Working for recruitment agencies and in Human Resources abroad: what is it, why would you do it, and where is the best place to go?

What is working for recruitment agencies and in Human Resources abroad like?

• Working in recruitment or HR abroad means being the link between people and work, often in a different language, culture, and labor market.
• You will be involved in recruitment, selection, learning and development of staff, coaching, contracts, and sometimes even resolving any misunderstandings that arise.
• You can work for international recruitment agencies, local staffing agencies, large multinationals, NGOs, or expat-focused HR services. Sometimes you will adhere strictly to procedures, sometimes with a "do your best" mentality.
• Responsibilities: Depending on your role and organization, you can:
  • Recruit, screen, and interview candidates.
  • Write job postings (and rewrite them, and rewrite them...).
  • Maintain contact with employers and clients.
  • Guide candidates before, during, and after placement.
  • Monitor the learning and development skills of the staff.
  • Explain contracts, visa, and employment conditions.
  • Support onboarding, training, or performance reviews.
  • Help resolve conflicts or misunderstandings.
• Employment conditions:
  • This is often paid work or an internship or traineeship. The salary is often local, sometimes commission- or bonus-based.
  • Working hours are usually office hours, but with peaks (recruitment = seasonal sport).
  • Contracts vary from temporary to permanent.
  • Hybrid or partially remote working is sometimes possible.
  • You quickly learn how labor markets really work and why "just hiring someone quickly" doesn't really exist anywhere in the world.

What are the reasons for working for recruitment agencies and in Human Resources abroad?

• To strengthen communication skills: you will interview candidates and employers from different cultures, sometimes with completely different expectations.
• To develop organizational awareness: you will learn how companies, institutions, and labor markets function in other countries.
• To train persuasiveness: you will constantly balance between candidate and employer, without offending either.
• To build self-confidence: you will make decisions that have direct consequences for both people and organizations.
• To strengthen networks: every placement is a new contact, and sometimes even a future career path for yourself.

What skills and motivations do you need to work for recruitment agencies and in HR abroad?

• Networking: building and maintaining relationships with candidates and organisations.
• Making judgment: quickly but carefully assessing whether someone is a good fit for a position.
• Being organizationally aware: understanding how companies, rules, and cultures work.
• Being professional: the handling of confidential information correctly, discreetly and with integrity.
• Being results-oriented: vacancies must be filled as quickly and efficiently as possible.
• Responsibility to stress: dealing with deadlines, cancellations, and last-minute changes.

What are the best countries and locations to work for recruitment agencies and in Human Resources abroad?

• Working with many expats and international labor mobility: the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany.
• Countries with a high level of seasonal and migrant work: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Spain.
• Countries with expat, remote, and digital nomad markets: Portugal, Poland, the Czech Republic, Malta.

What are the risks of working for recruitment agencies and in HR abroad, and are you insured against those risks? 

• What are the risks of working for recruitment agencies and in Human Resources abroad?
  • It's common to encounter high mental demands: targets, deadlines, and responsibility for other people's jobs.
  • Work and personal life often blur: recruitment rarely ends at 5:00 PM, especially in international time zones.
  • The risk of serious illness is often increased, especially in countries with high tropical disease prevalence.
  • Healthcare is often expensive, especially in countries without a collective healthcare system.
  • Stress often leads to absences. Burnout is not an uncommon phenomenon in this sector.
• Are you insured while working for recruitment agencies and in HR 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 volunteering abroad where you receive compensation or a salary, your own health insurance coverage in your home country may be cancelled.
  • See the pages on: insuring international Insurances for working abroad, for internships abroad, for volunteering abroad, or for expats and emigrants.