Foreign Advice for Courier Work

There are plenty of great reasons to seek international courier work: travel to new places, experience of different cultures and a general opportunity to see some new towns, cities, landscapes and landmarks to break up the monotony of the roads in Britain. The chance to drive through actual mountains and sprawling forests must make a change from chugging your way through Staffordshire - though no one should deny the unique charms of Lichfield.

If you get the opportunity to take up courier work that involves travel to the continent then you should grab it with both hands, but here are some things to bear in mind when you roll out onto foreign tarmac.

Give Us a Clue
It can often be difficult communicating with someone when neither of you speak the other's language, but you want to be very careful when resorting to charades in another country. You'd be surprised by how many of the gestures you think are obvious are actually very culturally specific. In fact, in Bulgaria the locals shake their heads for 'yes' and nod for 'no' - that should keep courier work in the country nice and interesting for you! Take your time, use maps and try to ensure as far as possible that you are understood and that you understand.

We don't do it like that in Britain
Quite possibly not, but there are probably many things that are different back in old Blighty - if you're not actually in Britain then this is a completely academic point. It doesn't really have anything to do with anything how things are done in another country, you're a guest and when it's someone else's house, it's their rules. The 'we don't do it like that in Britain' attitude can give the Brits a very bad name and will lead to you receiving resentment and less cooperation than would be ideal. If you want an easy life during your courier work, make sure you tailor your behaviour to suit the host culture.

I'll sort this mess out
When people do something differently, it doesn't necessarily mean they're doing something worse - and they really don't like to think that their alternative approach constitutes 'a mess'. Even if things do seem to be going awry, the route to success usually involves diplomacy. If you insult someone they'll be far less willing to help you fix a situation. People of all nationalities make mistakes - don't for a moment suggest that it is due to being 'typically' of a specific nationality that they have caused problems for you.

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.