Finding work in India as a foreigner is very easy. If you are willing to work very long hours for very little pay, then there is enough work to last a lifetime. If you are looking for a good job, then consider the tips that Ava Williams from resume writing company Resumeble came up with below. However, before starting, it is important that you understand the Indian culture and preferably the Indian language before you start looking for a job. English is a very popular language in India, but you will have more success if you can speak the local Indian language.
1 – Apply for Jobs While Already in Your Home Country
Do not fly out to India with a hand full of resumes. You need to start looking for jobs while you are in your own country. You also need to set up video interviews before you ever consider visiting the country.
It is obviously a good idea that you go and visit the country before you take a job there since you may get over there and decide that you do not like it.
Consider the many jobs available for expats, and look into the higher paid jobs. Skilled jobs are typically in these areas:
- Sales
- Pharmaceuticals
- IT
- Automotive
- Manufacturing
- Tourism
- Marketing
- Banking
- Engineering
- Financial services
Again, a career in India can be well paid and not so well paid. These job areas have their high paid sections, but there are also jobs in these areas where you will be paid very little, and benefits are minimal.
2 – Clever Networking
A lot of people have stories about how they got jobs in India because they knew people. It helps if you have college friends or family out there in India so they can get you a job. People who you already work with may have contacts out in India, or may have clients they telecommunicate with, and they may be able to find you work.
If your company has an Indian branch, then sign up through them. If you have social media friends in the country, perhaps they can help you get a job. Maybe you have clients who have contacts with certain companies in India, and perhaps they can get you the job too.
3 – Start By Working Remotely
You can try getting a remote-worker job with an Indian company, and then move over there when you have proven yourself. Take a look at the list of jobs from earlier, and you will see that many of them can be done remotely (at least for a temporary amount of time).
For example, if you were working in sales, you could perhaps get a few sales and make a little money for the company before you move over there and do it full-time. The same is true of financial services, marketing, and banking jobs.
4 – Try Recruitment Companies
There are quite a few of them dotted around the globe, and they all advertise on the Internet, so finding them is not difficult. The hard part is finding companies that actually exist and are not there to make you sign up for things.
For example, many companies take your details and have you sign up for “Tax Back” or one of the other mischievous companies, and you then find that they are taking a slice of your taxes for the coming years. Others are there simply to harvest your details to sell on to other companies. So, be very careful who you sign up with.
5 – Double Check You Are Even Eligible to Work in India
To work legally, you will need an employment visa, which you have to apply for, and you will need a work permit. If you have been following the advice on this article, and you already have work lined up in India, then your employer may be able to help you out with some of the paperwork.
If you want an employment visa, you will need to prove that you have and/or comply with at least one of the following:
- You are a qualified foreign language teacher
- You are an interpreter
- Your work history shows you are a trainer, coach, or sportsperson
- You are an air pilot
- You are an artist with proof of event participation
- There is work waiting for you from a multinational company with a branch in India
- You are in a senior management position within an international business
- You have been hired by a foreign company in India to work on a project
- There is paperwork proving there is full-time work waiting for you from an Indian business
- You are involved in an NGO
- You are a remunerated consultant
Some of these look easy, after all, anybody can call themselves a consultant. However, you have to prove that you have been a tax-paying consultant, either through full-time work for somebody else, or through your self employed tax returns.
Another easy one is the artist one, but you have to prove that you are a regular participant in events, which means anything from being a paid set designer to ranking in art contests.
Another easy one is to say that you have work waiting for you, but it is at the immigration department’s discretion as to whether they believe you are going to work full-time at Ahmed’s samosa cart, or Pindar’s home-office selling dried roses.
Conclusion
You have probably given this a lot of thought already, but make sure you are doubly sure you want to move to India and start working full-time before you take the job. It is not just a culture shock, there are also problems that arise through the heat and humidity, and sometimes the food disagrees with you. Plus, remember that the work culture is very different over there, especially if you are a woman. In short, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you take the leap, and perhaps consider doing a little remote-working before you take the job full-time.
