Want to travel and work overseas? Well, to be honest, I can't imagine who wouldn't! But the crux of the matter is HOW to find a job. We've found an extraordinary resource for finding work abroad, especially for younger job seekers. We talked with Shane Donovan, co-founder of Overseas Job Centre, to learn more about finding jobs overseas, terminology about working overseas, and what the Overseas Job Centre can offer readers.  Here's what he had to say...

WE: Please tell us about your site, Overseas Job Centre...

SD: Though we focus on working abroad we regard ourselves primarily as a travel website. The sort of jobs that we cover, such as tourism, summer camp counsellors, au pairs, fruit picking, volunteering or ski resort jobs, don't tend to pay a great deal but can be a great way for someone with little money to see the world.

WE: What was the genesis of your site?

SD: The Overseas Job Centre went through several incarnations with different names and formats before the internet came long and lent it some permanence. While at college I used a friend's dad's photocopier, scrounging recycled toner from libraries, to put together A5 magazines. The press releases I'd send out often got picked up by the travel sections of the Sunday papers and bought in enough money to eat and publish a few more issues.

Other times I'd write a factsheet and request readers send an envelope and a couple of stamps. I'd use one stamp to send out the factsheet and keep the other which I'd sell by the thousand to my lecturers at a discount.

WE: What is the difference between working abroad, being a working traveller, and gap years?

SD: I mix the terms up all the time but if I had to apply strict labels I'd say that working abroad is a more settled longer term existance, perhaps career orientated and paid better. Working travellers move around more, earn less and often do the jobs that the locals, in Europe and America anyway, wouldn't want to do. Gappers can do either of the above as part of their gap year but most people would regard a year out as something you pay to do. In truth though gappers are most likely to spend the first half of their year making the money that they will spend on courses or travelling in the second half.

WE: How can travelers get the most out of working overseas?

SD: Aside from the money, working overseas allows travellers to see a different side to the places they are visiting. There's a lot of talk about living like a local but how many locals spend their time sightseeing and leave after a few days? Once it's obvious you are going to be sticking around for a bit you are much more likely to be befriended by someone other than other foreigners, bar staff or waiters and will be able to peel away another layer to a place that most of use don't get to see.

Angkor, Cambodia

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

SD: We are always adding new jobs abroad posted by employers to our job boards at the Job Abroad Bulletin and have recently introduced The Working Traveller to focus more on the travelling aspect of working abroad.

WE: Thanks so very much, Shane! Your site is an incredible resource, and we highly recommend it to our readers.

For more information, please see:

http://www.overseasjobcentre.co.uk/

All photos courtesy and copyright Shane Donovan.