What are the minimum qualifications for going abroad for work?
You have a few acquaintances who left your home country and started a new life somewhere great. You often catch yourself daydreaming about doing the same… But then you suddenly decide you don't have the qualifications to make it happen, so you stop thinking about it and go on with your day.
You're not alone, in fact, accordingly to a Gallup Poll, there are around 1 billion people in the world who would like to move out from their birth country as soon as possible. But only a tiny fraction end up even trying it.
The exciting part though is that there are several options available for those who would like to work hard and migrate to a better place. I will mention a few of them, starting with the obvious (and most difficult) ones:
If you have money to invest or a fantastic business idea that can raise venture capital, most countries in the world will find a way to have you with whatever qualification you have.
The same if you are one of the most talented or recognised individuals in your field. You will be all right almost everywhere.
If you can get a job offer from a company from your desired destination, that's pretty much 80% there, and again, you can get one even without a degree.
Now, if you don't fit in the list above, you still have real options ahead of you, and the only question is how much work you are willing to put in. Here's a list of some additional ways:
You can calculate your chances of migrating to countries using a points-based immigration system. Even without a university degree, you can still migrate to some amazing countries (e.g. Australia, Canada and New Zealand)
You can search for countries with a working holiday visa where you usually have the right to work for up to a year or two.
You can apply for a startup accelerator if you have a business idea. As an example, Chile will give you close to USD 60,000 to live there for six months and develop your product or service. You then receive additional visa options to settle in.
You can land in your dream country as a student, initially, and then look for a company to sponsor your visa there. Some countries will allow you to work part-time while you study (e.g. Australia, where you can work up to 20 hours a week).
So to answer the question more directly, there are opportunities to work abroad for people in different skill levels. It gets harder if you have no educational degree at all, but definitely possible as demonstrated above.