WHILE a number of Myanmar students and professionals abroad say they face daily challenges, most insist that the benefits are worth it.

Ma Aye Aye, a 27-year-old reporter who recently went to live in Singapore with her husband, says the language barrier is her biggest problem.

“I had some difficulty when I first arrived in Singapore because people mainly speak Chinese. When people do speak English, I sometimes find it hard to understand them,” she says.

Ma Aye Aye, who previously worked as a reporter, said that although she has not yet found a job in the four months she has been in Singapore, people in other fields would probably have a better chance of success.

“I think anyone in accounting, IT or engineering would find it easier to get a job than me,” she says.

One of these people is her husband, an IT executive. She says Singapore's IT sector is highly competitive.

“Because it is so competitive everyone must continually update their skills to have any stability in their jobs. Most employers are quick to hire and just as quick to fire.”

Despite the challenges, Ma Aye Aye says the salaries make living in Singapore worthwhile.

“Even sales assistants earn 800 to 1000 Singapore dollars every month,” she said.

While many Myanmar people move to other countries in Asia in search of work, some choose to go even further abroad, like Ko Zay Ya Kyaw, who moved to the United Kingdom two years ago to work for a major media organisation.

He says the number of people trying to get the same job made it a battle to win the position.

“I was not even shortlisted when I applied for the job the first time but on my second attempt I got it. It’s very competitive and I had to take several tests and interviews,” Ko Zay Ya Kyaw says.

When he first started he did a training course in the use of equipment and writing stories for specific purposes.

Just like Ma Aye Aye, Ko Zay Ya Kyaw said the main problem he encounters working in UK media is overcoming the language barrier. But far from discouraging him, Ko Zay Ya Kyaw says it has only encouraged him to work harder. And he says there are plenty of benefits – apart from a healthier salary – to working abroad.

“I’ve had better chances to study in the UK. It is more challenging to study journalism in a language that is not your mother tongue.”

Many Myanmar students also go overseas to study and increase their chances of finding work abroad once they have finished.

Ko Thiha is midway through a master’s degree scholarship program at the University of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.

Ko Thiha's previous work in the media allowed him to sidestep the requirement of an English language certificate, which graduates need.

He says the course requires postgraduate students to have extensive knowledge of the topic in which they are specialising. But to participate in group discussions he admits that he has to read all the time.

“If I don’t understand enough to discuss a subject in class, it's very difficult. I'm doing a master’s course, so the professors don’t give lectures. Instead, they raise an issue and we’re expected to give our opinions,” he explains.

Ko Thiha said that most Asian students find it difficult to express themselves during discussions. He says Thai education practices differ from what he was accustomed to in Myanmar.

“Thai education focuses on teamwork and I often see group of students working on a project or task. But Myanmar students are not good at group work and prefer to work individually,” he says.

However, Ko Thiha said he was learning to adapt and was enjoying the advantages of working in team.