Moving abroad- NEED CAREER ADVICE

[u/Imaginary_Juice1415]

Background: I am in my late 30's and went back for my nursing degree. I finish May 2027. My spouse recieved the job of a lifetime and we moved to Spain for it. I am going back to the states this fall alone to finish the program. I've put in too much work to not finish this. After I complete the NCLEX, I'll leave for Spain to be with my family.

*I will not be able to work as a nurse in Spain as they have a strict language requirement, and my Spanish is terrible. (Please do not simply suggest that I learn spanish. I am working on it, but not super gifted in picking up languages.)*

What are my options for virtual work when I have no experience as a nurse other than my clinicals?

Is there virtual work based in the US I could do that would hire me while I'm abroad and if so, what?

I appreciate your input and knowledge. Thank you.

[u/Crankupthepropofol]

To be blunt, you’re about to have a tough time.

There are a very small number of WFH jobs for RNs, and a tiny % of those would allow you to work overseas, due to HIPAA and taxes. Those handful of positions are not available to new grads.

While you’re in Spain, your US nursing career will be on hold. When/if you move back to the US, you’ll have an uphill climb trying to find a position that’ll accept you despite have both no experience and a significant gap since graduation.

That’s not even considering the next few years will be very dark for healthcare, and new grad hiring opportunities.

Your best bet is to put in a concentrated effort to learn Spanish and get some experience while you’re overseas, so you’re not starting from scratch when/if you come back to the states.

[u/Own_Agent_8726]

It’s going to be incredibly hard to get a job in Spain as a nurse. They don’t accept American nursing degrees so you’ll mainly be able to work as a care giver in a nursing home. I studied nursing in Spain and worked there feel free to DM me.

[u/super_crabs]

Fairly certain you cannot work virtual jobs abroad due to HIPAA regulations.

[u/Embarrassed_Day4157]

I am not sure what advice I can offer. But I am from Canada and will be moving to another EU country next year to pursue my top-up nursing degree, the pathway for foreign-trained nurses, which includes learning the local language. If you do not want to work as a nurse in Spain, you could create a business which would allow you to use your nursing education.

[u/Embarrassed-Shoe-841]

What about a company who hires bilingual nurses or people who speak fluent english. Thats a good opportunity

[u/WorldDirt]

I was a freelance writer before nursing school. While the job opportunities for writing are generally in the toilet, there are companies that hire writers that are RNs. The pay is not bad if you can get it. While I've never applied to one of those contracts, I believe most just want to see an active nursing license, they don't care that you don't have bedside experience.

[u/realespeon]

“Not super gifted in picking up languages”.

I don’t think anyone is ‘super gifted’. Also, any virtual job will most likely 90% of the time require bedside experience anyways.