Please be aware that these are my 5 top steps for preparing for an international counseling job overseas that helped me with my process and hopefully this blog can help you as well.
If you are like me months ago, I had this idea that I wanted something different…a new adventure. As many of you may have done, I went right to google to search how to become a school counselor abroad.
And if you had my same experience, I did not find anythinggggg. So I decided, hey, counselors need support groups too [That’s like Counseling 1011 right?]
STEP 1: Finding A School To Fit You And Your Needs
Well before we get to Step 1: The Work Visa Process have you found employment?
I was very lucky in my journey to find a counseling job abroad by knowing a teacher who was already abroad (networking). However, although there are a lot of jobs abroad, sometimes counseling positions are harder to find…but not impossible.
STEP 2: The Authentication Of Education Qualifications
When HR informs you to start this process as soon as possible, I am here to tell you….start immediately!
If you are someone like I was at the time, a counselor who was NOT making a lot of money and had funds to spare without a set budget…raise your hand.
I was asked to start my authentication process. The authentication process is focused solely on your educational qualifications. Your educational qualifications means every diploma and/or degree you included within your resume. For me, I had to get my high school diploma and transcripts, bachelor’s degree and transcripts, AND masters’ degrees and transcripts.
Yes, I have two masters’ degrees because like many of us, we think we want to start a career in one field then we are like no, thank you…next.
You can employ the services of an authentication agency or take on this task yourself. I decided to go through an authentication agency. The agency I went through was Authxperts. This agency was not cheap, so check to see if your international job will be reimbursing you for this expense. I paid $925 for everything (diploma and degrees).
This process takes TWELVE weeks (I knowww and expediting is not possible…trust me, I asked). So, when HR at your international school tells you to start this almost 1k process, start immediately.
When you employ an authentication agency, they assist you with the notarization, the County Clerk Authentication, Secretary of State Authentication, US Department of State Authentication and then lastly, Embassy Legalization. However, depending on your region/country, these authentication steps can vary. I am solely speaking from my process within the United States.
TIP: You must provide proof of authenticated documents prior to departing from your home country. Authenticated documentation is needed for your legal residency and government approvals.
STEP 3: FBI Background/Check and Fingerprinting
This step comes a few months later within your process. You must be pre-approved by the Government Affairs team before you can proceed with obtaining your FBI report, which is then followed by the authentication process of this document.
Below are the step-by-step directions I took:
First, visit www.fbi.gov and search for identity history/background checks. This site provides you with the details you need to navigate this process. Each state has different approved third-party locations for customers to get their fingerprints.
Second, you will need to choose how you would like to get your Identity History Summary/Rap Sheet. There are 3 options but you will either choose online or mail. Most will choose online since the processing time is about 5-10 days in comparison to around 2 months if you choose by mail.
I submitted my request online and went through edo.cjis.gov. You will register with your personal email and pay for service on the FBI website. The fee cost is typically $18.
You will indicate how you would like for your fingerprints to be delivered by. I decided to go through a third-party electronic submission. The most convenient third-party provider in my area was USPS.
Third, after you pay and submit your request, you will receive an Identity History Summary Request Confirmation email. This email is very important. You will see your name, order number and payment verification code.
After I located a USPS location (that had a working machine…the stress of trying to call and relying on luck that you did not waste a drive), I needed my order number that was provided within the Identity History Summary Request Confirmation email, and I paid $50 after I was fingerprinted.
There will be another email from the Criminal Justice Information Services which will have the link to access your request and your pin number. Make sure you can easily find this email after you go through the fingerprinting process at the third-party provider of your choosing.
My response file within the edo.cjis.gov system was almost immediately available.
The last step is to have this document certified. You will need the criminal history report authenticated through the U.S. State Department. If you are like me, a visual of the process is very helpful.
Here is a youtube video made by James Lovett. I found his video very helpful as I navigated the DS-4194 Authentication Form.
Are you overwhelmed yet? If not, I commend you. I was extremely overwhelmed as I went through all of the things I had to pay for and the long wait times to receive documents.
Remember to *breathe* It will all work out as it should.
STEP 4: Medical Reports
Medical records are needed in order to apply for your work visa. Make sure you check the Embassy of the country you are traveling to, this ensures you receive the correct medicals within your health certificate.
Some international schools reimburse you for medical expenses as well up to a certain amount. Check with the Human Resources Department (HR) at your international school to see if medical expenses are covered.
When I was applying for my work visa, I was requested to get various tests for contagious diseases. Your local doctor will certify that you are in good health and in many countries, you must be free from contagious diseases.
STEP 4.5: The Waiting Process
If you make it to this step, and you were a procrastinator like I was…then you may be stressing out on if your documentations will be ready in time.
I cannot stress enough how much time needs to be on your side throughout this process.
If you know that you want to work internationally, start the process early to ensure you have enough time to receive your documentations.
The company I went through for the authentication of educational documents took 8 weeks.
The wait time for my authentication from the US Department of State was 4 weeks for them to process your information into the system, and then around 2-3 weeks minimum for them to work on your paperwork.
You can call them like I did, but there is no expedite process. You will have to wait.
The only immediate and smoother process was the medical report.
STEP 5: Applying for Your Work Visa
After you have received all the necessary documents and issued authentication stamps, now it is time to apply for your work visa through that country’s embassy. Within the United States, each embassy has an office and there are various locations where the documentations need to be sent.
The first step I would advise is contacting the embassy (whether it is the Kuwait Embassy, China Embassy, Japan Embassy, etc) within the United States. By contacting the embassy directly, you will be able to receive the most up-to-date steps to apply for your work visa.
Most work visas acquire a passport photo, application fee, and a return envelope for the embassy to mail your work visa to you after the process is completed. I would ensure you have a minimum of 10 business days before your flight, so that you will receive your work visa before you are expected to leave.
There are so many more details that are not in this blog, so feel free to leave a reply to ask any questions that I did not cover.