Summer work in Europe

maeveac

Hi, 2 of my friends and I are really hoping to spend the summer working in Europe this summer. At the start we were thinking Greece but there doesnt seem to be many jobs there. At the minute we are hoping to go to Portugal, probably Lagos or Albufeira.
Just wondering what is the best way to get set up for this? Should you try and find a job before you go over, and where is the best place to look for jobs?
Any advice would be great

tatli_lokma

Greece? Portugal? really? other than ourselves and Spain they are the other two countries worst hit by recession and unemployment! perhaps think of other countries, would be my advice.

maeveac

yeah thats what we were thinking.. what would be the best cities in Europe for summer work then? I was thinking Portugal would be safe during peak months for work in a bar or restaurant?

tatli_lokma

Mainland Europe might be abetter bet - maybe Germany or Holland? Berlin is a great city.

maeveac

ok thanks do you think Berlin would take on many people in bars and restaurants during the summer? We dont really mind where we go, as long as we have some kind of job to tie us over for the summer

tatli_lokma

yes there would be alot of bar work in Berlin as it is a major city and very vibrant - however, you will need language skills and previous relevant experience.

I would say the same goes for Portugal/Greece/Spain - anywhere that has a large tourist population will want you to have more languages than just English. But in particular in Germany you would need to have at the very least basic german.

maeveac

I've seen alot of threads saying that irish bars and hostels/hotels wouldn't require you to speak german as there would be a lot of irish travelling to germany over the summer. Would it be advisable to find a job online before going over or do many places hire people that just call into the pubs?

Jim2007

maeveac wrote: »

I've seen alot of threads saying that irish bars and hostels/hotels wouldn't require you to speak german as there would be a lot of irish travelling to germany over the summer. Would it be advisable to find a job online before going over or do many places hire people that just call into the pubs?

In good times that might be so, but given the current situation they have plenty of people to choose from and in such cases they are going to take people who can speak the local language as well. That is always the case.

Swiss hotels & bars employ a lot of foreign staff during the summer months, but most foreigners I met working there speak at least one of the national languages.

Out of interest have you worked abroad before and do you speak a foreign language.

maeveac

No never worked abroad before, I just wanted to do something different this summer and couldn't afford a J1. I've spoken to people who have done it before and they have all managed to pick some kind of job up. We would all have basic french, but I didn't think French would be as keen to hire Irish people for the summer, as they would in Germany.
Would any place in Europe be happy to hire Irish people that only speak English?

tatli_lokma

so you've no previous bar experience really, don't speak the local language, or even much of any language other than English?? honestly, the only hope you have of getting a job in that case is based upon your personality, so you need to charm them! And you won't be able to to that with a CV. So if you really want to do this, the only way it will work is for you to take a chance, head over and hope your winning personality wins them over. Its a big gamble, but you're young so why not give it a try. All I will say is make sure you have plenty of savings to tide you over, make sure you and your mates look out for each other, and be prepared to come home if it looks like you are running low on funds. Don't get yourself into a sticky financial situation.

tatli_lokma

what about maybe heading to the wine regions in france and doing fruit picking?? with some basic french that might be an option. Not as lively as a bar in Berlin, but I'm sure you'd still have the craic, and you might even get diggs thrown in?

maeveac

one of us has experience in bar work, and Niamh and I have experience in retail. Fruit picking does sound like a bit of craic, would you have any idea how to go about getting contacts for a job like that?

tatli_lokma

sorry no, not in france. maybe ask on the travel forum?

Jim2007

maeveac wrote: »

Would any place in Europe be happy to hire Irish people that only speak English?

Think about it in reverse - what do you think are the chances of an unskilled worker with limited or no English finding work in Ireland in the current conditions???

A couple of unemployment rates:

France - 10.5%
Germany - 5.4%
Italy - 11.1%
Ireland - 14.1%
Greece - 26.0%
Spain - 25.9%

So remember that there will be a lot of people looking for summer work all over Europe this summer.

So it is very important that you plan well for your trip, the first thing is to ensure that you have enough money to live on for a few weeks while you are searching for a job and an open return ticket in case it all goes wrong. Next use the net to identify some cheap places you can stay and some potential employers before you go.

Niamhymacx

maeveac wrote: »

ok thanks do you think Berlin would take on many people in bars and restaurants during the summer? We dont really mind where we go, as long as we have some kind of job to tie us over for the summer

I also couldn't afford a j1 and am thinking of hitting Europe for the summer!been Berlin before and it's amazing wouldn't know where to start though .id say you would get a job no problem but accommodation might be a bit trickier!?munichs unreal Aswell!hmm decisions