So you've just graduated from college and decided to spend a year or two in the UK. It doesn't take long to find that the money you have been saving doesn't go as far as you expected. Living expenses are more than you expected. You soon realize that you are eating the same fish and chips from the local pub the avoid running out of money. You could give up and go home early, but you won't settle for that. You've come too far to turn back this soon. You need to find a job.

Being in another country can be scary when you're not familiar with the area. As if culture shock weren't enough, you're constantly faced with new experiences. You never know what to expect next.

The first thing you have to do when you decide to work abroad is convince yourself that nothing is impossible. After all, you're already ahead of most of your peers. According to a survey conducted by the American Council on Education, 93 percent of undergraduates who said they wanted to travel abroad in their lifetime never did.

Unless you have a European Union passport, you'll need an international work permit. This is a must if you want to work legally in another country. You can apply from abroad and in most cases; you can apply from inside the UK. The cost of an international work permit is 150 (about $300 USD). Work permit applications are dealt with through the Home Office Border and Immigration Agency and in many cases, can be processed in within two weeks.

International work permits are valid for work until a certain date. Some work permit arrangements are only short-term immigration categories, while others can provide you with a route to permanent residency.

Now for the fun part. To find paying work overseas, you may want to consider some of the following options.

1.) Freelancing: If you have experience in graphic design, writing, information technology or other professions where work is often contracted, consider marketing yourself as a freelancer. Extensive research in finding employers will pay off with a flexible schedule that allows for travel. Freelancers.net is an open database for UK and global Internet freelancers. It gives users the opportunity to be listed and to search for freelancers.

2.) Au pair: Working as a part-time nanny is popular summer work in the UK. Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 27. As an au pair, you gain a great deal of childcare experience and often do light housework. Most au pairs work between 25-30 hours per week. Cosmopolitannannies.com

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