Looking for employment overseas - where to start?

[Olza23]

Hi all

I am a stage in my Project Management career where I am looking to try and obtain employment overseas. Everyone has to start somewhere I understand and my motivation for this is financial to be honest. I have done the whole sending CV's to companies etc but naively feel I am peeing in the wind.

I work in the electricity distribution industry and have done for the past 10 years.

Can anyone advise, why do I feel like a need a "way in"?

[MYOB]

Best way is to cultivate contacts in your sector. Get out there and meet contacts at public events and make yourself known. It's normally a long game though.

[GT03ROB]

I work project management in O&G overseas. From a standing start, no previous overseas experience, you ARE pissing in the wind.

Where do you have in mind working?

You best starting point will always be your current employer. If they don't operate outside of the UK, find somebody in the UK who does, go work for them.

Give me a little more information on what exactly you are looking for & what you do I can probably give you some better pointers.

[hutchst]

Decide where you might like to go, then go there to have a look around. Take some professionally printed and bound CVs with you. Get a local sim for your phone. Find out who the players are in your field, and drop off a copy of your CV personally at the head office reception for the attention of the MD.

Then sit back and wait for the phone to ring.

[wisbech]

What GT03ROB says. Join a firm that has overseas operation (or the UK branch of a foreign firm) and take it from there - much easier to get an internal transfer.

Edited by wisbech on Tuesday 19th November 12:59

[shirt]

GT03ROB said:

Give me a little more information on what exactly you are looking for & what you do I can probably give you some better pointers.

this. would help to know specifics and background.

however, i would say that power systems / networks is very much becoming a good place to be. de-centralisation [smart grids] and de-carbonisation [hybrid/renewables] are the main drivers and the tech is just starting to catch up with the sales pitch.

i work in power generation and dabble in PM but on the mech development and production side, power systems and networks are client side. if i had more of an electrical power background then there are tons of jobs globally [linkedin is a good a place as any to search], young grad in my office [middle east] is moving to the US next month for a PM role.

[Avidfanofstuff]

GT03ROB said:

I work project management in O&G overseas. From a standing start, no previous overseas experience, you ARE pissing in the wind.

Where do you have in mind working?

You best starting point will always be your current employer. If they don't operate outside of the UK, find somebody in the UK who does, go work for them.

Give me a little more information on what exactly you are looking for & what you do I can probably give you some better pointers.

This is excellent advice. If I hadn't had done it, I would still be sat in the UK sending CV's into a black hole.

[Olza23]

Thanks for all your replies. I have worked for DNO's installing transformers and associated networks of various voltages for the past few years. I will keep researching 👍

[Ayahuasca]

‘Overseas’ is a big place.

Do you have any language skills?

Looking to work for a foreign firm as a local employee, or for a UK firm as an expat? The former may well pay less than a normal UK job.

[shirt]

I would be targeting ABB and GE if I were you. Certainly I'd shy away from operators until you have a few years global experience and a better idea of where you want to live long term. I'd also consider the many various temporary power providers [this is what I do] which means a greater spread of project types and locations, albeit some are not exactly ones you'd rush back to.

ABB have a PM role going in grid automation in New Zealand. Can't see that one attracting avalanches of CV's, GE have a few PM roles going across MENA and one in Italy if you speaka da linguino.

We have a need for more of a PE / design engineer if that suits. That's the chair being left vacant by the chap mentioned above. Not sure HR have realised that leaves us a gaping hole in January.

[anonymous-user]

Go onto Linked In and hook up with recruitment consultants who deal with your industry sector. Find which one is the straight talker, eliminate the BS merchants, and work with the straight talker.