Tip #1: Tap Your Network

If you don’t have one, get one. Find one.

As I mentally reviewed my friends, acquaintances, and past travel buddies, I realized that I didn’t really know anyone in Ecuador before I moved here. In order to find contacts and job prospects, I put the word out to my friends and hit the Internet. I perused the Lonely Planet forums by searching for jobs in Ecuador.

I signed up for Couchsurfing, not because I was looking for a place to stay, but because I’ve heard it’s a great resource for meeting people on the road. I joined a few groups based in Quito and signed up for email updates. Every day my inbox is full of Couchsurfing messages from travelers or locals looking for like-minded people who want to take salsa lessons, go bar-hopping, or take weekend trips together. (more…)

As a waitress

In a cocktail bar

That much is true….

I knew that teaching English this time around just wasn’t going to do it for me (Like Freddie, I previously taught English in Korea). I was looking for a different experience in Quito. When the opportunity to waitress at a popular Vietnamese restaurant called Uncle Ho’s came up, I knew the fun quotient had multiplied so I hopped on board.

My job consists of meeting people from all over the world and hearing their stories, all the while eating delicious curry and drinking fresh juice (passionfruit and strawberry, anyone?). What more could you want?

In my next post I’ll share more on how I got my job and let you in on my number one tip for finding work abroad.