Times are tough out there right now. Recent college grads are still looking for jobs and those graduating this year are scrambling to secure an open internship if they can find one.

With the economy in the dumps and travel prices at an all time low, it’s a pretty good time to consider a volunteer or work abroad program to get some experience – work and life experience – and sidestep the economy.

So if you can’t find a job, here are our top 10 places to go to get a little work, volunteer or life experience:

1. Bartend in Brisbane – Yes, you could be a bartender at your local, but why not get a little life experience bartending in a foreign country? It’s gotta be easy to make new friends when you’re the one handing out the alcohol.

2. Help Sea Turtles in Costa Rica – Not to totally bring down the mood, but sea turtles are at risk of extinction thanks to illegal hunting and habitat destruction. You can spend a few weeks volunteering to help rescue sea turtle eggs and nurturing them to be returned to the ocean.

Baby Monkeys are Barrels of Fun

3. Be an Au Pair in Paris – The meaning of the term “Au Pair” in French is, “equal to.” This indicates a special status for the Au Pair as an equal in the house, rather than a servant.  Start brushing up on your French.

4. Be a Ski Instructor in New Zealand – You could use some fresh powder, right? Try tackling the mountains of New Zealand and then get trained to be licensed to teach others. STA’s program even helps you find a job after training.

5. Work with Primates in Thailand – If you love the monkey cage at the zoo, this is the perfect gig for you. You can work at a baby primate sanctuary while learning the Thai language and helping conduct outreach and education programs about the sanctuary.

6.  Research Humpback Whales in Brazil – How about spending a few weeks to a few months on a boat studying the behavior and characteristics of humpback whales? If you see marine biology in your future, it would be an awesome learning experience.

7. Help Impoverished Kids in Peru – STA Travel recently partnered with Planeterra to support the Peru Streetkids project, which offers schoolwork and life-skills coaching, including sewing, cooking, music, and English, as well as warm meals to impoverished children. Opportunities are available for all people to support the project by volunteering.

8.  Be a Ranch Hand in Australia – Have you seen the movie Australia? Why not give it a go yourself and work on a ranch in the Outback. You can tend to cattle, ride horses and all of that jazz. Hey, it worked for Hugh Jackman….

9. Work in a kitchen in France – All  of my foodies out there know that France is one of the origins of fine cuisine. From French chefs like Guy Savoy to those inspired by the style of cooking like Anthony Bourdain, where would you rather learn how to bake a soufflé?

10. Travel Round-the-World – If you can’t decide on one destination, how about taking some time to see them all? Learn a little Italian in Italy, see some joeys in Australia and finish it off with some bungee jumping in Cape Town, South Africa.

Make sure to respond with your suggestion for a place to go if you can’t find a job or if you’ve had a great experience with one of the above options.

Make sure to check back the week of April 27 when we will publish all of the Top 30 lists with your contributions.

Photo Credit: alex.ch on Flickr