How can I live in Europe if I just graduated from college?

Question

I want to live in a different first world country other than the US. Is this even possible if i just graduated from college with about 200 bucks. don't have any loans and I majored in History and English from top school.

Answer 1

At 23, with no work experience and your choice in education, I am afraid that you do not fit any of the requirements for a working visa.

You best bet on working in Europe will be as Au Pair, think hard work and little money, nearly no privacy either.

Most of the English language teaching jobs have been taken by UK nationals, who do not need a working permit, so that is a very unlikely way now.

conley39 gave you very good advice, read it well and follow the links he gave. He lives what you are hoping for, so he knows what the look for.

I would say, go to university, (if you can find the funds in Europe) and train for one of the jobs that will get you into Europe if you are really sure you want to do that.

Answer 2

If you're from outside the EU, you can't legally work here without a visa that allows it. If you were from Canada or Australia, there's a working holiday visa available here in Italy and some other places in Europe, but it's not available to citizens of the US (because the US doesn't offer the same opportunity). The normal work visas are a long process. You can check visa requirements at the Italian Ministry website: http://www.esteri.it/visti/home_eng.asp. There will be other sites for each of the countries.

In general in Europe, and in particular here in Italy, you have to have a job lined up in order to get a work visa before you move here from the US, Canada, Australia, or other non-EU country. You can only stay for 90 days without some type of visa (work, student, ...). You cannot apply for the visa while you're here and you'll need the proper paperwork from the company. However, you could come over as a tourist for up to 90 days without a visa and look for work. Then you'd have to go back to the US or where ever and wait for the paperwork for a visa to be processed. There's also a visa available for a working vacation. If you're coming from the US, you'll also have to have skills that can't easily be duplicated here. That will mean a degree in a marketable field. There are lots of different kinds of permessos though - for work as a dependent of a company, self employment, seasonal work, or working vacation. http://www.esteri.it/visti/index_eng.asp

A good strating point for planning this type of move is to do some research on the expat websites for the countries you're interested in. Since you're already an expat in Australia, you may be familiar with this type of site. These are sites for expats in Italy with general info on living and working here:

http://www.us-expatriate-handbook.com/

http://www.expatsinitaly.com/

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listing...

http://www.jobonline.it/

http://italy.jobs.com/

There are similar sites for other countries - just search for the name of the country and "expat". a few examples:

http://www.expats.cz/

http://www.expatica.com/nl/main.html

http://www.expats.org.uk/countryinfo/fra...

http://www.expatexchange.com/net.cfm?net...

http://www.spainexpat.com/

http://www.expatica.com/

http://www.escapeartist.com/

The trick is finding a job that pays enough that you can support yourself. I was fortunate enough to move here through my existing job. There are not a huge number of available jobs right now, and people from the EU will have preference. Available funds will determine what's available to you in the way of housing. Travel is pretty easy here and still not too expensive although prices have gone up a lot in recent months just like everywhere else.

As an American expat, you'll have to file tax returns both here and in the US. You should also be aware that it's more expensive to live here than in the US. For example, gas is roughly equivalent to $10 per gallon now.