Any tips for moving overseas?

[Anonymous]

DH and I really want to move overseas but just have no idea where to start to make it happen. Are there job sites that we can search for our top city picks? How should we target jobs/companies if we don't live there - should we say that we are locating in a cover letter and then possibly face the cost of moving ourselves (which we would be willing to do to make it happen)? Any and all tips from those who've been able to do this would be awesome! DH's company doesn't have international prospects, and I would really like to find a new organization to work for. I think we'd be most inclined to live in several international cities in Europe, but we are pretty open to any new experiences if they are doable for a young family (have 2 young kids). All of my relatives actually live in Europe, but DH doesn't want to live in France or Germany.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about Europe, it's probably more difficult, but BIL and his wife and another family I know moved to New Zealand. They have a list of professions for which they need people and if you qualify it's pretty easy to get the right visas/green card equivalent. I think they had jobs lined up or in the works when they went.

[Anonymous]

Where are you thinking about moving and why? I've lived in London and Rome and know Madrid very well and IMHO quality of life is much better here esp with young kids. And I'm sorry to say that finding a job in the middle of this crisis is going to be a challenge. Also, do you need work authorizations or do you have an EU passport?

[Anonymous]

It's very difficult to move to the UK/Europe without the proper visa/entry clearance. If you or your husband are highly skilled, you might be able to obtain a work visa through a sponsored employer, but it's tough seeing as they usually need to prove they cannot fill the position with anyone else from the EU. You should probably start by looking for companies that have US/global locations and likely have sponsorship to be able to hire US employees.

[Anonymous]

I did this a few years ago, to eastern Europe. In fact I lived there long enough that I now have a "green card" equivalent (permanent residency) though I did move back to the US recently.

Need more information. What occupations are both of you in, what level of education do you hold, and are you interested in starting your own business? Immigration in the EU is handled on a per-country basis, and they all have various programs available. For example, I automatically qualify to live/work in the UK based on my education, through the HSMP program.

[Anonymous]

Look for companies here in the States that have overseas offices that are hiring. Or start with a job that is 50% or more international travel, to see where you like and do not like.

[Anonymous]

agree that, if you're not a member of the EU or have an EU country passport, it can be difficult to obtain legal work there.

Look into multinational companies who will sponsor you in a certain country, if you are highly skilled, especially in IT. Sounds like you may not be though.
Also consider teaching English--that is they way to get an automatic job in many countries. Also look at au pair job sites. the fact that you are native English speakers is huge. You may not make much money though, doing either of these things.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the feedback! i do have an eu passport, but i think it would still be easier for us if we can find a "posting" type job. i'm not sure that's feasible for us though (communications and real estate development). any other tips - specifically perhaps on where and how to job search? any job sites to recommend?

[Anonymous]

OP again. sorry, i was also going to add that we have BA/MAs and *might* consider starting our own business (what exactly that would be, who knows we've toyed with dreamed of things like apartment rentals/development). we're not really interested in teaching. we know moving would be a huge lifestyle change (the quality of life we have here is great; for me it comes down to getting back closer to my relatives for my kids to enjoy while they're young) - that said, i don't want to move to be super poor.

[Anonymous]

WHY do you want to move?

[Anonymous]

Having an EU passport makes all the difference. In my/my friends' experience, it is really tough to find a job without being there already. Have you considered doing a longish trip to check things out? You really should narrow down where you are interested in living.

[Anonymous]

10:38 here. If you have an EU passport, then you can just move and work anywhere in the EU. Look into the rules in your desired country for getting a residence permit for your SO and children, but it should not be too difficult. Note those are issued by the country you plan to reside in. (Though in practice, if you have it for any Shengen-area country, no one will notice.)

I'd say research the companies in your field in your desired company and start contacting them. Also, there may be Craigslist or similar sites. However, as others said, your best off going there for a long trip and lining up interviews during that time. Doing a job search from afar is always difficult.

[Anonymous]

My partner found her job in communications (African country) on www.idealist.org.