Our Guide to Overseas Jobs For Veterans
Overseas jobs for veterans are not only very popular but can also be very lucrative. Anyone who’s served in the military knows how spending time overseas is a vital and often one of the most rewarding parts of the job.
When you leave the military some veterans are keen to settle down when they leave service, but many often feel stifled by a job that keeps them in one place.
So, if you’re feeling the latter and keen to continue exploring the world while you work, keep reading to discover – what we believe to be – the top five overseas jobs for veterans in 2024.
Why Choose Overseas Work?
The ability to travel and work in a variety of locations is one of the most rewarding things about military service. It can also be one of the hardest, as it requires military personnel to leave their loved ones for extended periods.
After leaving the Military, many veterans look forward to a more settled work life balance, that allows them to stay closer to home.
However, some don’t and if you’d like to continue to spend time away working in different countries or perhaps have a little anxiety around working behind a desk, there are plenty of overseas jobs for veterans available.
Your Military experience is often an advantage here, as you’ll already posses experience in regular travel and cultures that many do not, making it easier for veterans to secure overseas jobs.
The Best Locations for Overseas Work
When researching overseas jobs for veterans there a few things you need to consider.
The first is location, as this will play a big part but you must also consider the type of overseas work based on a career path. Some veterans may just be looking for a short term contact overseas, but if you’re thinking long term, choosing a overseas job aligned to your chosen career path is better.
The final major consideration is the Taxation rules, arguably the biggest factor as this could help you to decide where to work overseas. While there are exceptions for some temporary positions, you will most often pay taxation in the country where you work. If you take an overseas role in a country with high taxes, such as the Netherlands or Japan, you could end up losing large amounts of your salary to the ‘Tax Man’.
We would highly choosing an overseas career in a country that offers tax-efficient earnings that could significantly boost your salary. Countries like Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Panama have particularly favourable tax environments. Equally, countries like the United Arab Emirates and Bermuda have the world’s lowest income tax.
We would also recommend looking at overseas jobs that allow you to work offshore at sea as this can be very lucrative. These types of jobs for veterans will allow you to receive a 100% tax relief, others may offer significant tax exemptions. This of course depends on things like time spent at sea, industry, and current position, but if you’re looking for a job to retain nearly 100% of your salary (in some cases) we’d highly recommend researching these types of jobs.
Our Top Overseas Jobs for Veterans in 2024
Ok, so we’ve discussed some of the benefits now let’s jump in to what we think are some of the best overseas jobs for veterans are, the potential salary earnings and skills / qualifications required for them.
Security Consultant/Contractor: $98K–$151K per year
A Security Consultant or Contractor is a job that is dedicated to safeguarding an organization’s assets, which can be both physical and digital infrastructures.
We’ve already discussed an element of this topic before in another articles, which covered close protection and security cleared jobs. It’s important to note that you may need a level of security clearance before applying for overseas security consultants, or contracting jobs, so please check out this article for more information.
Perfect for Veterans
These types of overseas jobs are perfect for veterans, as the primary role of this job is to conduct comprehensive assessments of potential security threats (physical or digital).
You’ll also be heavily involved in developing sophisticated security plans, and implementing robust protective measures to mitigate any identified risks.
Protecting Physical Assets
Security Consultant or Contractor roles with the primary objective to protect physical assets normally takes places overseas in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan or even places like Ukraine. This could involve protection key infrastructure like Power Plants or perhaps even high value individuals like government officials.
This type of overseas job for veterans is perfect for ex-military personnel as most leave the military with strong problem-solving skills, cultural experiences and in some cases may have already served in the countries such as Afghanistan.
Please note that this role can be very broad for both physical and digital assets, so make sure you read the job description carefully.
Protecting Digital Infrastructure
If you’re thinking of going down the route of a Security Consultant with a primary focus on digital infrastructure (we discuss this further down the page) then you must possess the skills to engage in meticulous risk assessments, that could be used to identify vulnerabilities within an organization.
When protection digital assets you will also need to be proficient in conducting security audits, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments just to name a few. If this career path is interesting to you, you may have to gain “cyber security” qualifications relevant to the jobs you’d like to apply for.
Top Tip
If you’re ever unsure what type of qualifications you may need to apply for an overseas job, most organisation will list them in the “requirements” section of the job description. You can then make a effort to obtain these types of qualification or you may already possess something similar.
Again, without sounding like a broken record, the term “Security Consultant” is a broad one, and many overseas jobs for veterans in this category may cover many different tasks, so please read the job description carefully.
International Business Manager $98,612 to $139,103
International business managers are responsible for operations in the overseas divisions of a company, which could include an international retailer like Amazon or even large financial companies like JP Morgan.
This particular type of role will typically need to live abroad for extended periods, with some regular travel back to the US.
Much like with domestic management, the daily tasks of an international business manager will include:
- Dealing with overseas suppliers
- Hiring and managing overseas teams
- Meeting with partners
- Managing marketing drives
- Handling overseas product launches
Communication is an essential skill for an international business manager, who should ideally be bilingual (Not always required by please check the job description carefully). Veterans with experience working and living abroad will be particularly well-suited to this position. A strong entrepreneurial or business background is also needed, with some roles requiring an advanced degree. That said, this type of job can also be a career step up from regular sales manager role.
International business managers can enjoy a great deal of freedom as they handle every element of a company’s overseas operations. However, they also face the challenge of needing to relay information to headquarters and align with a company’s brand. All while attracting new business and ensuring legal compliance within their chosen country. Veteran skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, and conflict resolution can all help with this task.
Offshore Health and Safety Officer $63,000 to $127,000
An offshore health and safety officer is someone who works to ensure the safety of personnel working on offshore facilities like oil and gas rigs or offshore wind turbines.
Daily responsibilities vary depending on specific employer or industry, but will most often include priorities such as developing safety protocols and procedures, conducting regular safety inspections, and ensuring up-to-date training for all relevant personnel.
Top employers of offshore health and safety officers include engineering companies like McDermott, as well as non-profit organizations like the American Bureau of Shipping.
Individuals can enjoy the chance to work in diverse and often challenging environments to face and solve a range of issues and risks.
However, health and safety officers must also address and overcome on-site accidents, meaning this position is not for the faint of heart.
Minimum education requirements for an offshore health and safety officer typically include a Bachelor’s degree which, due to the specialization of this role, should be specific to fields like occupational health and safety or engineering. Advanced safety training is also essential, as is five years of experience working in the industry.
Veterans who have worked within engineering fields in the military might be eligible. Other relevant veteran skills include:
- Fast problem solving
- The ability to give instruction
- A forward-thinking attitude
- Great communication skills
- Experience working in adverse conditions
IT and Cybersecurity Specialist $87,913-$154,993
Like a security consultant, a cybersecurity specialist will work to assess and fix any software bugs they find within a company.
Whilst a security consultant roles largely involve consulting with a company to make changes, a cybersecurity specialist is someone who actively ensures defense through the development, testing, and maintenance of security systems.
The majority of cybersecurity specialists will also work within a specific company, unlike consultants who may move around or work for multiple companies at the same time.
Employers typically prefer cybersecurity specialists to hold some kind of formal education, which could include a degree and/or security-specific training courses such as CompTIA Security+ or Network+.
Cybersecurity specialists in areas such as government departments or finance may also require some level of security clearance, which veterans who have recently left military service may still possess. On a personal level, skills that veterans should bring to a remote cybersecurity specialist job include:
- Self-discipline
- Critical thinking
- Ability to work under pressure
- Feeling comfortable in team environments
Often, companies will contact a cybersecurity specialist immediately after a data breach. This means such individuals must be able to quickly integrate themselves into high-pressure environments.
That can make this a stressful role, but veterans who are confident in their abilities can find long-lasting, varied roles within overseas companies of their choosing.
Cybersecurity specialist roles could also lead to positions in a vast array of industries, with top employers spanning from finance leaders like American Express, through to aerospace authorities like BAE Systems.
Humanitarian Aid Worker $38k – $113k
Humanitarian aid workers are individuals who offer worldwide assistance to people in need after things like natural disasters, war, outbreaks of illness, or shortcomings in healthcare.
The above make ideal overseas jobs for veterans who wish to continue giving back after leaving the military and fundamentally requires many of the same skills obtained in the military, including resilience, a positive outlook, problem-solving, and the ability to plan.
Humanitarian aid workers will typically work for periods of a few months before moving on. Daily activities will vary depending on the situation, but common daily tasks might include:
- Assessing and addressing emergencies
- Building trust within broken communities
- Monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of projects and activities
- Coordinating with groups of volunteers
- Partnering with local organizations to bring about change
Humanitarian aid workers can face some difficult and often distressing situations, which has led to over 35% of long-term humanitarian aid workers reporting a decline in their health.
Aid workers must, therefore, take invasive precautions which could include the need for vaccinations, as well as precautions against local illnesses and other safety risks, particularly when entering war zones. Aid work can be incredibly rewarding, and is one of the best ways to experience different cultures and communities outside of military service, whilst playing a key role in the area you might be deployed to.
Veterans may also benefit from the fact that aid workers don’t necessarily need formal education, but rather experience which veterans often already possess.
There are now many companies that hire humanitarian aid workers worldwide, including recognizable names like Mercy Corp, World Relief, and UNICEF.
Get Back to Work With Overseas Jobs
To summaries, there are plenty of overseas jobs for veterans and we hope that this five listed above, at least give you some idea where to research a little more.
So, whether you want to keep on doing good work with a humanitarian position, or you’re interested in travel via a totally different field like security or IT, there’s sure to be an overseas position out there to suit you.