LJ

OP: please note the part about health insurance while you are out of the country. It is important that you have the documentation to prove that you are covered available on entry. You can't arrive and then apply...in fact, for extended stay visas in some countries, like Italy, you have to prove you have it before they will give you the visa.

nytraveler

The long term non-working visas you are looking at are aimed primarily at people who want a second home in europe or to retire there. Gnerally they require that you demonstrate significant financial resources (more than enough to live on for the time you will be there), complete health coverage, and that you have no intention of working there illegally. It will be practically impossible for a young person to meet the qualifications.

But, there are I believe, some special student type visas that allow limited work legally (but you may have to be attending a university in the country).

Frank;y, the info I'm aware of indicates that what you're trying to do isn;t really possible legally.

GapTheBridge

Thank you all for your responses! I do understand that all other countries have enough unskilled workers desperate for jobs, especially taking into consideration the economic situation in the world. For this reason, I realize that work-visas are basically impossible for me and would even be difficult with a college degree. I have gotten a response on another forum about au-pair visas. I read about these on the French embassy website a while ago, but I know that France has recently changed its border laws and requirements and I'm not sure if that's still a possibility.
The bit about Ireland, admittedly, has given me a new sense of hope. Thanks a lot, flanneruk! This seems very promising, and I'll be doing more research on that. If anyone has any other information about that, that would be very helpful and I'd extremely appreciate that.
I know I can also get that type of visa for Australia and New Zealand - it wouldn't be in Europe, but it's an option.

LJ

Very good luck to you! it seems as if you have a positive and flexible attitude and that is half the battle.

altamiro

In Germany, if you have a student viusa you are allowed to work for a certain number of hours per month (I don´t remember the exact number). It´s not a lot but can, if you live frugally enough, allow you to survive or at least supplement what you have.

Similar regulations exist in other countries - you don´t need to work "au noir".

GapTheBridge

I think it's pretty tough to get a student visa, though. I don't know any spoken languages that would be relevant in Europe other than English (I took four years of Latin, but that won't be enough to take a course in another Romance language), and to get a student visa, I'd have to enroll at a university and know the language quite extensively...
What are people's thoughts on temporary work visas? I tried researching them on the French Embassy site, but it links me to an informational page that is all in French. suggestions/thoughts?

again, thank you all for your help!

hetismij

I'd say go to Australia and meet all the European gap year students there, then keep in touch with them and you will have places to stay all over Europe in the coming years .

Hans

"I think it's pretty tough to get a student visa, though. I don't know any spoken languages that would be relevant in Europe other than English (I took four years of Latin, but that won't be enough to take a course in another Romance language), and to get a student visa, I'd have to enroll at a university and know the language quite extensively..."

Knowing the language would help but many German universities have courses with English as teaching language. I'm pretty sure that the same applies to other countries.

lincasanova

Language schools also qualify for getting student visas, many of which give credits accepted at US colleges.

LJ

Perugia (Umbria) in Italy specializes in English (and everything else) to Italian language programmes and is often the start of a Gap Year for Europeans. All the wait staff at the hotel we stayed at near Perugia had started as students at the uni there, and then been hired by the hotel to work with tourists. Most, however, were older than you are...I have a hunch you may be a little young for some of these school/work schemes.

Christina

I don't understand the issue with student visas or why you think it is hard to get one. I mean I really don't understand, I thought if you were a student, you could get one, not that it would be difficult. As for the language thing, you don't need to already know a language to study it. You don't need to know any language to study another Romance language. There are lots of schools in Europe whose sole purpose is to teach foreigners languages, and anyone can enroll, even at the basic beginner level. Now that may not be your goal, of course, and you aren't going to be roaming around Europe if you have class, so it isn't the same thing. But you couldn't with a job, either.

There are also some schools with classes in English, of course, business schools in particular seem to be that way. This is not cheap, of course, and isn't a solution of wanting to take off from school and live cheaply.

I know someone who went to live in Prague for a year and he arranged it through Junior Achievement or something like that -- I had never heard of it, but that organization sends people over there to teach classes to native Czech, and it wasn't language, it was basic economics or something. He only has a BS degree, but from a very good school, in economics.

I also know someone who went to Paris for a year under an internship. They have a lot of official internships in France, and basically pay you nothing, but that's the glamor of going, I guess. She was an intern at a French ad angency and barely got enough to get by (no glamorous apt. in the middle of Paris, she shared in a rooming house on the outskirts). Now she really wanted to do that, though, as the French are very good with ads. She just wrote and applied, but I think she knew French pretty well, as well as being a marketing major or something. I think perhaps you are supposed to be a current student to be an official intern, though, not sure about that.

I just read the information on student visas on the French Embassy website, and it doesn't seem that complicated to me, it just asks you some basic information and where you intend to study, how you intend to support yourself, etc. And it says you can work up to 964 hours as a student. I think you have to present some evidence of payment to school or something. Anyway, it doesn't seem difficult to me, but if you don't really want to study there, of course, that isn't the way to go.

hetismij

I don't think the OP wants to study - they want a year off from studying before going back to uni. This is very common for European teenagers, particularly British ones, to do. Usually they work part of the time at home to finance the initial cost of it then go backpacking, either in Europe or they get a visa for Australia and go there. My nephew went on to Australia for 6 months. He worked every hour he could at a local supermarket to pay for it, as well as studying. He also spent the summer at the end of his gap year as a camp counsellor in the US, then toured for a bit, delivering cars across the country to help with the expenses.
My niece went on Operation Raleigh, to work with orang utans. She found that very rewarding. The following summer she worked as a volunteer in Uganda.
There are easier places for a US citizen to do a gap year than Europe, due to the visa problems. Since the US don't allow our teenagers to work there in their gap year on a working holiday visa, Europe doesn't allow them to work here.

If you have a qualification in say sailing then you may find a place to take you on for your living expenses for the summer, teaching kids to sail or whatever.

logos999

Germany:
- You're looking at 6€/hour jobs, harvesting berries or asparagus.
- This income won't pay your rent.
- The polish workers are much better and experienced (And they are legal)
- Stupid idea.

lincasanova

The US does offer a work visa for full time university students for 3 months in the summer, then an additonal 2 months for travelling if they want it.

Unfortunately, not for an entire gap year.

I have crossed paths with MANY young NZ 'ers and Aussies at ski resorts, and they are all on some type of work visa.

So, the US does give out work visas under certain conditions for young people.

My best advice would be to go to a language school for 4-6 months where he would also get credit. Many universities will accept official language school credits. This will be money well spent, and improve his CV in the future.

Not his original plan, but a constructive one.