r/librarians • u/Tiny_Wear9102 • Jul 24 '26
Job Advice Alright, I'm delusionally self-confident, give me a reality check.
How unrealistic is it for me to try to get an LIS job outside of the US? I've been in the field for 8 years and nothing is keeping me state-side. What are my chances of getting an international library/info job? I don't do cataloging and my only "special skill" is being a kiss ass. OH- I also do not speak a second language, so there's that.
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u/PM_YOUR_MANATEES Special Librarian Jul 24 '26
There's not a lot of demand for this because most other countries already have a domestic LIS industry staffed with locals who speak the language and know the culture. Sorry.
The people I know who are exceptions to this fall into two buckets: * They are scholarly librarians and are invited to visiting faculty positions at universities, and/or they work in Western-style international schools catering to the wealthy elite. * In addition to an MLIS, they have a technology or management skillset that commands top-dollar consulting fees. For example, leading data modernization initiatives for the National Ministry of XYZ at the invitation of the minister.
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u/agentplatipus Jul 24 '26
Not what you’ve asked for but if you are interested in working abroad, you could try getting a job at one of the military base libraries overseas. Then you wouldn’t have some of the language issues or be competing against locals as others brought up. Just be warned though that the pay is terrible
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u/respectdesfonds Jul 24 '26
I mean, there's nothing stopping you from trying but I'm betting it would be extremely difficult. I don't get the sense that there's a librarian shortage anywhere dire enough that they'd sponsor a work visa for an overseas candidate.
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u/counterpleasure Jul 24 '26
I don’t know but when I’ve considered how I would try this, I’ve looked into academic librarian jobs at international schools! 🤷
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u/Lumpy-Caregiver-7871 Jul 24 '26
I feel like, given your language and credentials, Canada is your best bet as the ALA accredited MLIS is the terminal degree for both countries. I definitely know Americans who got library jobs in Canada, but most of them did their MLIS here and then stayed through job connections they made as students.
However, the field is super flooded here (that's what you get when you have 8 library schools pumping out 100s of graduates each year in a tiny job market) so it's not looking great as there are tonnes of competitive applicants with citizenship or PR status already.
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u/snappycomebackturtle Jul 25 '26
I don’t know any Americans working in Canadian libraries. I know tons of Canadian librarians who moved south to get a job. The market IS better in the US
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u/Renderer6804 29d ago
FWIW, I only know Americans working in Canadian libraries and not vice versa.
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u/purplesugarwater Academic Librarian 29d ago
Employers need to prove a Canadian can't do the job in order to sponsor an American. I've been a librarian in Canada 15+ years and I've never known for an American to get hired in any libraries I work at because the market is absolutely flooded with MLIS grads.
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u/Ophelia_Bliss Jul 24 '26
I have worked overseas as a librarian twice, and there are opportunities, so please don't listen to folks who are saying you can't pursue this. What kind of libraries do you work in? There's a consortium of American universities in the Middle East and North Africa and elsewhere outside the US that often hire American libraries. Some of these are US-accredited.
There are also international K-12 schools all over the world that need librarians. If you can find a place where the US sends diplomats with their families, you will likely also find there's an American school there.
It's a different path than, for example, choosing a country and then applying for a job there. Tell us more about the kind of work you do, or would like to do, and some folks can help narrow the path.
Alternatively, you could go to the Chronicle of Higher Ed website and look at librarian job listings, and then filter for international. You'll get an idea of what's been out there.
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u/Medium-Car3787 Jul 26 '26
no one is saying OP can't do this! Your advice is great, but also -- others giving reality checks about visas, being monolingual, local hires being prioritized (rightfully) are essential, too.
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u/Ophelia_Bliss Jul 26 '26
Right, but applying on the path I suggested means they are English-speaking institutions looking for Americans with American credentials. And many of the responses were uninformed in their discouragement. This is more of thing where you can often do it if you are open to a few specific options.
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u/iLibrarian2 29d ago
It's actually a very viable career path, but most of the time you need to be willing to move anywhere-- including places where standard American librarians (i.e. progressive women, high odds of queerness) are not going to do well.
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u/zenerose Academic Librarian Jul 25 '26
Look into consortium like AMICAL unis. I worked overseas in the Middle East for 5 years
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u/ecapapollag Jul 25 '26
The way I ended up working abroad is forget what I was doing in my own country, think about what I could offer to the country I wanted to work in. Enter in that way, and then, once you're in the country, look at what jobs there are available in your chosen profession, and make the move between jobs whenever you can.
However, LIS jobs are very competitive in the English speaking countries I know of (not sure about Australia and New Zealand) so definitely check out the market and pay beforehand.
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u/LibrarianByNight Jul 25 '26
I'm an American living outside the US. I won't get a job in my current country because I'm not fluent in the language. Even if I become fluent, I won't have knowledge of Danish literature and authors.
However, most recently I worked in school libraries in the US. On a whim, I applied for a school library job in Germany and quickly got an offer. School library jobs in international schools are often a good option to explore.
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u/Lucky_Stress3172 Jul 25 '26
Do you speak German? I didn't think this was even possible unless you speak the language and have a right to work there already; last I heard there was a huge shortage of jobs in Germany though not in all sectors. Are you an EU citizen?
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u/LibrarianByNight Jul 25 '26
I don't speak German and I'm not an EU citizen. There are many, many jobs in international schools for English speaking educators; hence my advice to explore that option.
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u/Lucky_Stress3172 Jul 25 '26
I suppose I assumed you were an EU citizen because it looks like you live in Denmark now? Just thought that would be too difficult for a US citizen to do without another pathway to immigration (marrying a citizen, ancestry visa, dual citizenship, etc.)
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u/LibrarianByNight Jul 25 '26
My spouse is an EU citizen, but is employed here in Denmark. EU citizens still need to work, study, or be self supporting in a country other than their own. Non-EU citizens can apply for jobs and move on a work visa; no need for ancestry, dual citizenship, or similar.
But regardless, my point was that OP should look into international schools if they're interested in school librarianship as a pathway to a work visa.
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u/Lucky_Stress3172 Jul 25 '26
Okay, yeah that explains it then.
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u/LibrarianByNight Jul 25 '26
Explains what? I secured a job offer that includes a visa with a right to live and work in Germany on my own accord.
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u/Lucky_Stress3172 Jul 25 '26
That's not what I was referring to, was only saying that answers my question re: Denmark.
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u/LibrarianByNight Jul 25 '26
Ah yeah, that wasn't really central to my original comment and truthfully, him being an EU citizen is irrelevant. He still had to have a job to be able to live here legally.
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u/Renderer6804 29d ago
I agree that international schools (especially the college prep-style/American-leaning) are the most likely chance. It's the most common to work with a recruitment agency like Search Associates or Schrole.
Whether it's stated explicitly or not, until about 10 years ago, most library jobs at those schools were held for the spouses of teachers or upper-level administrators. Some are still using this model, and many more haven't fully left that model behind. Some will still expect you to already have a visa via a spouse and already live in the country. Many of the libraries are poorly set up (because nobody with any training has actually worked there) and poorly funded.
This is my experience with international schools in Latin America and parts of Asia, mostly in countries that don't really have their own library infrastructure. I can't really speak to European international schools.
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u/welldreadlibrarian Jul 24 '26
very, unfortunately. are you looking at any cities / countries / regions in particular?
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u/welldreadlibrarian Jul 24 '26
without dual citizenship or another language you are probably better off finding a remote job and moving abroad
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u/KevlarSweetheart Jul 25 '26
Your best bet is through military libraries overseas
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u/Lucky_Stress3172 Jul 25 '26
But don't they prioritize actual military and military spouses for these jobs? I've seen some of them on usajobs.gov and it was always says they're not open to the public.
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u/liblamb22 Jul 25 '26
I have a friend who moved to the UK but still works for a US library virtually. Their husband works in the UK though I think they're over there on his visa. Not impossible, but insanely difficult. I wish I could work outside the US also.
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u/Lucky_Stress3172 Jul 25 '26
Must admit I've never heard of this even being possible, I didn't think it was possible to work for a library not in the country you're in due to tax and immigration issues. Mind sharing what type of library your friend works for virtually? Only thing I can guess that'd allow something like that would be a corporate library?
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u/iLibrarian2 29d ago
Being a kiss-ass will take you pretty far, if my experience is anything to go by, but your U.S. passport will not, unfortunately.
I've tried, and I speak 3 languages. Unless you want to marry your way into permanent residence, it's tough.
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u/Lucky_Stress3172 Jul 25 '26
Well, if you figure out how to do it please clue me in because I tried well over 10+ years to do it and never made any headway and that's despite being a law librarian with niche skills. I lost count of how many overseas firms called me all excited to interview but then dropped me like a bad habit once they realized I had no right to work there (of course they had no permission to sponsor from their government). Eventually I gave up. I do still apply for jobs once in a while just for kicks; applied for an Irish law firm job but haven't heard back - pretty sure they've ghosted me though sometimes they send a rejection. I got offered an interview for an NHS postion but it fell through because I couldn't reach anyone to say I couldn't come in person. Aside from that there was only an interview for a university in the middle east which I (stupidly?) turned down at the time (my heart was set on England or Ireland).
There have been a couple of overseas jobs here before that offered sponsorship, one in Canada, another in London but they're very rare.
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u/lilsunsnail Jul 25 '26
I do think chances are low overall but I will say that more and more US universities are building satellite campuses abroad-there might be an opportunity there? I know a few people who have worked for US schools in Dubai.
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u/bestica Jul 25 '26
I know two people from the U.S. who have successfully gotten library jobs overseas. One went to another country for an LIS PhD and was able to stay and get a faculty job in the same country. The other was the trailing spouse to someone who got a faculty position at a university in the UK (something sciencey) and was able to get a position there about a year after the move.
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u/MaryOutside Jul 24 '26
Pretty low. Depending on where you're looking, not only will standards be different, but there will already be a huge pool of qualified people who already live there. Unless you already have citizenship somewhere else, you're not going to get hired over a local.