Who would like a cheat sheet to jobs all around the world, with behind-the-scenes info and all the eligibility requirements laid out clearly? Yeah, if your hand is raised, I’m with ya! That’s why I freaked out when I found Girls Gone Working–it’s exactly the resource I would have wanted when I was desperate to find a way to see the world. (Here’s the guest post I did for them a little while back, detailing how YOU can teach English abroad in Hungary.) I’ve devoured and daydreamed over the posts that tell what it’s like to work as a flight attendant, a cruise ship singer, an English teacher, and more! (And to be honest, they’ve given me a few ideas…).
Kat is the mind behind this site, and I’m so glad that she’s getting all of the info and community together in one place! An expat herself, Kat currently lives in Vietnam with her husband, whom she met while working abroad. Her work has taken her to 4 continents, so she knows a thing or two about being an expat–and starting her own business.
Read her Expat Interview below!
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1. Why Vietnam? How did you adjust?
I’ve been living in Vietnam now for just a little over a year. Vietnam was top of my list for years after my best friend spent a few months here and couldn’t stop telling me how much I’d love it. Back then, my husband and I were roaming around Eastern Europe without much of a plan. I was living off savings from a season working on a megayacht and he had a remote job. When I needed to work again, I wanted to try out Vietnam and he wanted to go to Japan. So, as in any relationship, we compromised and moved blindly to Korea! A year in Korea was great but I couldn’t get Vietnam out of my head. We traveled here for a month exploring the country and he fell in love too. After a few more months traveling, we moved to Ho Chi Minh for a year and just recently moved to Da Nang, a city on the beach.
A year in Korea helped to prepare us for a few little quirks in Asia but Korea and Vietnam are really different. Surprisingly enough, Vietnam reminds us a lot of Colombia. There have been countless times when my husband loses his bearings and feels like he’s been transported back home! We can find similarities in places all over the world which really helps when easing in to a new place, but more than anything, we live for those wild differences each country has to offer!
2. What do you most look forward to during the week where you are?
Now that we’ve moved to Da Nang, I look forward to the beach! I’ve always been a beach bum at heart and get so much peace from the ocean. Since it’s just a 10 minute walk from our new place, most mornings I take our puppy on a morning walk on the beach. We usually finish off those walks with a banh mi op la (fried egg sandwich) and a fresh orange juice. Those mornings are really hard to beat!
3.Tell us about Girls Gone Working. What inspired you to start it?
Girls Gone Working launched in February as just a little project to keep me busy. It’s been amazing to watch it grow from a hobby to something that is inspiring women around the world to take the leap of faith and move abroad. I’ve had it in my head that I should start a blog or something similar for years but really, I’ve never been motivated to spend much time on the computer or my phone. I didn’t even have a computer for 4 years while traveling! Fate took a turn though and I injured my ankle 2 years ago and that left me with a lot of time on my hands. I really hate staying still so with a little push from my husband, I used the time to create Girls Gone Working and I am so happy that I did! I’m in recovery now and my ankle is healing well but I’m so excited by this project that now I’m not looking for a new job but instead am putting everything I have into it.
I have a few different things I’m working on but the heart of Girls Gone Working will always be the website.
On the site, you’ll find job ideas around the world that women are currently doing abroad.
I’ve tapped into their knowledge to give our readers an inside peek into what it’s like to work in industries around the world. The aim of this is to show women just how many amazing opportunities exist. When I first started my journey, all I knew is I wanted to stay abroad but didn’t really know how. I’ve learned a lot these past few years and I’m so happy to now be able to share that with a wider audience.
Another big project I’m working on is a course all about moving abroad preparation. The introduction, “Is moving abroad right for you?”, just went live! This course will help you decide where you should move, what job suits you and honestly, if moving abroad is a good fit for you. Check it out on Teachable here: https://girls-gone-working.teachable.com/p/is-moving-abroad-right-for-you/ .
4.What’s the biggest misconception about female travel that you’ve heard?
When I first moved abroad, I was a Peace Corps volunteer. I thought to be able to live and work abroad, I had to be part of a bigger organization and that I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own. A lot of that stemmed from safety concerns but another big aspect came from lack of information. I was shocked when I started hearing about more and more opportunities the longer I stayed abroad. I never imagined I would be able to take advantage of so many jobs and be able to fund my world travels while actually saving money, instead of spending it all.
5. How do you find community abroad?
Most of my best friends today are people I met on a job in a random country. Just like back home, you spend a lot of time with your colleagues but abroad, you’re both going through some sort of cultural adjustment, language barriers and isolation so I think it’s been easier to click with people. I also acknowledge I’ve been ridiculously lucky to have met so many amazing people throughout my journey.
Now that I work online though, that’s changed for me. When moving to Da Nang, I didn’t have coworkers who were forced to spend time with me so I had to put myself out there a lot more than normal. When house/apartment hunting, we tried to choose a place with good neighbors. Instead of picking a house that was a little isolated, we chose a small apartment complex with a lot of young couples from around the world. We’ve clicked with a lot of them and spend many evenings having a drink on the roof together. I’ve also used Instagram and Facebook groups to meet up with some girls. It can be a bit scary to put yourself out and go on blind friendship dates but it’s always worth it in the end, whether they become a good friend or not.
6. Any advice to those who want to travel?
Just go for it! Shake whatever doubt you have out of your head and buy a plane ticket. Whether it be a weekend getaway or to move abroad and find a job, do it! If you’re held back by money, try out Workaway or Trustedhousesitters to get free accommodation and in some cases, free meals. So many of us are privileged by the fact we can always go back home if we want to. If life abroad isn’t for you, take what you’ve learned and go back home with your head held high and new experiences under your belt. Or better yet, just try out a new spot until you find that one that clicks for you.
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