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Moving to Europe/Oz: Worthy goal or lost cause?
Zenitram
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I've come across a crossroads in my life. Normally I would consider it a mid-life crisis, however I'm only 21 so it's a little early for that.
I just feel like I'm missing out on a lot of what the world has to offer. I don't have the money to vacation to other continents, but I would definitely like to live somewhere in Europe or Australia. I'm thinking along the lines of a year, enough to get settled and get a job, but not what one would call permanent residency. I have begun research on the topic, but I'm curious if any of you guys have ever been in the same situation, or know enough about it to educate me. I hear that both continents are really easy places to live in as an outsider, once you learn part of the language and culture.
Mainly I'm just wondering if this is actually attainable and worth it, or if it would be a waste of time and money to try. If you would like more details just ask and I can provde them. Thanks
I just feel like I'm missing out on a lot of what the world has to offer. I don't have the money to vacation to other continents, but I would definitely like to live somewhere in Europe or Australia. I'm thinking along the lines of a year, enough to get settled and get a job, but not what one would call permanent residency. I have begun research on the topic, but I'm curious if any of you guys have ever been in the same situation, or know enough about it to educate me. I hear that both continents are really easy places to live in as an outsider, once you learn part of the language and culture.
Mainly I'm just wondering if this is actually attainable and worth it, or if it would be a waste of time and money to try. If you would like more details just ask and I can provde them. Thanks
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Most visa programs are based on reciprocal arrangements. As the US is now pretty impentrable for foreign visas, so are other countries to you (this is at least true for the UK/US relationship). Australia may be a good option as the US has given Australia their own visa program for working in the US, so you might have something reciprocal there.
Almost all of the westernised countries have some sort of backpacker visa, that will let you work casually. These are simple to attain as they don't presume you will have an offer of employment when you arrive. However, many of them put a curtailment limit on how long you can work, sometimes they'll say "only 3 months in any one job" or "only 8 months for any job out of the 12"
I am in the same situation as a UK person with a US girlfriend. We eventually had to move to New Zealand (who have pretty lax immigration, particuarly if you aren't going to Auckland and have in-demand skills) to be together. I have found most visa plans to be generally hostile and work on the presumption of "need" to be in the country rather than "want".
http://www.immi.gov.au/ <-- department of immigration. looks like you'd find it easier to get in if you volunteered to work out in the sticks for a bit, that's something to keep in mind.
edit: oh wait, take a look at the working-holiday section, that looks more your speed.
After training they tell you where you'll be based out of but you don't have to have an apartment there right away because you'll be traveling all the time and most all of the cities you'll be flying to they have what they call "crash pads" for you to use while you're in town, including the city you're based out of, and if you DO have to get an apartment then just do so after 1 or 2 paychecks, you won't be spending money on much else, no need for a car. You'll probably buy a lot of books though. Regardless you'll eventually want to get an apartment in whatever city you're based out of.
It's an excellent choice for a young person with nothing holding them down and if you don't have an apartment or a car then so what? You don't really need one. You get to travel all over the country and even the world. Plus when you want to vacation somewhere specific you deadhead and fly for free and use all the money you've been saving to have one kickass time.
She got the job easily because she has a 4 year degree. Didn't matter what it was in, just having one says enough about your intelligence and dedication and ability to work.
Working holiday is the backpacker visa I was talking about, I neglected to write the name in my post
Well, we're short of hairdressers at the moment, so they'd probably let you in no matter who you were so long as you knew which end of the scissors to hold :P
This is not a joke.
Would I have to speak Spanish? Have a visa? What?
I'd have to ask my friend about more details next time I talked to her (don't hold your breath, could be a month or two).
Hm, Cat, so I can get in if I semi-successfully cut my own hair? You guys have good doooooom down there
oh yeah, you could always look into the Peace Corps. I'm kinda considering it as an easy way to get started and avoid decisions after college.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
It's free in the UK, but I don't know if you have to be a citizen to qualify.
In the rest of Europe, you'd have to check. It's mostly a private system, but IIRC Sweden (who are better than the rest of the world at everything) has something along the free lines too.
Pff, forget attendant, take the time and go through flight school and become an airline pilot. That way you don't have to spend all the time in the air being somebody's gopher bitch, and your uniform will be more likely to score you some womens. They're actually really in demand overseas, especially in China/India (so learn a second language too).
Honestly if I weren't engaged and settling down and precipitously close to being a dad, I would probably be doing that. (Or perhaps it's just some kind of lust from working network support in Boeing 777 final assembly... seeing all those aircraft get built and roll out the door. *sigh* I sat in the pilot's seat once, on Air India's first 777 as it was going through interiors installation and finishing. These new planes are technologically hot as hell. The instrumentation is really nice... can't wait to see what the 787 looks like...)
No kidding? One of my students in NZ was Thai and her mother made me the most delicious food. I have dreams about it. There's simply nothing in Michigan that's even comparable. The Amazing Thai Restaurant in Rotorua was nice, too.
You know what, I might make a thread about preparing Thai food. Certainly somebody here must be able to show me the way.
Also, to the OP:
What Claud said is something you should look into. I did a lot of research into teaching English in Japan. You'll need a university degree, but it can be in anything. The pay won't be so hot, but it's a great way to get setup living in another country with having no other skill than SPEAKING ENGLISH. Not a bad deal, if you ask me.
I don't know the situations in other countries. I hear places like Korea pay more than Japan, for example. But if you're remotely interested in this, let me know, and I'll hit you with a ton of links for info about teaching English in Japan.
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
In terms of teaching in Japan, I've been told by people there that it's really easy to get the entry level positions at a conversation school. Turn around is high in the industry. Well, because it's mostly Westerners zooming over for a few months to a year and then leaving. But the nice part is these companies will take care of living arrangements, visas, and pretty much anything confusing about going to another country. The downfall is the crap pay, but hey, it's for the experience, right?
But if there's a need for teachers in Thailand and it means I can eat Thai food ALL DAY, well... color me interested
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
If I could "do it over" I'd have my degree in nursing and I'd be a traveling nurse going all over the country for excellent pay and free housing, to boot. I'm envious of the people I know that did that.
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
Quite true about the aging workforce... Boeing's just about to implode because the majority of its people are only a few years out from retirement. Of course it's their own damn fault because they not only downsized all the 30-40 somethings, they also didn't hire them back. So now the co. is practically 80% 50 somethings and 20% 20 somethings. Doooooomed. *cough*
Others are addressing the work issue - So I'll leave it except to say its possible and shouldnt be used as an excuse not to go.
You are missing out on what the world has to offer. Full stop, thats it. I dont care where you live, if you haven't travelled - you're missing out. I honestly believe that travelling is good for you. It broadens your mind, and sometimes puts you out of your comfort zone a little, but it will change you. Go see how other people live their lives and it will give you a better perspective on your own.
Recap: Totally worth doing.
Isn't it incredibly hard to get into the airline business (at least here in the US) if you don't have any military flight experience?
Why, thank you.
The US and Australia do have all sorts of funky new agreements in place nowadays. If you are seriously looking at Australia and have any specific questions, I'm sure there are a bunch of us who'd be willing to help out.
In terms of work, you may want to look at call centre work. Your job stays at work, and you can spend your non-work time doing whatever, if you manage to get a working visa. The pay is enough to fund pretty much anything if you plan reasonably, and the entry requirements are fairly low.