Summer Working in Europe

Hamiltonion

Hey guys,

So I want to move to somewhere in Europe to work for the summer. I have experience in construction, waiting and bar-tending. I only have very basic french. Wherever I go the plan is to learn the language, I'll have about 3 months to get basics together before I go and want to take classes upon arriving.

The plan was Berlin but I've heard its impossible to find work and to get on without the language, although rents are very cheap which is a massive plus.

I've been told there is work in Paris but the cost of living is astronomically high.

Where would you recommend? My ideal job would be in an Irish bar or similar. Should I consider heading to London due to the language barrier? Again though, high living cost and rents.

I will consider anywhere so please share your thoughts and experiences

cailinoBAC

I assume you're a student as you're only looking for work for the summer. It's over a decade since I was looking for student summer work, so my advice might be useless, but even so...
I worked summers in Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg(as chambermaid/kitchen porter, waitress and back office in a bank). I did have German though, so that helped, but maybe as you have some French you could apply to places in Switzerland? Of the three that was where I got the best pay. Also, jobs in hotels often provide you with accommodation too. Ok, of course you can apply to Irish bars everywhere, no harm in that, but I think you would have to be already living somewhere for them to take you on. Anyway, in Switzerland you can't really just turn up and look for work, you have to have a permit (assuming things haven't changed, I mean it's still not in the EU). If you have found a job in advance they will sort that out for you.

Kitchen porter work is hard work, but one advantage is that you don't need to have a lot of the language to do it.

For my first jobs I bought this book called Summer Jobs abroad or something like that, and literally sent letters to every ad (in Germany the first year, France/Switzerland the next one). I don't know if they have that book any more, but you do have a great thing called the internet! In 3rd year I was studying in Germany and had a long semester break in winter. I decided I wanted to go skiing in Wengen, so I just found a list of hotels and emailed every single one of them with my CV, so I got a job there as a chambermaid.

I think it's easier to find a job in advance in smaller places though. Places in cities don't worry so much about getting workers, I could be wrong though.

Basically, if I were you, I'd get someone to help you do your cv in French and also write an application email in French, pick some towns/cities in Switzerland and send them off.