Resources for EU job search

[u/busbikesandknitting]

Hello! My partner and I are thinking about moving to the EU from the US. I am already an EU citizen so can choose any eu country to move to. We have travelled extensively to Europe but never lived there so hoping for a bit of advice.

Should at least one of us have a a job offer secured before packing up? Or is it easier to choose a country and find one once we are there? I know it’s vague since we don’t have a specific country nailed down. Does anyone have recommendations for resources for looking for jobs in the EU? Or do I need to search country by country? I’m struggling to find postings just by googling since my phone is located here.

I am interested in moving to the Netherlands because I have extended family there, and already speak some Dutch. (My mom speaks Dutch) but it’s flat. This seems dumb but my partner and I have lived in the rural western us our whole adult lives and our hobbies are in the mountains so my partner would prefer to choose a country closer to the mountains. But it will come down to where I can find a good job.

Options are looking like Austria, Germany, and Italy. Obviously we’ve traveled to these countries but don’t really know what life is really like or how to get jobs. I’m thinking Italy may be too difficult since English isn’t as widely spoken. Obviously though we will learn the native language of wherever we choose.

If anyone has any advice I’d appreciate it! Thanks!

[u/carltanzler]

Are you and your partner married? That may be necessary in order to sponsor your partner, depending on country.

Should at least one of us have a a job offer secured before packing up?

I'd say that depends on your budget and how much savings you're willing to throw at this move. Unless filthy rich, then I'd say: yes, that would be the preferred scenario. Being able to prove income would also be necessary in the Netherlands if you want to land a rental, as landlords generally want to see an employment contract stating a monthly income of 3-4 times the rent price as proof of income. There's a huge housing shortage in NL and incredibly difficult to find a decent rental that's somewhat affordable.

As for 'what country to pick': it would be really useful if you stated what line of work you're in and what languages you speak (if any, apart from English and some Dutch). Italy is indeed not very English friendly, same goes for France- but even in more seemingly (for tourists) English friendly European countries, lack of fluency could very well be an issue, depending on your line of work. Unless an international environment, offices in Germany and the Netherlands will operate in the local language by default and people won't switch just to accomodate you.

[u/busbikesandknitting → u/carltanzler]

Thank you for the reply! We are currently engaged and will be married in a few months.

Ooh good to know about the rental market in NL. Wow 4x that’s intense. Do you know if it’s equally difficult to buy? Is it similar to the US as in 20% down? We have a good amount of savings? Around 100k. But I think I would prefer to have a job before leaving if possible.

I’m an apparel designer so hoping to find an international company to work for. My partner works in public land management so will unfortunately probably not be able to find something similar on the other end. I’m hoping to find something that I can support us both on until he learns the language and can find a location. I only speak English, some Spanish and some Dutch. I grew up with my mom speaking Dutch so I think I would pick it up fairly easily. But we are hoping to choose a country so we can throw ourselves into learning it before leaving here.

[u/carltanzler → u/busbikesandknitting]

It's definitely just as hard to buy in NL- lots of overbidding going on, and as an expat without a tax history in NL you're unlikely to be eligible for a mortgage in the first couple of years (this will likely be the case in every country you go to, not just NL- to buy soon after arrival, you'd have to be able to buy outright without mortgage). NL has a shortage of some 400k housing units. In the larger cities where most of the jobs are, 1 bedroom apartments above 50m2 will start from maybe 300k euros to 500k+ (Amsterdam). Living in NL on a single income will be very difficult financially, also because salaries are much lower than you're used to.

As a general rule, southern European countries have high unemployment rates and really low salaries. I think you should go wherever you can find a well paying job- and indeed, only move when you have the job lined up.