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Katie Cortese, a graduate of Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY), gets ready for work quickly, stuffing her sandwich in her bag and carrying a granola bar out the door of her flat in West Kensington.

As usual in London, the sky looms heavy with rain. Should she walk the 20 minutes to work, or cram on the tube (London's version of a subway) with the other frustrated commuters? Katie decides to walk through the busy streets of West Cromwell and Exhibition Road and rushes back to her flat for an umbrella. Walking will give her the energy she'll need for her busy day as a front-of-house assistant at the London Science Museum.

On a different part of the globe -- Auckland, New Zealand to be precise -- Aaron Rajic, a University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) student, gets ready for an anything-but-predictable day. He could be working as a lifeguard at the Waitakere City Aquatic Centre or riding busses around Auckland for a traffic design company, taking surveys to improve the city's mass transit system. "Finding a job during my stay was never difficult. In fact, there were several student job organizations that assisted me in finding all sorts of work." For Aaron, every day brings something new.

Katie, Aaron, and many other college students owe their experiences with traveling and  

working abroad

  to BUNAC, the British Universities North American Club. Through this nonprofit organization, college students can spend up to a year in places like New Zealand, Australia, or the United Kingdom. All it takes is your student status, and enough money for a work visa and your flight, along with the start-up costs of moving to another country.

Once in the country of your choice, BUNAC offices in the major cities offer mandatory orientations, which explain the best ways to secure an apartment and job, and also give a general overview of the cultural differences to expect. Along with frequent job postings and housing vacancies, the BUNAC offices also organize social outings such as pub meets and group trips. Working abroad can be a financial sacrifice for most students, but these students say they have no regrets. Besides, when will you ever get another chance to live, work, and play in a foreign country?

Although career-oriented jobs are available, because of the short-term nature of working abroad, 78 percent of participants take jobs in the service industry. Maureen Gaffney, a graduate of Fordham University (Bronx, NY), lived in Sydney, Australia and worked in Bondi Beach at a cake shop for about 30 hours a week.

"My schedule changed by the week and I had random days off, but that kept things interesting. I got to spend a lot of time at the beach. It was an extremely laid-back, fun environment to be working and living in."

Says Aaron of his many jobs, "Working in New Zealand seemed way less stressful, exponentially more exciting, and more rewarding than anything I have ever encountered."

The Real Payoff
No matter what job you take, working in a foreign country is all about learning about a new culture and people.

"I ended up solely relying on BUNAC's resources to find my job at The Science Museum," says Katie. "Once settled with a job, I focused on the other aspects of living abroad that I'd come to experience, such as socially interacting with British people, traveling around England as much as I could afford, and taking in as much theater as possible. I learned that working abroad is more about life experience than career advancement."

Most students who work abroad have very little trouble adjusting and love experiencing all the differences between America and the other country they've chosen to explore. "Australia is a phenomenal place," says Maureen. "It has many similarities, yet jarring differences to the United States. It's an adjustment to get used to being in a new place, but there is something so wonderful about the adaptation process."

Career Souvenirs
Working abroad not only opens your mind, but also boosts your resume. Even working in a pub or a retail store is impressive because employers will see that you took the initiative to travel and work in another country.

"My time abroad has already helped me in my future career," says Katie. "At a recent interview, the woman I was meeting with expressed an immense amount of admiration, and even envy, for my experience working abroad. She asked a lot of questions, said she was disappointed she never had that chance, and then hired me!"

Working abroad may even change your career plans, as it did for Aaron. "One day I ventured down to Ardmore Aerodrome, and figured I'd go up on a demo flight. I was hooked from the beginning. I am currently back in the states attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL), where I am pursuing a degree in aeronautical science. My ultimate career goal is to move to New Zealand once I graduate and fly for Air New Zealand."

A Value Beyond Money
When considering working abroad, the first thing to do is start saving. Wherever you decide to go, make sure you conduct your research beforehand. It's a scary and challenging experience to arrive in a new country and immediately need a job and place to live. Yes, it is precisely that challenge that draws students to BUNAC. You just have to go into it prepared for some hard times in the beginning.

"Knowing what I know now," says Katie, "there's nothing I could have done differently. The mistakes I made were only stepping-stones for the lessons I learned."

Whether you choose Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom, your time abroad will be more rewarding than any amount of money spent.

-- Go to www.bunac.org to learn more about the program and receive a brochure.

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