Any good jobs in Berlin, Paris or Amsterdam?

[bvb]

I was wondering of anyone knows any decent jobs/companies to work for in said cities in Europe for an English speaker?
Of course I am totally willing to learn a language, but it's not something I can rely on, I have a good job here in the UK, and working in a bar or restaurant is not something that I would be willing to do.
Just a secure middle of the road job would suffice if anybody knows??

Cheers

 

[Jon-of-arc]

Probably not. What sort of "secure middle of the road job" do you think you could do in England without speaking the language? The same rules will apply.

 

[gabi]

paris would not be an option as the french refuse to speak english despite learning it at school from a young age. berlin and amsterdam though, very possible. i have friends working in both place who have limited local language skills.

try monster.co.uk and hit global.

 

[Greebo]

Decent jobs are like single men over the age of 30; most of the good ones are taken. In any case, I wouldn't recommend Paris because of the scarcity of anywhere affordable to live. Cheaper than London, but not much easier to find a room (let alone a flat) which wouldn't make a serious dent in your earnings.

BTW bvb - love your tagline, "das Brett" is German for "plank".

 

[Sue]

I was wondering of anyone knows any decent jobs/companies to work for in said cities in Europe for an English speaker?
Of course I am totally willing to learn a language, but it's not something I can rely on, I have a good job here in the UK, and working in a bar or restaurant is not something that I would be willing to do.
Just a secure middle of the road job would suffice if anybody knows??

Cheers

Your best bet is probably to get a job here working for an international company and then see if you can get a transfer in a few years time. Agree with the comments about Paris (used to live there) and know it's really hard to find work there at the moment even if you speak French.

 

[Manter]

Completely agree with Sue. You can transfer with a multinational or go the tefl route.

 

[gabi]

Your best bet is probably to get a job here working for an international company and then see if you can get a transfer in a few years time. Agree with the comments about Paris (used to live there) and know it's really hard to find work there at the moment even if you speak French.

Yeh, I also worked in paris once. it used to make me laugh - people would pretend not to speak english until i said i was from new zealand, not england. then suddenly they were completely fluent

 

[bvb]

Thanks, was kind of hoping for something a bit more inspirational, living on the continent is just something that I have wanted to do for so long and I always think that there just must be a way of doing it, not roughing it.
As I said, I don't fancy working in a bar, I like a bit of money and I am not 25 anymore, there are big companies in Germany like 3M, but American or even Britsish companies will still have the native language in the workplace I would imagine.

 

[Sue]

Thanks, was kind of hoping for something a bit more inspirational, living on the continent is just something that I have wanted to do for so long and I always think that there just must be a way of doing it, not roughing it.
As I said, I don't fancy working in a bar, I like a bit of money and I am not 25 anymore, there are big companies in Germany like 3M, but American or even Britsish companies will still have the native language in the workplace I would imagine.

So if you're serious maybe you need to sort out a plan for how you're going to do it. Decide on where you want to go, start learning the language and try and target some likely companies. In international companies you'll probably just about manage in English though do you really want to be the reason why everyone else is speaking English in a meeting when they're all native speakers of the local language?

And of course that is only at work too, you'll need the language for everyday life. Also IME companies are a bit reluctant if you don't make an effort language-wise as it's more likely you'll walk/won't cope with the lifestyle. (And imagine the reverse, someone turning up at your work doing your kind of job but not speaking English. Bit rubbish, no?)

 

[Greebo]

Thanks, was kind of hoping for something a bit more inspirational, living on the continent is just something that I have wanted to do for so long and I always think that there just must be a way of doing it, not roughing it.<snip>

Ye gods, you really are living up to the meaning of your tagline. Yes there are ways, but unless you're willing to work hard and start at the bottom (by which I mean even lower than non white immigrants who actually speak the language), most of them would involve living off somebody else until you've well and truly got the language under your belt.

 

[Manter]

Thanks, was kind of hoping for something a bit more inspirational, living on the continent is just something that I have wanted to do for so long and I always think that there just must be a way of doing it, not roughing it.
As I said, I don't fancy working in a bar, I like a bit of money and I am not 25 anymore, there are big companies in Germany like 3M, but American or even Britsish companies will still have the native language in the workplace I would imagine.

So get some skills a big company wants, join a big company, and then start looking for internal transfers. Companies tend to transfer middle management or above and technical specialists (it costs a fair amount to manage a transfer so they don't do it just because someone fancies it). If you are a transfer they are unlikely to demand fluent German etc, though most will expect you to make an effort.
There are a number of multinationals who do business in English, and/or dictate that all managers and above should have English at business fluent level. However, local offices tend to operate in local languages, and there will be swathes of people who don't speak English. There would be absolutely no reason for a multinational to hire a random English bloke who couldn't communicate with half the local office; but they may hire someone who has skills they can't get elsewhere and has demonstrated commitment to living there- ie already there, no additional costs for them etc

What are your skills? What can you offer? Saying you want to live abroad and earn a decent wage isn't really an offering..... What is in it for an employer?

 

[purves grundy]

Yeah, tefl, often a minor step up from bar work unless you're with a decent outfit... international schools somewhat better (mostly)

 

[Reno]

Berlin is well known for having the highest unemployment rate in Germany, so wouldn't be my first destination for an unspecified job.

 

[Pingu]

try Brussels

its a shithole and you will probably die of terminal boredom but both NATO and the EU are there and most big places use English to defuse the French/dutch thing

 

[moose]

What do you actually do now? I work with a lot of companies in Switzerland where everyone speaks English, but you need skillz.

 

[Greebo]

try Brussels

its a shithole and you will probably die of terminal boredom but both NATO and the EU are there and most big places use English to defuse the French/dutch thing

AFAIK there's a ridiculously high cost of living there though.

 

[Winot]

Thanks, was kind of hoping for something a bit more inspirational

A tip - if you are asked at interview what gave you the inspiration to apply for the job, don't answer "the internet".

 

[bvb]

Switzerland is definitely on my list, I work for the NHS in a lab, what sort of companies is it in Switzerland that speak English in workplace?

 

[Pingu]

Switzerland is definitely on my list, I work for the NHS in a lab, what sort of companies is it in Switzerland that speak English in workplace?

depends a fair few wil use English but they will also speak in French/german depending on who is talking.

tbh I think you are asking a hell of a lot to go to another country without knowing any of the language and expect to work there. even for a short visit its a good idea to learn the basics but to live\work you really need to be able to communicate. even if you do find a job where English is the only/main language used, outside of the work environment most people will speak the native language(s) of the country.

I am afraid you are going to have to learn some French/german/polish to make this work

I spend a fair bit of time in Brussels, workwise most people speak English. however outside of work if you don't know any French/dutch you really are at a disadvantage. its also really impolite to expect someone in another country to speak English just because you cant be arsed to take the time to learn even the basics of their language

 

[bvb]

I know, I'm just the kind of person that likes to learn thing's by throwing myself in at the deep end, must be out of necessity, most of the time I put the cart before the horse...

 

[Pingu]

not going to work in this situation though.

think about it.

all the roadsigns, timetables, TV, shop prices etc etc will be in german/French/dutch/Spanish etc. whilst a lot of people will speak English a fair amount of shop workers etc will not or will have little.

when I first went to Poland I was there for 4 weeks. workwise I was fine - everyone spoke English (its a US company). outside of work though it was much harder. I had learnt some basic phrases but even so it was hard. try going to asda and think about how you would shop if you didn't speak English - and how you get there using public transport; happy to sign that long document for your accommodation without reading it?.

its just not going to work without some prep work

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

I don't know about the 3 countries you mentioned. But i moved to DK 7 years ago. A dream job doing what I do for a Danish (but international company). I never bothered with language school to any great degree. 6 months max and that was only last year, I am now at a level where I can give up my english fiefdom and get a danish passport, the rest was self taught but most of the time I speak English both at work and at home. I just applied to companies that were related to what i did professionally.
There's a few Brits working in what i do here. Not many but its small community and noone I know is out of work in my field. It's the ones working as barmen and the like that find it hard. If you have a trade you should be fine. English is seen as the business language, so tends to dominate.
Moving abroad was the best thing i ever did. I have had opportunities that never would have presented themselves to me in London. I was able to buy a city centre flat after two years of being here. This would have never have had happened to me in a million years in London.
My advice, look for companies you know, see if they have any operations in the countries you are interested in and apply and just do it. You have nothing to lose.

 

[Greebo]

I know, I'm just the kind of person that likes to learn thing's by throwing myself in at the deep end, must be out of necessity, most of the time I put the cart before the horse...

In that case, the Michel Thomas method (available as CD box sets) might help you get started. Learning increasingly complex phrases right from the start by listening, repeating, then working out how to add the next bit. It teaches at least the early grammar on a need to know basis. The accent taught isn't perfect in all the languages, but it'll still get you a lot closer to where you want to be.

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

Oh yeah, be prepared to be very lonely the first few months. Keep money behind for an exit. I came close once after getting assaulted but thought fuck it and stayed. Glad I did. Oh and moving during the beginning of the summer is best. I don't know if i could have stayed if i had arrived in winter, but that may be just a scandi thing. introverted bastards.

 

[bvb]

I do know the drill to a certain extent, I am American, arrived here in '95 not knowing a soul, now I am a British citizen, so I definitely know loneliness in a strange country, but a strange country/language is a different kettle of fish.

 

[grit]

Oh yeah, be prepared to be very lonely the first few months.

Sigh, aint that the truth, its a unique kind of loneliness that immigrants experience.

 

[moose]

Switzerland is definitely on my list, I work for the NHS in a lab, what sort of companies is it in Switzerland that speak English in workplace?

Pharmaceutical companies!

 

[friedaweed]

I do know the drill to a certain extent, I am American, arrived here in '95 not knowing a soul, now I am a British citizen, so I definitely know loneliness in a strange country, but a strange country/language is a different kettle of fish.

I'm sorry but once a ham shank always a ham shank in my book. If you were a British citizen you'd have no interest in working in these mucky city's where they eat snails and poo on toilets that have shelves in them.

You sir are a misguided fool and an a merkin one at that. British Purrrrrrlease

Have you thought about Wales

 

[Greebo]

<snip>Have you thought about Wales

(((Welsh people)))

 

[tbtommyb]

AFAIK there's a ridiculously high cost of living there though.

it's not too bad, rent especially is a lot cheaper compared to London. And it's easier to get around. Some decent techno clubs too.