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Living & Working in Europe

Actually living and working in Europe can be a great form of travel. But how do you find a good job overseas? Do you know of any helpful books or websites for Americans who want to live or work in Europe? Share your thoughts here.

I want to add my comments! 

Teaching Abroad
If you teach at the k-12 level or at a community college, you may be eligible for a Fulbright teaching exchange, sponsored by the U.S. government. Google to get the website, which has all the specifics. The deadline for applications is usually in October. Also, a teacher from my school was able to acquire a position in London this year with a private agency that places foreigners in British schools. It seems that they have a teacher shortage there. I don't know anything more about it; but I could try to get the agency name for people who want to pm me.
Rosalyn <email>
USA   09/16/2009

Nanny part-time/ work part time
There are many American families living overseas with the military. They all need a great sitter for their own weekend excursions. We had a former nanny and friend stay with us for 3 months so she could travel part time and in exchange she watched our son about 15 hours a week. She was also able to get a lot of other work on base which helped fund her travels. With a Flexi pass you could see a lot of Europe and not go broke, plus get some down time every week. Germany has a lot of military families, is beautiful, and centrally located.
Jillian <email>
Heidelberg, USA   08/07/2009

jobs overses
I work for a US defense contractor in Germany in support of the US military. I've been here 3.5 year. You can go to the websites of the major defense contracors and see what oversees openings they have. The money is good, not as good as it once was but still decent. Openings are in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and a few other NATO countries. If you are a teacher you should check out the Dodd's schools they are looking for younger teachers theses days to upgrade the system. another way to go is through the US civil service system and work for DOD or the State department. Also each US base requires support personnel. These jobs generally pay poorly but they provide logistics support which includes abiltiy to buy gas cheaper thatn on the economy and a host of other free services. DOD has anumber of facilites in Europe for military recreation. Those facilities need people in the hospitality industry. uSAjobs.com is a good website to search. also the wesites associated with the various oversees commands, Usareur, USAFE, AFRICOM.
Mark
Ramstein, Germany   06/28/2009

Working in the Netherlands
Regarding Jo from Frankfurt's comments regarding work permits and residency permits. I should have clarified that this was how it is done in the Netherlands per the advice of a lawyer from the Van Velzen law firm by the name of Patrick Rovers. I went to the Netherlands to inquire about working in the Netherlands and He said that I do not need a work permit if I am self-employed and YES, I can be self-employed in the Netherlands without a work permit IF I create my own job or am a freelancer with a body of work. Also, one can actually overstay the three month period tourist limit without a visa per an agreement with the Dutch government Schenegen Agreement (sp?) . Plus, there is a thirty percent rule that allows you to shelter some of your earnings from double taxation between the American government and the Dutch government if certain criteria are met. One does have to register with the dutch police for a living permit and has register with whichever town they plan to live in, but that is a formality if say I were to go over there and open a music venue or restaurant. How it is done in Germany I don't know. I just assumed that if it is done this way in the Netherlands, it would be done this way throughout the European Union. Another way that I heard of is to obtain dual citizenship with a european union country if that country allows it. That can be obtained if you have a first generation parent (usually father) from the country of origin. I have half cousins who live in Sicily, Italy and my mom could get dual citizenship via her father. I wonder if that happens could I then get dual citizenship via my parent (mother)? I don't know. My info is not wrong it is just more specific than was let on to be back in Nov of 2008.
Robert R.
Homestead, Fl  USA   06/01/2009

Hostel It
If you're not in it for the money and just want to find a simple way to fund your travels, you can always try working in hostels. They usually have the "work for stay" type of arrangements where you help out around the hostel for a few hours a week and get free accommodations in exchange. And there are also ones that are actually jobs where you earn a few hundred Euros a week, a place to sleep, and whatever food the hostel lays out for guest (usually breakfast and dinner depending on the hostel). I did it for a few months. I had such an amazing time. Easiest job ever. You get to make friends with people from all over the world and stay long enough to really immerse yourself in another country. All you have to be, is an English speaker.
<email>
CA  USA   05/25/2009

Teaching Abroad
Teaching abroad is an incredibly easy way to experience a foreign culture and travel widely. My husband and I moved to a school in Bulgaria this year and have visited twelve countries since last summer. For an inside look at the teach abroad lifestyle and ideas for travel planning once you are here, check out our blog at: http://fromanotherangle-bb.blogspot.com/
Betsy Potash
Sofia, Bulgaria   05/12/2009

Nurses in Europe
To Jo (Jun 08) and other nurses,

One way to live in Europe is to work for the government. I'm leaving soon to work for the Army at a large hospital in Germany. A friend had e-mailed me a few months ago about an opening at an Air Force base in England. Go to usajobs.com or google civilian personnel Army and check it out. Must be US citizen and will need some experience,
USA   01/23/2009

Yes, you do need a residency permit to work!
It is not allowed in Germany to be self-employed if you do not have a residency permit or work permit. I do not know about other countries, but this information is very incorrect. If you are interested in working in a country, you need to find out from the consulates of this country what you need. Relying on info from a forum before moving to Europe would not be a great idea.
Jo
Frankfurt, Germany   01/04/2009