Working as a researcher abroad: what is it, why would you do it, and where is the best place to go?

What is working as a researcher abroad like?

• As a researcher abroad, you immerse yourself in science in all sorts of ways.
• This ranges from pipettes in a lab, to boots in the mud, from interviews in villages to statistics behind your laptop. All share one common factor: you are searching for answers to questions that no one has yet answered satisfactorily.
• This is possible when you join an international university, research institute, NGO, laboratory, field station, or organization to collect data, conduct experiments, co-author projects, or support a research team.
• Your research work abroad can be part of a local or international volunteer program, master's thesis, PhD project, postdoc project and can be temporary or more permanent in nature.
• Duties: These include:
  • Data collection (fieldwork, lab work, interviews, literature review).
  • Data analysis (statistics, software, modeling).
  • Writing reports and papers.
  • Creating or conducting research designs.
  • Collaborating with local partners, experts, and students.
  • Presenting or giving workshops.
  • A lot of waiting for the rain to stop, animals to appear, or machines to finally start running.
• Working conditions (salary, compensation, and expenses): Salaries vary widely, from volunteer positions to grants and well-paid positions.
• Often, there is compensation for accommodation, field costs, or materials. Sometimes you stay on the university campus, a field station, or a homestay.
• Sometimes you receive a visa through the institute.
• It naturally depends on where you go. In developing countries, you usually receive little or no funding, but you do have a lot of responsibility.
• This type of work often comes with a lot of autonomy, significant variations in intensity, an international work culture, and sometimes irregular working hours.

What are the reasons for working as a researcher abroad?

• To strengthen your analytical skills: you learn to analyze complex problems in new cultural and ecological contexts.
• To experience engagement: you work on social or scientific questions that truly matter.
• To learn to think creatively: fieldwork forces you to continuously devise solutions to unexpected challenges.
• To strengthen your authenticity: you work in a completely new context, allowing you to more quickly discover which working method truly suits you and which academic masks you should shed.
• To be meaningful: your research contributes to knowledge, policy, or local communities.
• To exercise your courage: you present your findings in foreign languages, ask strangers for information, and make decisions without a manual, precisely where growth happens.
• To feel limitless: you move through new countries, ecosystems, and academic networks.

What skills and motivations do you need to work as a researcher abroad?

• Be enterprising: you must be able to independently plan actions, approach partners, arrange permits, organize materials, or create solutions when systems don't cooperate. Results-oriented: Research requires perseverance and a plan of action. You must collect datasets, complete analyses, meet deadlines, submit reports, and still maintain quality.
• Have a bird's-eye view: You see connections between local circumstances, data, theory, and impact.
• Demonstrate self-confidence: You are often alone in the field, make decisions in new environments, and present your findings to unfamiliar audiences. Acting confidently is a huge advantage.
• Flexibility: Rains come, informants don't show up, plans shift. Research = adapting.
• Communication skills: You explain methods, interview communities, consult with organizations, and present your results clearly.
• Empathy: Especially in social or participatory research, you must be respectful and sensitive to local norms and emotions.
• Collaborative skills: You rarely work alone. Local interpreters, researchers, students, and community leaders make your project possible.
• Professionalism: Datasets must be reliable, ethical agreements must be adhered to, and agreements with local partners must be respected.

What are the best countries and locations to work as a researcher abroad?

• Best countries for well-paid research positions: Switzerland, the US, Norway, Sweden, Germany.
• Best countries for laboratory research/high-tech: South Korea, Japan, the US, Singapore.
• Best countries for ecological, wildlife, and conservation research: Costa Rica, South Africa, Madagascar, Australia, Indonesia.
• Fieldwork and adventure: Nepal, Peru, Kenya, Mongolia.
• Expat researchers and international teams: the UK, Denmark, Australia, Qatar, the UAE.

What are the risks of working as a researcher abroad, and are you insured against those risks? 

• What are the risks of working as a researcher abroad?
  • Medical costs often rise due to unexpected health problems: think of tropical infections, food poisoning, allergies, altitude sickness, heatstroke, or accidents during fieldwork. Outside the EU, these costs can be extremely high.
  • Researchers frequently sustain injuries in the field: falls during fieldwork, cuts from equipment, bites or stings from animals, or injuries from heavy luggage. Good health insurance (with fieldwork coverage!) is essential in these cases.
  • Expensive equipment is often damaged, lost, or stolen: cameras, GPS devices, drones, laptops, recorders, or sensors sometimes disappear faster than you can say "data backup."
  • Researchers are frequently held liable for damage: for example, if you accidentally damage equipment at a local university, scratch a vehicle, or cause damage to someone's home during interviews.
  • Transportation incidents are common: scooter accidents, bus accidents, driving in areas with poor roads, or accidents during boat transport to research sites.
  • Projects often have to be unexpectedly terminated due to external circumstances: political unrest, natural disasters, epidemics, or suddenly revoked permits. Some insurance policies can cover these costs.
  • Visa and residency issues often have financial consequences: fines, additional costs for emergency travel, or mandatory departure if your visa unexpectedly expires.
  • Researchers often experience psychological problems due to stress or isolation: think of burnout, anxiety, sleep problems, or mental exhaustion from remote fieldwork. Some insurance policies offer mental health care or repatriation in the event of psychological distress.
  • Researchers frequently face the loss, theft, or damage to personal belongings: phones, passports, bank cards, or clothing sometimes disappear at travel locations.
  • Unexpected repatriation is common: due to a serious accident, sudden illness, family circumstances, or local security risks. Without proper insurance, these costs can become extremely high.
• Are you insured while working as a researcher abroad?
  • There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance when working abroad.
  • Local employers generally offer limited or no supplementary insurance.
  • There's a risk of accidents, for example, because you're doing work with which you have little experience.
  • During work, internships, or volunteer work abroad where you receive compensation or a salary, your own health insurance coverage in your homecountry may be cancelled.
  • See the pages on insuring international Insurances for working abroad, for internships abroad, for volunteering abroad, or for expats and emigrants.