International Business Careers that Involve Global Travel

There are a number of careers in International Business that inherently require travel and transportation to meet, deal with, and work with people in different countries. While no position or career guarantees from the start that an employee will travel around the world, there are plenty of positions that take people to different countries all the time. Below are some potential careers within international business in which global travel is usually necessary.

Corporate Auditing and Financial/IT Consulting

Corporate Auditing and consulting for either financial or information technology needs often brings people to different locations, depending where the client is. While the majority of such work tends to deal with domestic clients, there is a large number which deals with international and global business clients. That in turn requires travel to be at the client’s work site and see what problem needs to be resolved. Consulting positions command an annual income of $70,000 to $140,000 depending on the exact job and experience level involved. Auditor positions can often expect to earn near $62,000 annually.

Many candidates are expected to have an accounting degree with international accounting experience as well as a certified public accounting certification in their home country to qualify for positions within Corporate Auditing and Financial Consulting. IT Consultant positions sometimes do not require more than an undergraduate degree but many often have at least a masters in business administration if not two degrees in business.

International Accountant

Along the same lines as auditing, international accounting can also involve quite a bit of travel through customs, depending where a company’s accounting needs to be performed. Such positions are rare though since most companies tend to use field office staff to perform their accounting in different locations. Traveling positions often involve managers who need to oversee the accounting work and approve reports. In that respect, the average income earned for such positions tends to be $62,000. Candidates are expected to have an undergraduate accounting degree as a minimum with international accounting experience as well as a certified public accounting certification. This offers international accountants familiarity with the accounting laws in their country as well as the country where the official accounting reports are issued from.

Marketing and Sales

Marketing for a company, sales, and marketing consulting can often involve travel overseas if the company or client involved is an international one to begin with. This is often the case where a company employer sells products and services in different countries or has global branch operations selling retail level products. Often, marketing professionals can find themselves committed to extended stays overseas when working in such positions, helping support and see specific campaigns to fruition and completion before moving to the next project. Compensation varies; marketing positions tend to be salaried, earning $60,000 to $90,000 annually, but sales positions are often compensated on commission percentages, which means earnings can vary significantly from year to year. No college degree is officially required but a graduate level business degree is helpful in securing a position above the competition.

Event Planning

For organizations that need to coordinate major events, meetings, conventions, presentations and similar for a business an event coordinator can definitely involve a serious amount of regular travel. Many work days often involve communicating and dealing with issues on the go, simultaneously planning and scheduling new events while managing existing ones going into operation. The average income for an event planner is approximately $40,000 to $80,000 annually, but bonuses could be earned based on experience and the event type involved. Event planners careers do not require a college degree in most cases, but a level of business understanding is often necessary and a business degree can be very helpful.

Hospitality Industry

There is no question that regional hotel managers perform quite a bit of travel keeping an eye on different facilities in different locations. For those institutions that are international, that means travel to the countries where such facilities are located. However, these positions are often higher level, management roles created for oversight and maximizing productivity at every hotel location. So promotion is almost required in every instance after spending time working in a domestic part of the hotel business first to understand the company from the ground up. The annual income of such a manager average $47,000 and up, depending on the particular role and experience level. While a college degree is not necessary to get a start in the hotel industry, a business administration degree is often needed to be eligible for promotions into management.

It is important to recognize that are a multitude of other careers that include travel in addition to the jobs listed above. That said, many times employer career and position descriptions won’t necessarily advertise travel as a required element up front, so an applicant often times needs to ask an employer or recruiter what’s really involved. Some may be concerned with the question, thinking it could turn away a recruit. However, if a candidate makes it clear he or she is looking for a travel position where possible, it often adds as a positive consideration since many companies are looking for flexible employees.

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