Where to move in Europe? Ideas please!

annrule3

Hello all-

I am an American looking to move abroad. I would like to telecommute and make American wages but also am willing to look at what other countries offer for salary as well. I have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and have been a licenses private investigator for 15 yrs. I do not know what the demand is for this occupation or industry, in other countries. The countries that really interest me are Italy, France, Spain, Denmark and Germany. However, I live in a very cold state right now and am looking for extremely light winters or somewhere to eliminate them! HATE the cold and snow!!! On another note, I am looking for a wonderful community, small village or big city both are okay. Need public transportation and would love to be in close proximity to markets and restaurants. Safety is a HUGE concern as I will be making the move alone. Does anyone have any recommendations on choosing a location and any web sites with a wealth of information would be appreciated too! My biggest fear is making the move and then being dirt poor. So, income is super important to me so that I can travel and see all of the beauty each country has to offer!

prince of peasants

Northern Europe is your best bet if you dont have a foreign language as most of them speak English well. The Mediterranean countries have a better climate but economy is not so great there but the weather is much better.

annrule3

Thank you for the reply. I am quite scared of northern Europe based on the cold. I live in snow and cold now and honestly- hate it! After a few more days of research. I am thinking about France based on the ease of traveling to the other countries by train. It appears, and I could be wrong- but most train rides are within 5 or so hours of France. This would make my weekend traveling of such ease. My goal is to work part time and travel and site see at every spare moment! I have 2 friends who have now offered to go so if we split the cost of living- this would be an amazing opportunity for all of us!

prince of peasants

I'm in a similar situation to your self. I'm relocating to Barcelona next week to teach English for a while. I'm going to stay there until I get a permanent position in the UAE or Qatar. Can't stand the weather in this country.

syklops

annrule3 wrote: »

Thank you for the reply. I am quite scared of northern Europe based on the cold. I live in snow and cold now and honestly- hate it! After a few more days of research. I am thinking about France based on the ease of traveling to the other countries by train. It appears, and I could be wrong- but most train rides are within 5 or so hours of France. This would make my weekend traveling of such ease. My goal is to work part time and travel and site see at every spare moment! I have 2 friends who have now offered to go so if we split the cost of living- this would be an amazing opportunity for all of us!

What sort of work do you think you can get?

annrule3

I am looking into employment opportunities as well. I have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and have been a licensed private investigator for nearly 15 yrs so I am thinking something in the legal field, if available. But, I am open to anything that will pay my living expenses!

annrule3

Prince f Peasants- does teaching English pay very well? I have heard yes but then I have heard no. I would be interested in journalism.

prince of peasants

annrule3 wrote: »

Prince f Peasants- does teaching English pay very well? I have heard yes but then I have heard no. I would be interested in journalism.

It varies in most places but generally is a bit over minimum wage. Its much higher in the middle east. You can start off on between 20,000-30,000 euro a year tax free teaching in the middle east which includes accommodation. Including tax and accommodation, that's a saving of 10,000 euro a year straight off the bat.

seachto7

prince of peasants wrote: »

I'm in a similar situation to your self. I'm relocating to Barcelona next week to teach English for a while. I'm going to stay there until I get a permanent position in the UAE or Qatar. Can't stand the weather in this country.

I think people need to look past the weather thing. Best of luck in the 40 degree heat in UAE and Qatar but each to their own.

Too cold. Too hot. The weather isn't going to be the main reason as to why someone is unhappy where they are.

The novelty of year round sunshine wears off pretty quickly. I'd be more concerned about what work I was doing than the sun shining every day. But yeah, the rain does get to you here after a while. But it's winter.

prince of peasants

seachto7 wrote: »

I think people need to look past the weather thing. Best of luck in the 40 degree heat in UAE and Qatar but each to their own.

Too cold. Too hot. The weather isn't going to be the main reason as to why someone is unhappy where they are.

The novelty of year round sunshine wears off pretty quickly. I'd be more concerned about what work I was doing than the sun shining every day. But yeah, the rain does get to you here after a while. But it's winter.

Each to own I would say.

It seems like its always winter here. Dark evenings six months a year and generally wet summers. No thanks.

annrule3

I was born and raised in the cold of Michigan but then lived in Florida for 10 years before a family tragedy brought me back to Michigan. Trust me- the novelty of the warmth will never wear off. I suffer from terrible migraines and the weather in the cold leaves me nearly in bed all during the cold months! Bring on the sunshine!

seachto7 wrote: »

I think people need to look past the weather thing. Best of luck in the 40 degree heat in UAE and Qatar but each to their own.

Too cold. Too hot. The weather isn't going to be the main reason as to why someone is unhappy where they are.

The novelty of year round sunshine wears off pretty quickly. I'd be more concerned about what work I was doing than the sun shining every day. But yeah, the rain does get to you here after a while. But it's winter.

syklops

annrule3 wrote: »

I was born and raised in the cold of Michigan but then lived in Florida for 10 years before a family tragedy brought me back to Michigan. Trust me- the novelty of the warmth will never wear off. I suffer from terrible migraines and the weather in the cold leaves me nearly in bed all during the cold months! Bring on the sunshine!

You're confusing warmth with heat.

For me anyway, trying to work and even function in anything over about 35 was truly not pleasant. Even 30 wasn't great. 30 degrees is great for sitting by the pool with a Pina Collada or a nice cool beer, not putting on a suit and going to work.

Hello all-

I am an American looking to move abroad. I would like to telecommute and make American wages

Who wouldn't want that. I know a few people who succeeded and they had a ball but its very hard to do. Generally, you have to secure the job in the US first before traveling.

Rather than asking us where to go, I think you need to research where your qualifications and experience would be recognized and work from there.

keithclancy

annrule3 wrote: »

Hello all-

I am an American looking to move abroad. I would like to telecommute and make American wages

Just to note this can be an absolute nightmare in Europe.

Even earning in Sterling and Living in a Euro country can be a lot of work.

- You don't know how much you will get paid every month
- You don't know if your US income has implications in the country you are working in (I know in the Netherlands anyway you must do a tax return and declare your worldwide income, even if its not based in the Dutch Market)
- You don't know your social security implications, this is less complicated coming from another EU Country but coming from the US you may be forced to pay for local Health Insurance (e.g. Germany and the Netherlands) or make other contributions into a national insurance system.
- You may be forced to pay into a national pension system.
- You may have problems opening a bank account without income (Proving income)
- You may get an unexpected bill from the Tax Authorities due to some misunderstanding of your situation.

Especially in the hotter countries (Spain/Portugal/Italy) the language barrier will be a problem talking to any public office.

That's just a few things.

But I would say the easiest thing to do is to live and work in the same country with the same currency. I currently work between the Netherlands and Germany and the amount of red tape as a European Citizen, I just couldn't imagine adding an exchange rate and a non EU passport into the mix.

seachto7

prince of peasants wrote: »

Each to own I would say.

It seems like its always winter here. Dark evenings six months a year and generally wet summers. No thanks.

Have you ever worked in 40 degree summers? I have. Novelty wear off quick. Anything over 35 degrees is hard enough to sit around in, not to mind working in.

I worked in an office in long trousers and shirt in 42 degrees in Italy. Not a nice experience, but as I was there when it was colder, I gradually built up to it. Anything over 30 is not comfortable.

Would I prefer extreme heat or extreme cold? Neither....

But I agree, the weather is bad here in Ireland, though it's never extreme, that's the problem. It's just middling all the time....

There are countries with worse weather than Ireland. If there were somewhere with 4 distinct seasons, that would be perfect.

But my main priority is job, job, job. I'll worry about the weather after that.

CelticRambler

You can wipe France off your list for all the negative points you don't cite
- it gets cold, even on the Mediterranean coast, and sub-zero (Celsius) is normal for most parts of the country for at least part of the winter;
- employment prospects at the moment are zero for the natives, less than zero for EU "free movement" migrants and "you gotta be joking" for non-EU immigrants.
- If, by "American wages" you mean "good money" the French government will take at least 50% of it off you, for which you'll get next-to-nothing in return, being a non-EU migrant. And since the US regulatory changes a few months ago, you'll still have to file your US tax return
- Every where is within "five hours" of France ... provided you live at a border crossing point. My nearest "hub" airport is a 4-hour drive. By that route, I wouldn't even have boarded an aircraft in 5 hours ... You can always take the train - if SNCF isn't on strike - or a local air service - if their loses don't force them out of business before you get here (or they're not on strike) - or you could try to manage with a Ryanair shuttle to Stansted but if that's what you're relying on, you might as well set up in the UK
- The French economy is now the only one in Europe still deteriorating and it's all the fault of the Chinese, the Germans, the English, the Americans, the Arabs, the Blacks, everyone ... but not the French, of course.
- Oh, and if you live in France, the French government gets first pickings of your worldwide income and assets.

As has been pointed out above, your conditions effectively exclude all of Europe - economically, only the northern countries make sense, but they get cold; the warmer countries are almost all economic basket cases at the moment, so you could live there, but you'd spend all your time and money going somewhere else to work. You might be better to think of Australia.

What about simply doing short-term intense, well-paid contracts (if you can get them) and saving up to go travelling through those places when the climate suits?

InTheTrees

annrule3 wrote: »

I would like to telecommute and make American wages but also am willing to look at what other countries offer for salary as well.

The $ has been low for quite a few years now so I expect you'll be surprised how much more money you'll make if you take euro's.

I expect you'll want a similar legal system so that pretty much makes it UK or Ireland right?

What kind of work Visa are you getting?

iusedtoknow

annrule3 wrote: »

Hello all-

I am an American looking to move abroad. I would like to telecommute and make American wages but also am willing to look at what other countries offer for salary as well. I have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and have been a licenses private investigator for 15 yrs. I do not know what the demand is for this occupation or industry, in other countries. The countries that really interest me are Italy, France, Spain, Denmark and Germany. However, I live in a very cold state right now and am looking for extremely light winters or somewhere to eliminate them! HATE the cold and snow!!! On another note, I am looking for a wonderful community, small village or big city both are okay. Need public transportation and would love to be in close proximity to markets and restaurants. Safety is a HUGE concern as I will be making the move alone. Does anyone have any recommendations on choosing a location and any web sites with a wealth of information would be appreciated too! My biggest fear is making the move and then being dirt poor. So, income is super important to me so that I can travel and see all of the beauty each country has to offer!

The first question I'd ask to be honest...Do you have a European work visa or a passport? Much like Europeans in America, Americans cannot just land in a country and work. Remember that if you only get 90 days in the Schenegen area out of 180. Not in each country, you can't move from France to Germany and reset your time.

Southern Europe is not a happy place at the moment, particularly for natives. I lived in Spain for a long time, unemployment is currently at 25%. However, english teaching is a good money earner, relative to local wage rates. In spain though, the tendency is to go towards Barcelona, it's inundated with people wanting a bit of the playa and sun.
A friend teaches in Madrid and is currently pulling in 2200 a month English teaching between contracts and some under the table. He does however lose 440 to social security (as he is self employed) and then has to pay tax on the total (not just the total-ss). I personally dislike Madrid, but it is the economic center of Spain.
Italy is not doing well, and Greece is getting to point beyond redemption. France will over tax you, Switzerland is expensive.

I would really think your move through....Europe is a fun place, but unless you are legal and well qualified with a lot of local experience, it can be a hard nut to crack.

InTheTrees

Each EU country gets to set its own regulations as regards immigration by Americans dont they? Are there any countries that are easier than others? Or do I have it backwards? When I met my american (ex)wife in the UK she got in on some kind of "artists" visa. That was a while ago though.

iusedtoknow

InTheTrees wrote: »

Each EU country gets to set its own regulations as regards immigration by Americans dont they? Are there any countries that are easier than others? Or do I have it backwards? When I met my american (ex)wife in the UK she got in on some kind of "artists" visa. That was a while ago though.

In a manner of speaking, they do. However it gets complicated when it comes to schenegen region, and the UK/Ireland common travel region.

I've come across a number of Americans/Australians that thought they had 3 months allowance in each country while travelling through...and getting caught and removed

The other thing is...without spousal support or employer sponsorship, it's difficult to get into the EU.

prince of peasants

seachto7 wrote: »

Have you ever worked in 40 degree summers? I have. Novelty wear off quick. Anything over 35 degrees is hard enough to sit around in, not to mind working in.

I have actually. i used to work as a furniture mover in the United States and there was a major heat wave during the summer of 2012 reaching almost 40 degrees on some days. It was uncomfortable alright at times but I would put that down to the job.

I've also lived in Israel for about a year and that was intense.

I would put climate before job any day one of the reasons I wouldn't move to the UK where there are plenty of job opportunities. I would recommend Norway if you're that way inclined. I spent some time there before, fantastic economy and great opportunities but can you honestly tell me you would like living in that climate?

I definitively would not.

seachto7

Well, the ideal scenario would be good job + good climate. Hard to get that balance. I lived in Italy for 2 years in a fantastic city but my job was crap.

I could put up with the cold if I knew I'd get a good spring and good summer. Italy was like this for example. I'd like to go back there, but I reckon it would be hard enough to get a job there.

I would have no interest in going to the middle east. To me, it just seems to be geared towards flash and money and not much else. But if I HAD to go there for a year or so, I would.

Chronically Bad Farts

Generally speaking, the better the climate in Europe, the worse the money & job prospects & the longer the work hours There's quite a bit of work in the Netherlands & Germany at the moment. Both outstanding places to live. Up in Norway the word recession doesn't exist, some of the highest paid jobs in the world are there right now, although the place is insanely expensive. Switzerland is probably equally expensive as Norway and there's less job prospects (Although still very good compared to the rest of Europe).
If sun is most important, go to the Middle East, money is pretty average but the lifestyle can be decent as long as you're a woman and teaching.
Overall by the sounds of your requirements, have you considered Australia? Good weather, job prospects & lifestyle, also not too far away from America.

Boskowski

I don't quite get from your OP whether you intend to still be working for a US company or whether you intend to seek local employment.

Anyway.

Unless you have contacts (family or work) visa and work permits are going to be a problem. You need something up your sleeve in that respect or else you will be a tourist with a pretty limited stay.

Your law degree will be more or less useless in its own right. From an employers perspective it will be proof of a decent education and it will boost your chances, that way, but it won't do anything for you in terms of getting work in the law field.
A German law degree is worth nothing in Britain. It's just one of the few fields that don't travel at all. Not even to the country next door.

Climate seems to be a big one one for you so basically that rules anything above the alps out.
South of the alps my favourites would be either Italy or Portugal. Portugal is struggling a bit economically and so is Italy, but Italy is an industrial powerhouse and has alway been in difficulties and always will be, but always will be OK too. Portugal I just love. Very nice country, people, climate, everything.

In any case if you want to work you will need the language. You'll get by with English as a tourist pretty much everywhere in Europe, but taking up residence and working is a different matter. Even in countries where a lot of people speak good English like Germany. If you're looking to work as a PI it won't have to be perfect business German or Portuguese or whatever, but you will have to be fluent. English is big in most parts of the world but not that big. How are you language skills?

I guess the skill sets you have are transferrable enough and you're in a niche anyway. You're not competing with thousands of Joe Does who got laid off in the factory. People need PI and security consultancy and services everywhere no matter what the economical climate is. That's a plus but will it get you the visa and the work permit and the language?

I hope I have not deterred you and I won't say you can't do it. You come across as a smart, 'can do', free spirit kind of guy and such people usually get by anywhere. But it won't be easy and you will have to put a good bit of work into it.