EY Y04 L07 Working Abroad

  1. There are many jobs that require you to travel, domestically or internationally. Name one. Would you like to do this job? Why?
  2. Do you know anyone who is currently working overseas? If yes, what do they do? Where do they work? How do they enjoy working overseas? If no, name a job that is common in Japan that requires people to work abroad.
  3. Have you ever worked overseas? If yes, tell us about it; what was good? What was bad? If no, would you like to work overseas? Why or why not?
  4. It's an exotic, enviable lifestyle, but tell me about one or some of the disadvantages of being sent abroad by your employer.
  5. If you had to live and work abroad, which country do you think would be the best fit for you? Why?
  6. If you had to live and work abroad, which country do you think would be the worst fit for you? Why?

Question 1

When I was working in an architecture design firm, we used to travel domestically to conduct site visits. On some projects we had to stay at least a week on-site to do research on the site condition, acquire building permit requirements and do client meetings. Since our firm's niche was on hospitality facilities, I got to explore a lot of local tourism spots.

Question 2

I have a lot of friends who work in various industries abroad. Some of them work as nurses, flight attendants, aircraft maintenance staff, etc. Majority though are seafarers. I've read online that there were about two hundred thousand Filipino seafarers deployed in 2020 alone. Their work is phsyically demanding but they endure it to provide for their families. Some of them who are in high ranking positions can enjoy longer vacations though. After finishing a 2-year contract, they can get a 6-month vacation with pay.

Question 3

I've never worked in another country except for my current career now in Japan. I've only lived here for about five months so there are still some minor adjustments with the cultural disparity but I can now imagine myself living here long-term.

Question 4

One of my friends who worked as a flight attendant did have an enviable lifestyle. She got to travel all over the world and they get some free time to roam around during their layovers. However, she mentioned she sometimes struggles in maintaining a consistent sleep pattern due to their unpredictable shift assignments. Not to mention the time zones also impact their body-clocks.

Question 5

Currently, I can picture myself living long-term in Japan. The language barrier is the biggest trouble right now but I plan to study the Japanese language more during my free time, at least until I can reach the conversational level.

Question 6

Off the top of my head I'd have to say the US. I don't have a lot of acquaintances who live there and the flight time to the Philippines is inconveninent considering I want to visit my hometown regularly, at least twice a year. I also have slight aerophobia so the long flight time does not sound appealing to me at all.

Tough Vocabulary