Making that big move

Why do Indians move abroad?

At a little over 18 million and counting, the Indian diaspora is indeed the largest in the world. This says a lot about the adaptability of Indians outside of their home nation. The most direct reason why Indians adapt very quickly abroad is the 'British-based' Indian education system that is highly competitive domestically. Due to a large population, added to a shortage of jobs domestically, the average Indian school student's need to excel is but natural. 

Where do Indians prefer to go?

Indians are naturally attracted to the nations that are more prosperous. So the percentage of the global Indian diaspora residing in a particular country is closely related to the strength of that country's economy. So it goes without saying that you would find more Indians in more prosperous nations.

Topping the list of preferred nations for Indians would be the USA, Canada, the UK and so on. 

Indian Skillsets abroad

When talking of Indians' adaptability abroad, there is one major factor we must consider, which is the skill-level difference between India and relatively more developed nations. The Indian education system produces more theoretical and academic-oriented graduates, as opposed to the more skill-oriented and industry-relevant education systems in developed nations. Also, since Indian industries are mostly followers of the industries of developed nations, the kind of jobs available to Indians also require a lower skill level. Because of this factor, most Indians educated in India with Indian industry experience, are not directly adaptable to the job market of a developed nation.

How to bridge the skill gap?

There are two ways to bridge the gap between Indian professionals and their counterparts abroad. 

1. Higher education in a University abroad following basic Indian education
2. Enter the job market in the "low skill" category and gradually move up to "high skill" categories

The first option is most suited to younger Indians who are in the 20-25 year age range. And the cost of such educational opportunities in reputed institutes abroad is quite prohibitive. Unless one wins a substantial scholarship, education abroad is the prerogative of only the affluent. 

The older and more experienced Indians would lack the patience to restart their education and would prefer to simply get hired abroad. Here is where low-skill jobs play a major role in getting your foot in the doorway of the job market abroad.

To get started, one must first understand that in order to employ a foreigner an employer in a developed nation must be legally capable of issuing a work permit. This leads to a world of red tape that most employers want to avoid. Also, these employers would find it extremely difficult to gauge the skills and education of a job applicant from India since they would not understand the Indian way of things. Here is where the recruitment agencies or consultants in India come in. These overseas recruitment agencies take on the burden of attracting candidate applications, assessing, and shortlisting candidates on behalf of their clients abroad.

Types of agencies

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries or the Middle-east

The middle-eastern nations have undergone massive development in the decades following their liberation from British colonial rule. This led to massive opportunities for Indians in the oil and gas, construction, and trading industries. The recruitment agencies catering to clients in the middle-east are generally specialists in the requirements of those industries that have more demand for labor. 

Europe and North America

European and North America, belonging to the full-developed category, require manpower with a more wide range of skills as compared to the middle-east. The skill-level expectations would be higher in Europe and North America as compared to the middle-east. Therefore, a job applicant from India would find it challenging to directly land a job abroad just by applying to ads online. The next best option would be to approach an agency having clients in western countries and also the experience of having successfully met their clients' demands.

I would strongly suggest checking out the opportunities listed on their respective websites. The fact that they list out their opportunities itself shows how professional they are. Here is one example of an agency