A new survey conducted by Natwest’s International Personal Banking division has revealed that a large number of women currently working in the UK believe that going to work abroad will strongly aid their career.
Natwest interviewed 400 working women as part of the survey and the prime discovery was that 83 percent believed that working abroad will definitely give them an edge in the job market and serve to aid their career growth.
These women expressed that a stint overseas would potentially show future employers that they are high calibre candidates. Of the women interviewed who had already worked overseas, 52 percent stated that the experience had actually surpassed their initial expectations.
Finance and banking were the industry’s most popular amongst expat women, followed by retail, marketing and publishing.
However, it was also noted that women sometimes encounter difficulties with working abroad, as author Stacie Nevadomski Berdan told The Telegraph: “Working in a foreign environment demands that you learn to work cross-culturally, dealing with many issues you might not normally encounter. Some women might find these issues challenging – such as dealing with being female in cultures where women are treated differently than we're used to.”
However, expat career coach Megan Fitzgerald added: “There is no question that if a woman has an opportunity to work abroad, the chances of it advancing her career are high.”