Sometimes budget travelers consider working during foreign trips to offset their expenses, but don`t know what to expect or how to make arrangements.
Here are several publications, and a service, that can help.
”Work Your Way Around the World” by Susan Griffith-published by a British company called Vacation Work ($16.95; 432 pages; 1991 edition)-offers information on paid, casual and volunteer employment in more than 40 countries.
One of the aspects of the book that makes it particularly valuable is that it includes advice by travelers and comments on their good and bad experiences.
”If you are to work abroad,” advises one traveler, ”it is preferable to be employed in a capacity which allows an insight into the people of the country you are visiting.”
Although the book is researched with British travelers in mind (who face different restrictions with working permits), there is still much information that will be of value to North Americans.
For example, you`ll find information on how to volunteer to work on an archeological dig, and how travelers have arranged to supplement their incomes by teaching English or by joining a family as an au pair.
Two other annual publications by Vacation Work could be of help to those with working permits. Salaries are included but are quoted in British currency.
The publications are ”Overseas Summer Jobs-1992” ($14.95), a listing of employers who offer short-term jobs in 40 countries, and ”Summer Jobs in Britain-1992” ($13.95), positions in fruit picking, sports, offices, camps, archeology, riding, au pair and voluntary work, in England, Scotland and Wales.
Vacation Work books are distributed in the United States by Peterson Guides.
Other titles available include:
”Jobs and Careers Abroad” ($14.95), ”Teaching English Abroad”
($13.95) and ”International Voluntary Work” ($13.95).
The Council on International Educational Exchange has compiled a 1992-93 edition of ”Work, Study, Travel Abroad-The Whole World Handbook” (St. Martin`s Press). This 500-page edition covers paid and volunteer possibilities from picking grapes in France to working on a kibbutz in Israel.
It also includes quotes by student travelers on their experiences. Copies are available at bookstores or you can order from CIEE, Publications Dept. 205 E. 42nd St. New York, N. Y. 10017. Include $12.95 for the book plus applicable state sales tax and $1.50 for postage, or $3.50 for first-class delivery.
The major difficulty with seeking paid positions in foreign countries is getting the necessary type of permit. Most foreign governments want proof of employment before they`ll provide a ”working” visa, and employers want to know you have the visa before they`ll offer employment.
The CIEE has arranged a program that helps students cut through that red tape.
The CIEE is a not-for-profit organization that was established in 1947, and has been operating Work Abroad programs for 24 years. During the summer of 1992 assistance is available for American students who want work in the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Germany, Jamaica and Canada.
The CIEE will not find you a job, but it will arrange proper documentation for you to legally seek work, and arrange for affiliated foreign student travel services to assist you after you arrive.
For a fee of $125, participants are provided with their permit, an information handbook, and are invited to an orientation meeting in the foreign country.
For further information on requirements, time limits and application forms write CIEE Work Abroad, 205 East 42nd St. New York, N. Y. 10017.
