Hey all,

Names TJ and i just finally finished my tourism collage course for cert 3, 4 and diploma.

Im 21 years old and im slowly getting tired and bored of Australia and want to experience the world and get out and enjoy it while i am still young, single and not tied down at the moment .

My question is that, where in Europe would be a great place to pack up and go? My english is great, i have an intermediate understanding of German (can pick it up again very fast) - (born in Germany). My qualifications is retail sales for computer electronics for 5 years and managment experience and now qualification for tourism.

I would like a place where there is a good amount of tourism jobs (i know at the moment in economy downfall its hard to find jobs where ever you go) - but where would be a good place? Im aiming to go into the airline (airport) industry.

While the other factor is of course, living costs. I don't have a huge amount of money and when i get a job i would like to be covered for my living costs (and maybe abit on the side to save if possible).

The community would be nice and helpful, somewhere where you make friends easily and be a safe environment. In terms of language, well i would prefure english being the main, but like i said i know a decent amount of German to get me up and going and would be able to pick it up fluently quite quickly. Other languages that would be new to me, i wouldnt mind learning a new language all together, but once again, have areas that are english aswell, so i can practice, converse with others etc.

I think that is what i was looking at, if anyone could be kind enough and help me in this time, it would be much appricated!

Also, if you need any other info from me, ask ahead and ill try my best to answer it.

,
TJ

welcome to flyertalk, teejay21

do you have any european citizenship? - you were born in Germany but didn't tell about your citizenship ... you'll need it to be able to work legally here. (or apply for a working visa)

Thank you for your welcome .

I unfortunately don't have any Euro citizenship and or passport etc. I only currently hold an Australian Passport and am an Australian citizen. Came to Australia when i was 3 on my mums German passport and got nationalised when i was 7. So never had a German passport to begin with what was my own.

I'm not familiar with German immigration/nationality law but are you entitled to something like a work permit as you were born in Germany? This maybe something worth investigating. as I understand Germany does not allow dual citizenship.

The other option is the UK, it's a fairly well worn path by Australians (I got back from 2.5 years over there about 6 months ago). I can't really give you much advice as to what your experience/qualifications will get you in London (I was working in banking) but I would imagine as a working holiday-maker you would probably be earning around 9-10 pounds/hour, depending on what you're doing. Be aware though that the cost of living in Europe and especially in the big cities, London, Paris etc is considerably higher than most anywhere in Australia so you will need to factor that into your budget.

The biggest issue you will have is that you will only be on a working holiday visa and making the switch to a more permanent work permit maybe difficult to get, since it will invariably require some form of work sponsorship which is costly to the company. At least that's the case in the UK.

Welcome to FT too, you won't find a more knowledgeable and helpful crowd on the net. ^

I think in this case you lost your German citizenship since your mother and you took the Australian citizenship.

I think the easiest for you is to go the UK since they have these special visas for Australians. In case you want to go to Germany you can apply for a resident permit and work permit after you entered Germany. Still I recommend to take a look on the website of the Germany Embassy in Australia or top contact them. To get resident permit takes a lot of paper work and you have to show a lot of documents to the authorities. So better to get it done before hand.

Germany has a WHV program for Australians too. Most EU countries that Australia allows into our own WHV program have reciprocal arrangements.

Thank you all for your comments so far!

I have had a look at Working Holiday Visa's and they sound to be a good idea to go on "trial" before "buying".

My question is, because im in Australia and in order to get a working visa, either UK, Germany, or anywhere else - they would require a job first? or would it just mean i can go to one of these places and spend upto 12 months and it will allow me to get a job and work within the country for the given amount of time?

Also, regarding job searching. In Australia you can go to various job sites, jobsearch, seek, careerone, and so forth. For UK and Germany for example, what popular job advertisment websites are there for "Working Holiday Visa Applicants", are there any special websites for WHVA, or do i just have to search furiously on the normal websites that have jobs available?

Sorry for all the questions!

Thanks!

,
TJ

The UK system has been changed in the last 12 months and is now called the "Youth Mobility Scheme", IMO it's more flexible than the old WHV in that it does not assume that the primary purpose of your visit is holidaying and the work is incidental to that.

You do not need a job offer for either the YMS or any WHV, this includes the United States, although there program restricts the type of work you can do. Having a job offer would probably invalidate your eligibility for a WHV as the work should be "incidental" to the holiday.

Note though that with the changes in the UK it is now a much better system, where previously you would be given a two year visa with the ability to work for one year you are now able to work for the full two year period. Most WHV still have the the work restrictions placed on them and/or only run for 12 months. Some, including Australia's, only allow you to work for the same employer for 3 months at a time. They all have different rules however the basic principles are the same. Which is why the new UK YMS is better suited to someone who wants to move to a different country to work.

As far as job searching goes for the UK try Gumtree. Although there maybe specialist sites dedicated to the field you want to work in.

Also if you are set on the UK then it might be good to ask one of the mods to move this over to UK forum where you will get some great advice from people who live in the UK.

Thanks again for the reply.

The UK system sounds much more flexible and provides more options for holiday workers.

Been looking at UK and German forums and so forth and im still considering one of the two - but leaning towards Germany, mainly due to the living arrangments of where i can stay with my relatives rather than rent an apartment what would save me a whole heap of money.

In the end it will more than likely come down to what jobs are available within the country and how easy it is to find a job.

I would also look at what your ability to extend is. 12 months is not a long time. Look at other factors aside from rent free living, where are you going to have more fun. With your qualifications how easy will it be for you to extend. Most working visas require at a minimum a bachelor's degree. What are the chances of being able to get sponsored by a potential employer? If it turns out that it's quite low that you will get sponsorship at the end then you may want to consider the UK which will at the least give you an additional year.

My own opinion is that if I were to move to the other side of the world I probably wouldn't want to be living with family. Take the opportunity to strike out on your own, in the long run it's good for you.

Another possibility is to attend university in Germany and to study for a few semesters. Tuitions are very low (500€ at the most). Take a look at the DAAD website.

Thats true, i didnt think of that 100%. Personally, UK would be "easier" in a sense for me to work, make friendships and get around than Germany. When you say most working visas require a min bachelors degree, couldnt you still go there and work at a "non skilled" job? Ive been reading that alot of people go and get bar jobs, fruit/farm picking and so forth while over there?

On the Youth Mobility Scheme there is only an age, nationality and cash requirement (I think it's about �1900 to show you can support yourself if need be) in order to get the visa, which lasts two years. If you want to extend your stay past the two years then you would probably need a bachelor's degree in order to satisfy the points requirement for the highly skilled migrant program. on the YMS you are able to choose whatever work you want.

Ahh, i get it . Thanks!

Those requirements look fairly simple to comply.

Could you recommend some websites i could check out regarding a YMS, and maybe a couple of YMS job websites if possible?

That would be great!

See post 8.