Finding an international job isn’t an easy task. One quick google search and the majority of options you will find are limited to teaching English or volunteer opportunities. For whatever reason (*cough* visas), finding a career relevant opportunity that is aligned with where you currently are in your career, and where you want to go, is a research intensive and painful process.

Having said this, throughout my research I’ve discovered a few unconventional ways of finding opportunities abroad. Turns out, there are a handful of job boards you’ve probably never heard of, that offer opportunities all around the world.

The reason why you didn’t discover these? Unless you were already aware of these companies, they don’t really advertise themselves as a way to find international work. They are merely companies and job boards listing positions all over the world, while simultaneously pursuing whatever global mission they already had.

So without further adieu I present to you 5 websites you’ve probably never used to find international work…you can thank me later :)

Angel List

Angel List is a database of startup companies from all around the world. They have over 800,000 startups with information on everything from company mission and founders, to funding history, as well as roles that they’re currently hiring for.

For those already immersed in the world of startups, this one might seem a bit obvious, but for those who are oblivious to the world of tech startups this one may have completely flown over your head (for example when I spoke at Columbia University this past November, not a single student had heard of Angel List or the term “Digital Nomad” — the startup bubble might not be as big as you think).

How can you utilize this immense database? Easy. You can literally take any country in the world and plug it into Angel List to find opportunities in that country.

Ex) Angel.co/Barcelona. BOOM you now have a list of 721 companies in Barcelona, most of which you’ve probably never heard of. Looking for the ones actively hiring? They have you covered. As I write this article there are 181 jobs on Angel List for Barcelona. Whether you want to discover new companies and hunt down their founders on linkedin or apply for the roles already available you now have a list of leads to help you in your hunt.

Rocket Internet

Love them or hate them, Rocket Internet is doing great work all around the world, from Europe to Africa and everywhere in between. Some like to refer to them as the “copycats of Silicon Valley”, because many of their businesses are replicas of already existing successful companies from elsewhere in the world, but I personally think an idea is only half the battle. Rocket Internet’s ability to execute on ideas, build teams, and scale their companies, is nothing short of amazing. I personally love the work they do and believe they are building incredible businesses in some of the most difficult areas of the world.

Never heard of them? Officially, Rocket Internet’s mission is to become the the ‘world’s largest Internet platform outside of the USA and China’. To do this, they provide funding and mentorship to internet based companies throughout the world. The companies they fund take proven online business models to new and fast-growing markets, and focus on industry sectors that gain the majority of consumer spending.

Jargon aside, how can they help you find jobs around the world? They have a job board of their portfolio companies, which currently has 145 positions across 6 continents in everything from Online and Offline Marketing and Sales to Engineering and Product Management.

Endeavor

Rather than the tech startup route of Rocket Internet, Endeavor likes to take a more “social enterprise” spin if you will. They focus on companies and entrepreneurs making an impact on not only the markets they serve, but also within the larger ecosystem as a whole. Building a company in emerging markets is no easy task, and requires the entire ecosystem to come together and help each other with everything from raising money to hiring to giving back to the community at large. Endeavor is widely known as one of the best organizations in the world accomplishing this feat.

What’s even better? They have kickass jobs and internships available readily on their website. As I write this they have 151 openings ranging from 1 week to permanent positions in Malaysia, Colombia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Argentina. You can work with Endeavor directly, or help to support one of their entrepreneurs in their efforts. If you have the hustle and are interested in making more of an impact on the world, they are probably a good fit for you.

Tech in Asia

Tech in Asia is one of Asia’s leading startup news websites. They cover everything from funding news, company profiles, interviews with founders, and op-ed pieces. They’ve recently put their vast readership and connections in the region to good use and launched a job boardincorporating startups in China, SE Asia, and India.

The job board is easy to navigate and you can filter by location, industry, and job type, meaning if you’re in love with one particular country, finding the right company and job for you should be easy. Much like the other job boards, Tech in Asia require a survey to be completed, meaning hiring managers can take a good look at your experience and accomplishments before deciding whether to interview you.

While this one has over 500 jobs and an insane amount of great research that can keep you occupied for hours on end, it’s only going to be of use to you if you’re interested in working in Asia. If South America or Europe is your cup of tea, you will have to look elsewhere and can simply put this one in the back of your mind for a little while.

Idealist

Idealist is fantastic if you’re looking for experience in the non-profit/International Development/social enterprise/impact world. It hosts thousands of positions at everything from non-profits and internships to tech startups with a social mission and teaching English as a foreign language. In order to post on Idealist you MUST have a social mission, so this is the place to go for jobs around the world in the world of helping others and putting your work to something larger than yourself.

You’re able to search by job type (internship, volunteer, role etc), key word, and the all important ‘location’. From a variety of role perspective, you can find a whole host of random positions rather than your stereotypical startup roles of sales, business development, design and tech. I have found some of the coolest companies I know through Idealist, and many of my friends have as well.

Some others that didn’t quite make the list but are still equally awesome?

https://e27.co/jobs

https://www.f6s.com/jobs

https://www.devex.com/jobs

OR

Skip all of the hassle and apply to jobs through BrainGain, where we’ve already lined up a handful of these companies anyway :) BrainGain is the only company in the world that will help you with your visa, find you a place to live, and provide you with an on the ground network upon your arrival. Not to toot our own horn too much, but after we give you these types of leads we feel we can :P

Have any others you know of that we didn’t cover? Please let us know!

This article was originally posted at http://www.braingain.co/5-unconventional-ways-to-find-jobs-abroad/