Retail : Opportunities abroad

The retail sector is becoming increasingly global and it is possible to find work abroad. Many high street names have head offices outside of the UK. For example, H&M is based in Sweden. Competitive retailers across the world have taken advantage of global supply chains and the economies of scale, which come with high-volume operations. In order to be successful, retailers must be able to deal with issues such as currency fluctuations, sudden political change, oil prices and tax rules.

What are my chances of getting a job overseas?

When considering a job overseas you should take into account immigration and visa requirements. Finding a job in the EU is much easier than the rest of the world, as a visa is not required. Knowledge of a foreign or European language would be an advantage.

Will my qualifications be recognised?

The Bologna Process introduced a coherent degree system across most of the EU, and many countries now adopt the familiar Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate classifications. These are also comparable to the degree systems in places like the US, Canada and Australia.

There are a number of organisations that help with the transfer of your qualifications, mainly for work within Europe countries. ENIC-NARIC  is a good place to start, as it gives information on the policies and procedures for the recognition of qualifications in 54 counties.

Europass  is another UK-based organisation that helps with documentation to work, study or train in Europe.

Where are the opportunities?

There are a large number of international retail head offices based in the UK. Working for a British retailer with overseas interests can provide opportunities if you are looking for the chance to work abroad. Some offer secondments in Europe or further afield. In some companies, for example, Tesco, it has been found that staff promotion prospects are greatly enhanced by a period of work abroad.

Alshaya, the leading franchise retail organisation in the Middle East, has over 55 brands in its company portfolio with stores in the Middle East, Africa and Central Europe.

A growing number of European retailers are considering graduates from specific disciplines, such as fashion design, merchandising, graphic design, but this is rare and in other disciplines you will need experience to find a job abroad. Gaining experience within a blue-chip retailer before you apply for a job overseas will make you more employable to companies.

Where can I work?

There are plenty of large international retailers nearby and further afield. Inditex, the world's largest fashion retailer, is based in Spain. It is the parent company of eight brands, including Zara and Massimo Dutti, and in total has over 4,700 stores worldwide.

Carrefour is the largest hypermarket chain in the world and its headquarters is based in France. The largest retailer in the world is Wal-Mart, a US company, which sells everything from clothing to food and homeware. It has over 8,600 stores under 55 different titles in 15 countries.