So, I am now finally looking to begin some real investigation into jobs in Europe. I am not located there already and I haven't settled on a location. But I have the list narrowed down to the following countries:
1) Germany
2) Austria
3) Switzerland
4) [Northern] Italy (Südtirol)
5) The Netherlands
6) any Scandanavian country
7) UK
Ireland
That is somewhat in a preference order. West-Central Europe, followed by Scandinavia, followed by the British Isles. I am a native English speaker (US), and have a sound grasp on German (enough that I am spending more of my time on learning dialects, like Bavarian and Swiss-German, and I am pretty certain I could pass the B1 exam without any additional study). That being said, I wouldn't be opposed to living in other areas that would be similar culturally and not too far linguistically (I can pick of quite a bit of Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages aren't horribly different when reviewing the written word). I would like to work in these places for the experience and to be close to all of the places and things there are to experience in Europe... extended weekends in different places, etc.
Now, my first thought has been to find work with my existing employer as we made a major acquisition in the past couple of years, but we are still in the "integration" phases. I could largely just transition into a similar role, which is what I would like to do. But, if that doesn't look like it will pan out within the next couple of years, I want to be at a point where I can make the decision and hit the ground running in a search.
I have witnessed others try to go this route and some of their challenges have been related to education (Switzerland, for instance, doesn't want immigrants without a completed undergraduate degree). So, I am covered there... BS and MS in IT-centric majors. I am highly certified and have been for nearly 15 years (tons of Microsoft, security, and some expired but easily retested Cisco certifications). I have tons of experience. In fact, given the data regulatory climate in Europe (most notably Germany), my specialty, that appears to be diminishing here in the US, seems to be thriving.
My family members all have their passports (just over a year ago), so plenty of time left on those. Also, I think that it would be a good opportunity for my kids, in particular those that are nearly finished with high school, to study in Europe for college where it is relatively inexpensive.
So, what are some of the more respected (both from a job-seeker and employer perspective) recruiting companies that you are aware of? I have one acquaintance (the fellow with issues working in Switzerland) that is working in the UK and a former colleague that is working in Munich; those are the only expats that I know of. I am not intending to move forever or become a citizen of one of these countries.
