WORK, VOLUNTEER, AND STUDY ABROAD

So you're not Mr. or Ms. Moneybags and you need some financial help getting out of the country. Well, you lucky dog, you can get by quite well in Asia for $10-15 a day, and if your needs are kept at a minimum and you don't mind bedbugs and cold showers, you could probably go for less than that.

If you'd rather live it up somewhere more developed, don't lose hope. You can work, volunteer, intern, and study abroad.

Working Holiday Visas for Canadians

Under 30 and still using the "travelling's too expensive" excuse? Feast your eyes on this spread of working holiday visas available to you. Go ahead and apply for a working holiday visa, permitting legal work abroad between six months to two years, depending on the country.

• Keep in mind that the government does not offer job-hunting assistance. The odds of getting a job depend entirely on your own resourcefulness.
• Work is only meant to supplement your purpose of travel within the country. Check individual embassy sites for country-specific rules.
• Apply early in the year to get a guaranteed spot in the country and make sure you enter the country before the date specified.
• Take advantage of this before you get to the age where the government thinks you should be ready to "settle down". That's apparently between the age of 27 and 30.

S.W.A.P.
Organized by Travel Cuts, the Student Work Abroad Program (SWAP) organizes most of the pre-trip paperwork and helps you get oriented when you first arrive. This is especially good for the first-time traveller or perpetual worrywart.

Travel Cuts' SWAP

Do it Yourself
If you don't mind landing in a country with no assistance, and you can figure out how to fill out an application form, it's almost as easy to do this all yourself. Check out individual embassy sites for more information on application procedures.

France
Germany
The Netherlands / Holland
Japan
Australia
New Zealand
Sweden
South Korea

Teach English
What do you do when you have a Bachelor's Degree and have no clue what you want to do with it? Go and do what thousands of others have done before you: Goes and teacha the English.

Is a TEFL/TESL/CELTA certificate or Bachelor's degree necessary?
It depends. If you want to hook up with a reputable agency, yes. If you're a hardy, resourceful person, no. The sad thing is, as long as you look foreign, it will be a breeze. However, having a degree or certificate gives you that upper hand in salary negotiation and acquiring the luxurious, swingin' life of a expat. The TEFL, furthermore, will give you more leverage and more opportunity to wander around the world, especially if you want to get yourself out of the Asian teaching circuit.

To illustrate, I have met at least three non-native English Speakers from Europe (burdened with very thick accents and an uncertain grasp of grammar) who all managed to get teaching jobs in Hong Kong. Don't fret: there are jobs. English is hhhhHot.

How to get that job:

• Answer classified ads in the newspaper
• Apply to programs like JET (by far the most respectable program, though usually only fitting for hard-core Japan enthusiasts)
• Apply with programs like i-to-i
• Acquire your own working holiday visa and just leave

ESL in Canada
CELTA
Jet Programme

Pre-arranged Work Abroad
Maybe you'd prefer to have work set up before you arrive. There are plenty of opportunities with non-profits and the Canadian government, offering you official paid work in various regions around the globe. Standard work search engines may also be a good bet. Not only will you gain international experience, you'll actually be getting to know your destination of choice at a deeper level than you'd ever imagined.

Idealist
Canada Foreign Service

Volunteer Abroad
Want to make a difference? Volunteering abroad is a sure way to witness a culture completely different from yours and help them a little at the same time. Be wary of organizations that are more about taking your money and basically have you doing a lot of dick all. Please your inner Samaritan and check out these links to get yourself to places that may teach you a thing or two about how spoiled you are.

Idealist
Volunteer Abroad links
United Nations Volunteers
Volunteerabroad.com
i-to-i

Intern Abroad with the Canadian Government
I maintain that if I'd known about these programs as a young'un, I would've jumped on every one of these opportunities. Follow the path I didn't: if you're Canadian, young, or out of university and can't find a job in your field of study, take advantage of these government-paid internships abroad. For the most part, you probably have a better chance if you have education in the non-profit, educational, environmental, business, or medical fields. Considering the rate of pay with which most staff are compensated at typical NGOs, it's probably a good idea to cash in whenever you can... and when it's the government that extends its hand, take it and shake it like crazy.

Canadian International Development Agency
Government of Canada Youth Action Programs
International Development opportunities

Study Abroad
Ever want to vomit when you hear a classmate boast, "Oh, yes, I just returned from a semester in Frahhhnce." If you want the same bragging rights, pretentious accent and all, check out your own university's exchange programs, apply to universities abroad, and scour the opportunities available on studyabroad.com.

Studyabroad.com