Cleopat

<BR>I am wondering how possible it is to find a job in, say the UK? I am a musician/artist type and would like to be involved in the arts (one way or another), but don't know what is possible to do outside of the US. <BR> <BR>I know it would be relatively difficult to guarantee any work pursuing my artistic interests, but maybe I could start with a basic job and pursue the other things on the side. My main concern is living overseas for a couple of years, mainly for the experience and for the opportunities it might allow me. <BR> <BR>Has anyone done this? What does it take to find a job overseas? If you have, please let me know what it was like for you. I would be eternally grateful for your guidance. Where did you live, and what may be the benefits and the difficulties of living in a foreign country?? <BR> <BR>Any and all suggestions are welcome. <BR> <BR>Thanks again! <BR>Cleopat <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Julie

www.expataccess.com has some good information.

Cleopat

<BR> Julie, <BR> <BR> Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely check out this website! <BR> <BR>Cleopat

Ann

Cleopat-finding a job isn't the problem, but getting a visa is. However, if you've recently graduated from college (I think within in the past year or two), you can get a temporary work visa for the UK through an organization called BUNAC. The website is bunac.com or bunac.co.uk or something along those lines. I worked for a summer while I was a student, and they lined up the visa for me. <BR> <BR>However, if you don't qualify under BUNAC, it will be very difficult to secure a visa, unless you have a skill that is in high demand by companies over there. Of course, you can always go over and work illegally, but if you are caught, you may never be allowed back in the country again (in addition to spending a night or two in jail over there). <BR> <BR>I lived in Northern Ireland for a couple of years (husband's from there, so visa wasn't a problem), and really enjoyed it. Well, I hated my job (we both did), but socially it was a lot of fun. If you have the chance to live abroad, do it. You may love it, you may hate it. You may stay forever, you may leave after a year (give it at least a year). But you won't know until you do it. <BR> <BR>One other possibility--do you have a grandparent that was born in Ireland? If so, you may qualify to get an Irish passport, which would allow you to work in the UK. However, the process can take up to a year. Contact the Irish embassy in DC (they also have a website with most of the information you need--forget the exact address).

Cleopat

<BR> Ann, <BR> <BR> I wish I did have a relative who was from anywhere in the UK, but I don't. It sounds like you were very lucky to have the opportunity to live and work in Ireland! I did check out Bunac but they offer their visas for a short period like 6 months or something. I would probably want to stay longer than this, unless there is another way around the 6 month visa they offer? Is there anything else like this for a year or 2? <BR> <BR>Thanks for your help! <BR>Patricia

John

Cleopat, just about the only way you can get a work permit in the UK is to have some employer there need you so badly that they're willing to go through the hoops of applying on your behalf for a work permit for you. Now that's not an impossible thing, but it's not something that can be done easily from a distance. <BR> <BR>I got a permit once I had been in the UK for a while (as a grad student) and had time to go through the same steps you'd go through in the US - network, use your loaf, pester people, etc. It can work, but it takes time and persistance. Things are marginally tougher now that Britain's in the EC and if you don't have a skill in high demand, but that's not terribly different than in the US, right?

Leslie

The easiest way to get a job in the UK is to be employed by a US company (assuming you are a resident of the US) that has an office over there. If you need some help my sister works in London and lives in Surrey, so email me and I'll see what I can do. The only other option is to go to be a student in the UK and then get a job, but you will lose your visa status if you drop out of school. You also might check into being a "nanny/au pair". Your last choice, of course, is to marry a British citizen.

Lauren

I don't know about getting a job in London. <BR> <BR>My daughter went to Europe recently and easily got a job teaching English for Berlitz in Muenster, Germany. She has a work permit for a year and had no difficulty at all getting one. <BR> <BR>I think she would have had a much more difficult time in a major city (say Berlin or Paris), but, if you are willing to live in a less popular place, you might be able to get a job with them too (and a work permit). The problem is that you probably cannot organize this in advance. My daughter was tipped off by a friend that they needed someone immediately (the friend was leaving the same job to go back to school in The States) and was already in Europe. <BR> <BR>Of course, none of this would work in the UK where there is no crying need for teachers of English, but I do know Berlitz hires all the time all over Europe. Please note that they pay is not munificent and there are no benefits. Many who work for them are recent college graduates or retired people who want to travel and work at the same time. You must take Berlitz training and you are not paid for it. They pay you by the hour, I think as an independent contractor. <BR> <BR>If anyone is interested in doing this, please email me privately (yes, I use a "real" email address) and I can give you my daughter's email address.