If you are thinking about taking your faculty career abroad, here are some factors to consider first
By Scott T. Gibson
July 20, 2016
W hen I wrote this past spring about why I accepted a full-time faculty job in Ecuador, my goal was merely to encourage other Ph.D.s to consider taking their academic careers overseas. But of course that’s easier said than done.
I alluded to the obstacles, but now I’d like to elaborate on what to expect if you embark on an international job search. You will need to assess your willingness to face those obstacles — some of which (like learning a new language) can be surmounted with planning and patience but others of which are much harder to overcome.
We're sorry. Something went wrong.
We are unable to fully display the content of this page.
The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.
Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page.
You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one,
or subscribe.
If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com
W hen I wrote this past spring about why I accepted a full-time faculty job in Ecuador, my goal was merely to encourage other Ph.D.s to consider taking their academic careers overseas. But of course that’s easier said than done.
I alluded to the obstacles, but now I’d like to elaborate on what to expect if you embark on an international job search. You will need to assess your willingness to face those obstacles — some of which (like learning a new language) can be surmounted with planning and patience but others of which are much harder to overcome.
The legal process will be onerous. Expect paperwork. Tons of it.
Obviously, you will need to apply for a visa, and your new employer will probably offer to help navigate the specific process for gaining permission to work in your destination country (if it doesn’t, ask). The consulate or embassy of your new country is also a good resource for familiarizing yourself with the visa application process. In my case, most of the visa process took place after I arrived. That’s because a U.S. citizen can enter Ecuador and stay for up to 90 days with a tourist visa (which is essentially just a passport stamp) and then complete the rest of the process in Ecuador. However, you will probably have this option only in developing countries that depend on international tourism as a significant part of their economy. In most cases, you’ll need to obtain a long-term visa before you leave, which can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months and cost a few hundred dollars.
Many countries also require you to certify vital documents such as a birth certificate, criminal-background check, marriage license, and academic credentials. Most countries in Europe and the Americas, along with Australia, China, South Africa, Egypt, India, and others, are members of the Hague Conference and use the “apostille” for certification. The process involves sending notarized, original documents to be examined and authenticated. Obtaining an apostille generally takes only a week or two, but first you may have to travel to the issuing state to get your documents notarized. Federal documents, such as an FBI criminal report, must be apostilled by the U.S. Department of State. Between postage and processing fees, expect to pay around $15 a document. No matter what, get all documents apostilled before leaving the United States, unless you really want to endure the nightmare of having them certified from abroad.
ADVERTISEMENT
Your initial expenses can add up. Generally, overseas universities are prepared to help cover some of your moving expenses, but the amount may not be enough to ship all of your worldly possessions. Again, if they don’t offer, ask.
Even if you receive a moving allowance, you may still have to pay for the move upfront and get reimbursed later. At least, that’s how it went with me. It took several weeks to compare shipping companies until I found services that were both reliable and within budget. Import taxes and other limitations imposed by your destination country will also determine what you bring.
Before scouting for jobs in a particular region, learn the recent history and the current state of political and economic affairs.
Spend time discerning your family’s material attachments. Consider whether your family can afford to relocate, and whether you’re willing to sell a lot of your household belongings and start over. If you plan to take a lot of your posssessions with you, expect to pay several thousand dollars to do so.
What if I can’t speak the language fluently? That’s a common worry. But it should be the least of your concerns about an overseas move.
Certainly, if you don’t speak the language well, you will struggle at first. Although I had visited Ecuador several times, I was far from fluent in Spanish and could, at best, buy groceries or order lunch. I had family in Ecuador (as I mentioned in my first column), so in navigating daily life that was a significant advantage — one most overseas scholars will not have.
ADVERTISEMENT
At the university, however, I was on my own. Or at least that’s what I thought initially.
As it turned out, I rarely found myself in situations where a bilingual colleague wasn’t nearby and willing to translate. Many professors at overseas universities have earned their graduate degrees in the United States, or have traveled broadly and are fluent in English. You’re also likely to meet other expat colleagues who have already gone through the transition and are eager to help.
Furthermore, universities with a large population of exchange and study-abroad students will likely offer intensive language courses. Those are especially useful if you’re starting from scratch. For example, the language institute at my university offers a variety of courses in “Spanish for Foreigners” and other languages. Alternately, affordable tutoring services for tourists and professionals working abroad may be available.
None of the concerns I’ve described so far should prevent you from pursuing an overseas academic career, if that’s your wish. They are temporary inconveniences, not long-term problems. Other challenges, however, should give you greater pause.
You will feel homesick. You will struggle with this even if you were already something of an academic nomad in the United States. Fortunately, technology makes it easier to close the distance. I still communicate with family and friends via Skype, FaceTime, and Google Hangouts with about the same frequency that I did stateside. In fact, I even kept my U.S. cell number. Furthermore, thanks to my new job, my improved financial stability and job security has actually allowed me to spend more time visiting family this summer than I had over the past few years.
ADVERTISEMENT
The trade-off, though, is not being able to make small trips home — for holidays or for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and other milestones. Don’t underestimate how much missing those events will matter to you.
You will feel isolated at times. Consider the extent to which you can retain your own values and sense of self in a new culture. Moving within the United States comes with some reasonable assurance of finding like-minded people in your new home. That does not happen as easily abroad. For example, as a Quaker working now in a predominantly Catholic country, I frequently find myself feeling spiritually alone. The nearest Quaker meeting I’ve found is in Peru. That’s a bit too far to drive on Sunday mornings.
Likewise, expect to find compelling arguments against your views that went relatively unchallenged in U.S. academe. While I felt quite at home in the overwhelmingly liberal political climate of most U.S. universities, many members of my new social and professional circles are best described as libertarian, an increasingly popular stance fueled by the recent corruption scandal in Brazil and economic crisis in Venezuela, both of which occurred under leftist governments similar to Ecuador’s. What I accepted as enlightened politics at home strikes a very different chord here.
Which brings me to my final point: Before scouting for jobs in a particular region, learn the recent history and the current state of political and economic affairs. For example, Ecuador went through eight presidents in 10 years until the current president, Rafael Correa, took office in 2007. Fortunately, dollarization, increased revenue from high oil prices, sweeping education reforms, and investment in public infrastructure have overall improved Ecuadorian life since the early 2000s. Nonetheless, a new economic recession, state censorship of free speech, and the specter of political upheaval following next year’s elections raise serious concerns about the country’s near future.
It goes without saying that anticipating and controlling every risk is impossible. Fortunately, daily life tends not to be as chaotic in many parts of the world as you might think. And there are ways to stay abreast of potential trouble, such as registering for emergency updates with the U.S. State Department.
ADVERTISEMENT
Still, if you have concerns, limit your job search to countries that afford a personally acceptable level of security. The last thing you want to experience is having the professional opportunities, quality of life, and financial stability that you seek in an overseas career swept away by events beyond your control.