Molly Malone

Okay all.

I've been wondering this for a long time. Do a lot of Brit expats here have occupations that allow them to travel all over, or back and forth to the UK, or did their employers transfer them here to the US? What kind of occupations are the best for getting in lots of travel?

I would love a career that allowed me to fly all over the world on a regular basis. It would also be great to work for a company that has offices in the US and the UK, and be able to transfer to whichever you wanted. How common is this really?

ScousePete

flight attendant
travel agent
waiter on a cruise ship

wouldn't recommend any one of them though.

Maz

Own up, Molly, you're looking for a way to escape from Silly Sod aren't you?

Bob

trolly dolly, get to travel the world...BA pays shite, but has alright benefits, apart from cheap tickets.

dodgy international arms dealer gets a bit of travel too...

ScousePete

drug mule

Molly Malone

Ha ha - no, I really need career options. I'm still young and mostly undecided and a little confused. And I want to travel the world, more than anything else. Terrified of planes though - I could never be a flight attendant.

Actually I wanted to know an easier and/or cheaper way to get to the UK - I love it there! Mr Sod thinks we would be destitute there though. I wish I could work for a company that would pay us to move back!

Although a dream job would be working on one of those shows on the Travel channel or History channel, giving tours of historic places or investigating anthropologic finds - doesn't that sound neat? If I ever manage to finish my degree it could happen - maybe!

Bob

medical type sales person

wtkp0u

I was once told that a job in the duty free shop on a cruise ship is the best - the DF shop is not allowed to open when you're in port so you're free at every destination. Completely unverified of course...

Celsius

Just because a job involves travel doesn't mean you really get to see cities and sights in or near the place you work.

Take a consultant who can do a lot of travel to visit clients. Oh yeah. You can literally travel the world (I heard of one who went to a client in, I think it was, Fiji, or some place like that) but I very much doubt he spent any time on a beach or spend any time outdoors in the daytime. Alternatively, in some "travel" jobs, you can get some good locations and some really duff locations. Take a long term stint (think months) in Bentonville, Arkansas, at the HQ of a very well known retailer. Both the location and the client suck (I've heard it secondhand from the poor sod who went out there).

So, do you want to travel or do you want to work? The two don't jive some of the time.

Molly Malone

Hmm. I guess I need to figure out what I want to do. My original question was actually along the lines of, How many expats here have jobs that sent them to the US or would send them back to the UK, and what type of jobs are they?

After rethinking I have decided that I really don't think I would like a job that requires me to travel all over, because, like you mention, it isn't always to great places, and if it is, you don't have time to see them anyway. I want a job with lots of vacation time so I can travel with my family. I also want to live in the UK (though hubs probably disagrees there) and I think the only feasible way to move back is to have a job and flat beforehand and lots of cash for moving expenses. Since it will take us 10 years or more to save up a reasonable amount of cash to move on our own, wouldn't it be nice to work for a company that will pay you to move? Then there is no argument from Mr Sod because we will obviously not be destitute.

I'm really just thinking out loud here - none of this is in any kind of plan or preparation. I am always running crazy ideas through my head!

penguinsix

I do travel the world on assignments, and often end up staying some places for extended periods of time, be it London, Hong Kong, Moscow, Berlin, or back in the USA. In my worst year, I spent 212 days not at home.

To be honest, and I think any heavy traveller will tell you this, it is a lot rougher than you think. Living out of a suitcase or in a hotel or on a plane gets old very very fast, and you often find yourself longing for something simple, like laying on the couch, eating a sandwich, and watching TV or hanging out with your friends.

That said, there are the quick and easy options for this, like working for a cruise ship, airline or (gasp) join the Army (though you'll probably see a lot of the sandy countries first). You can also just go and do it on the cheap, being a backpacking bum and working at bars (paid under the table) to get by.

If you get an advanced degree, such as in international corporate law or a specialized technology (like remote satellite networking) you can also get around quite a bit. Not as much as an airline attendant, but you do normally fly first class on many business trips.

I've scaled back my travel considerably now that I have a child. There are times I miss it, but to be honest, as others have mentioned, it isn't all just 'seeing the sights' unless airport bathrooms and hotel lobbies count as 'tourist attractions.'

Bob

teacher.....long summer holidays...can chose to be paid full amount and get nothing over the summer, or get it spread over the full year...shite money though...but the pay is good in CT...

Molly Malone

Right-o bro. I was halfway through my Secondary Ed degree when life happened and I hope to finish it soon. Still doesn't help me on the UK front though.

Actually, I don't know. I would love to teach in the UK but the OH says teachers there have high suicide rates.

another bloody yank

Join the Navy and see the world! And learn a trade while you're at it...

Bob

bend over and polish ya boots?