How Brazilian professionals can make overseas employment an important part of their career plan!

Although there are no formal statistics on the subject, recruiters in Brazil give preference to candidates who have?proven professional experience abroad.

In the current Brazilian scenario of high unemployment – almost 12 million people unemployed (Source: Pnad IBGE, 1st quarter figure of 2022) and low growth – an estimate of 1.1% for this year, according to the Institute of Applied Economic Research – catching the eye of those responsible for hiring is a huge differential.

The advantages?for those who work outside and return to the country range from the development of technical skills in?the area and the mastery of a second or third language – which, by itself, already puts the candidate in a privileged position.

Living abroad adds to personal attributes, so-called behavioural skills (soft skills), such as the ability to live and work together with people from different cultures, the ability to make decisions and give quick answers to unforeseen situations (something quite common for those who live outside their country of origin) and vast and globalised networking opportunities, among others – characteristics highly valued by recruiters.

Planning is fundamental

To consider working abroad as part of your career plan requires prior planning to decide the best professional and personal time to take this huge step. When the time has come, it is necessary?to consider several aspects to avoid setbacks?and get the best out of the experience.

It is essential to master the language of the country where you want to work, at least to an intermediate level, and many recruitment agencies and companies require proof of English language proficiency. For the UK, it is a pre-requisite of the work visa process.

In addition, the candidate must research the current situation for their profession in terms of vacancies, salary, workload, need for revalidation of diploma/degrees/courses, registration with the respective professional council, if necessary, and requirements to obtain the work visa.

Personal expenses should also be taken into account, such as rent, transportation and food expenses, and it is possible to obtain this information from the recruitment agencies or with people the candidate may already know in the country.

Before starting a job search, it’s important to a well written CV and preferably your LinkedIn profile should be updated into the foreign language of the country where you’re searching for a role.

In the same you would when looking for a job in Brazil, prepare for the job interview by researching about your interviewer, the values of the company and plans for the future.

In the interview itself, convey confidence, an understanding of the business and the industry, and demonstrate why you are taking this important step in your career – recruiters or prospective employers want to feel confident that you won’t leave soon after arrival as you haven’t thought such a big move through properly. They are investing in you and want to know you will stick around for the mid to long term.

Once in the foreign country, be sure to continue to network, develop soft skills and maintain an attitude of continuous learning - ?technical and cultural.

Immediate advantages

Aside from potentially being better qualified if you decide one day to return to Brazil, working abroad offers some immediate advantages.

For health professionals, the basic starting salary in the?UK's public health system, the National Health Service?(NHS), excluding overtime etc, is around ￡36,000 (￡3,000 per month) for doctors and ￡26,000 (￡2,167 per month) for nurses – in the latter case, more than triple the Brazilian minimum wage for the profession of R$4,750 (c.￡791 per month) recently approved by the National Congress and now awaiting presidential sanction.

To get an idea of the size of the opportunity, there are now around 130,000 vacancies in England for nurses and nursing technicians (and another 50,000 planned to be created by the current British government), 30,000 vacancies for doctors and around 105,000 for carers and nurses in nursing homes.

Most European countries have lower unemployment rates than Brazil, which increases the chances of candidates in finding a vacancy. In the UK, for example, it stands at 3.7%, while the average in the Euro zone is around 6.8%.

From our experience, after more than 4,000 Brazilians registered with Health Recruitment UK in 2022, a candidate's motivation for a move to the UK is for better security and a new life for their families longer term. The main objective being to receive permanent residency after 5 years and to make a new life here.

It doesn't matter what the current stage of your career is now, you can improve your future career options by gaining international experience. To start planning your move to the UK, Health Recruitment UK is on point to put a plan together for you to start making your dream move a reality and to help you get your new life off to the best possible start!

Get in touch with the team now at: [email protected]

By?Thomas Jay, CEO of?Health Recruitment UK

Thomas holds a Master's degree in business administration (MBA) and has specialisations in Project Management, Marketing, Financial Services, Governance and Ethics and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. As a Business and Recruitment Consultant, he has delivered strategic projects and recruited teams to more than 30 clients across their operations 12 countries. He also serves as a County Councillor in England.