Help required re: living/working in mainland EU

fatphilb

fatphilb

Well-Known Member
Aright folks.

Been feeling in a rut for a few years due to work and debt issues but theres light at the end of the tunnel and im gonna be debt free (hopefully) by next March. The idea is, I wanna save up some cash for a year and then spend 2 - 3 years moving around Europe working in different places for about 6 months at a time (not Ibiza!).

Obviously Id be looking to land menial work when I arrive in such places, hopefully something like bar work which would force me to meet people and learn the lingo quicker.

Im looking for recommendations on places to consider, which are hopefully easy on the wallet rent-wise, and have a good party scene. One of the main places Im considering is Berlin for obvious reasons, but has anyone got any suggestions for less obvious places?

Any other thoughts or tips would be most welcome. Looking for a bit of advice especially from folks who may have some experience of this.

Thanks!
 
there are pros and cons of any approach you take.

for example, sticking to cities would mean you're likely to have no problem landing bar/cafe/club type jobs but the cost of living would be higher.

if you went for resorts/small cities, then there is likely to be a seasonal element to what you do, so you'd have to pick when you went carefully.

the third option is to go for places a bit further away, where your saved money will go further and living will be cheaper but you'll also be paid a lot less. budapest, prague, riga, etc, etc

personally, i think it'd be fcukin amazing doing 6 months in berlin, then milan, then barcelona, then paris or variations thereof.

maybe you could do a city out of season then work somewhere like biarritz in the summer.
 
fatphilb said:
Been feeling in a rut for a few years due to work and debt issues but theres light at the end of the tunnel and im gonna be debt free (hopefully) by next March.
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tell me how it feels then!

my freedom date aint till Dec 2009 :confused:


might goto Vegas for a blowout :lol:
 
My sister is planning on moving to Berlin next year - they are out there every few months - she is a hairdresser and is getting transferred to the branch out there - also, most people speak good english so whilst she is learning German at nightclasses, she is confident that she can manage really well until she can speak fluently.... Berlin rocks apparently - and the area she wants to live in is really cheap, its quite "rundown" and mostly migrant workers living there but its where the bars/clubs they go to are and where the music scene they are into is based so....
 
Phil....you know how to DJ don't you.
Well just tell a few white lies and say you've been an Ibiza resident DJ at one of the clubs. I see people do this all the time in Bali
I live here and I know that they don't play anywhere well known.
Get loaded up with good tunes then blag yourself a few nights playing...
Fat Phil Fat (Ibiza).

Or, I always thought another great way to travel around Europe would be in an Ice Cream van towing a caravan.
Imagine, anytime you needed a bit of cash, just ring your bell and Robert's your father's brother.

img_icecream.jpg
 
I-Spy said:
Phil....you know how to DJ don't you.
Well just tell a few white lies and say you've been an Ibiza resident DJ at one of the clubs. I see people do this all the time in Bali
I live here and I know that they don't play anywhere well known.
Get loaded up with good tunes then blag yourself a few nights playing...
Fat Phil Fat (Ibiza).

Or, I always thought another great way to travel around Europe would be in an Ice Cream van towing a caravan.
Imagine, anytime you needed a bit of cash, just ring your bell and Robert's your father's brother.

img_icecream.jpg
Click to expand...

i-spy is right, if you went around saying you were phat phil, you'd have a load of bookings. :lol:
 
i was hoping to not be so fat by then, so i'd like to think id have stopped announcing myself as fatphilb whenever i enter a room...
 
Good plan, that's exactly what I wanna do in a few years. Berlin is definately my top choice. Brussels is on the list too, as I've heard from a few people it's good out there but I think it's definately worth doing something a bit different. i.e. Eastern Europe. Something to give you a few stories, it's not as easy but well worth it I reckon. Italy doesn't appeal to me at all. A summer in South of France would be pretty sweet too and easy to get work. All sounds fun though. Don't think it's that easy to rock up to some places and just get a job not knowing the lingo etc. I was planning on getting that qualification, teaching English as a foreign language, then any big city will be all over you, and they help you with accomodation, instant friends etc. All you do is sit in a room and spout off in English. The qualification is fairly cheap and easy too.
 
Super Polack said:
Good plan, that's exactly what I wanna do in a few years. Berlin is definately my top choice. Brussels is on the list too, as I've heard from a few people it's good out there but I think it's definately worth doing something a bit different. i.e. Eastern Europe. Something to give you a few stories, it's not as easy but well worth it I reckon. Italy doesn't appeal to me at all. A summer in South of France would be pretty sweet too and easy to get work. All sounds fun though. Don't think it's that easy to rock up to some places and just get a job not knowing the lingo etc. I was planning on getting that qualification, teaching English as a foreign language, then any big city will be all over you, and they help you with accomodation, instant friends etc. All you do is sit in a room and spout off in English. The qualification is fairly cheap and easy too.
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Working as a deckhand on a f**k off yacht in S of France..... I dont do menial work - but that sounds like it could be a bit of fun........

Flavio Briatore's yacht whilst he is entertaining the rich and infamous - imagine the stories you could sell at the end of the season to the NoTW :lol::lol:
 
I would change Brussels for Antwerp ;) (30 min from Brussels.)
nice Partyscene, nice people and nice clubs in a short radius.

From my experiences, Brussels is a dump, high unemployment, high crime ratings and most people only speak French. :(
 
south of france is appealing, is definitely on the list anyway, i absolutely love the place,

as for eastern europe, i have lithuanian roots, so perhaps some time in vilnius - fancy romania too for the party scene they have at the minute, going over there next year for a week so will have a better idea then.

hadn't even considered belgium, will look into it.

cheers troops
 
All sorted then, now you've just got the hardest part to do. Finding the testicles to get up and go. See you in Antwerp.
 
Gray said:
I would change Brussels for Antwerp ;) (30 min from Brussels.)
nice Partyscene, nice people and nice clubs in a short radius.

From my experiences, Brussels is a dump, high unemployment, high crime ratings and most people only speak French. :(
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I thought Brussels was a great city although i was only there for a day and nite, Gent though is a smashing town and id definitely go back there.
 
Well..I must admit, like in every major city it got some nice neighborhoods and some bad neighborhoods. The tourist center eg. around the grand place is very nice. And does not very much differ from any random capital city in Europe.
But there is a difference between visiting and actually living there
I live about 15 miles from Brussels, but I never feel me at home or safe when going to this city. So I always try to avoid it as much as possible.
Personally, even if they would offer me an apartment for free I wouldn't live there.


Gent is indeed a very nice city, been there on college.
Other nice cities are Brugge, Antwerpen, Leuven, Hasselt all have great clubs.
 
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