Activism/scholarship work for American abroad? Theme: history/politics

February 11, 2016 5:14 PM

My dear friend is seeking a job abroad (at least 1 yr) and looking for solutions beyond the typical teach English/WOOFing/what have you. 26 y.o. and has completed 1.5 years of college (but no degree) & several years of activist experience (Occupy + radical queer politics by way of the conservative South). Kind of uncannily brilliant to the point where he's been asked to teach grad-level classes. Looking for something stimulating and interesting and stuck in that spot of not-enough-experience but so-so-much-brights.

Where can he dive in?

Areas of expertise: the American South, German history, Jewish diaspora, anti-racism, systems of white supremacy, intersection of colonialism, imperialism & communism.

In sum, looking for meaningful work involving activism and scholarship - working at untying the terrible knot of the world system since the colonization of the New World.

posted by red_rabbit to Work & Money (1 answer total)

Australia and New Zealand (also Ireland if you're a student, and possibly other places) offer a one-year working holiday visa if you're under 30.* You can technically use those visas to get basically any short-term job. In practice, a lot of places outside tourism and ag won't be interested in hiring someone they know will leave again, but it does happen.

10% of Peace Corps positions don't require bachelor's degrees if you have relevant skills.

Student visas! College is cheap in a lot of places that aren't the USA and sometimes going to college will get you permission to work part time. German universities are free even to international students. Once you're in school abroad, it can be easier to make connections and find ways to stick around.

Also of note is that your friend's expertise may generally carry over, but the issues won't always look the same outside their region. My best advice for your friend would be to go where they want to go, and if they will find what they're looking for when they get there.

*Citizens of many other countries can get a second year by doing ag work, but not citizens of the US. If your friend puts it off til right before the age deadline, do it in the order of NZ --> Australia, because that's the order the deadlines come up.
posted by aniola at 6:05 PM on February 11, 2016