Leaders, don’t look around the virtual room to see who is sheepishly avoiding eye contact.  Don’t do anything but raise your hand to accept this challenge.

I don’t need to lecture you on how underpaid professionals in this field are.  I regularly see salaries posted that make me smirk, laugh out loud, or tear up. They’re abysmal.  Pathetic.  Laughable. Degrading.  Infuriating. Demeaning.

I’m going to pick on one of those low paying jobs that offends me – shared with me by someone who works in the field:  An Ed Abroad Advisor job at Indiana University – Bloomington.

$47,500-$49,000 annually.  You read that correctly.

How insulting.

Let me clarify all that is wrong with this:

1. The salary is atrocious.  The living wage in Bloomington, Indiana is $20.85 for 2025 for a single person.  The hourly for this position breaks down to $22.84 when using the $47,500 minimum salary. The 49K breaks down to just above $23.  And that is if you’re SINGLE with no children. If you have a child and are single, the living wage shoots up to $38.49. – so you’re losing money working for this salary if you are single with a child. And let’s be real – who in this field actually works a minimum of 40 hours per week?  And don’t even get me started on how many people can only consider this job if they are married/have a partner to close the income gap.  Really, don’t get me started on that rant. It won’t be pretty.
2. The job requires a MA degree.  So to barely break even in your salary vs living wage in Bloomington, IN, you must pay an average of 44K for a MA degree. Could one pay off a school loan as a single person? I think not.
3. The President of this university has a salary of 900K. She just received a pay raise of 28% because she is underpaid compared to other universities. Does she do a good job and deserve this pay? I have no idea. But I can tell you that whoever does get this study abroad advising job will dedicate their lives to it and barely be able to eat more than spaghetti to do so if they have a student loan, a car, or plan to retire before they hit 75.
4. Yes, I realize that salary is not the only compensation one receives when working full time. With the rising costs of healthcare and just about everything, being able to allocate funds for retirement is more challenging than ever – so many people aren’t maximizing (or even using) such benefits.  Many are working a second job to cover the gap in income.  (Has the Forum on Education Abroad or NAFSA ever done a survey about how many people have a side hustle to survive in this field?)
5. My first corporate job THIRTY+ years ago paid more than this. (It was not in a major city with a high cost of living.)
6. The salary listed in this posting apparently gives a whopping $1500 negotiation range. Seriously?!  Because if you do manage to negotiate up to the higher end of that $1500, you’ll end up taking more than 20% of that out for taxes when you’re paid and the remainder might cover your food and entertainment for three weeks.  What isn’t being shared here is the salary BAND – a much more useful piece of information about what could be offered. This only lists what someone who is counting beans for a living is offering for the role because of their poor budget.  This enrages me!

Study abroad leadership, we can do better.  We MUST do better.

(Now, I realize some of you will be yelling at me through the computer insisting that your team is paid well – and some are certainly paid better than this – but I’m talking to the vast majority who are not and who fear if they lose this job they won’t get another so they accept this shi$$y salary and work at the mall, or teach ESL online several times a week.)

We are demanding more and more from employees. The job requires more CYA (cover your ass) paperwork than ever before. More supervising other people. More financial savvy. More creativity. More knowledge of intercultural intersections. More laws, regulations, and policies.

This particular job posting that I’m picking on is on par with the average salaries of garbage and recycling collectors (in 2023) in the USA – jobs that don’t require a degree. And I may be guessing here, but me thinks that most garbage collectors are not losing sleep at night over changing visa application fees, emergency insurance for random things like flight cancellations because of volcanic eruptions (yes, this did happen several years ago), and dealing with the parents of a belligerent student who thought it was wise to drink too much and fell into a river (drowning) while in Italy (yes, that happened too.)

So, instead of listing a bunch more job postings to serve as evidence for what we have known in the field for years, I”m throwing a challenge out there – and yes, I’m looking to you, PROVIDERS, and you, study abroad programs at universities/colleges that don’t need to jump through excessive hoops to adjust salaries, to STEP UP and SHOW UP with courage and ethics = the challenge is to increase all of your staff’s base salary by 10% for 2026.

With no excuses and no drama.

If your Sr. Leadership is making six figures with ease – and some making nearly a million dollars or more annually – you can find a way to right the salary ship for those who are doing the daily heavy lifting.  (For those of you who are thinking “no one in this field makes a million dollars” – please know you are wrong – there are people who do!)   Those folks may need to take a pay cut to do so, but read about one CEO who did this so he could pay everyone in his company a minimum of 70K a year.  It is possible.

And I’m breaking my own rule already – this posting for a job at UT Chatanooga is current and even worse than the one listed above.

This challenge applies to BOTH .edus AND third party providers/partners.

How can you help our field get paid more?

1. Print this and bring it to your staff meeting – ask if anyone else has seen it.
2. Email it to your boss and ask for a meeting to discuss the challenge and what you can do to support it.
3. Comment and share it – with everyone in the field you know.
4. AGREE TO IT as a senior leader and tell everyone you are.  That is when things will change – when just ONE big player in the field makes a bold move…others will follow!

I look forward to hearing who the first will be. GO!

With all the love for my past field and deep respect for those working 40 plus hours a week to positively change the world,

Missy, IE’s unofficial shit stirrer-upper

The post Study Abroad Compensation – The 10% Challenge first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

While AI is not always accurate, this gives us a snapshot of what’s been in play this past year:

The little commentary I’ve seen online (and granted, I’m not on Secuss-L anymore, but feel free to update me if there is chatter happening there) is from two outspoken voices in our field – Bill Gertz from AIFS and Tom Millington from Abroadia.  Each has publicly pondered about “who owns who” these days and how people in these companies are being professionally developed as acquisitons go down.

The reality is that mom and pop study abroad providers are being purchased by people who fall under the umbrella of private investment companies.  But what are private equity firms? Are they some nice folks who really care about study abroad and want to invest in it because it matters in the world ?

I think not. Maybe they’re nice folks, but their core purpose is not to purchase study abroad shops because they LOVE study abroad. (Although it is somewhat comforting to see at least a few of them valuing other languages and experiences abroad as part of their bios.)

Private equity firms are made up of very wealthy people (and by this I mean multi millionaires) who fund and purchase companies – pooling their incredible wealth to leverage power to purchase  even more companies to make more money…and then to sell them. They sell companies to make their money – typically keeping them for an average of 5 years. They invest in these companies at levels that the companies would never have been able to prior. They do this for one primary purpose:  to increase the value of the portfolio companies they hold and strengthen those values for sale for more profit. They do it to add to their personal wealth.

Got it?

To be clear, private equity firms are buying study abroad companies to increase values of their portfolios so they can gain more wealth at the sale of companies in their portfolios.

To give you an analogy, let’s talk like study abroad people for a moment:

You work at a provider or university and you are starting a new program in Country X.  You know there is competition out there, but you know there is market demand and you invest your time and funds into this new study abroad program.  It might take three years to see financial returns – but you get there. As a result, you have perhaps invested 100K into the program (a staff person, due diligence, travel, a space to rent, etc) but you are now able to “cover” your costs to run the program.  You continue with the program and as it grows, you improve it with more staff, more “bling” in the programming (excursions, a better office space, etc.)  But you don’t sell this program to a company because it is “profitable” like a private equity firm – you invest in it more. It covers its cost and you are happy because you’re meeting students’ needs with this program. It becomes part of your employer’s culture and offerings. You’re proud of it, you believe in it, you keep it funded and market it well.  You don’t see it as something that is succesful to sell later, like a private equity company does.

In a private equity purchase, the firm comes in (after a lot of financial due diligience – ensuring there is profit to be had). They may initially observe how the operations work and almost immediately will focus on branding/marketing – a new look, new language, new market differentiation.

They seek a new “edge” over the competition and can largely “win” at this because they have more funds to invest in it than most study abroad providers will.  You’ll see new investments in sales of the product (yes, the product is study abroad.).  They’re typically going to carefully watch to see who the people are who are on board (meaning who is strong at selling, creating/innovating, increasing value propositions) and who doesn’t carry their weight.

Investors strategize to increase profit by adding more business but also by decreasing costs. That is where staffing comes in – who will they retain (especially at the future sale)?  When will the staffing changes begin?  How will they handle having duplication of departments as they continue to purchase providers?  People should expect lay offs  – usually up front or just prior to sale – unless there is such rapid, tremendous growth that they need the hands on deck to meet it.

Despite its name, private equity is not about making companies more equitable. It is about making money for the owners and splitting it as agreed in their internal terms to add to their tremendous wealth. Don’t get me wrong – work hard and make money – I have no problem with that.  I’m an entrepreneur, after all.  Yet, international education is a field that people are drawn to because they aim to do positive work in this world through intercultural cross-polination. International educators are clearly not there for the money or they’d be in nearly any other field.

Do these groups match up in terms of value – international educators and private equity owners?  Not necessarily.  If you look at the “people” behind equity firms, they tend to be white male, wealthy, and numbers oriented. They tend to roll in a world most of us haven’t experienced (top of the line everything compared to the average educator, first class all the way.)  Do their bios state anything about their deep commitment to intercultural understanding and world peace, climate security, DEI, etc?

To the nake eye, no, they do not.

So, should we be leary about them?

Absolutely.

Are there any pros to this happening in our field?

Yes, potentially.

In the short term, we will see a tsunami of funds invested in improving operations, websites, marketing, and perception of these study abroad brands.  For educators, this will feel like a wave of generosity, of deep care for the work, of a big WIN for the people we care about – the staff and students.

Be mindful here.  Remember what I said about the purpose of private equity firms – they purchase companies to enhance a porfolio for sale for their profit.

There will be a lot of money floating around which could show up as more training, more investment in resources (tech! customer service! bling!), more travel to conferences and sales opportunities.  That may feel good and a be (innocently) perceived as a sign of deep care for the work.  The benefits of private equity do result in more ideation which can be groundbreaking for our field which tends to lean a bit traditional because of its affiliation with higher ed culture. I’m all for innovation and hope that is where the positive will be in these culture and operational shifts.

If any of this results in a better student, faculty, and host community experience – then wonderful.

But at some point, the aim is to sell the product.  So we have to think of that at every decision point we make as professionals and personally.

What can you do to be mindful in this season of big fish eating up the little study abroad fish and forming a handful of mega study abroad companies?  (As an aside, think back to choice in travel we once had – approximately 12 major airlines are now down to approximately 5.  How has that changed travel, for example?)

Here are some thoughts:

Work for a provider that has been purchased?

1.  Have a faculty member from a local business school or a friend/family member who studied business talk with your staff about the role of private equity.  (This will raise a red flag for your new owners though if they’re aware it is happening. You will want to do this quietly.)
2. Watch what you say and do – at the water cooler, on SLACK, and on social media.  You’re all being looked at for performance…and we’re not talking “higher ed” standards – we’re talking private equity standards. Are you bringing in money at every opportunity?  How are you helping reach THEIR primary goal – providing a service that is growing to make them more money when they sell it?
3. Know that your role may disappear – with notice or none. Keep your resume and rolodex fresh. Not saying this to scare anyone – I’m saying it because it may happen at some point as part of the acquistion/s.
4. Ask for your wish list – they have the money and they’ll spend it if they believe it will increase profit. Ask for what you need to better serve your community. Pro tip – ask in a way that sounds like a product differentiator or financial win for the business. You’ll be more likely to receive this way.
5. Demand DEI hiring for new hires.  This will be unusual for these firms, who largely roll in a white man’s world. Challenge them to hire diverse folks and position this a as a value add to the programs and those it serves.

Work for a university that partners with PE owned study abroad providers?

1.  Have a meeting with the investors who now own your formal partners – one by one. Ask them the following – a.  what are your goals for this acquisition and how will you ensure they will not disrupt quality of service to our communities (here and abroad)?  b.  if you do sell the company, what assurances do we have that staffing will remain in place for at least a year beyond any sale for program delivery consistency?  c.  do you intend to sell any data (and if this is the case, there should be involvement with your university councel to protect student data.)
2. Meet with your “boss” – e.g. Provost/ VPAA, etc – to share information about the private equity’s purchase of your partner/s and assess next steps. This could involve bringing in your university’s legal team to review legal expectations/guidelines for international education.
3. Revisit your approved program list. Invite in those mom/pop shops who have CEOs and Founders who actually write about how international education changed their life and mission for this planet.  See what they can offer that competes with well funded private companies.

Own a mom/pop study abroad company/org?

1.  If approached regarding a purchase offer, receive the information and then immediately get an advisor who specializes in negotiation of sales to VC/private equity/investment companies. Don’t disclose this to the potential buyer. Simply say you will be in touch once you have considered the offer.

2.  Don’t make any quick decisions. If you are in this field, you are prime for purchasing – even if you’re not the “most” successful.  If you say no now, they’ll be back to check in again. Remember, their goal is to eat the smaller fish to make a most profitable big fish.

3. Know that you can say no. (As I have told my past compensation negotiation clients, no is a complete sentence. You don’t need to explain yourself.)  If your mission and values do not align with private equity, then no is a complete sentence!

I have a lot more to say about this topic.  It isn’t all negative, but it isn’t all positive either. As I said, I’m an enterpreneur – I’m not opposed to people making money.  More money invested in our field can result in the freedom to be more creative and innovative, and our field surely needs that.  But keep in mind that it can also simply be a several year stepping stone to an even more profitable sale that is on the backs of your labor.

Stay tuned for more.

The post Private Equity Purchasing Study Abroad: Hot or Not? first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

I typically have to say no to these requests.

However, for the month of September, I have decided to open up my calendar for individual and small group (up to three people) sessions. Why? The world of work is constantly changing and with so much disruption and uncertainty with the upcoming election, I realize how much support job seekers and workers need.

If you are interested in a customized coaching session, please contact me at missy(at)melibeeglobal.com or via this contact form and we will discuss your needs and my hourly rate. If you know one to two other people who would like a small group session, please discuss it with them and let me know, too.

I have helped hundreds of people seriously up their income, change careers, and have less stress/more joy in their pursuit of pursposeful work. I’m excited to be back for a very short window to support you, too.

Gratefully,

Missy Gluckmann

The post Career coaching is BACK (only for September 2024) first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

I don’t need to tell you what happened in 2020.

Fast forward to November 2023.  That tiny plane hanging from neck was not forgotten. Thanksgiving week became the target date and this time it was not going to be missed.

The destination: Mexico City, Mexico.

I’ve been to Northern Mexico many times – mostly to Monterrey for work trips. I have also spent time as a teenager in Guaymas, Sonora, where my Mexican brother is from. But I had always wanted to see Mexico City – finally it happened!

This was the first trip abroad for our son. He was on the cusp of 9 years old and a trip abroad was long overdue. While he had been on planes with me, he had not yet exercised his passport. Most people who go to Mexico for vacation hit the beach, but not our family! I thought carefully about his first trip abroad and decided we were going deep into the largest city in Mexico and North America instead of “la playa!”

Traveling with a child is a completely different experience than going solo. Despite my lists of possible itineraries and endless things to see, a child of any age requires flexibility.  The only activity I pre-purchased tickets for was the Frida Kahlo house. Everything else was played by ear.

How did it go?  Let’s just say my heart was overflowing!  Watching your child experience another country makes it a million times more special. Our son was such a great reminder in going with the flow, resilience, and courage.  For his first trip abroad, I put aside my desire to see a slew of museums (and Mexico City has PLENTY!) to instead focus on seeing more history, meeting more kids (think SOCCER here, or as they say in Mexico – futbol), using Spanish, and going with the flow.

Here are some pictures and moments that summarize our sojourn:

H on the plane. He brought a “friend” with him to experience Mexico.  We leave devices behind as much as possible and I love that he spent a lot of time simply looking around the plane and out the window.

Our first day was spent at the Frida Kahlo house, Casa Azul.  While H didn’t quite get what was so important about being there, he did love people watching and the vendors outside the building, lol. I was in my glory; Frida is a huge lesson in courage and this trip reminded me of how necessary courage is in life. By the time I got to the room with her art supplies and then her bed, I was quietly sobbing. Who else has had this reaction?

Our kid loves soccer. The universe hooked us up by having a youth soccer program directly across the street from our apartment. (By the way, we did a house swap – so the apartment was free! We highly recommend swapping!) H doesn’t speak Spanish (yet!) but he jumped right in. He observed and then quickly was yelling “Aqui, Aqui!” when he wanted the ball passed to him. Flexibility was key in our travels – once we knew there was a two hour soccer experience literally across the street, we pivoted and made sure he had that experience.

Our family’s love of soccer led us to the Estadio Azteca tour – we went into the  locker room, the press area, and even walked down to the field and sat in the team’s seats.  The guy in the middle of the pic was the tour guide – he wore jeans and an everyday t-shirt. No uniform. No nametag. No mic. Just a booming voice and enthusiasm to follow his lead. We had a blast!

Our kiddo loves to cook and I literally read cookbooks for fun – so food was a big part of our experience. He enjoyed trying different mole sauces and despite eating a burger here and there, he came home and asked if we could go to our local Mexican tienda for tortillas. He made tortilla “sandwiches” with onions, cheese, cilantro, and salsa for days after we returned!

At one restaurant outside Mexico City, he opted for a burger but then made tortillas for us and our Uber driver, Manuel!

Of course, we couldn’t leave Mexico City without trying their famous churros! Immersing in Spanish was a big lesson for our son – on our 6th day – without any instruction, he turned to me in a restaurant and said “Quieres mas sal, mama?” (Do you want more salt, mom?) I almost fell off my chair. The language acquisition was happening – and it reminded us that we need to return for a longer period while he is young – for him to quickly progress.

But first we needed to visit the National Museum of Anthropology – which our kiddo loved more than I could have imagined!

Visiting the ruins at Teotihuacán was another major highlight. Seeing this history in person is key to understanding civilizations and culture.  And what a workout those stairs were!

Because we were going with the flow, we actually ended up at the large public square, The Plaza de la Constitución, also known as El Zocolo, during our final days. We took a bus tour around the city and then ended the day with a visit to the local dentist for a cleaning.  This is a pretty standard practice for us – there are great dentists abroad and it is so much less money than in the US!

I got my much needed travel hit, my kiddo experienced his first country outside the US, and my sweet husband rolled with it all. It was a much more enjoyable Thanksgiving than the ubiquitous turkey at home, at least in our eyes.

And perhaps most of all, it was my personal way to tell that damn pandemic that we will keep traveling, that it will never stop us again. It was cathartic, that was for sure!

The post The Return to International Travel first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

Unlike most in the media, I did not want to interview Amanda about her unjust conviction by an Italian court for the heinous murder of her British roommate, who was also studying abroad. I simply wanted to ask her about WHY she chose study abroad, what she hoped it would add to her life and career, and so much more.

Finally, the day came. I interviewed Amanda and we had a delightful conversation about study abroad, culture, and language.  I hope you learn as much as I did from this incredible, resilient, and thoughtful woman.

Amanda Knox is an exoneree and journalist. Between 2007 and 2015, she spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn’t commit. Amanda hosts the podcast, Labyrinths, with her husband, Christopher Robinson. You can follow her work online:

• Knox/Robinson Website
• Labyrinths podcast
• Twitter
• Instagram

The post Interview with Amanda Knox (2022) first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

The reality is that I’ve been there and I’m guessing many of you are, too.

Let’s back up and offer up just one definition of burnout:

“Exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.”​

Burn out, in my career (in international education), occurred when too much was asked of me, when I was a one person (or grossly understaffed) office, when my supervisor/boss/division didn’t really understand the needs of students that I was responsible for, when I was underpaid, and when I dealt with “isms” on the daily.

Shall I go on?​

Add a pandemic to the mix and burn out has people dropping out of education like flies. GOOD people. People retiring early. People simply walking away because they can’t take the stress and uncertainty.

And many people walking away because they know they shouldn’t have to work more than one job to live their lives fully because of budget cuts, poor financial planning, or greed.

Burn out is very real. The level of stress one is under can cause serious health issues, including heart attacks, strokes, and digestion challenges.

In my case, I opted to leave international education despite my love for the students, faculty, and colleagues around the world. I still deeply believe in the power of crossing cultures, but I also knew there was more out there for me than being paid less than my worth and at (many) times, feeling my voice and creativity were stifled.

It took a LONG time for me to do this. Like many, I felt a lot of guilt about departing. (What would my students do without me? Who would know what to do with our programs/visa issues/etc?). It took a lot of time for me to work through that feeling of ultra responsibility for everyone’s needs in my world of work.

Everyone’s needs but mine, I began to realize.

I pivoted to a career that allowed me to exercise my brain in a new way, to curiously play in the culture sandbox, to create and explore, to earn more income than I had been with a lot more flexibility. My work translated to more JOY.

And who doesn’t want more joy in their lives?

I’m curious what you’re feeling out there. Are you burned out? Feel you’re at risk for it? (Maybe you’re not – and that is good to hear if that is the case.)

This is a safe space. I promise that if you hit reply and share your experience with burn out, I will not share your name with anyone – I’m simply curious to hear your story/ies of burnout. Feel free to email me here.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections, dreams and desires.

The post Real Talk on Burn Out in (International) Education first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

I’ve been asking around and the big issue for folks these days seems to be the interview(s)! They’re getting LOTS of them apparently, but so are others and that makes the interviewing that much more stressful.

When our nerves get involved, it makes it even more difficult to shine during an interview.

We KNOW the work we can do.

We KNOW the value we bring.

We KNOW our commitment to students, faculty, global communities, cultures.

But we can’t seem to get IN the door and it is frustrating. This journey of interviewing endlessly can create a downward spiral in our motivation and belief in ourselves.

Let’s take a moment to be kind to ourselves.  Breathe. Take a day off from the job search and do something you fully enjoy (that is pandemic safe, of course!). Get it out of your system so that when you return to the research, the zoom prepping, and the big interview day (again!), you will feel refreshed.

But before zoom consumes several hours of your life again, let’s talk about the POWER of reframing.

Reframing an interview allows us to reimagine how things can unfold, which really decreases the stress level.

When I coach people about interviewing, one of the first things we talk about is what an interview really is.  Typically those interviewing will comment on it being a skill assessment or even a competition.  But when we reframe what an interview actually IS…it really is very simple.

It is a conversation.

About a topic you and the people across the table/screen deeply care about.

Pause here and REALLY think about that.  A conversation about a topic you all care about.

Wow, that makes it a lot more managable, doesn’t it?  (This is usually the response from people I coach!)

Imagine that you’re at a friend’s house for a dinner party.  You get seated next to someone you don’t know. While making small talk, the conversation turns to careers. You learn that your seat-mate is a study abroad risk assessment specialist!  WOW!  You ask lots of questions – as they do – and you have a great conversation about the field you both love.  You leave that dinner party with a new contact and a smile, knowing you spent part of your evening talking about a topic you love with someone who loves it too.

FUN, right?

Well, let’s reframe the interview.  You arrive at a computer screen (or a phone call, in person, etc) to meet with people who work in your desired field! They ask you questions and you answer them authentically. You get to ask them some questions, too. You leave with new contacts and (hopefully) a smile for the experience, as you spent part of your day (or evening) talking about a topic you love with people who love it too.

I realize that leaving a dinner party vs leaving an interview have two different potential outcomes, of course.  However, when we reframe an interview to feel like a conversation we have regularly with others in the field (classmates, professors, colleagues of past and present, family, friends, etc) – it is less overwhelming and dare I say – ENJOYABLE?

If you’re out there interviewing and feeling like you’ll never be the ONE invited to join an organization, I would encourage you to reframe your interview.

Sometimes interviews become:

• A way to expand your network for the future: Remember that people leave organizations and often end up on hiring committees in other organizations. You never know where your paths will cross again, so even if you don’t get THIS job you may have inadvertantly done a preliminary interview for a future job!
• Disappointment to sudden joy:  Occasionally, you will be 2nd choice and suddenly you get a phone call that the person who accepted the position had to back out. Now you’re their first choice! (It happens!)
• A path to another job you didn’t expect: This week alone, someone I coach was interviewed for a job and didn’t get selected because he was more appropriate for another job in the org. They instead asked him to interview for that job and made an introduction to the hiring manager.
• A confidence BUILDER:  When you hear more questions and get to practice many answers along the way, you actually are more prepared than you realize. (See how reframing works!)
• An excuse to get feedback from the pros:  Not getting the job opens the door to ask an important question. You can easily frame it this way: “In an effort to grow and improve, I’m seeking your feedback about my interview. I value your time and wisdom.”

Reframing is a tool that can really help you in your international education job search!  It also is a tool that helps in every day life – so start exercising your reframing muscle and see where it leads.

If you’d like more free advice on the international job search, download this PDF full of tips!

The post Reframing the International Education Interview first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

I coordinated with her via email to go to her room that she rented to pack her belongings. I had the boxes ready for shipping her goods abroad (at her expense) and tidied up her car, as it was also being shipped abroad (all which she coordinated)  I drove to her home on a sweltering summer day, introduced myself to her landlord, shopped for shipping boxes, boxed up everything in her life in the US over an eight hour period in a room with no air conditioning in 90 degree weather. Two hours round trip and then checked emails once back home to ensure that everything else in my one person office was not on fire. Another strange 11 hour day “at the office” in a career in international education.

My boss called to tell me that I had to mark the day as a personal day on my time sheet because it wasn’t required work.  I sat there with my jaw on the floor, sick to my stomach that my boss didn’t understand that a non-immigrant on our watch was stuck at home while her life was 1/2 way around the world – and she couldn’t return at all, let alone to pack her boxes. She has no family here and no one else to call to ensure her life’s possessions would be returned to her.  I was disgusted and then numb.

This is at true story. It was a period of time in a field that I loved when I seriously thought about quitting or changing jobs.

If you’re quietly acknowledging that you have thought about tossing in your career across cultures – perhaps more than once –  you are not alone. As a career coach, I can assure you that you’re in VERY good company.

As early as my mid 20s,  I thought about breaking up with the field of international education. And then I actually DID break up with a career I loved – not once, but more three times.

What triggered me to do so? There are SO many reasons:

–          I’m human and curious – what could other career paths could offer? What was I missing?

–          The people around me didn’t quite understand the value and complexity of the work and often relegated it to metrics (“Where do we rank?”, “Are we making money” etc.) The incident described above also serves as an example of people around me not “getting it.”

–          I was often a one-person office and that meant always being on call.

–          My expertise was often considered less important than campus politics.

–          I was underpaid most of my career in international education.

–          There were long hours, days that I felt like I was part of a paper pushing network, and the work started to feel transactional.  (Think of chasing down study abroad release forms.)

My gut and my heart told me it was time for me to break up with study abroad.

Please understand that despite breaking up with this field – I seriously do love it. I coach people HOW to get into this field. I deeply believe in the work of this field.  Yet, I broke up with this field – and that is STILL ok.

If imagining breaking up with your beloved international education job still makes you feel sick to your stomach, this is what you need to hear: (Read it as many times as you need to.)

1)      You are human. You are allowed to be curious about a change in careers.

2)      Your students WILL survive without you, despite any guilt you feel at imagining a new career path that doesn’t include them.

I broke up with study abroad and international student advising to explore another area of interest – Human Resources. Understanding how to move people around the world for their work and have them feel “whole” in different global employment scenarios had me snooping at a job posting that I wasn’t intentionally seeking, but that serendipitously caught my view.  This moment led to my first career pivot – a robust and joyful new career as a Human Resource Consultant to a Fortune 500 global relocation company! My clients were non-US based (for the most part), travel was often and at times in business class (oh la la!), and my brain was absorbing new information at a pace that was exhilarating.

With that said, I did feel like I was cheating on my first love – serving international students and sending US students outbound to gain a non-US centric view.  There were days I missed “my” students, programs I had set up with such care, cultural programming, and the international students who inspired me. But this new career was hard to pass on. It took me to new cities around the world, introduced me to complex global teams, enhanced my problem solving skills, and I was learning on the fly.

Did I mention my compensation in year two of this job nearly doubled what my higher ed salary was at my last college? I had school loans. It was hard to be mad at that kind of pay.

That is the tale of my very first career pivot. (And one of the reasons I’ve been hosting some free conversations on how to pivot. Click here if you’d like to get the scoop on the next free session.) I had no idea that by sending in one job application to a large company that was formed through a merger – and conveniently located their headquarters 20 minutes from my front door, I would parlay a new career path that brought tremendous joy. I learned more than I ever thought possible. I felt like I was living a mini MBA program in the real world and they were paying ME to do it.

I loved working for a global Fortune 500 company…until I didn’t. The company was growing, the politics were exponentially expanding too. The organizational culture was changing and I knew it was time to pivot again.

September 11th took place while I was jet setting around the world. My heart told me that I needed to return to international education, as I believed it was where I could make the most difference. Sure, I’d miss the client dinners in four-star restaurants, business class travel, and late nights brainstorming with new friends amongst global teams. But the world was hurting and I had to be with students who wanted to learn about the world, not serve global executives.

I returned to international education. I continued to do so several times over my 20+ year career in the field.  International education as a career was akin to my first love – the human you reminisce about, romanticize, adore. And then you realize that there are other wonderful experiences in life to have that call you – and that you cannot ignore the plea any longer. AND THAT IS OK AND NORMAL. WHEN YOU ARE TRULY LISTENING TO YOUR INNER VOICE, YOU ACT UPON IT BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT A ONE DIMENSIONAL HUMAN. YOU ARE MADE OF MANY COMPLEX LAYERS AND INTERESTS.

I’ve worked in many other fields during my career pivots including contract work for a start up in NYC where I’d photograph fashion merchandise on music video sets, teaching English as a Second Language, consulting on training programs for a communications company, and even handling customer service for a small WordPress shop. Each of these jobs taught me new skills, clarified for me what I enjoyed doing at work at that phase in my life as well as what I could live without (e.g. being paid to hang around on a music video set all day, as glamorous at it sounds, can be rather boring!). With each pivot, I became more curious about where I could fit and what was out there to learn and explore.

Ultimately, my career likes culminated into my current role – Founder of Melibee Global. Here, I use my strengths in training, coaching, cultural competency, networking, customer service, problem solving, curiosity (yes – that is a strength!), agility, and creativity in my own shop.

Will it be the last time I career pivot? I hope not. Changing careers has been one of the most rewarding (financially and otherwise) parts of my journey. It has given me confidence and opened me up to networks of people (and experiences) I would never have known. Study abroad and international education will always be my first love, but they won’t be my last.

So, I’ll revisit my initial question:  Is it time to break up with your international education or study abroad job?

Have you thought about it?

Did something motivate you to ponder this question?

Perhaps you lost your job because of the pandemic and you had no choice – the pandemic broke it up for you?

Take a deep breath and read this gorgeous quote by Amelia Earhart:

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.”

Yes, that is how I feel about The Career Pivot.  The biggest barrier for most people is simply the fear of acting upon it.

I’ve been offering free zoom sessions with tips on The Career Pivot these past few weeks and based on the number of people showing up fully, there is a deep need out there to explore a new path.  Our conversations in these free sessions have been forward thinking in a time that has been cemented by our covid stagnancy.

If you are or have ever been curious about the idea of changing careers, exploring sides of your multi-dimensional self, and/or simply want to snoop around and see what I’ve been up to these days -please do join our conversations.  I challenge you to bust into 2021 with a commitment to shift your perspective on who you are meant to be in this world in terms of work. Sign up here to receive information about for our next LIVE Career Pivot sessions with tips such as how to even begin looking for a new career path, how a resume reframing can help you pursue one, and hear stories from others who have successfully pivoted their careers.

Pivoting my career several times ultimately gave me a better sense of self – and what better gift can there be for a new year ahead (especially after THIS year, lol)!

The post Is it time to Break Up with Your Study Abroad Job? first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

The IECA is an online program for those seeking to launch or expand their international education career.  Having helped over 200 people land jobs in int’l ed, I have been able to distill the tips and tricks of the int’l ed job application journey into 5 distinct modules:

• Letting go
• Resume Writing – The one that gets you the interview
• Cover Letters – The one that shows your professional heart
• Interviewing for Int’l Ed
• Compensation Negotiation that earns you an expansive lifetime income

There is also an early bird rate if you enroll before March 23rd at 8 pm eastern.

And if you pay in full, there is a fabulous POWER BONUS – click below to learn about it!

Despite COVID-19, I believe in our global community. And I deeply believe that international education is a path to peace. So, I’m sharing this beautiful and productive program for anyone seeking a career in international education. You can view the curriculum, read testimonials and REGISTER for the IECA here.

(Please know the rate includes a COVID-19 discount and there is payment plan option.)

Feel free to email me at missy@melibeeglobal.com with any questions!

Wishing you all good health,

Missy

The post The Online International Education Career Academy (IECA) is HERE! first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.

The news for international education is getting worse by the hour. Italy is under quarantine and now Israel is putting folks in quarantine for 14 days when they enter the country. The US has a President spouting out misinformation about the coronavirus. Many colleges and universities are cancelling programs through the summer. The Governor of New York State is distributing hand sanitizer made by the industrial prison complex (and that in itself is a post for another day!).

And as one friend said “When SxSW cancels, the world as we know it is over.”  She was being facetious of course, but things are definitely feeling like they’re unraveling these days.

With every life experience that derails life or business plans, we must muster up courage to take a breath (perhaps a bad use of words in this case?) and remind ourselves that with every difficulty comes opportunity. The coronavirus has reminded me to consider the SWOT analysis which is often used in business settings.

S: Strength

W: Weakness

O: Opportunity

T: Threat

So let’s take a moment to SWOT the coronavirus situation in international education. (As I don’t work at a university or provider, I’m going to be more general than you should be when you SWOT.)

When we list out what is swirling around us in international education with the unknowns of the coronavirus, we can imagine the negatives – Weaknesses/Threats most easily.

For example:

Weaknesses: 

• Not having the appropriate travel insurance for individuals or faculty led groups.
• Uncertainty about how to handle a global issue of this scale when it comes to students who are stranded, being quarantined, etc.
• Weak or non-existent crisis management infrastructure in place.
• Being daily administrators of key educational exchange programs, yet not being included in decision making during a crisis or having no authority to influence decisions being made.

and

Threats: 

• Financial losses for unexpected additional consulting, refunds, etc.
• Disillusioned students who may hesitate to sign up for study abroad again.
• Global partners who may fear working with us going forward due to the withdrawals occurring.
• Fear of closure of international education exchange departments and/or staff layoffs.

Well that doesn’t sound good, does it? 

In this midst of this crisis, I observe a lot of talk about what a disaster this situation is and how upset everyone is feeling. I’m also hearing how disrespected many international education administrators feel about their lack of participation in the decision making.

On top of that, the crisis is being expanded by the media’s varying reports and what some consider extreme responses (e.g. Italy) to the situation.

But what about the opportunities? Are there any? Can we muster up the courage, under horrific circumstances, to explore opportunities that feel genuine, appropriate, and perhaps even healing?

Let’s use the SWOT analysis to examine some of the opportunities and strengths in international education, recognizing that some weaknesses and threats also double as opportunities and strengths.

For example:

Strengths: 

• Our educational programs are filled with employees who are deeply committed to the work of international education.
• We have a professional association, NAFSA, that is providing guidance through this crisis.
• Teams often become more solid and steadfast when they are experiencing a crisis.

Opportunities: 

• We have students who have returned home unexpectedly and are prime candidates for urgent and respectful re-entry program, an area that is often a weakness in education abroad. This creates an opportunity to focus (or re-focus) on re-entry, including the support of mental health professionals (not only for our students and faculty, but for administrators too).
• We have students eager to go abroad who may not be able to right now or in the near future, creating an opportunity to thoughtfully consider the design of our next pre-departure programming and orientations, including expanded focus on cultural awareness and competency (often another area of weakness for some programs).
• We have students who are potentially being placed on lock down in the US or abroad, or required to work from home under certain circumstances, allowing us to expand our virtual programming and to be creative in teaching approaches, including the employ of deep compassion.
• We have staff who are working virtually, unexpectedly, who have an opportunity to learn new skills around virtual teams and communication. (This is a very useful article by Ashley Munday, Director of Cultural and Organizational Transformation at SweetRush, offering tips on Preparing Your Team to Work from Home.)

Do any of these resonate with you? Feel familiar? Appropriate? Premature? Something else? 

A SWOT analysis is an appropriate and necessary document at a time of crisis and I would encourage you to explore, with your team and senior administration, how the SWOT exercise can re-focus your organization and its varying teams. It helps you to create new goals and objectives with appropriate tactics.

Will it be easy? Probably not, but neither is coordinating epic academic experiences abroad or soothing international students stuck in the US while borders close and quarantines expand.

With that said, Melibee Global has explored the situation in our own little shop and has gleaned the following from the SWOT exercise:

• We will have flexible plans for any speakers booked in person for talks on campuses or companies including rescheduling or pivoting to virtual presentations as needed.
• Offering a new International Education Career Academy for those who have unexpected downtime (or are perhaps are even more busy!) and don’t want to put their international education career pathing on hold for one more minute. This program will launch on March 20th – so if you’d like to be included in the email with more details then, please click here.
• We will be offering some online workshops to help teams prepare for two possibilities – attending global conferences (on one end of the spectrum) and/or working effectively in virtual teams. We’ll be doing so with Jennifer Hamady, a nationally recognized psychologist and voice expert.  More information will be available in the coming weeks on that. Meanwhile, you can learn more about Jennifer’s incredible background here.

Those are our initial plans to support the international education global community during this crisis, while also looking to the strengths and opportunities in this field during a crisis.

I’d love to hear what you’re doing during this global crisis to look forward and plan strategically while also dealing with the known realities. Basically, what’s your SWOT look like?

PS – I wrote a variation of this on social media last week as my own way to honor international educators around the world during this crisis:

AN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION LOVE STORY:

International educators:
I SEE YOU.

I see you working through the coronavirus for your study abroad students and your international students.
I see you reading up on germs, hand washing, reading about whether masks work, how much Vitamin C is preventative.
I see you talking with parents and students, often in more than one language.
I see you coordinating faculty for discussions.

I see you wiping away the burning tears of those who may not be able to go or have had to come home.
I see you meeting with your teams and partners across the world to figure out the right path.
I see you talking emails at midnight and at 3 AM.

I see you trying to take care of yourself (usually last) and giving what you can, despite it all, to take care of your families/children.

I see the stress on your face.

I see you eating lunch at your desk and sometimes dinner and breakfast too.

I see you.

I applaud you for your commitment. Your dedication.
Your love story to culture.
You are seen.

The post The Threats and Opportunities for International Education During the Coronavirus (COVID 19) first appeared on MelibeeGlobal.com.