Non-teaching certifications/experience for trailing spouses?

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leipanga
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:59 pm

Non-teaching certifications/experience for trailing spouses?

Post by leipanga »

Hi! I've gotten some great info here in the past, including learning about the pathway I took to get certified, so I'm hoping to get some good advice again.

I'm a CA certified elementary teacher, currently working on getting a few years' domestic experience before moving to an IS. I'll have a trailing spouse, and we're starting to think about what (if any) certifications/work experience he could work on getting that would give him the best chance of finding employment abroad. IT, accounting, medical, and anything else-- I know that's broad! As it stands, in another country, his main assets will be his BA and that he's a native English speaker. We were wondering if anyone had ideas about what kinds of fields (besides teaching) native English speakers have luck finding work in. I know English tutoring work is often available, but he'd prefer to consider other options first.

I know that's all very general and vague, and depends a lot on location, visas, and everything else. I'm not looking for anyone to give me a specific, sure-fire solution; just wanted to hear some input about what kind of work non-teaching spouses might find abroad, or ideas for what he could be doing with these few years Stateside to give him a leg up in the future.

Thanks!
migratingbird
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 2:47 am

Re: Non-teaching certifications/experience for trailing spou

Post by migratingbird »

You're right in saying it's a bit vague ;) Different countries have different visa requirements, different shortages in the workplace, different rules about spouses working, etc. For example, I'm in Singapore. There is a list on the Ministry of Manpower's website that specifies industries which are in need of employees, and people coming here can see if their skillset would make them more eligible for a visa. Spouses (on a dependents pass) can readily apply for jobs, and the company employing them then apply for a Letter of Consent for them to work. However, the government has recently been pushing for local hires, so has made this more complicated (there are ratios of local hire/expat hire that must be adhered to, and people on a dependents pass now have a much harder time setting up their own business). But this is just one country. Maybe the better way to approach it is to look for countries where your spouses current qualifications would be in demand?
leipanga
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:59 pm

Re: Non-teaching certifications/experience for trailing spou

Post by leipanga »

Thanks for the info! It's interesting to hear that Singapore has an actual list of in-need areas; I should look around and see if other countries tend to have something like that, as well. I think your advice about targeting countries where my partner's skills are in demand is great; however, he's got a fairly unhelpful degree and the bulk of his experience is in the food service industry, so our chances there aren't great. He's looking in general for qualifications that he could target to look for better jobs here in the US, and we just figured if he could do so while also keeping an eye towards the future abroad, that would be great.

We do have a list of regions we're especially interested in going to (Central/South America, parts of Asia, and the Pacific) so I should research in-demand skills in those areas and see if there's any overlap. Thanks for the ideas!
cms989
Posts: 73
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:07 pm

Re: Non-teaching certifications/experience for trailing spou

Post by cms989 »

If he has no marketable skills, and is going to a foreign country . . I think he ought to have a better excuse for rejecting an opportunity (teaching English) than 'I don't wanna.'

I don't know the exact situation of course, but teaching English can be a perfectly noble, professional, enjoyable profession. Like anything else it depends how your pursue it in terms of training and choosing the right school and continuing to develop. In strikes me as odd this option would be rejected in favor of . . . well, nothing. You haven't presented an alternative.

I say this as someone who resisted teaching English for the longest time, even though it fit me perfectly in so many ways. I just couldn't imagine myself in a classroom. And here I am starting my first IB job next year.
carolina
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Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2016 12:58 pm

Re: Non-teaching certifications/experience for trailing spou

Post by carolina »

I have a trailing spouse. We decided that IT was "now or never" for us as he's working at a start-up with a large remote working culture. We'll be moving in July and he's received approval from his company to work adjust his hours to our new time zone once we're there. It'll be a tad non-standard (e.g., he'll probably work from 11am to 8pm), but we feel like we hit the jackpot between the school I landed at and his ability to work remotely from another country (while continuing to earn his salary in USD!).

Not sure this will be applicable to your partner's experience/skill set, but maybe he could look at remote positions!
leipanga
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:59 pm

Re: Non-teaching certifications/experience for trailing spou

Post by leipanga »

@cms989 He does have marketable skills, but in areas that are likely easily filled by locals in a foreign country, and in which being a native speaker would probably not be much of an asset. He has taught English before and we're not ruling it out entirely. It's nothing to do with thinking it's somehow un-noble or unprofessional, teaching just isn't something he's very comfortable doing. That's why we're here, to see what kind of alternatives might be available!

@carolina Glad to hear that's worked out so well for you two! That's something we thought about (he has some IT experience), and should look into more. Thanks for the idea!
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

Ill start by breaking down the issues with the fields you mentioned:

1) IT: Depends what he does. Its much harder to get a multinational to send you over, which would be a great opportunity. What he would mostly find available to him is consulting or project work. It can come and go, and if you are on the ball you can have enough projects to make a good living at it. Organizations care more about the work youve done and what industry certifications you have more so than a degree witch is already dated by the time you graduate. The issue hed have finding work locally is going to be a language barrier and legally paying him. There are some ways around that.

2) Accounting: Probably the most work intensive, because hed need to be both a US CPA but also a UK chartered accountant and potentially an EU chartered or international accountant. The UK and EU use a different accounting procedure than the US, so there would be some learning and study involved. He could do it with less, but then its more a hobby, his busy time would be advising on tax issues for expats. There just isnt a shortage of accountants and without language skills its going to be difficult getting larger project work.

3) Medical: No idea what his background is but without a local license for clinical practice depending where he is thats a non-starter.

Being an English speaker isnt much of an advantage unless you are bilingual for professional areas, otherwise being a native English speaker means he can teach ESOL.

My suggestion is a virtual business. Something he can do from home, that he can meet with clients vie phone or Skype, and that either his projects can be transmitted digitally. The other option is a virtual shop, where he essentially is exporting local product to market overseas. He needs something that isnt going to require a work visa, that he can do with a dependents visa, and largely below the radar of the local authorities. Lastly, there are certain nich jobs that foreigners can do under the table that arent service industry. Things like a property agent liaison. Organizing tours, recruiting, etc. A couple example:

1) An individual in Thailand arranges discreet bachelor parties at various venues in BKK.
2) Another individual in Thailand sells shot glasses from the various night spots on line.
3) One individual exports JP Anime and Manga.
4) A couple people do weddings in Asia as a priest/minister.
5) One individual is a diving instructor
6) One individual teaches corporate CPR/First-aid.

You said his background is in food service, if he has any culinary skills. He could do a nice side business giving cooking lessons or demonstrations, product rep, or private chef.
leipanga
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:59 pm

Re: Non-teaching certifications/experience for trailing spou

Post by leipanga »

@PsyGuy, thanks! Lots of good ideas and input here. The virtual business ideas are great, and also just really interesting to read about (discreet bachelor parties!). Thank you!
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