Guide to International Careers

Language study, study abroad, and regional and cultural studies are all excellent ways to build hard knowledge and soft skills that employers are increasingly seeking. This guide covers how to highlight these skills on a resume, surveys career paths across government, education, academia, translation, the private sector, and publishing, and points to associations, job boards, and further reading along the way.

It is written with students of Russian in mind, but nearly everything below applies equally well to graduates of any of SRAS’s language and regional studies programs.

On this page:

• Why Russian?
• Why Regional Studies and Study Abroad Matter
• Government: Federal
• Government: State and Local
• Teaching English
• Academia
• Translation and Interpretation
• Private Sector
• Publishing

Government (Federal)

The United Nations

The UN uses Russian as one of its official languages, creating steady demand for people who combine Russian with international experience.

The US Federal Government

The US federal government needs people with strong language and cross-cultural skills to carry out foreign policy, diplomacy, security, and many other functions — and has historically struggled to find and hire enough qualified Russian linguists, especially those who pair language ability with training in economics, political science, diplomacy, or a STEM field.

How to Apply for Federal Jobs

Specific US agencies that regularly hire Russian speakers:

• Central Intelligence Agency
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• State Department
• National Security Administration
• Department of Homeland Security
• NASA
• National Virtual Translation Center

State and Local Government

US state and local governments regularly report language-skills shortages in healthcare, education, social services, police work, and the courts. Some municipalities employ language speakers directly; others rely on freelancers or volunteers for translation and interpretation, and many offer incentives for hiring multilingual staff. Opportunities vary a great deal by location, so it’s worth researching what’s available where you plan to live.

Teaching English

Teaching English abroad is one of the most accessible ways to spend extended time in another country — it builds contacts and real cross-cultural experience, and while the pay is rarely lucrative, it’s usually enough to cover local living costs.

Legal Considerations

A warning: arriving on a tourist visa and then working for pay is illegal in most countries. If discovered, this can mean deportation, travel bans, and other legal consequences. Work only with reputable schools that handle proper visa documentation.

Additional Teaching Resources

SRAS-developed material: English Primer for Russian Speakers, by Josh Wilson (SRAS Assistant Director), for rapid, basic English instruction aimed at Russian speakers.

Methodology:

• How to Teach English by Jeremy Harmer covers specific methods, lesson planning, using textbooks, and handling the unexpected.
• The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Harry Wong walks new and veteran teachers alike through structuring and organizing a classroom.

US government resources: The American English Website, a State Department resource on EFL teaching and learning, American culture, and the global EFL community.

Worksheets: TLSBooks, bogglesworldesl

Broader teaching resource collections:

• ESL101 — extensive resources and job listings
• The British Council — a large materials database, searchable by skill and level
• The BBC — videos, vocabulary lists, and news-based lessons (primarily in Russian)
• One Stop English — a wide range of materials (free registration required)
• Voice of America — regular broadcasts and archived news stories by level, with text
• Canadian Broadcasting Company — integrated listening, speaking, reading, and writing lessons
• The Folger Shakespeare Library — free Shakespeare lesson plans and materials
• Teachers First — materials for all subjects and grade levels, adaptable for EFL
• EngVid — free video lessons for tricky concepts, homework help, or teacher development
• Stanford’s High Wire database — advanced-level reading material
• Directory of Open Access Journals — advanced-level reading material for exam prep

Academia

Career Planning

ImaginePhD is a useful career-planning resource for those pursuing academic careers.

Job Postings

These professional organizations host job postings, usually for members:

• ASEEES — for scholars and teachers
• ACTFL — for teachers
• NAFSA — for international education and exchanges
• Forum — for study abroad

Networking Organizations

Russian and Slavic Languages

• SEELANGS — links hundreds of Slavic scholars worldwide and is a fast way to get answers on research, materials, and study abroad questions.
• The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) — strengthens foreign language teaching at every level through webinars, conventions, and online materials.
• Slavic Information Literacy — identifies the core competencies of productive, employed Slavic students and scholars.
• The American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) — advances the study and teaching of Slavic and East European languages, literatures, and cultures at every level.
• Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) — represents American scholarship on Russia, Central Eurasia, and Central and Eastern Europe; members serve on US State Department and international research committees.
• International Association of Teachers of the Russian Language and Literature — publishes journals and sponsors competitions, events, research, and teaching support (mostly Russian-language site).
• The Canadian Association of Slavists (CAS) — an interdisciplinary scholarly society, founded in 1954, covering Slavic social, economic, and political life, languages, cultures, and histories.
• The Slavic Cognitive Linguistics Association — promotes cognitive linguistics research with a Slavic-language emphasis, and welcomes graduate students and junior faculty.
• The National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages — connects LCTL teachers (including Russian) and works to grow US teaching and learning capacity.
• The Central Association of Russian Teachers of America (CARTA) — officially covers a set of central-US states but is open to professionals nationwide at every level.
• American Friends of Russian Folklore — supports American understanding of Russian traditional life through field research, recordings, filmmaking, archiving, and analysis.

General

• American Association of University Supervisors and Coordinators (AAUSC) — promotes and strengthens foreign and second-language instruction.
• The Association of Departments of Foreign Language (ADFL) — connects department chairs with peers through seminars, journals, and its website.
• The Center for Applied Linguistics — applies linguistics research to real language problems through teacher education and instructional-materials design.
• InterCom — a free weekly digest for language teachers (select “Other European” for Russian-specific content).
• The Network of Business Language Educators (NOBLE) — a cross-discipline community building programs and curricula for future global leaders.
• The National Heritage Language Resource Center — develops pedagogy, research, curriculum, and teacher education for heritage-language learners.
• The Washington Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT) — information and global perspective in support of language skills and cultural awareness.

Study Abroad

• NAFSA: Association of International Educators — a leading international-education organization advancing policy and practice for globally competent citizens.
• The Forum on Education Abroad — a collective voice for US post-secondary education abroad.

Diversity

• Association for Women in Slavic Studies — a networking resource on women’s issues, status, and achievements, covering gender and family across Central/Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
• Black Bread — a New York-based network of Black Russian speakers working to grow Black American participation in study abroad in Eurasia.
• Q*ASEEES — promoting LGBTQ Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies.
• Diversity Abroad — a leading membership organization supporting educators and industry professionals in expanding access to global programs for underrepresented students.

Other

• The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) — encourages scholarly study of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and builds American academic ties to the region.
• The Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) — a non-political, nonprofit society of North American scholars of Central Eurasian history, languages, and societies.
• Tataroved — the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences’ resource for Tatar studies.
• The World Academy of Rusyn Culture — an academic and charitable institution preserving Rusyn culture and supporting new scholarship.
• The Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) — a professional organization at the intersection of education, technology, and modern language teaching.
• EDUCAUSE — a nonprofit advancing higher education through smarter use of information technology.
• The Center for Strategic and International Studies — a bipartisan think tank covering international issues including Russia, with expert contacts and downloadable publications.

Translation and Interpretation

Language majors often consider translation as a career — it’s a rapidly growing field as the world becomes more connected. But many clients, and even many translators, underestimate the skill, time, and effort a good translation actually takes. Most university language programs still don’t offer translation or interpretation coursework despite rising demand, and the industry is global and fractured, meaning US-based translators compete directly with translators in lower-cost-of-living countries.

Developing a real specialization is key — in a particular author’s work, in legal or accounting documents, or in technical material for a specific industry. Specialization gives you the vocabulary you need and helps you build strong contacts within a niche of clients or employers. Translators also often need to become skilled at client education: explaining, persuasively, that a good translation takes time and therefore costs money. A strong specialization, professional presentation, and a wide network of contacts are what build a sustainable translation career.

Translation and interpretation (translating speech) are genuinely different skills, and interpretation faces the same industry pressures. But interpreters — especially simultaneous interpreters — have to make fast decisions with no reference materials, and need the stamina to sustain that pace for long stretches. Specialized training is particularly valuable for anyone pursuing interpretation.

Private Sector

The private sector increasingly values language skills, as more companies of every size operate internationally and serve multicultural communities at home. But while companies see language skills as valuable, most won’t hire on that basis alone — pairing a language major with a double major, minor, or other training in accounting, business, management, or a specific industry like engineering, computer science, or tourism makes a real difference.

Job seekers generally choose between working at home or abroad. It used to be fairly easy for a recent American graduate to find work in Eastern Europe; the 2008 and 2014 financial crises pushed companies to cut costs, and a generation of post-communism young adults has grown up to fill roles once open to foreigners. Today, language teaching tends to be the field most open to recent graduates — other roles require strong industry skills plus very strong language ability to compete with local candidates, so we generally recommend building experience at home first.

Seeking Employment at Home

A good starting point is a business that has already joined an international organization: get hired at their American office, establish yourself there, and look for growth opportunities that let you use your language and cultural skills.

Concordia Language Villages — a Russian-speaking youth camp in Minnesota that offers both volunteer and paid positions.

Finding Work Abroad: Logistical Issues

The most common route abroad is to get hired at home first and then look for a transfer to a foreign office; international headhunters can sometimes place experienced candidates directly, though that usually requires strong language skills and prior experience. A few things to plan for before you go:

Your paycheck. Most companies abroad pay in local currency, which can complicate things if you have debts or bills at home — currency swings can shrink or grow your effective paycheck month to month. Moving money home from a foreign account typically means wire fees (often $40+ plus roughly 1.5% of the transfer, plus intermediary fees), and foreign ATM withdrawals usually carry their own fees.

Why work abroad, and for how long? Working abroad is excellent for your resume — it shows you can deliver under real-world conditions and gives you stories for interviews. We generally recommend 1–2 years abroad: long enough to show real achievement, but not so long that you’re seen as “too specialized” or risk losing the contacts back home who can help you find work when you return.

Visas, contracts, and documentation. Unlike the US, most countries require a signed contract for legal employment, and that contract is what makes a work visa and permit possible — an American generally cannot obtain one independently. Taking local labor and immigration law seriously matters: violations can mean fines, deportation, and bans on re-entry.

Income taxes. US citizens owe tax on worldwide income no matter where they live, though the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion helps; a return is still required even when nothing is owed. Firms like ExpatCPA and Taxforexpats.com specialize in expat taxes, and the paid version of TurboTax can also handle it. (Citizens of other countries should check their own country’s rules.)

Making a career abroad long-term. Long-term stayers need a retirement-savings plan, since investing in US markets gets harder once you’re living outside the country, and need a plan for maintaining legal residency — which can eventually mean residency or citizenship, sometimes involving health tests and language requirements.

Finding Work Abroad: Resources

Professional placement services (“headhunters”) that place language- and industry-skilled candidates abroad:

• Antal International
• Penny Lane Personnel
• Hunt Executive Search
• ExecutivesOnTheWeb

Networking. Your best opportunities are usually the personal contacts you make on the ground:

• Internations — unites international professionals in major cities worldwide, with an emphasis on in-person meetups.
• Study Abroad — studying abroad puts you on the ground, fully legally and supported, for months at a time — use it to build language skills, take coursework in business, economics, or political science, and meet people locally.
• CouchSurfing — has grown from a place to find a cheap bed into an international community across dozens of cities.
• Facebook and LinkedIn — LinkedIn especially is useful for advertising skills and building professional connections.