Capitalize on experience

Is an internship or job abroad easy to find ?

Is it good for your resume and experiences ?

Countries with more or less heavy atmospheres

Is working abroad well paid ? Package salary for expats in South East Asia

Internship, an attractive compensation : Cambodia and Malaysia

Local contracts: to be studied closely

Companies, especially large groups and their subsidiaries, are keen on international profiles. Known to be more adaptable, the young professionals who have worked abroad are seductive because of their resourcefulness and maturity."The employment rate of young people leaving VIE (Volontariat international en entreprise) missions is 94%, and in 85% of cases, these jobs are on permanent contracts," notes Michel Lodolo, Director of VIE at Civiweb And they seem ready to pay the price to seduce them: "After a VIE, it is the promise of a remuneration 10 to 15% higher than juniors with two years' experience in France," Michel Lodolo continues. We will focus onor even countries in South America.Keep in mind, however, that competition does exist: "There are more and more juniors who have tried their luck abroad and exile is no longer necessarily enough to win a super-job," warn the specialists. It is therefore necessary to integrate the return to France into a coherent project, and more than on the geographical area, insist on the skills acquired.Whatever the opportunities upon return, keep in mind that you will not find exactly the same conditions of employment, especially if your experience has been truly empowering. To avoid disappointment, "to a certain extent, you have to ignore what you've experienced before and come back with the idea that you're starting a new professional stage while capitalizing on the experience..."While the labour market in France has certainly tightened in recent years for young graduates, their integration conditions are not necessarily easier abroad. In reality, it all depends on the training and specialization followed. Technical (engineers, technicians) and commercial profiles from bac+2 are particularly sought after.And this is true whatever the field of activity (distribution, engineering, IT, construction). Conversely, "apart from distribution or IT, jobs in the tertiary sector are rarer," notes Estelle Raoul, senior director at Page Personnel, HR and Legal divisions.If you have difficulty finding a position in the sector that interests you, remember that French education is popular abroad: "International companies appreciate French profiles for their skills, especially if they have done an internship abroad", says Estelle Raoul. Because the internships carried out during the studies are real assets for hiring outside our borders.Even if you fell into the Erasmus pot very early on, a first job abroad is still a strange experience, even at the gates of France. Differences in terms of pace, but also in relation to work, and more broadly in terms of traditions. "When I arrived at the office in the morning at 8:00 a.m., I was the last one, but at 4:30 p.m., there was no one left," recalls Clémence, 26, who spent a year on a VIE (international corporate volunteering) program in a European group in Augsburg, Germany. However, this has nothing to do with the shock felt on his first Friday: "In Bavaria, Friday is a special day, everyone gets together around 9:00 in the canteen to eat pretzels, sausages, and drink beer for some people."The same astonishment for Sébastien, who returned a year ago from two years in the American office of an international audit group. "I thought we were very close to the Americans, but in reality it takes three to six months to adjust." Among the points that marked him: the quality of the oral presentations, full of anecdotes thanks to "a training much more focused on oral than ours", or the management of human resources "always very positive".Sometimes the cultural difference is not easy to overcome. Rather reserved by nature, Stéphane, who worked for a year in an Australian SME, has never really managed to feel comfortable with his colleagues. Even if they are friendly, Australians are still a little distant. Relationships with the Americans seem much more natural to me,Fortunately, after an adaptation phase, the experience of difference is often exhilarating. Gregory, 26, recently joined Malaysia for 18 months as a financial controller in a subsidiary of a gas group: "I work mainly with Chinese and Malay people. This is very different from Luxembourg where most of my colleagues were Europeans. Asians never say no. You have to be very careful to identify any problems. There is also the weight of the hierarchy and we must be careful to explain things in depth, because employees will not dare to ask again. But once you've adapted a little bit, there's no problem," says the young man, who is "having fun" in his new missions.or other south east asian countries can be great in term of salary and expat packages. While cars and company accommodation are rarely on the agenda, recruiters believe that young French people starting out abroad are generally paid more than their classmates in France. "Young business and engineering graduates go abroad, especially because salaries are much more attractive," says Estelle Raoul, senior director at Page Personnel, HR and legal divisions. For example, it estimates that an HR position abroad will cost between €34,000 and €38,000 per year, compared to an average of €28,000 and €32,000 in France.One thing is certain, the internship or VIE (international volunteering) allowance which, with strong variations according to the country, varies between €1,300 and €3,700 per month - plus many advantages - is always interesting. In Johor Bahru, on the Singapore-Malaysia border, the condominium where Gregory is housed with the help of his company is more like "a hotel than an apartment": "There is a tennis court, a squash court..."In Cambodia for instance, if you manage to find an internship, you can expect earning 1000$ up to 1500$ as a young graduated. Knowing that the cost of living is very low, you can afford and have a great life as an expat in Cambodia. Check some informations about internship in Cambodia if you want to live there and work as a volunteer or as an intern.One nuance, however, is that this rule is less true for local contracts. Aligned with local market prices, your salary will depend on your level of qualification, your sector of activity, but above all on the size of the company and the host country. "With a local contract, you can live very well. However, we must pay attention to social security coverage and taxation," advises Manuel Malot. Before negotiating your salary, don't hesitate to take advice from expatriate forums or blogs and get information, especially about social rights.