Questionnaire on working and studying abroad

Dear friend, Im conducting a study on best (& worst) practices, tips and tricks for young Romanians who want to apply for universities and jobs abroad. Your help with the questions below is much appreciated. Your name will be listed on the acknowledgements page and I will give a significant amount of the revenue to two charities1 if the study is published. All personal information provided below (name, country, employer, school, etc.) will be changed with fictitious data for your privacy. However, I will be happy to get your permission to list your name on the Acknowledgements page!

Note: In addressing the questions below please consider both your experience abroad as well as the information you would like to provide to a new comer (who may ask himself the same questions) about your country! Your feedback is welcome in Romanian, English or French! Name: Country University/Employer: 1. What were the steps that you took for applying to a university/job abroad (starting from the moment you decided that)? Researched a lot (mostly online) about universities, their study programs, etc. Created essays and prepared for interviews. Prepared for moving abroad. 2. What sources of information did you use for preparing and submitting your application? (please add e.g. links to the jobs/university/application tutorial websites that you used; names of useful books that you read, if any) I used a lot of resources (brochures, guides, books, etc) from the library of the International Exchange Office of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

dealing with a) kids from broken homes whose parents went abroad for work and b) with providing top education to poor kids with high IQ from rural areas in Romania (http://www.proruralisiasi.cryo.ro/main.php ).

3. What did you find to be most difficult during the application process? (e.g. drafting the application letter/essay; deciding for which school/job to apply, deciding to move abroad etc.) I would say the most difficult during the application process was choosing the right school to apply for. My university offered several exchange destinations on all continents. In the end I chose Chile as a study destination. I studied for 6 months (one semester) at the MBA program of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile an exchange study program facilitated by the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. Deciding to move over to Chile (for studying or work purposes) is not an easy choice for a European. Living on a different continent implies a high flexibility in adapting your living style to a new culture and new environment. However, Chileans have a similar life-style with Europeans, having adapted their culture with international trends, from fashion to media, from music to cinematography and many more. Chileans have an open-minded, friendly culture, being warm and helpful. 4. What are the attributes of a successful recommendation letter from your perspective? (i.e. the one that a professor or former employees provides you when applying for studies or a new job) A successful recommendation letter should comprise of a personal anecdote or story that highlights the traits, personality or special skills of a candidate. It should not be mainly impersonal and formal, but rather warm and descriptive, revealing the candidates values. 5. Is it mandatory to speak the local language at university/in the office? Is it a common fact across the country or can you also study/work in English/French? Please explain. There are several international English study programs in Chile. However, it is highly recommended to have at least a basic command of Spanish prior to arriving in Chile. English is not a widely spoken language in Chile, though it is quite popular with the younger generations. The study program I opted for did not require English knowledge however, I did choose to attend several MBA courses taught exclusively in Spanish. 6. What pieces of advice could you give to someone applying for a university/job abroad for the first time? related to the cover letter/essay related to the interview (if applicable) related to living in that country (related to culture, habits, weather, cuisine, etc.) Read and learn as much as possible about the program youre applying for, the company / the country, culture, etc. Try to identify former or current students / employees within the organization youre applying for and talk to them, ask them many questions and find out their success story. 7. What do you wish you had known before moving to the country where you currently live?

8. Please share an anecdote (funny or not-so-funny story) from your experience that helped you learn a lesson regarding the application/interviewing process. You can say that it happened to someone else , but I will anyway change the names of the characters and the location/name of the institution. This would be a key addition to the study as readers prefer learning from others stories than from boring pieces of theoretical advice. 9. Please send me a research statement (if youre a PhD), cover letter, application essay, recommendation letter and/or CV that you would like to share, in order to be used as sample for the book. As mentioned, you name and personal data will be changed (or you can do it yourself for certainty :).

Your help is much appreciated! Thank you for contributing before 18 February, 2013. For further information, you can reach me at: diana.ursachi@yahoo.com +40.744.611266 Skype: liv_dia (upon prior notification by e-mail or phone)

Diana Ursachi