Anyone considering working aboard for a time after graduation should examine possibilities in Singapore. Business is booming and labour shortages are so great that the government has funded an organisation, Contact Singapore, to recruit globally.

"In Singapore, we create 25,000 high-end jobs every year," says Linda de Mello, director of Contact Singapore's London office. She was in Dublin for last week's Graduate Careers Fair 2000 in the RDS.

New graduates can expect to earn around £1,000 sterling per month, plus bonus, but the cost of living and income tax are low. Accommodation is relatively cheap - about £230 sterling per month for a two-bedroom apartment.

Then again, you could volunteer to work in Africa via APSO - the Agency for Personal Service Overseas. The positions are normally for two years and APSO covers travel, insurance and housing costs and supplies a living allowance. APSO, which recruits three times each year, is experiencing particular shortages of people qualified in computing, agriculture and health.

According to APSO placement officer, Rosemary Hanna, the age of volunteers is increasing. "The average age is now 38," she explains. "The motivation is changing. We used to get more younger people who wanted to go away for excitement. Now we find it's people who are mid-career, often with high-powered jobs and salaries, who want out of the rat-race."