Nature invited a honoured United States
Overseas employment provides opportunity to visit foreign countries, get work experience
By Kyoko Kasuga Special to the Kansan
Students can visit a foreign country and get work experience at the same time if they have the motivation.
Becki Price worked for weavers and a department store in Germany six months after she graduated from the University of Kansas in May.
"I wanted to work for a weaver in Germany because I studied textile and German at KU, and I like Germany." Price said.
To make sure she would get a job in Germany, Price did a lot of research by herself and sent about 100 letters asking about internship opportunities with weavers in Germany before she left the United States.
In Germany, the weavers provided room and board and, on occasion, wages. Price made some money at the department store, a job she found in a newspaper classified ad.
Although she had been to Germany before, working abroad is different, she said.
"I met many artists, professional and working-class people," she said. "They are real Germans. It is totally different than meeting people in a hotel during a typical trip."
Her work experience with German people gave her a better perspective on where she came from and made her respect her heritage more, she said.
James Patterson, Baton Rouge, La., graduate student, spent more than a year teaching English in a private language institution in Japan after he graduated from Louisiana State University.
As a music history major, he had a hard time finding a job. But Patterson recalled that one of his friends was teaching English in Japan, so he went to a bookstore to look through books on how to live and work in Japan.
"Teaching English in Japan was good because it gave me money and a better perspective on the whole world by going to a foreign country," Patterson said.
Although he had no teaching experience before he went to Japan, he found that he liked it. And that experience gave him a motivation to study teaching English as a second language, he said.
The first step to find overseas employment is research, said Jeri Lygrisse, internship coordinator at the University Placement Center.
The center doesn't have job listings for overseas employment. It does have some resources, such as books on how to find a job abroad and lists of organizations that deal with overseas career placement.
"The Internet may be the most helpful resource," Lygrisse said. The center's Web site includes information about international job and internship opportunities as well as links to career placement centers of other universities and institutions.
There are many overseas career placement organizations dealing with all sorts of opportunities, from employment in business to being a nanny. The center's staff can help students find out what kinds of organizations match their needs, Lygrisse said.
However, students should do extensive research themselves because the type of job, qualifications, working conditions and placement fees vary depending on programs, she said.
The center has two computers for student use, and counselors are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, by appointment.
The University Placement Center's site is http://www.ukans.edu/~upc
For short-term work experience abroad, students can try the work abroad program run by Council on International Educational Exchange.
CIEE is a private nonprofit organization, and its program helps students to obtain work permits for up to seven months. It offers assistance in looking for jobs and housing in Britain, France, Ireland Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Jamaica.
Typical jobs are retail sales, waiting tables, temporary office help and bartending. The program's fee is $200, which covers the application procedure. However, the program doesn't guarantee a job. Participants must find a job themselves.
Overseas employment resources
University Placement Center
110 Burge Union
8a.m.-5p.m. Monday-Friday
864-3624
Library of resources, computers available. counseling
http://www.ukans.edu/~upc
Office of Study Abroad
108 Libnincott Hall
8a.m.-5p.m. Monday-Friday,
864-3742
Information on jobs and internships abroad; programs and internships
Watson Libraru
8a.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday
8a.m.-8p.m. Friday
10a.m.-6p.m. Saturday noon-midnight Sunday 864-3956
Reference books on job and internships
International Programs
300 Strong Hall
864-4141
Directories of job and internships abroad
Council on International Education Exchange
(800) 226-8624; 212-661-1414, ext.
1126
(Work Abroad Office)
http://www.ciee.org/
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November 19, 1996 The Hill
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