A Brief Guide to Expat Jobs: Highest Salaries, Top Countries, and General Expat Jobs

A Brief Guide to Expat Jobs: Highest Salaries, Top Countries, and General Expat Jobs – that will be the topic of today’s article.

If you are looking to invest as an expat or high-net-worth individual, which is what I specialize in, you can email me (advice@adamfayed.com) or WhatsApp (+44-7393-450-837).

Introduction

Most people grow up with the dream of going to another country and living there. Some of you may be fortunate enough to have a substantial amount of money to cover that. For some people, employment turns out to be the only source of income for their endeavors.

Such people might find it hard to cover all the expenses related to fulfilling their dream. Especially when their line of work does not provide enough money or have opportunities abroad. Keeping those people in mind, I am going to talk about some of the best jobs for expats.

Nowadays, the dream of living as an expat has become more pursuable compared to the past. Adding to that, many countries are back to allowing expats into their countries. Particularly after the devastating COVID-19 pandemic that closed the international borders. However, finding the best career as an expat might still need a lot of research and hard work.

Don’t worry! I did all the research and came up with some of the best jobs for expats. However, you should remember that not all countries offer the same opportunities for those jobs.

Yet, I’ll add the countries that’ll pay higher salaries depending on the line of work chosen. This is helpful for students searching for the right option or expats looking for a career change.

Let us begin by knowing the industries that pay higher salaries for expats. After that, we can move to some of the common jobs taken up by expats.

Industries that pay the highest salaries for expats

Medicine

You might have guessed already that the medical profession would certainly be on the list. Doctors are said to earn higher salaries compared to many other professions. Even while being employed, doctors can start their own practice.

The most common criteria to become a high-paid doctor are as follows.

— A bachelor’s degree in Medicine
— A medical license
— A specialization certificate
— A master’s degree (not mandatory but beneficial)
— A PhD or MD (not mandatory but beneficial)

Some of the highest-paid specializations for doctors include the following options.

— Neurosurgery
— Cardiology
— Plastic Surgery
— Radiology
— Orthopedics
— Gastroenterology
— Dermatology

You might find some other specializations as well, which pay higher salaries. That depends on the country.

Let us look at the countries that pay the highest salaries for doctors, which are given below.

In Luxembourg, general practitioners get something around $280,000 on average. Whereas specialist doctors can earn something to the north of $350,000.

Following Luxembourg, the highest-paid salaries for doctors are in these countries.

• USA ($240,000 to $350,000)
• Belgium ($138,000 to $330,000)
• Germany ($214,000 to $222,000)
• Canada ($158,000 to $250,000)
• Switzerland ($172,000 to $228,000)
• Ireland ($164,000 to $209,000)
• Austria ($140,000 to $213,000)
• Netherlands ($137,000 to $200,000)
• Australia ($104,000 to $210,000)

The above-mentioned salaries are the average highest salaries, not to be confused with the highest salaries. In the above list, the first average is for general practitioners, and the second average is for specialists.

Being a doctor will not only allow you to make a ton of money but also get to do service. There is no greater service than service to mankind, that’s why doctors are treated with the utmost respect.

You should also consider the drawbacks such as stress, busy schedules, etc. Finally, being a doctor is one of the best choices for those looking for the highest-paid expat jobs.

Finance

Right after the medical profession, some of the lucrative opportunities are in the Finance realm. There is a wide range of job opportunities for expats when it comes to the finance sector. Some of the highest-paid jobs one can get as a financial professional are given below.

— Investment Banker
— Financial Analyst
— Financial Manager
— Financial Director
— Private Banking Analyst

There are many other professions in the finance industry which pay huge salaries for expats.

Analysts can earn something up to $200,000, give or take a few thousand dollars. Associates earn more than analysts, which can range up to $250,000. Vice presidents earn up to $400,000.

Investment Banking Managing Directors are said to earn hefty sums when it comes to salaries. They can get around $1 million to $10 million. The maximum salary would include all the benefits offered such as bonuses.

Nevertheless, to reach the top positions, you must go through various promotions and have great skills.

Countries like Switzerland, the USA, etc., are known to pay the highest salaries for financial professionals. You can even access moderately paying jobs in Asian countries like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.

To become a financial professional, you’ll need to complete a bachelor’s degree. A master’s degree is also necessary to get access to jobs with substantially higher salaries. Following that, there are several certifications such as CFA, which will boost your career.

IT & Software Development

With the rapid growth of tech companies, there are various opportunities for IT professionals. Even those who earn a basic salary often get higher than those in other industries. Therefore, expats can benefit from careers such as developers, programmers, etc. Despite offering the highest-paid jobs, the IT field is also best for great career growth.

Some of the highest-paid jobs in the IT sector have been listed below.

— Full Stack Developer
— Data Scientist
— DevOps Engineer
— Machine Learning Engineer
— Product Manager
— Database Manager
— Cybersecurity
— Blockchain Developer

Based on your experience, skills, and location, you might also find some other positions that pay more.

Some of the best countries for expats who want to settle down as IT professionals are:

• Switzerland
• USA
• Australia
• Canada
• UK
• Ireland
• Singapore

Switzerland is known to offer a salary as high as $130,000 per year if you are an IT professional. However, the highest-paid individual learns many programming languages or courses.

Countries paying higher salaries (for expats)

There are some other industries such as Marketing, which also offer lucrative salaries to expats.

Nonetheless, regardless of the industry, a person’s skills, education, and experience play a vital role. Especially when the individual is trying to earn a higher salary as an expat.

Following that, some of the countries that pay higher salaries to expats are as follows.

Australia

Expats who get relocated to Australia by their companies can earn around $265,000 a year. Australia is known to offer the second-highest salaries for expats in the Asia Pacific region.

Even though the salaries are great, you won’t get many benefits and taxes are significantly higher. The process of trying to find a job on your own in Australia can be a bit hard, particularly as an expat.

Service professionals in Australia earn around $51,000, which is okay. Management professionals earn up to $165,000 as an expat in Australia.

Canada

Canada is among the favourite expat destinations and offers some great packages for expats.

Expats with good skills, while job hunting, can find a job paying CAD 90,000 to CAD150,000. Senior-level managers may get higher average salaries ranging between $130,000 to $170,000.

UK

In the UK, it has been estimated that people can earn $390,000 (on average) as an expat. Some of the best jobs available for expats in the UK are related to Finance, IT, AI, etc. This can mostly be observed when experienced professionals are relocated by their companies.

Service professionals are said to earn up to $45,000 on average in the UK. Whereas management professionals are said to earn around $230,000 as an expat. Those who are hunting for a job as an expat might find it beneficial to try London. There are other cities like Bristol, which are also great for expats looking for good jobs.

France

While being relocated by the company, an expat can expect a salary of up to $255,000. Service professionals bag around $38,000 whereas management professionals earn up to $247,000.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is always concentrated towards expats, and also offers some of the highest salaries. The highest average salary for expats in Hong Kong can be around $270,000. Service professionals can earn around $45,000, whereas management professionals can earn up to $265,000.

Hong Kong is also the best location for people who wish to take advantage of the taxes. No need to say, the financial sector is one of the most lucrative sectors for expats in Hong Kong.

Turkey

Turkey is a country with a constant demand for the workforce from overseas. The highest average salary for middle managers in Turkey can be as high as $265,000.

Japan

You might have guessed it. Japan is yet another country that pays top salaries to expats. However, Japan isn’t among the favourite destinations for expats, mainly because of the language barrier. That used to be the past, and the number of people relocating to Japan has been increasing significantly.

Some of the careers for expats in Japan are related to engineering, entrepreneurship, research, etc. As an expat, the highest average salary that can be earned by an expat is around $375,000. Job hunters in Japan, with relevant skills, might find something that pays up to $48,000. This is for service professionals, and by becoming a management professional, one can earn up to $240,000.

China

In recent years, the demand for skilled labour has been rising in China. Most common jobs, which are advantageous for expats, are related to IT, AI, Science, etc.

The highest average salary of an expat in China (middle manager) is up to $276,000. The salaries for expats may not be attractive in locations besides the main cities.

United States of America

No list for expats would be complete without the land of opportunity, i.e., the United States.

Expat professionals living in the USA are said to earn up to $250,000 a year, based on skills and other criteria. Service-level professionals earn average salaries of around $60,000 in the U.S. Management professionals, with good experience, can earn as high as $380,000 as an expat.

Switzerland

Switzerland is the country paying the highest salaries for expats, especially for senior managers. Expats relocated to Switzerland can earn around $245,000 and service-level professionals get up to $68,000. Management workers in Switzerland can earn around $430,000 a year, which is very huge.

Countries best for expats, based on after-tax income, are as follows.

• Hong Kong (2% to 17% or a flat rate of 15%)
• UK
• Singapore (up to 22%)
• Japan
• UAE (0%)
• Switzerland
• USA
• Saudi Arabia (0%)

These countries are not the countries with the lowest tax rates. Instead, these are the countries offering better salaries for expats after taxes.

General Expat Jobs

Not every expat makes a ton of money while living abroad, and for some, there is no necessity.

For example, if you are a student, you won’t likely be able to handle a job and education at the same time. In other situations, expats living abroad might just be looking for a part-time endeavour. Some might even be doing this to earn a bit more while still doing their regular job.

Some cases include expat spouses who have a lot of free time on their hands and want to make money. In such circumstances, there are some general expat jobs, which are suitable for the people described.

Let us have a look a general expat jobs, which are not great, yet not bad.

Consultants

In simple terms, imagine that you have a certain set of skills, resources and tips related to a job.

You will be called a consultant when you help others through those specific skills and resources. Most consultants usually have an office and get into one-on-one consultations. However, with the tech available today, you can do this completely online.

You can also provide guides, sell products, and conduct webinars to earn some more bucks.

The flexibility and ease of being a consultant make it one of the easiest jobs for expats. Moreover, you will not be working under anyone and can make your work schedule as per your terms.

Language Teaching

This is for expats who are fluent in one or more languages apart from their native language.

For instance, let us say that you are from Germany and are fluent in English. If you plan on settling down in any of the Anglophone countries, you can teach German and make money.

Furthermore, being an English teacher is one of the best expat jobs that doesn’t require any high-level qualifications. As there is demand for English teachers all over the world, you can always travel and make money.

No worries even if you don’t know one too many languages apart from English. If you have the determination and time, you can always learn a new language and start teaching. Many websites allow people to teach language while partnering with them. If not, you can post on relevant social media groups/pages for getting better outreach.

You don’t even have to travel a lot as most language teaching classes are offered online.

I have done an article on a topic called “Easiest languages to learn for getting an expat job”.

This will provide all the resources for knowing about the easiest languages for expats. Adding to that, you will know other information such as resources to learn other languages.

Resort Manager

Being a resort manager doesn’t require a lot of qualifications or experience. You just need to have good communication skills alongside public-speaking skills.

There is always demand for English-speaking staff in tourist countries like Greece, Italy, Thailand, etc. In many resorts, guest service representatives are hired from various countries and language backgrounds.

Having experience related to customer service can be a huge plus when getting into such jobs. Adding to that, if you work with a hotel chain or chain of resorts, you will get the opportunity to travel.

Photography

Nowadays, there are even educational courses for photographers, but that is for professionals.

If you could take great pictures and have a good camera and photo portfolio, you could freelance as a photographer. Photographers are usually required for various events such as parties, weddings, photoshoots, etc.

Having good photography skills will always come in handy for expats seeking jobs as photographers. Moreover, if you partner with a resort, ski camp, or other tourist places, you will even get free accommodation.

If you are fortunate enough, you might find a job in a marketing company that’ll pay a stable income.

Instructors

This often includes instructors belonging to various such as:

— Sports Instructors
— Gym Instructors
— Yoga Instructors
— Swimming Instructors
— Diving Instructors
— Driving Instructors

Not just what I described above, you can become an instructor for various other skills. The only thing you need to to have a great level of proficiency in that skill. There are educational requirements, previous work experience requirements, etc.

You just have to be able to teach what you know, in an efficient and easy way.

Writer

There are various types of jobs you can get as an expat, which are related to writing.

You can write a story and sell it as an eBook online and make money while being an expat. Alternatively, if you are good at some specific background, let’s say technology, you can become a writer in that field.

You can also become a reporter if you have a keen eye for local or international news. Most writing professions would often need you to get a bachelor’s degree, especially for becoming a professional writer.

But if you want to write a story or life hacks or anything like that, you won’t need anything.

You should understand that, unless your writing has a certain knack to it, you won’t make a lot of money. If you have good typing speed and excellent knowledge of various formats, you can become an academic writer.

If you have a way of narrating stories creatively, you can become a script writer for YouTube channels.

Graphic design

Nowadays, expats with graphic design skills can make a lot of money. However, you must be familiar with graphic design software such as those provided by Adobe.

There is a good amount of demand for graphic designers, especially for those who create flyers, logos, thumbnails, etc. If you have enough skills to make graphic videos and a portfolio of projects, you can earn a potentially higher income.

Graphic designers can find projects on freelance websites as well as job dashboards.

Chef

Are you one of the best when it comes to cooking items related to your nation’s cuisine?

Then you can easily become a chef and make money while being an expat. It is easy to find a job as a chef compared to finding other types of jobs. There are always restaurants, cafes, hotels, etc., which need sufficient staff for cooking needs.

You can also look up your local job boards for finding such openings, it’s as easy as that. If you have a substantial nest egg, you can always start your own restaurant and make money.

You don’t necessarily need to be wealthy and start a chain of restaurants or get a franchise. You can always start small by opening a café and enhance your business from there onwards.

Hospitality

Not just the people who cook, but the hotel industry also needs some to serve their customers. By serving, we don’t just talk about serving the food, but there are other jobs as well.

A few examples of jobs in the hospitality industry for expats include:

— Bartender
— Cleaner
— Handyman
— Manager

In this way, you can get into the hospitality industry and make a few bucks as an expat. Depending on your skills and experience, you may even be able to get a lot of money.

Bottom Line

One main thing that you should know is that the proficiency of your skills is very important. Especially while trying to get a job as an expat working overseas. You don’t have to worry or compromise because you lack the necessary educational qualifications for high-paying jobs.

Nowadays, there are many distance-learning programs, which allow people to get the necessary education. Furthermore, this can be done while doing some other job as an expat and making money.

This is just a guide for reference purposes and the actual numbers in the article may or may not be relevant. The salaries provided, even though obtained from reliable sources, might change by the time you read this.

Adding to that, the salary of an individual will solely be dependent on factors such as skills, certifications, education, experience, etc. No two people doing the same job are guaranteed to have the same income. Even when they are being employed by the same organization.

I intend to provide general data for those seeking specific information about expats. Having said that, managing your finances can become an extremely hard task. Especially when you are an expat abroad, you may not have the time or experience to handle your investments.

Are you looking for someone to take care of your expat financial needs? Do you seek an efficient profession to attend to your wealth management needs? Particularly while you don’t have to put in a lot of time and effort.

I hear you. And I’m here to help.

I offer best-in-class financial services to my clients which are concentrated towards retirement, better returns, and economic security.

Don’t hesitate to contact me to get access to the top-notch financial services I offer.

Pained by financial indecision? Want to invest with Adam?

Adam is an internationally recognised author on financial matters, with over 669.2 million answer views on Quora.com, a widely sold book on Amazon, and a contributor on Forbes.