An international Masters degree doesn’t just broaden your professional skills – it can also give your career a strong head start when you return home.

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A Masters degree is all about expanding your academic and professional horizons, and this especially the case if you complete it in another country. The advantages of doing your degree abroad are obvious: the chance to further your language skills, experience in different working environments, and an array of friendships and contacts to take with you to your new career.

Alongside the academic benefits, an international Masters degree tells your employer that you are very likely to have a range of valuable personal qualities. It shows that you’re prepared to think outside the box, are not afraid of challenges, and are willing to expand your horizons. A Masters degree earned abroad proves that you are flexible and have the ability to flourish professionally in difficult circumstances.

Gaining an edge with an international Masters degree


Having made the cultural exchange once, however, many students find themselves wishing to go back home. It makes a lot of sense – a return will give you the opportunity to enter the job market at a higher level than you would do otherwise. It will also help you combine the knowledge of your home country with your new-found experience gained elsewhere.

Also read: The Unique Advantages of International Studies

Regardless of whether you want to continue with your studies or enter the professional world, getting a Masters abroad is a way to make sure that you stand out from the crowd. This advantage can be maximised by being selective in the jobs for which you apply. Research matters a great deal here: you can maximise the potential of your degree by making sure that you apply to firms that are active in a field for which your Masters education has prepared you.

It is also worth remembering that the language skills you picked up abroad may be more valuable than they first appear. French, for example, is widely spoken across much of Northern and Western Africa. A company with operations in those regions may find your language ability extremely useful.

It isn’t just your linguistic skills that will be appealing to employers, though. Contacts are always of vital importance in any modern business, and being able to establish international relationships will give you a leg-up not only in applying for jobs, but also in terms of internal promotions within the establishment you join. Likewise, in research and academia, maintaining and developing strong contact links with researchers across the world can have a massive impact on your own work.

Dealing with reverse culture shock when you move back home


While a Masters programme completed abroad has many advantages, it is important to remember that moving back to your home country after studying abroad is no mean feat. Entering any new workplace for the first time and facing the job market after being out of the country for a year can be a daunting experience. However, there are a number of things you can do to increase your employability and adjust more easily to your new environment.

While your qualification gives you a real advantage, it’s still important to be prepared for some of the challenges that come with re-entering the job market at home. One of these includes dealing with the cultural shift experienced by Masters students returning home after having studied abroad. Accepting and understanding a new working environment is part of the transition process.

Also read: Taking on a Masters Later in Life

While a Masters programme may bring an increased understanding of working in a variety of contexts, it is worth noting that national business practices can vary a great deal. This difference carries over into academia: not all Masters degrees are the same, and you may struggle to understand the nature of the different programmes, or even their content. Some Masters programmes (typically MPhils) are based on hands-on research, but an MA programme may have a much wider focus.

These differences will be even more striking if you study abroad: Masters programmes in the UK typically last one year, or two for an MPhil programme. In China, all programmes are at least three years long.

After spending a considerable amount of time, money and effort on their Masters degree abroad, graduates may be expecting higher remuneration in their home country. However, severe competition and a lack of work experience may force foreign degree holders to begin at the same level as domestic degree holders.

Readjusting salary expectations is one of the most common challenges for graduates returning home. A 2024 survey of over 9,000 students and parents by New Oriental Education found that returning graduates in China typically received first salaries 23-34% below what they had anticipated.

Adjusting to the work environment


Nevertheless, some are able to earn more than they anticipated because of their competitive expertise and their international experience. Thus, the combination of skills and a foreign Masters degree often impresses recruiters.

More than 90% of education abroad alumni say that education abroad helped them build job skills, according to a 2025 alumni report by The Forum on Education Abroad. Many of the respondents also claimed that studying abroad helped them get their first job or that it helped them advance in their careers.

Those who have completed Masters degrees on the European continent, in places like Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin, may find that the workplace culture they have been exposed to is remarkably different from that of their home country. A year spent abroad will expose you to a variety of different working patterns and cultures, but readjusting could be a challenge.

France was the first country to legislate a formal right to disconnect in 2017, requiring companies with more than 50 employees to negotiate after-hours communication policies with their workforce. By 2024, at least eleven EU member states – including Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece – had introduced their own regulations on the right to disconnect. For graduates returning to countries where no such protections exist, the contrast can present a bit of culture shock. The gap between a workplace abroad and one back home can be significant and it is worth understanding before you start your job search.

Returning from a foreign country with a Masters degree and adapting to the workforce may be challenging. It is important to carefully plan your next move. It is also vital to make sure your degree is valid for the research area or job you want to go into. With careful planning, and by tailoring your applications to highlight the skills and contacts you built during your degree, you have an excellent chance of standing out when you return home.

Originally published: 30 October 2016

Updated: 13 July 2026