Europe for a year?

Going to keep this simple and to the point. First, answers here are from experience travelers and not from Rick Steves staff. Read the posting guidelines. Second, to work in Europe, LEGALLY, you will need a work permit from one of the countries, Unless you have a critical skill that is needed in Europe, the possibility of a work permit is near zero. Third, as an American citizen without with a special visa - student, work permit, etc., - you are ONLY permitted to stay in the Schengen zone - most of western Europe excluding G Britian -- for 90 days out of a continuous 180 days. Fourth, Sorry to rain on your parade but you to need to spend sometime researching your questions so that you understand the situations and the possibilities,

Well sooorrry, Mr. ExperienceD Traveler!

I will try and be a little bit more... helpful. It is possible to work in Europe LEGALLY, my wife did it a few years ago before we were married. She used an agency to get her e permit and job. I'm sure that a simple internet search could help you with that. As for second language, it really depends on where you want to be. English is the major second language in Europe for the other countries, so you are already off to a good start. The easy answer is if you want to be in Germany, study German, France, French, etc. I might stick to the UK or Scandinavian countries as English is spoken widely there. You will have a hard time getting a job in a place where you do not speak the language VERY well. Hopefully I've helped you a bit.

If you do manage to find a company that will hire you then you can stay as long as your work visa permits. You will not be limited to the 90/180 day limits set by the Schengen Agreement. 25 members: Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Finland Estonia France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden
Switzerland

Unless you have some special skills it's hard to get job in Europe but not impossible. The easiest way would be to teach English as a second language. They have so called Oxford course in this country. That could give you some ideas. Or google Caledonian school in Prague. They have one month course for future teachers and successful students of the course are helped with work permit etc. Also look at job advertisements in Praguepost.com . Obviously there are many more sources of information but these are which I am familiar with. The most useful second language in Europe is English. Then in Central Europe German. After that it depends on the country you are in.

USAjobs.com lists US Government jobs, you can search in foreign countries also. Many are located at US bases or Consulates overseas. US Government jobs get around the normal requirement that you have a skill that can't be filled by Eurozone legal residents (normally, getting a job as a US Citizen in Europe IS pretty close to impossible). You might check those out to see if something seems interesting and you are qualified. Once you have the employment, the visa won't be hard. Otherwise, you need to prove you won't need to work to get a long term tourist visa. They are at least as serious about working illegally in Europe as we are here (probably more).

Just to elaborate a bit on the possibility of teaching English . . .
I believe the standard training is the Cambridge, not Oxford, course. However, that's a minor point, unless you're actually going to try to pursue it. A friend's son took the course, but the only job he could get was in Lithuania. Think about it. The EU is has lots of native English speakers from the U.K. and Ireland. That makes it hard for an employer to claim that there's no EU citizen available for the job.

For more information on Oxford course google Oxford TEFL course. There are many Americans teaching English in Europe. Some schools and companies even request Americans because American English is somewhat different than British.

Thank you.

I think the point Frank was trying to make is that unless you do find a job and get a work visa, an extended stay is not realistic. It is possible to get tourist visas, but they are issued by country so you'll still be limited in time traveling throughout the rest of Europe. And if you get a job, you'll be mostly stuck in that country working. While he might have been rather blunt, his point is that you really need to do a lot of research and thinking. And no second language will be useful for a job if you are just learning it. You'll need to be fluent if it's a job requirement. Since English is the most common second language for Europeans, having a second language is only helpful for tourists if you spend extended time in a particular country or stay in more rural areas. As others have pointed out, your best bet would be to teach English but many of those jobs are in eastern Europe and/or taken up by college-aged kids. If your dream is to travel to the highlights of Europe, being stuck in Poland or Romania for 6 months might not fit the bill.

Thanks Lee for the Schengen Agreement countries list! Pat, here's a way you can do it: Spend the first 3 months in Turkey, it's cheap and very friendly, as well as safe. Or consider Croatia (less interesting for 3 months). For the next 3 months, start in Spain, work your way around Schengen countries in Western Europe. Then, for another 3 months, head for Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, and or back to Turkey. You can teach ESL in Turkey too... For the last 3 months, if your budget still allows, head for the northern/Scandinavian Schengen countries list. You can even consider heading to India for one of the 3 months 'time-out' stints. If you haven't done an extended stay trip before, you may want to plan out what you'd really like to do for the first 6 months and give yourself permission to come home if you find that it was enough...

Pat, There is one way that would allow you to stay a semester, ie., more than 90 days in the Schengen area. Enroll in a community college in your area which has a foreign language program connected with a university in France and Germany. This way you're able to spend extended time beyond the contraints of Schengen as a student. Look up what the Goethe Institut offers for language study in Germany As a second language to concentrate on, especially for east-central and eastern Europe, choose German. Focus your effforts on learning the most as possible. Teaching English, say for Berlitz, is a real long shot, apply...you never know what may turn up. A friend of mine did just that and was hired... surprisingly.

Well, Pat, I can't work out what Frank said that caused you to be so rude to him. Everything he said is correct. Every one of us here is a volunteer. We are not here to be abused. It is very good that you are considering Europe so favourably, and I wish you well. What you get here is a lot of experience, no charge. We want you to be successful and not have any nasty surprises. If there is something which will dramatically change your exciting dreams, isn't it better that you get that information sooner rather than later? Lots of people have given good information to you. What do you think of it?

Hey guys, go a little easy on the newbie. Actually, I did think that Frank had laid it on a little thick. I understand where Frank & Nigel are coming from, but Pat hasn't developed a thick skin yet either and she is, after all, just starting out looking into the possibility of fulfilling her dream.

Pat, you've received lots of excellent advice and do have a lot of research to do. I have two daughters who attended university in Europe (all their university years, not just a semester abroad program) and now live and work there. I've learned a lot about extended visas, both for study and work. They are really hard to obtain, especially in England. And the advice on Schengen is real: my oldest daughter was fined 500 euros for overstaying her Schengen area stay by 3 days. You will find an extensive discussion on the Schengen requirements and your options in the history threads of this forum, and part of your research should be mastering the intricacies of the rules - keeping careful records of where you have been, and for how long, with supporting receipts and the like. You can pull this off, but if you misstep they have the right to levy hefty fines and/or stop you at an entry or exit point and plop you on the next flight back to the U.S. at your expense. This is a bit drastic, and they may reserve it for when they suspect you have worked illegally on your trip. Plan well and have a wonderful time.

There have been a few posters in the past who decided they wanted to move to Europe, didn't do their homework or listen to the good advice that was offered them here and had some nasty surprises when they arrived. If Frank was being blunt, best to hear it here first, rather than hear it from law enforcement on this side of the pond. I love living in Europe, but the Europe you see on travel programs like Rick Steves is as much a part of daily life as the national park system is for most Americans- it's all there, but not something you encounter and experience everyday.

any sign of the OP?

I can add too as someone that has lived and traveled for long stays in Europe (9 months and 4 months): what seems like a fantasy can be very difficult and challenging physically and emotionally. I wouldn't trade it for anything but you must be prepared for it. If you are serious and have specific questions about it, PM me or come back with more questions.

Pat, I tend to agree with the comments provided so far and as others have mentioned, it's far better to be apprised of the realities of extended stays here, rather than "after the fact". It's unfortunate that you were offended by one reply, but it's important to keep in mind that ALL of us here are using our own time to provide the best advice we can to help other travellers. Regarding the work situation, that could be very difficult without fluency in one of the languages and/or specialized skills. With the creation of the E.U., workers are now very "portable" and can easily work in any country. I've encountered numerous individuals from Poland working in Ireland, and some from the U.K. working in France and Italy. Even ESL Teachers may not be much in demand, as many from the U.K. are filling that role. Also, the employment situation there is much like it is on this side of the pond - if there's a "local" that can fill a position, employers are required to hire them before considering others. While there are always stories of people finding "under the table" work, that approach is very risky for employers as they can face heavy fines. The "bottom line" regarding employment in Europe (for North Americans) - it is possible but it's often difficult and complicated to achieve. The very creative plan suggested in one of the previous replies could certainly be one option. Spend some time in eastern Europe, some time in the U.K. and some time in the Schengen zone. One point to mention though - in my experience you'll be asked on entry to the U.K. whether you plan to work. If the answer is "Yes", you'd better have the paperwork in hand! Unfortunately, I don't think you qualify for a WHV (limited to Commonwealth countries only). Good luck and happy travels!