Traveling for Work?
 

I may have to travel to India for my job soon and they've asked me to go for a month. Some of my other co-workers are already there & have been there for a few months as is. My manager told me that I was the best candidate, not only because I was qualified, but because I didn't have a husband or children.

I'm not really looking forward to going (its not definite that I am going yet) but it would be an experience of a lifetime.

If your job asked you to travel for them would you consider it? What if it were a trip that would require you to be gone a month? 6 months? Or even a year?

i'd definitely be interested in going depending on where i had to go to. if it was to london or australia i'd be there as soon as it could. if it was to somewhere where my life may be in danger, then i'm not so sure.

I'd go for it! It's definitely a huge opportunity. When in your life will you have a chance to stay in a foreign country for a month and experience a new culture without worrying about a family back at home? Like your manager said, you are the best candidate because you're not tied here by a husband and children.
While you may only do work during the weekdays, take the weekend to travel around India. My father went there on business and said that it is a beautiful country.
I think you'll end up really enjoying it!

My dream job (I'm not sure exactly what that will be though) includes a lot of travel At least I get married and start to raise a family.

What will you be doing in India, if you don't mind me asking?

My husband travels quite a bit on business (he just got back from Halifax, Nova Scotia). It took me a while to get used to it. I don't mind the 3-4 day trips but during our engagement he was gone anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months (Travelling to Toronto). It got to me then
Before that (when he was with his ex-wife) he was travelling to many places (Saudi for 6 weeks, Malaysia for 3).

The ex wife liked it for different reasons :rolleyes: :mad: (figure it out) :p

Personally, I would love to have a job that requires travel

I will be overseeing a contracted company & their employees for a month. Any questions their employees will have regarding our business & business rules (since they deal directly w/ our customers) I will be there to answer.

It sounds like a wonderful opportunity and if you have nothing holding you here, I would go for it. I've always toyed with the idea of doing International Social Work in other countries and have agencies contacting me all the time but I am just not that brave to get up and go like that. I always come up with excuses why it's "not the time". Is this something that will affect your job if you don't go? How often are you able to come back? One of the major reasons I haven't jumped at the chance to go abroad is because you have to sign a contract committing to stay from 6 months to a year. As I said I am not ready for that. Let us know what you decide!!!

Honestly, a month is not very long if you have nobody at home you are neglecting. At least you will be in one location the whole time, which is much less stressful than traveling from place to place. I would do it now, and in a few years, when you have a spouse and kids, people will remember that you put in your time, and some other new kid will get the travel assignments.

I would LOVE to go to India for a month. I'd spend all my free time finding great yoga instructors.

Anyway, like everyone else said you have to do these things while you're young and have all the freedom in the world. I understand it's hard to leave your life for what feels like an extended period of time but it's definitely the chance of a lifetime and you'd always regret it if you turned it down.

I used to work for a consulting company where I was on 50% travel = fly out Monday morning, fly home Thursday evening, every week. I did that for nearly two years. It got old after a while, especially because the places I was traveling weren't nearly as interesting as India!

In your shoes (single, no kids) I'd jump at the chance to go somewhere for a month or two. Do it... enjoy it. :)

I will definitely let everyone know if I get the chance to go. Right now they are just looking for candidates to go in case we are needed.

I definitely think traveling to India would be once in a lifetime experience but I am still very nervous.

Travel Job
 

One of my best friends is currently an engineer in Abu Dabi at the United Arab Emirates and he is loving it. The American dollar goes a long way and he's banking big time. He has a beautiful home, Porsche, wife, and pleny of free money. Overseas isn't that bad if you do your homework. Best Wishes,

I travelled one summer for Linens N' Things to check out stores to make sure they were up to par AKA "The Linens N' Things Way!" I loved it. I was told the same thing that I was perfect for it because I am single and don't have kids. I wasn't tied down to anything for 3 and a half months and I loved it.

Update!
 

Today my immediate manager asked me if I was really interested in traveling to India! I told him YES!!! A bunch of people I know have already been & have told me great things! They'll put me up in a 5 star hotel (I don't think I've even seen a 5 star hotel from the outside!!!) & they drive you everywhere in a limo! I'm more excited about the shopping opportunities though! I'll be working nights so I'll have all day to sleep & shop! :)

Still no word on a date yet, but I'm hoping they'll finalize something soon!

Congratulations!!! I'm sure it will be a wondeful and worthwhile experience!!! :)

i lived overseas for 4 years. my dad's job took us to indonesia, and they moved to egypt when i went to college. by all means JUMP at the chance to go. it's only a month. you'll get to experience an entirely new culture and india is so close to so many places. DO IT! :)

Re: Update!
 

They told me today that if everything stays on schedule they would want me to get on a plane by Sept. 11. Call me superstitious but I'm a little nervous about flying on Sept. 11. Plus, the date is bad for me anyway since I'll be "house-sitting" for my parents who will be out of town until the 20th. I hope the date gets pushed back (everything they do gets pushed back usually *cross your fingers for me*) so that my parents will be back in town & can watch our dog & help pay my bills while I'm out of town!

Looks like I'll be traveling around the 19-20th & I'll be in India for about 3 weeks!

That's very exciting! Enjoy your time there!

Congrats! What a cool opportunity for you!:)

Congratulations!! This truly is a chance in a lifetime!!

Having done this for about 9 months once (only a different city every week or so), I recommend that you keep some sort of journal, and take photos. You may never get a chance to do it again, and whether it's a good experience or a bad one, you'll never forget it!

Oh, and ask about a per diem. I managed to pay off ALL of my loans in that time by banking most of my per diem!

So, after weeks of having the date pushed back, I finally found out the actual date that I leave! My plane leaves @ 3:13PM on September 23 & I will arrive in Bangalore, India @ 2AM on September 25. :)

I got some shots today-Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Polio, & Typhoid. Tomorrow I'm getting my MMR & tetanus shots. I also have to get a prescription filled for Malarone, I'm supposed to take it to avoid Malaria.

I had to go through some cultural diversity training & I'm actually terribly nervous about going! I wish that I were traveling with some co-workers closer to my age! I want to go dancing on the weekends when I'm there! :D

Umm this is India, not NYC.

Most likely you'll be staying at a corporate campus which will provide you with some comfort, but really once you leave I don't think most Americans would be comfortable.

-Rudey

Have sooo much fun!

This is done with Canadian in mind but you might also find it useful. It's from the Canadian Government Travel board. It has all sort of information on the country, etc. You might find the "culture insight" portion very useful - I know many people who have (though, not to India particularly).

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/ctry/co...country=128000

Actually, you are forgetting that there are some cities in India that are just as westernized as NYC. In fact, Mumbai is considered the NYC of India. Lots of clubs that play hip-hop, rock, electronic, etc. Bangalore is also very westernized & some fellow co-workers of mine that have been before me tell me that there is a lot to do there. The night life is a lot of fun & dancing is aplenty. And I'm not staying at a corporate campus, I'm staying at their version of a 5-star hotel (as I understand it, the hotel would be considered a 3-star hotel here in the U.S) & I'll have the weekends off work!

Now, I know that I've never been to India before but I've got a few friends that live there now -one of which is studying abroad there- that I can't wait to meet up with. I'm going to take their opinions (as well as those shared by my co-workers that have already been) before yours. Sounds to me like you haven't been to any of the westernized cities in India, or maybe you haven't been to India @ all?

Thanks for the info! Before you travel for work for my company they send you to an orientation about the country before you leave. So, I've got about 30 pages of printed material on India from the CDC. I want to be as informed as possible so I'll check out the web site!

No, I'm not forgetting anything. Have fun though!

This is from Lonelyplanet (one of the largest and best travel guide companies):

Mumbai (AKA Bombay) is the glamour of Bollywood cinema, cricket on the maidans on weekends, bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty and red double-decker buses. It is also the infamous cages of the red-light district, Asia's largest slums, communalist politics and powerful mafia dons.

Mumbai leapt into the new millennium determined to become the most populous city in the world by 2020, when it might hold as many as 28.5 million people. This upcoming stature is, however, of little comfort to the 50% of the city's inhabitants who presently still live without water or electricity. Nothing demonstrates Mumbai's deteriorating environment better than a recent report which claims just breathing the air in Mumbai is equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day, hence the popularity of recently opened 'oxygen bars'. It's hoped that the satellite city of New Bombay, which is taking shape on the mainland, will relieve some of the pressures on the urban environment.

-Rudey

I hope you enjoy your trip, even if some people want to rain on your parade. India is an interesting country, and a trip there is a lifetime experience. One can learn a lot from a place that's different than their own.

Good luck and have fun! Don't work too hard! :D

This is effing hilarious.

I live in NYC. Whenever I need help with something technological, my calls inevitably get routed to India. WTF?! :( :confused:

Personally I think its great that companies are able to help provide jobs in a developing country. You'd be surprised to know how much it really helps their economy. The Discovery Channel did a documentary on outsourcing in Bangalore, India & it was terribly interesting. It showed both the good & bad sides of how it was impacting India's society. Personally, I've always thought that growth is good.

I just wish that American callers were more patient with some of the Indian call center agents that they encounter...just because they have a different accent does not mean that they can't help you!

I respectfully disagree with you. When talking about a service based industry, command of the language is essential. And accent and inflection are keys to understanding.

I can puzzle out broken or highly accented ennglish if I need to, but why would I want to go through the effort?

PS. Please stop arguing back and forth about something silly.

In the documentary, as well as the company that my company has hired, the agents go through classes where they learn to master the accent & inflection of Americans. When you watch the documentary or talk to the agents that work for my company you can tell that some of them have mastered accents & inflection at different levels.

These kinds of jobs, outsourced from somewhere in America, are highly desired by those from 18-25 years in age. I think that in time it means great things for the future of India. I'm pleased that my company has given the younger generation in India a chance to shape the future of their country.

PS. Thank you for stepping in.

Outsourcing can be a very touchy subject. Lots of customer service and IT jobs in the US are being lost because of companies sending them off shore. It's hard to compete with the lower wages. From a companies point of view, I can understand that the "bottom line" rules but it is sad when jobs are being lost.

Only jobs are being lost in the US, thousands of jobs are being obtained in India.

Also-even though the language is kannada in Bangalore a good majority of the residents speak English. More times than not, when an American hears a different accent, they just assume that the problem is the english because that is what they want to believe. (Although different scenarios are always possible so please just recognize that I am trying to offer a different light on the situation.) I like to think that it is the lack of patience & politeness from both the agent & the customer that make the call so unpleasant.

A lot of people are only concerned about jobs being lost in the US. But personally, I like to recognize that the US isn't the only country in this world & we aren't the only people who have families to support.

I understand your logic, but I hardly think its altruistic to take jobs away from US citizens and give them away to people of other countries. Our people have to eat also right?

I understand the bottom line when it comes to coporate costs, and thats fine with me, but lets call a spade a spade and say straight out that the company is doing it to make money, not improve life in Inida.

Exactly. Show me the executive who said "Gosh darn it, I really want to give jobs to people in India because that will make me feel all warm and fuzzy and I'm really helping the world." They're over there because they're too cheap to pay the wages they'd have to pay in the U.S.

I remember reading an article about people in India working for U.S. companies and many of them were very unhappy. I don't remember all the details, but part of it was because they have to work odd hours since there's such a great time difference between here and there.

How can the pay be so bad, when Calcutta is basically NYC? :confused:

The quality of life in India is not the concern of anyone--not even your employer. We need to provide jobs for Americans before we go over to make Bangalore the next Manhattan or some isht like that.

No one said that Calcutta is basically NYC. :rolleyes:


I said that some cities in India are just as westernized as NYC. There is a HUGE difference in comparing a certain aspect of a city & saying that it is exactly the same. You all want to say that they are exactly the same when I all did was compare the cities. Do I need to post the definition of an analogy again?


And saying that some cities in India are just as westernized is an educated opinion from a friend who actually lives there-not you all who've just seen pictures & read articles.

That is why I'm only speaking on behalf of myself when I mention how I feel about outsourcing. I'm not speaking on behalf of my company.