxi and an airport. There are some exceptions, I've stayed longer to see the sights and get the hotel chucked in for free, so its not all bad but not all fun either : )
ETA: I'm in IT/Systems training so occasionally need to be onsite. If you're in a job where 95% can be done remotely you will be unlikely to travel all that much - Unless the client specially pays for it.
Edited by -crookedtail- on Friday 25th September 12:00
The job was interesting and I did get to see some interesting places, but the majority was simply business parks. Unfortunately it got a bit much being away from home and I ended up leaving. I now work for a local company as a Project Manager (IT) but I still travel the UK/Ireland for about 1/4 of the month. If I was single for whatever reason, I'd probably go back to my previous job...
Thurbs said:
The other point I would like to make is it completely reuins any further holiday you have which involves flying (well the start and end of it anyway). The whole thing is a complete ball ache from start to finish and you really resent the whole process after a while, even when going on holiday.
Totally agree, I'm like a machine going through airports, annoys me that the wife isn't efficient, she's annoyed that I am... not a great start to the holiday !Some but not too much travel can be achieved by being the technical "expert" who helps bolster the sales or customer relationship teams from time to time. Over the years I've helped demo various systems to prospective customers or provided training to existing ones. Those tend to be short trips that would be exhausting if done regularly over big distances. The more fun travel when you don't have family responsibilities have been project initiating for system deployments and/or customisation when I worked for a trading system consultancy. We had clients in South Africa and might get sent there for one or two weeks at a time, so long enough to get a feel for the place and have at least one weekend of free time locally. Nearly in the same timezone as the UK, so pain free travel, plus you get to swap European winter for an African summer.
andy-xr said:
Home->airport->office->hotel->office->airport-Home
This is so true, I spent about 15 years of flying all over the place and now people say "ooo when you went to xyz you must have seen abc" oh how wrong!!The same with staying in hotels where the only real surprise is will the door to the bathroom be on the left or right as you walk in to the room!
Hahah I agree with the above, I seem to have done both extremes, now based in the same office and miss traveling, but I couldn't handle not seeing my daughter everyday, well I could but don't want to.
Its tiring, you get sick of airports, you put on weight and get out of shape real quick
But its not always bad , my old boss liked a beer and to see the sights, so we used to go out most nights which was company expensed , this just reinforced the sentence above
OP do you have an independent partner, or single? Or kids?
The worse thing I found was being asked to go away when , I wasn't too keen, but told I need to. I'd then go home and get it in the neck from my partner, when I was stuck in the middle!
it can be good fun, worth doing if you are single and want to experience the world a bit , but as said every office park looks the same after a while.
Its tiring, you get sick of airports, you put on weight and get out of shape real quick
But its not always bad , my old boss liked a beer and to see the sights, so we used to go out most nights which was company expensed , this just reinforced the sentence above
OP do you have an independent partner, or single? Or kids?
The worse thing I found was being asked to go away when , I wasn't too keen, but told I need to. I'd then go home and get it in the neck from my partner, when I was stuck in the middle!
it can be good fun, worth doing if you are single and want to experience the world a bit , but as said every office park looks the same after a while.
crofty1984 said:
Technical sales in engineering. That's what I do. And again, be careful what you wish for!
That's precisely what I do too. And to echo "what you wish for":My team has now moved from covering 95% UK&I to 50/50 UK&I and Europe. What that means is that I am expected to turn up for a meeting with a customer in the Nordics as I would for a customer in Reading.
I'm fine with that - expense policy is reasonably good, I do the flight booking and can control what hotel I go to within reason (and rack up points for personal holidays).
Plus side: I get to spend my evenings in a foreign country, live off expenses (i.e. a meal) and enjoy a bit of culture instead of being sat in front of the telly. That's a positive if and only if I'm going to an interesting place. My current project is in a beautiful place, so no problem.
The downside could be that I am a) working my ass off in the hotel at night due to actions derived during the day, so you dont get out b) stuck in the back ass of nowhere - an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere in a s
t hotel is my idea of hell, and sitting down with a bunch of other lonely business people flicking through their iPads isn't much fun. If you are trying to be health concious, eating out all day every day isn't much fun either.Waiting in airports can also be a chore, so invest in a lounge card too - I have a priority pass which I do tend to use a lot.
If you do end up travelling a lot, my advice would be to try and make your hotel 'home from home' - take a nice portable speaker to play music (if you like that), invest in a sling box, which allows you to send your TV output over the internet and you can watch your home telly from anywhere, no messing about with VPNs. I find it quite relaxing to have local news on, instead of foregin breakfast telly drivel.
Edited by devnull on Friday 2nd October 10:59
I work away pretty much every week in some capacity. Mostly around the UK, Europe several times a year, the odd long haul.
I do enjoy it most of the time - I think we've got the balance just about right. I'd hate to be stuck in the office every day doing 9-5!
Of course some trips are better than others. We did a a week and a half in southern Spain last December. Stayed in a nice town, went out every night for food and beers and worked with a nice group of people. I've also done my fair share of slogs up and down motorways at unsociable hours (why is it so busy at 10pm on a Sunday night??!!). Also there's some places in Europe I've been to so many times I could drive there in my sleep, I know where every local supermarket etc. is better than I do at home!
But generally can't complain, often quite enjoy having time to myself. Only thing I hate is going out to eat by myself, just try and avoid it completely, so it's nice to be with a group of people then!
My wife is mostly OK with it, it's what I've always done, although she does moan from time to time! We've got a baby due next month so we'll see how that changes things...
I do enjoy it most of the time - I think we've got the balance just about right. I'd hate to be stuck in the office every day doing 9-5!
Of course some trips are better than others. We did a a week and a half in southern Spain last December. Stayed in a nice town, went out every night for food and beers and worked with a nice group of people. I've also done my fair share of slogs up and down motorways at unsociable hours (why is it so busy at 10pm on a Sunday night??!!). Also there's some places in Europe I've been to so many times I could drive there in my sleep, I know where every local supermarket etc. is better than I do at home!
But generally can't complain, often quite enjoy having time to myself. Only thing I hate is going out to eat by myself, just try and avoid it completely, so it's nice to be with a group of people then!
My wife is mostly OK with it, it's what I've always done, although she does moan from time to time! We've got a baby due next month so we'll see how that changes things...
crofty1984 said:
Technical sales in engineering. That's what I do. And again, be careful what you wish for!
In my case, I worked for a large well known foreign companyin their UK branch office.
I became a local expert in something new and getting very popular
and then made a name for myself with head office as the person to talk to
about it.
Soon, head office had alerted all their Europe wide branch offices
about my skills and so I was getting sent all over to fix problems
and implement solutions.
Sitting in the local five star hotel, all the paid for food, beer
and rented car, but not being able to go home until the problem was
fixed / solution implemented was fun at the start,
but it meant I had to fix problems quickly to maintain relationships
back home.
I don't do business travel anymore. They come to me, or we video
conference or email. It's a *lot* cheaper and less stressful than
hotels and flights.
i think i have a slightly different experience of working away than most of you here. i used to hate flying in/out of places for a day or two but things are different after a change in role. i now tend to go to site for extended periods which is supposed to be a rotation but i usually extend as a] i'm single, b] my leave periods also extend if i double stint, c] i usually go to interesting enough places that i don't mind.
this year i have spent 5 mths in asia, 2mths in africa, and now doing a few months in central america. 4 work sites so not much travel really.
its swings and roundabouts. my job is interesting and time pressured, so the weeks go quickly. its st if you're in the arse end of nowhere [chad last year - hated it!] and not so st if you land on your feet [curacao, the bahamas and the current gig are no hardship]. my chop money pays for beers and food so unless i'm bored on the internet with credit card at hand, i hardly spend anything. socially i don't suffer that much, there's always a couple of guys i know on each project and its easy to integrate with the locals/other expats given the length of time away. it'd be totally different if i had an other half [doesn't work, believe me!] and family ties. there's a lot of divorcees in my line of work!
worst part is i'm rarely home to see friends and play in the garage. however i'm at a bit of a career crossroads so liking the ability to squirrel away cash each month and build up the funds to make a serious lifestyle change should i choose to.
this year i have spent 5 mths in asia, 2mths in africa, and now doing a few months in central america. 4 work sites so not much travel really.
its swings and roundabouts. my job is interesting and time pressured, so the weeks go quickly. its s
t if you're in the arse end of nowhere [chad last year - hated it!] and not so st if you land on your feet [curacao, the bahamas and the current gig are no hardship]. my chop money pays for beers and food so unless i'm bored on the internet with credit card at hand, i hardly spend anything. socially i don't suffer that much, there's always a couple of guys i know on each project and its easy to integrate with the locals/other expats given the length of time away. it'd be totally different if i had an other half [doesn't work, believe me!] and family ties. there's a lot of divorcees in my line of work! worst part is i'm rarely home to see friends and play in the garage. however i'm at a bit of a career crossroads so liking the ability to squirrel away cash each month and build up the funds to make a serious lifestyle change should i choose to.
I think that I'm either mad or rare (or both) in that I really enjoy international working. I even like airports. I guess this may be down to the fact that I do only about five or six missions a year and the longest I'm away is two weeks.
I also work in the less obvious places of the world (Moldova, Azerbaijan, Cairo, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and the like) and so get to see some thoroughly interesting places and meet some very interesting people.
Specialist consultancy for donor-funded utility / civil engineering type projects is what will take you to these and other places.
I also work in the less obvious places of the world (Moldova, Azerbaijan, Cairo, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and the like) and so get to see some thoroughly interesting places and meet some very interesting people.
Specialist consultancy for donor-funded utility / civil engineering type projects is what will take you to these and other places.
As part of a varied routine I enjoy the travel. However, at the beginning of this year I was doing 2 1 week trips to the Far East each month travelling Saturday - Saturday as well as European day trips in between. After a few months that got too much, particularly then playing catch up when back in the UK. This slowed down mid year and now I am missing Japan particularly.
For a period it is a great way to experience a bit of the world and see places you may not pay yourself to visit (Korea was great last month). But as a long term permanent situation it does become tiresome.
For a period it is a great way to experience a bit of the world and see places you may not pay yourself to visit (Korea was great last month). But as a long term permanent situation it does become tiresome.
Pig benis said:
Here is my question, where do people find these jobs that take them abroad, or just around the UK?
I've worked long term or travelled for work in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, the United States, Australia, Venezuela etc etc. Either practice a profession where your skills are rare so that it makes economic sense for a company to pay the additional costs to send a foreign employee to do the job. Or get a job with a company with overseas operations such that even if local talent is available in a foreign location, it makes sense for the company to incur the additional costs of sending one of their own staff because they know and trust that staff member.
For the first option, find that career path with unusual skills and the jobs will find you. For the second, find a company with the right kind of overseas operations and the travel will find you. It also helps if you are prepared to go at short notice. Many people aren't.
creampuff said:
Or get a job with a company with overseas operations such that even if local talent is available in a foreign location, it makes sense for the company to incur the additional costs of sending one of their own staff because they know and trust that staff member.
For the first option, find that career path with unusual skills and the jobs will find you. For the second, find a company with the right kind of overseas operations and the travel will find you. It also helps if you are prepared to go at short notice. Many people aren't.
If you work in compliance or internal audit, the right FTSE company will put you all over the planet. For example, GKN say their internal audit team will do 75% travel with the majority long-haul (unless you speak a European language like a native). Last time I spoke to them they were basically looking for single or divorced people as relationships don't go so well when you're always on a plane...For the first option, find that career path with unusual skills and the jobs will find you. For the second, find a company with the right kind of overseas operations and the travel will find you. It also helps if you are prepared to go at short notice. Many people aren't.
I'm in Engineering Business Development.
I travel 4 days a week but just all over the Highlands. I really enjoy the role as every day varies.
I do envy people who travel overseas, I have done a couple of trips overseas for previous job roles and i do generally enjoy it all.
Would love to get into an international travelling role. I was recently made an offer from one of our suppliers but they don't have the best reputation for looking after there staff so I declined that one.
I love travelling for work/pleasure. All be it I've only been travelling for 14 months now, before I was an in an internal role and hated going to the same building, same office for the whole day, with this I plan my own days/time away. Get to meet some very interesting people, more so the further up north you go (Thurso etc)
I travel 4 days a week but just all over the Highlands. I really enjoy the role as every day varies.
I do envy people who travel overseas, I have done a couple of trips overseas for previous job roles and i do generally enjoy it all.
Would love to get into an international travelling role. I was recently made an offer from one of our suppliers but they don't have the best reputation for looking after there staff so I declined that one.
I love travelling for work/pleasure. All be it I've only been travelling for 14 months now, before I was an in an internal role and hated going to the same building, same office for the whole day, with this I plan my own days/time away. Get to meet some very interesting people, more so the further up north you go (Thurso etc)
Edited by TheHighlander on Friday 16th October 13:57
shirt]i think i have a slightly different experience of working away than most of you here. i used to hate flying in/out of places for a day or two but things are different after a change in role. i now tend to go to site for extended periods which is supposed to be a rotation but i usually extend as a said:
i'm single, b] my leave periods also extend if i double stint, c] i usually go to interesting enough places that i don't mind.
this year i have spent 5 mths in asia, 2mths in africa, and now doing a few months in central america. 4 work sites so not much travel really.
its swings and roundabouts. my job is interesting and time pressured, so the weeks go quickly. its st if you're in the arse end of nowhere [chad last year - hated it!] and not so st if you land on your feet [curacao, the bahamas and the current gig are no hardship]. my chop money pays for beers and food so unless i'm bored on the internet with credit card at hand, i hardly spend anything. socially i don't suffer that much, there's always a couple of guys i know on each project and its easy to integrate with the locals/other expats given the length of time away. it'd be totally different if i had an other half [doesn't work, believe me!] and family ties. there's a lot of divorcees in my line of work!
worst part is i'm rarely home to see friends and play in the garage. however i'm at a bit of a career crossroads so liking the ability to squirrel away cash each month and build up the funds to make a serious lifestyle change should i choose to.
That sounds like the right way to do it. Plenty of time to see/do stuff in your new place, meet new people (that you don't work with) and no Mrs at home to miss/to miss you. I could go for a job as a full-time sales guy but the time away would probably knacker my relationship, and I like my Mrs! (I must remember to actually marry her one day)this year i have spent 5 mths in asia, 2mths in africa, and now doing a few months in central america. 4 work sites so not much travel really.
its swings and roundabouts. my job is interesting and time pressured, so the weeks go quickly. its s
t if you're in the arse end of nowhere [chad last year - hated it!] and not so st if you land on your feet [curacao, the bahamas and the current gig are no hardship]. my chop money pays for beers and food so unless i'm bored on the internet with credit card at hand, i hardly spend anything. socially i don't suffer that much, there's always a couple of guys i know on each project and its easy to integrate with the locals/other expats given the length of time away. it'd be totally different if i had an other half [doesn't work, believe me!] and family ties. there's a lot of divorcees in my line of work! worst part is i'm rarely home to see friends and play in the garage. however i'm at a bit of a career crossroads so liking the ability to squirrel away cash each month and build up the funds to make a serious lifestyle change should i choose to.
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