Who here lives/works in Europe

So I am a bit curious, I am cooped up here in the states and wanting to explore and travel a bit. My sister has been expressing, wanting to travel through Europe and I find that idea attractive as-well. For me though, I would like to find a job, and not a contract position. I wonder which countries are the easiest (if any) for say someone with Cisco/MS Server experience (I assume they use Cisco and Microsoft...).

What I am curious about is this:

For those who live in Europe (please state where- just country/or those who know the answer), what kind of skills or competition am I looking at to potentially get a job there, making good pay? Even entry-level?

Currently slated:
MCSA for 2012 r2 (for a potential government job here in the states)
CCNA Security

Curious how much certifications matter outside the US (the gist here I get in my interviews is a certification is more valuable than a college degree- up for debate- even though I am thinking of getting both).

So yeah, how hard would I have to study/get certs/learn my craft to be a worthy contender to say, the locals who are citizens in said country?

Thanks

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Comments

thomas_

I don't live in Europe, but I think you will run into visa issues and hiring preference laws like you would if you were a foreigner trying to work in the US.

In order to work legally you would have to apply for a residence/work visa. Even when you get a residence/work visa, it's likely that the residents of the country would receive preferential treatment ahead of you, followed by residents of other countries of the EU, followed by non-residents that have been there longer than you.

I'm not saying it can't be done, there's just some things you might have to work out other than just being qualified for the job.

yzT

yeah, it's not easy to move here, just as it's not easy to move to US.

Speaking about opportunities, the top countries are UK, France and Germany. You got other places like the Netherlands where there is a good software industry as well. However, you have to bear in mind one thing: although most positions require that you are proficient in English, once you are off work "no one" is going to speak to you in English (unless you are in UK of course). So if you want to have a comfortable life, you better start learning the language of the country you want to move.

fredrikjj

yeah, it's not easy to move here, just as it's not easy to move to US.

I think that depends a lot on the country. In Sweden for example you can get a work visa without much trouble as long as you can secure a job. There's no H1B style "have to look for a Swedish candidate first" like you have in the US. Just get the job, file paper work, wait, move and then work. It seems like a logistical nightmare to me personally, but on paper it's a lot easier than in most countries. Your biggest problem will probably be to convince an employer that you're worth the trouble. My hunch is that it's mostly used by international companies to get foreign people to their Swedish branch offices.

Work permit requirements - Swedish Migration Agency [NS4 version]

jjs1234

If sweeden, how would I find the requirements for said jobs?

Yes I could go to a company that has a website there, but I am curious if their is another like jobs.com for jobs in Sweden or any other country?

UnixGuy

As far as I know, Sweden (or any EU country for that matter), employer has to prove that there is no local candidate within the country or EU that can fill the position - but I could be wrong.

Levithan

What the others have said is true, although I have something to add as well

The employer must be able to prove that the potential position cannot be filled by a local candidate (read citizen) of their own country. And as such, the preferred order always follows:

1. Citizen of country

2. EU Citizen

3. All others

From my understanding, if you are an EU citizen, the above rule does not apply, since you do not need to be sponsored for a work visa. Generally EU citizens can work anywhere in the Schengen zone, so long as they are offered a work contract.

I don't know everything that is entailled in applying for a work visa if you are from the US, but I do know that you must have a company to sponsor your visa. If you were married to an EU citizen I believe it could be somewhat easier, but don't know for sure....

The other thing I wanted to add is the language.

No matter where you go, you will be expected to be able to speak and write in at least a semi-fluent manner.

Speaking English is rarely an advantage to seeking a job if its your only language, mainly because the amount of people who speak English in central/northern Europe is quite high. Especially in Scandinavia, almost everyone speaks almost fluent English, mainly because of the fact that English movies and television are not overdubbed (in comparison with the German speaking countries, for example).

Only when your skills are above and beyond everyone else's ability can you expect to have any sort of advantage in the European market, if you are coming from outside of it....

One more thing....

I must say that looking at the job market in the US, you'd probably be better off doing a 6 month to 1 year contract job, saving, then going abroad and traveling for an extended period. Contracts (and jobs in general) in the US seem to be paying noticably more than most in Europe these days, from what I've seen at least....

I wish you good luck!

fredrikjj

UnixGuy wrote: »

As far as I know, Sweden (or any EU country for that matter), employer has to prove that there is no local candidate within the country or EU that can fill the position - but I could be wrong.

Yes, I think that's actually true for candidates from outside the EU so I was mistaken in my earlier post.

LeBroke

fredrikjj wrote: »

I think that depends a lot on the country. In Sweden for example you can get a work visa without much trouble as long as you can secure a job. There's no H1B style "have to look for a Swedish candidate first" like you have in the US. Just get the job, file paper work, wait, move and then work. It seems like a logistical nightmare to me personally, but on paper it's a lot easier than in most countries. Your biggest problem will probably be to convince an employer that you're worth the trouble. My hunch is that it's mostly used by international companies to get foreign people to their Swedish branch offices.

Work permit requirements - Swedish Migration Agency [NS4 version]

So what you're saying is, I should get a job at IKEA?