International Travel Nursing: A Guide to Nursing Abroad

International travel nursing pairs healthcare work with life in another country. Alongside assignments across the United States, you'll find openings in Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. This guide covers where you can go, how to prepare, and what you can earn.

How it works

Like domestic travel nursing, international jobs run through agencies, usually based in your home country. First, get licensed to work as a nurse in the U.S. Then meet the requirements of whatever country you want to work in. Each one sets its own rules, so research is on you.

Where nurses are needed overseas

Opportunities exist worldwide, with high demand in Australia, New Zealand, China, and the Middle East. Areas hit by disease outbreaks or natural disasters often need rapid response nurses who can deliver critical care in the aftermath.

Most agencies won't send you somewhere you don't speak the language. Expect to need at least working knowledge of the local language before you're considered.

What jobs are available

Travel nurses work across nearly every patient population and condition, from low-income clinics to state-of-the-art facilities. International nursing is common: the World Health Organization reports that one in every eight nurses practices in a country other than where they were born or trained, driven largely by nursing shortages, some far worse than the one in the U.S.

You can target your work with a specialty certification. In-demand areas include emergency, medical-surgical, pediatric, intensive care, anesthesia, and labor and delivery. You can earn credentials through organizations like the American Nurses Credentialing Center, though you may need additional certification in your destination country.

How long assignments last

Domestic assignments usually run eight to 26 weeks. Jobs abroad run longer. Plan on at least a year in Australia and Europe and often two years in the Middle East.

If you're curious but not ready to commit, nonprofits and charities offer volunteer placements that run three to six weeks. You won't earn a salary, but it's a low-risk way to test whether international nursing fits.

Who handles travel and expenses

It depends on the agency. Some arrange your travel and housing directly. Others give you stipends to handle it yourself. Ask exactly how each agency operates.

Benefits of nursing abroad

Working overseas exposes you to different procedures and patients, which sharpens your skills while you serve an area that needs you. You also gain communication and language ability you wouldn't build at home.

Between assignments, you can usually take time off, though policies vary. Some agencies cap consecutive days, and extended breaks may affect your benefits, so understand the terms before you book a long trip.

Common perks of international assignments:

• Housing stipends
• Covered travel expenses
• Stipends for food and living costs
• Exposure to new medical techniques
• Stronger communication and language skills
• Life in a new country and culture

What you can earn

Most countries pay nurses less than U.S. travel assignments do, and your pay varies by location and specialty. But lower compensation often comes with a lower cost of living, so your paycheck can stretch further on housing, food, taxes, and utilities. High-paying specialties like cardiac catheterization, oncology, anesthesia, and neonatal intensive care earn more.

Where the money is best

Outside the U.S. and Canada, Europe tends to pay the most, with the highest salaries in Denmark, Luxembourg, Ireland, Norway, and the Netherlands. Other regions can still pay well in practice. Middle East salaries may look lower on paper, but with no income tax and housing and food often covered, your take-home pay can be high.

How compensation works overseas

Pay and benefits depend on your city, country, and agency, so ask for the full breakdown. Typically you'll get an hourly wage that looks modest, supplemented with benefits: furnished housing for the contract, meal and travel stipends, and often medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, licensing reimbursement, and end-of-assignment bonuses.

Education requirements

You can find international assignments as an LPN, RN, or APRN, depending on the location. Your license has to be in good standing and your degree from an accredited school, and you'll need to meet the destination country's licensing rules. Start by earning your degree and U.S. nursing license.

Licensing and certification

After your program, pass the NCLEX to apply for a U.S. nursing license. RNs and LPNs take different versions of the exam. APRNs take the certification exam for their specialty.

Then secure whatever credentials your destination requires. That might mean a test, a certification, or a full new program. You may also have to prove you can speak the country's primary language, which applies even to English-speaking countries like Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, where English-language tests are standard for work visa applicants.

You'll also need a passport, visa, work permit, and any required sponsorship. Countries set their own document lists: birth certificate, immunization records, professional references, and sometimes transcripts to verify your education. The full process can take a year and can get expensive.

Finding overseas jobs

Travel jobs run through agencies, and different agencies serve different locations and specialties, so work with more than one. Some already hold contracts to place nurses abroad, which helps if the testing and licensing feel overwhelming. Understand the tradeoffs first, like the share of your pay the agency keeps.

Questions worth asking an agency:

• What locations do you serve?
• How is the pay package structured?
• What health insurance do you provide?
• Do you offer free housing or a stipend?
• Do you offer paid time off?
• Are there signing or end-of-assignment bonuses?
• How much time can I take off between assignments?

Jobs through the Department of Defense

If you'd rather not navigate agencies, the U.S. Department of Defense posts international nursing jobs on USAJobs. You'll still need to meet the destination country's requirements, but you'll get guidance through the process. Apply to an open listing, and if selected, the department helps you get set up. Postings come and go, so set job alerts to catch new ones.

Living abroad

Nursing overseas is exciting and disorienting at once, and being far from family and friends can bring on homesickness. A few things make the transition easier. You may be able to bring a partner, depending on your contract and housing, or pair up with a friend who's also a travel nurse and target the same agencies and locations.

You might be able to bring a pet, but each country sets its own rules. Expect to need an import permit and a vet health assessment, and be ready for possible quarantine on arrival.

Pack light. Agencies usually furnish housing, so clothing and personal items are often all you need. Arrive early enough to settle into your apartment, sort out a rental car, and learn the city. It also helps to visit the medical facility before your start date: meet your manager, tour the unit, and ask about orientation and daily duties.

Once you start, you may get a day or two to learn the unit's protocols, but expect to jump in fast. Ask questions, lean on your experience and certifications, and take in the chance to learn the trade while seeing the world.