The Benefits of Working Abroad for your Career

We are increasingly living in a global society; businesses operate across borders and jurisdictions and more and more of us are able to travel and see the world, instilling us with a healthy dose of perspective. In the business world, some…

We are increasingly living in a global society; businesses operate across borders and jurisdictions and more and more of us are able to travel and see the world, instilling us with a healthy dose of perspective.

In the business world, some work abroad (even if this is volunteer work) enhances your CV and makes you more attractive to employers, as the fact that you have done this means that you are likely to have developed certain competences that would give you the edge over your competitors. Whilst the NHS is obviously a national organisation, they have a lot to gain from allowing doctors to spend time working abroad. Most doctors will eventually bring those new skills back to the UK, therefore meaning that the NHS benefits from it in the long term.

So what are some of the benefits of working abroad?

  • Experiencing different cultures and building cultural awareness
  • Enhancing your CV
  • Improved communication skills (or maybe even learning a new language!)
  • Building confidence and self-reliance
  • Improved professional skills (you may be able to perform functions that you would not be able to at your level in the NHS)
  • Learning to be flexible and adaptable to different situations
  • Renewing your passion for medicine
  • Developing problem solving skills and enhancing your creativity
  • Financial benefits (often better pay and lower tax depending on where you are planning to move to)

I have given just a few of the many benefits of working abroad. It is is also worth noting that medicine is a highly transferable skill and sometimes people need to see the bigger picture to realise this. It can often be easier for people to settle down if they feel that they have “lived” and what is living, if not a series of experiences?

Please do share some of your personal stories on how working abroad enhanced your life!

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Sara Sabin

With a solid corporate background, Sara specialises in advising doctors in how to prepare a non-medical CV and how to prepare for a non-medical interview. She is also the Co-Founder of Medic Footprints.