Surf for summer jobs abroadEmployment policy - 14-07-2006 - 09:04
Have you ever considered a summer job working abroad? The opportunities are endless - maybe as a language teacher, a waiter, or perhaps fruit picking? As well as making some money they are an opportunity to learn foreign languages, see new countries and make new friends. If this sounds appealing have a look at a website that lists a variety potential jobs for the summer.
The "eurosummerjobs" website is one initiative to mark 2006 as the European Year for "Workers’ Mobility".
 
It is an excellent way to give young people the chance to acquire their first professional experience and get a taste of working abroad. You can search for jobs in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian.
 
Recent changes
 
Spain, Portugal, Greece and Finland, four popular summer job destinations, opened their labour markets on 1 May 2006 to citizens from the European Union as a whole. They follow the UK, Ireland and Sweden who opened their labour markets two years previously. The other members of the Union (members before 1 May 2004) kept certain restrictions for workers from the eight Central and Eastern European countries that joined the EU on 1 May 2004. In those eight countries similar restrictions to the labour market only exist in Hungary and Poland. For full details of the situation in any particular country see "Eures" - the European job mobility website.
 
And finally, after the summer
 
If you liked the taste of working abroad in a multi-lingual and multicultural environment and you are interested in politics, then perhaps a traineeship at the European  Parliament is an interesting way of continuing your international working experience? The application period for a 5-month paid traineeship from 1 March 2007 opens on 15 August and closes on 15 October. Good luck!