BY: MATTHEW CHIN
In a job market with global unemployment feared to increase from the current 201 million unemployed by 11 million by 2019, the opportunity to work while travelling can feel far out of reach.
With many workers feeling like prisoners to their desk, one start-up plans to help stir-crazy workers by allowing them to experience what it’s like to work across the globe. Founded in 2014, Jobbatical aims to connect users to employers with short-term global opportunities.
Based in Tallinn, Estonia, the company is designed to employ people with certain skills in a completely fresh environment. With a database of about 500 different short-term jobs and over 600 employer accounts, the website shows promise for finding jobs already operating in 27 countries.
The site targets those that need a break from their nine-to-five job, allowing them to explore other opportunities while feeding their wanderlust in the process.
Karoli Hindriks, Founder and CEO compares Jobbatical to a date before marriage, where employees can taste the different environments and working conditions under a flexible contract. Contracts last from three months to a year, according to Tech In Asia.
Jobbatical conducted its own research and found that 74 per cent of professionals would like to take a break from their current occupation to work abroad. Nearly two-thirds plan to follow up with their decision, according to Tech Crunch.
Already seven months into its beta process, the site shows success for jobseekers looking for a new environment. One woman left her job in the U.K., being a successful General Manager of a chain of department stores, to work in the Maldives to start up a tourism business. With that experience, she was able to bring a new perspective when she returned to her business in the U.K.
The most common countries for hiring include Brazil and the United States, with many from Europe. Offers are predominantly from start-ups in countries including the most popular: Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Estonia, according to Fast Company.
“If you are a great marketer in Brazil, you are a great marketer in Europe, and you are a great marketer in the U.S.,” Hindriks said in a video.
Whether you want to be a software engineer in France or a fashion designer in Spain, Jobbatical could be a way to plan your great escape.
