Getting Paid to Travel? Really? One of the joys of academic life is traveling - teaching, working, and collaborating overseas. It's not only the lure of working with other brilliant minds around the world, and sharing your talents and teaching. It's also learning about new places, people, and cultures. It's about expanding your worldview, and becoming a better educator. I'm so happy to share a book that helps educators do JUST that - it's called On the Other Guy's Dime, by Dr. G. Michael Schneider. Luckily for our Wandering Educators, Michael is also our Academic Travel Editor - he's shared great articles that are extremely helpful.

On the Other Guy's Dime is both a handbook on how to find paid academic opportunities abroad, and an exploration of the author's work and life overseas. From ways to find opportunities to tips on paying attention to opportunities of all kinds while you're in country, this book is chock-full of excellent advice for both new and experienced academics. What I loved most, though, were the stories that Schneider told, that shared more than the words could ever say. From tips on housing choices to opportunities that his "non-working spouse" had, I learned so much about truly settling in, living, and experiencing a culture. As well, Schneider is quite open about the costs and benefits of living and working overseas. My favorite part? Schneider TRULY gets what it means to be an intercultural adventurer and citizen of the world:

So, ultimately, the phrase "making the most of it" might simply mean not having a predetermined and steadfast idea of exactly what makes a great working vacation. It may mean getting past a dearth of boutique shopping, French bistros, or world-class art museums. It may mean not getting hung up over unsightly buildings, the absence of snow-capped peaks, or the lack of palm-fringed seashores. It may mean not being upset about a school not as advanced and well equipped as you may have hoped. In the end, it may simply mean becoming a more informed global citizen and enjoying the people you meed and the relationships that you form and maintain for years to come.

I think you'll find that once you have this book in hand, you, too, will be unable to put it down. It's inspiring and educational. And, you don't need to be a professor - there are so many opportunities available for ANYONE with skills and the ability to teach others. Whether you are a student, a professional, or an academic, you'll find something to inspire you here, and have the tools to search for your OWN opportunities abroad. Schneider also has tips for Fulbright applications (thank you!).

We were lucky enough to catch up with Dr. Schneider, and talk about his book, inspiration, challenges and rewards, family travel, cross-cultural issues, and more. Here's what he had to say...

WE: Please tell us about your book, On the Other Guy's Dime...

GMS: My wife and I have worked overseas 15 times – Australia to Zimbabwe, Mauritius to Mongolia, Turkey to Tibet – for periods ranging from one to eight months.  On my sojourns I learned a lot about living overseas and acquired a good deal of practical knowledge about locating and planning these short-term  “working vacations.”   My friends and colleagues were convinced there must be something “special” about me in order to finance and pull off all these amazing adventures.  I wrote this book to demonstrate to the reader that there is absolutely nothing unique about either me or my resume, and any academic can do exactly what my wife and I have done if they are willing to follow the ideas and suggestions presented in its pages.

The book is part travel memoir and part “how to” guide.  The purpose of the travel stories is to get you excited about the possibility of living overseas and motivate you to take a couple of months away from work to become part of another culture.  Once you have been convinced of the personal, professional, and intellectual benefits of a short-term working vacation, the how-to part kicks in.  It explains, in detailed fashion, how to plan and finance a working vacation, including such critical steps as locating opportunities, renting out your house, finding housing and transportation in the host country, and traveling safely with young children.

WE: What inspired you to write this book?

GMS: On three separate occasions, I had the pleasure of helping friends live and work overseas.  Prof. Paul Tymann of the Rochester Institute of Technology wanted to travel to Africa.   I sat down with him and discussed how he could achieve this goal, and the following year he spent three glorious months teaching at the University of Zimbabwe, going on safaris, and visiting Victoria Falls, all at no cost.   I had lunch with Prof. Joel Adams of Calvin College and described my time living and working on the island of Mauritius.  Two years later Joel, his wife, and their two young children were ensconced in a lovely beachfront home teaching at the University of Mauritius enjoying the turquoise water and tropical weather, all complements of the U.S. State Department.  Finally, Prof. Jon Pearce of San Jose State University followed my recommendations and was rewarded with a summer teaching position at Bogazici University in Istanbul, a teaching position that covered all of his living costs.

Although these successes were personally satisfying, I wrote On The Other Guy’s Dime to reach a wider audience than is possible talking with one person at a time.  I want to share my travel experiences with a large number of academic colleagues in order to get them excited about the real possibility of living and working overseas.

Some souvenir sellers appear out of no where in the middle of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.  We thought we were in the most remote area of the world when, out of nowhere, out pop some "tchotke" sellers.  Remote yes, but not too remote to do a little business!

WE: What have been the biggest working challenges and rewards of working short-term contracts (word to use?) overseas?

GMS: In all honesty, there were no major obstacles to overcome on any of our short-term working vacations.  I never had a problem freeing up time since I either traveled during the three-month summer hiatus or took a one-semester unpaid leave with the lost income made up for with salary from my host institution.  I never had a problem renting our home to responsible adults.  I was always able to obtain excellent and comfortable accommodations in the city where we were living.  My wife and children were eager and enthusiastic supporters of our travels.  So, in summary, I would say the only major challenge that people will have to deal with is overcoming the doubts and fears that they can actually pull this off, and the inertia involved whenever trying something new. 

There are many benefits to these short-term postings.  The title of my book, On The Other Guy’s Dime, highlights the fact that you can live overseas for months at a time without reaching too deeply into your wallet and without quitting quit your day job!  That is certainly a huge reward.  However, in addition to the monetary benefits, there are even more important cultural and intellectual benefits.  When you take a one or two-week vacation somewhere you relax and have fun.  But when you take a one or two-month  (or longer) working vacation you have more than just fun–you also have time to meet neighbors, make friends, shop at the local merchants, participate in religious and social activities, and take unusual, off-the-beaten path side trips. You learn about a culture not by observing it from a distance but by become an integral part of it.  This can be a truly transformative experience. 

WE: How would you encourage educators/academics to become GLOBAL educators?

GMS: Well, I would simply encourage them to read my book.  From it they would learn that I am not a world-class professor at some prestigious R-1 university–I taught for 26 years at Macalester College in Minnesota.  They would discover I am not in a field such as anthropology or Asian religions that virtually demands that you travel to support your scholarly work–I teach computer science.  In spite of this I am a huge supporter of the enormous educational benefits of working overseas, not just for personal growth as a global citizen but also to enhance my work in the classroom.  My travel/work experiences have allowed me to be a better advisor to international students; to counsel students about study away programs; to meet with faculty traveling to countries where I have lived; and to be sensitive to the needs of students who are the first in their family to go to college.

So, if a small college computer professor can reap benefits from becoming a global educator, imagine how it will affect those in fields like philosophy, religious studies, world history, sociology, political science, and African literature.  Imagine how it will open up the eyes and minds of faculty who have never traveled anywhere except North America and/or Western Europe.  Imagine the professional and intellectual growth that will come from interacting with colleagues from around the world. 

I would hope that these arguments convince at least some of my academic colleagues to give working vacations a try. 

WE: Are there cross-cultural issues that academics should be aware of when working in a different cultural environment?

GMS: Well, obviously the specific issues you have to deal with will depend on exactly where you work.  However, there will almost certainly be concerns caused by cultural differences between the U.S. and your host country.  Here are just a few of the issues I had to address in my 31 years of living and working overseas:  (I am sure others could add greatly to this brief list.)

a.  Shyness and Reticence to Speaking.  Many students came from a high school environment where they were taught to listen, take notes, and “regurgitate” their thoughts on end-of-year examinations.  There was virtually no interaction between student and teacher.  This is a difficult habit to break when they reach college, and the best I could hope for is to encourage three or four to speak up during class and let their comments motivate others to do the same. 

b.  Refusal to Disagree With The Teacher.  In many cultures (certainly not ours!) a teacher has the status of honored family member, much like a revered grandparent, and with such a respected person you do not argue, criticize, or disagree.  So, no matter what I said or wrote on the board, even obvious errors, the students would write it down in their notebooks and study it diligently for the examination. 

c.  Unfamiliarity With The College Environment.   When I taught in developing economies (e.g., Nepal, Mongolia, Zimbabwe, Kenya) many students were the first in their family to go to college.  (Some were the first to graduate high school.)  They were unfamiliar with the college environment and had not developed good study habits or time management skills.  They required a lot of support, help, and mentoring with skills that we often take for granted in college-level students. 

d.  Enormous Differences in Student Ability Levels.   In any class there will be a range of ability levels, but in some developing countries these differences are so stark as to be virtually unbridgeable.  (Sometimes these differences are the result of government policies mandating quotas for certain ethnic groups, regardless of examination scores.)  It can be a challenge to ensure you are reaching slower students while not boring those with higher ability levels.

e.  Cheating.  In some cultures it is not considered wrong to help a friend or fellow student, even when you have stated that this assignment, project, or paper is to be done individually.  We sometimes think of cheating as a form of moral turpitude, but in many cultures it is seen as assisting those who need help, even when that help has been expressly prohibited.  In these countries I modified my traditional approach to projects, relying much more on team and cooperative assignments than individual ones, which was often a better fit with the prevailing culture.

However, I want to stress that all of these issues were never sufficiently bothersome that they would turn me away from future working vacations.  In fact, I considered them to be interesting classroom challenges that could help me improve as a teacher.  There is something exciting about dealing with a new problem and coming up with a reasonable and appropriate solution.

WE: What are some of the most important characteristics needed for a working vacation?

GMS: A sense of adventure; a willingness and eagerness to try something new; an openness to new cultures, new experiences, new ways of doing thing; the ability to “go with the flow” when things don’t work out quite the way that you had expected.  In a word:  flexibility.

WE: What do your kids love most about having had these stays abroad while growing up?

GMS: My “kids,” now 41 and 37 fondly remember the working vacations we took as a family–England, Israel, Australia, and Kenya.  They view these trips as one of the most important contributors to their childhood, maturity, and growth as global citizens.  In fact, their only complaint is that when they started college their academic responsibilities prevented them from joining us on other working vacations, even though they dearly wanted to.  When I list some reasons to take a working vacation I usually say cultural growth, professional interactions, and the like.  But there is another, equally important, reason:  Do it for the kids!

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

GMS: Yes.  Just remember that a working vacation is not something only “other people” do.    It is a unique, life-changing experience available to any qualified academic with the drive and commitment to carry it out.  Please don’t read my book and say, “Michael, you and your wife are such lucky people.”  My goal is not for you to admire me but for me to turn YOU into the person that other people look at and say, “Boy, you are such a lucky person.”

WE: Thanks so much, Michael. We HIGHLY recommend On the Other Guy's Dime to our Wandering Educators - it's not only inspiration, but a truly useful, life-changing resource.

For more information, please see:

http://otherguysdime.wordpress.com/

Feature photo: Ruthie Teaching the Monks.  My wife and I spent a couple of days in a VERY remote Buddhist monastery in Bhutan where we traded a couple of English lessons (My wife is a certified ESL teacher) in exchange for staying at the monastery and learning about the monastic life.  Quite an amazing experience as you might imagine. 

All photos courtesy and copyright Dr. G. Michael Schneider

Note: We received a review copy of On the Other Guy's Dime from the author and publisher. Thank you!