Can you live in europe moving from america with little money in your pocket?

Question

Im 17 from the USA about to turn 18. I have been saving up money and want to leave to europe with a few friends. Hopefully able to get a small apartment somewhere near a large city. Is this possible and will the residents of the country be kind enough to assist in some ways?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

It is not necessarily easy to move here. Without money or a job, it would not be possible if you're not an EU citizen and not feasible even if you were from the EU. You can only be here for a maximum of 90 days as a tourist without a visa. Depending on where you're coming from, you may need a visa even for a short visit as a tourist. Also, you would need to speak the local language fairly well for most jobs.

Here in Europe, citizens of the EU have the right to live and work within the EU. It would be illegal for others to do so without a proper visa. The site for visas here in Italy, for example, is: http://www.esteri.it/visti/index_eng.asp . The rules in much of the EU have been harmonized and will be similar. You can also check the website of the consulate that has jurisdiction over you for any country that you might be interested in.

A work permit is separate - you cannot apply for that yourself. The company has to apply and they have to be able to demonstrate that there is not a viable EU candidate for the job. As a result, jobs for foreigners including US citizens are pretty much restricted to people with special education, knowledge, or experience. The medical/healthcare field may have the most demand. When I applied for a visa several years ago, the process took about 8 months even though it was just of transfer of the job I was already doing from the US to Italy. Your best bet might be to find a job with the office of a multinational company in the US and try to transfer from there. You're more likely to get relocation assistance that way too.

It's useful to check the expat sites for information about living and working here or other places you might be interested in:

http://www.escapeartist.com/
http://www.expatica.com/
http://www.expatsinitaly.com/

There are similar sites specific to just about any country you might be interested in that you can find by searching for "ex pat" or "expat" and the name of the country. Generally, these will have a lot of good information on daily life and negotiating the bureaucracy when you arrive and provide you with useful information you should know before you make the transition.

Right now, the economy isn't any particularly good and jobs are few and far between. The political climate is very much against people who are here illegally.

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Asker's Comment:

thanks!!!

Answer 2

I have to tell you. I think in your case your best bet would be to apply for a university in another country.

You could share a flat with a few other students and perhaps you could get some sort of a government grant to help pay for school.
Europe at the moment is having their own financial difficulties and is not in a good position to hand out money to a foreign visitor.
You would have to purchase a round trip ticket or show that you have enough funds on hand to live and purchase a ticket home or that you had some other legit business to stay with only a one way ticket.
You can only legally stay for 90 days anyways unless you are on a student visa.

Answer 3

Don't be stupid. No-one will rent to you because a) you don't have a job and b) you won't get a job because you have no residency/work permit.

Do your research. Right now you haven't a hope of getting any accommodation (and do you not realise just how much things cost? Honestly!) unless it's a bed in a youth hostel for a couple of nights, paid in advance.

Nor are you likely to find any (legal) work. The situation is this: suitable qualified local nationals are employed first; then EU nationals are employed if suitably qualified, and only if the local employer cannot find anyone suitably qualified for the job will they consider a non-EU national.

Needless to say, you are only 18, and therefore have nothing to recommend you. You would be up against people who speak the local language and have a university education and are further trained for specific positions.

And why would anyone help you? Come on. Even if you did have a university education, the paperwork that involves employing a non-EU national is time-consuming and costly. You would have to have some very special and unusual skills and training to warrant this. And for future reference: you need to get that job offer IN WRITING BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE US in order to apply for your residency/work permit.

My advice: stay where you are, go to college and train in something useful and practical. And do some real research - Yahoo Answers doesn't count.

Answer 4

perfect idea im gonna do that with my freinds to well find some more freinds to help you out and see if they wanna go. and by the way are you liberal?

Answer 5

You won't be living there legally if you just pick up and leave. Are you going to school there? And it greatly depends on "where" in Europe you plan to go.