Moving to Europe for work

For Americans, employment in a European country requires setting aside previous assumptions about the nature of work, the workplace, and even retirement

Photo credit: European Job Days in the Commission headquarters <https://www.flickr.com/photos/socialeurope/5049753499/>

How do I find work in countries of the European Union? What’s it like working there? What do I need to know about applying for work, employment contracts, and obtaining visas for me and my family? How do I integrate with healthcare systems, social welfare programmes, etc.? What benefits does an employer offer, and what benefits are provided by the state? And what about workplace culture and retirement planning?

The move-to-Europe cottage industry is working overtime these days to accommodate a small but growing cohort of Americans contemplating the challenging path of the emigré: those who are privileged by affluence and wish to keep their options open¹, as well as those who are retiring with sufficient financial resources to live independently, or individuals for whom employment is a moveable feast—independent, self-employed individuals or “digital nomads.” There are, of course, also those who move due to a corporate transfer—often a temporary assignment with perquisites that construct a permeable American bubble in which one can dwell until transferred home again.

However, there has been relatively little discussion directed toward those for who wish to move to Europe, but who have a need to find private- or public-sector employment.

Citizenship—if you qualify—makes things easier

If you move to any country in the E.U., whether it’s one’s intention to find work or not, doing so as an E.U. citizen removes many barriers. Determining whether you qualify for citizenship in an E.U. country based on ancestry is, then, a logical first action. It’s easy to determine which countries offer citizenship on this basis, and what’s involved.

Some E.U. employers overlook applications from applicants from other jurisdictions simply because of the extra effort involved in accommodating the regulatory requirements—employer involvement in the visa process, etc. But if you possess skills or experience hard to find in Europe, it becomes worth the employer’s effort.

Completing one’s higher education in the E.U. makes things easier, too

Several E.U. countries have policies and programmes that facilitate employment of non-E.U. students who complete their higher education within their jurisdiction. For example:

• Belgium: a one-year post-graduate visa for finding work or starting a company

• France: a one-year post-graduate “Recherche d'emploi ou création d'entreprise” (job search or business creation) residence permit

• Germany: an eighteen-month post-graduate residence permit to seek employment

• Netherlands: a twelve-month “Zoekjaar” (search year) permit for finding work or starting a business

Additional details for these and other countries available here and here. For some graduates, obtaining an EU Blue Card may be a possibility as well (more information below).

An employment contract brings many benefits

Having an agreed work contract makes a transition to life in Europe easier in many ways. It can facilitate registration with bureaucratic entities, such as immigration services or a tax authority; it will also make it easier to apply for essential services, such as healthcare and services for children (e.g., crèche and schools). Not to be overlooked: if you have a permanent employment contract, meaning your income is sourced in your host country, it will likely remove potential barriers to such things as qualifying for housing leases and automobile or housing loans.

Finding work

How to find available jobs? What follows introduces a handful of official and private-sector resources intended to facilitate employment in the European Union. The focus is primarily but not exclusively on professional employment, and the intent is to highlight just a few resources where one can start a job search.

The E.U. itself manages EU Careers, a service managed by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) intended to function as a “matchmaker” for job candidates and potential employers. A private resource, EuroJobs, a company that originated as a recruitment vehicle for the hi-tech sector, has evolved to represent a wide variety of professional and technical jobs. The E.U. also hosts a more general employment portal advertising jobs across many sectors and at all levels: EURES (EURopean Employment Services—a job mobility portal). Some of the positions advertised in these resources have been posted by professional recruitment firms working on behalf of employers. Making contact with recruiters at such companies can be helpful in many ways—for example, by providing advice on tailoring CVs for specific employers or job sectors, advising on visa requirements, etc.

Research professionals seeking academic employment might consult the Chronicle of Higher Education, but coverage is slight. Times Higher Education’s job portal is global in scope; Academic Positions has a northern European focus; there are many national portals as well, and of course many leading universities recruit directly from their own employment sites. Not to be overlooked is the job portal EURAXESS. It is used widely by employers to cast a wide recruiting net—at this moment it lists some 9,772 jobs across 43 countries.

Given the abrupt shift in U.S. federal policy away from sponsorship of research in all sectors and the wholesale cancellation of existing grants, many American scientists appear ready to pursue their research in other jurisdictions. In a poll conducted by the leading science journal Nature,² researchers were asked the question “Are you a US researcher who is considering leaving the country following the disruptions to science prompted by the Trump Administration?” The majority of respondents—75.3 percent—responded positively. The analysis of the survey results notes³

The trend was particularly pronounced among early-career researchers. Of the 690 postgraduate researchers who responded, 548 were considering leaving; 255 of 340 PhD students said the same.

These circumstances provide European universities and research laboratories an unusual opportunity to recruit talent from U.S. institutions, and movement in this direction has been swift. An initiative “Choose Europe for Science” was launched on 5 May 2025 at the Sorbonne, whose purpose is to “strengthen the attractiveness of research in Europe and to continue to attract the best talents.”⁴ The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke of Europe’s commitment to science, referencing the existing €93B Horizon Europe programme and announcing new investments in both the near and longer term.⁵ Macron’s speech emphasised the importance of research to democratic states, the need for European independence in the research domain (and freedom from “vassalage” to the United States), and referenced initiatives to strengthen the research domain in France.⁶

Other programmes have been launched independently.⁷ Aix-Marseille Université has quickly organised a programme called “Safe Place for Science,” whose objective is raise funds to recruit up to fifteen U.S. scientists for a three-year term. CentraleSupélec in Paris, one of the world’s leading engineering schools, quickly joined Aix-Marseille’s recruitment programme. Other recruitment programmes have been announced in the Netherlands and elsewhere, and there has been pressure on the E.U. Commissioner for Innovation and Research, Ekaterina Zaharieva, from member states to increase research funding, to facilitate recruitment of American researchers, and to reform the bureaucratic complexities of the E.U.’s flagship Horizon Europe research funding programme—objectives underscored by von der Leyen in her speech of 5 May 2025.⁸ The government of Ireland has also announced a “Global Talent Initiative” which ‘aims to take advantage of the “brain drain” from the US where Donald Trump’s regime is threatening dozens of colleges and universities’; it would compensate Irish universities with up to half the cost of each recruit’s salary.⁹

In spite of these developments, it remains early days for new European research programmes to recruit American researchers, but clearly many researchers at beleaguered U.S. institutions are interested.¹⁰

Speaking English is a skill, too. Regardless of employment sector, as an American an inherent skill is often competence with American spoken and written English—which enhances your competitiveness in many job contexts. Indeed, the website English Speaking Jobs in Europe provides a search portal for jobs requiring only English language ability across 14 countries in the European Economic Area.

Applying for work might also lead you into unfamiliar territory. When I began my quest for a new job in Europe back in 2008 I used my American CV, but later, as I subsequently served on more and more recruitment panels, I came to appreciate that European CVs and resumés can be somewhat different.

European CVs sometimes include information not always typical of those prepared in the U.S.—including photos, country or countries of citizenship, passport numbers, drivers licence information (if pertinent), community activities and hobbies. To encourage some level of uniformity among CVs, the European Union sponsors Europass, an interactive site that enables establishment of a professional profile; production of CVs in several different styles from that profile; and creation of cover letters. It also provides a multi-lingual tool for creating a standardised digital skills profile and recommends online courses for professional development. In addition, it offers a resource for finding jobs via the afore-mentioned EURES resource.

Sample Europass CV <photo credit: https://www.scribd.com/document/638692534/EUROPASS-CV-SAMPLE>

For non-professional roles, a one- or two-page resumé that aligns education, skills, experience and career interests with the job on offer is common. It also is not unusual for these documents to also be humanised by inclusion of a short list of non-professional interests and activities.

There is some useful and concise guidance from the European Council on crafting CVs and resumés: “Creating effective CVs for jobs at EU institutions: A brief guide,” available on LinkedIn.

Qualifications, References, Interviews: These three things, together with your CV or resumé, are typical parts of the candidate evaluation process. It would be misleading to generalise on how employers approach these inevitable aspects of a job application. I will nevertheless share some anecdotal information from my own experience to simply illustrate an approach in one jurisdiction by one employer.

Academic degrees are commonly referred to as qualifications, and some jobs will require that copies of diplomas and certificates be submitted as part of the application package; it might be required that official documents be translated by a translator certified in the country where the job is based. (Such documents might or might not be returned to you.) In some cases, you might also be required to demonstrate equivalency of an American degree or certification to a European academic or professional qualification.

As for references, in my own experience, working in the Irish public sector, as many as five references were required prior to selection of candidates for interview. General letters of recommendation were never solicited, and references were never undertaken interactively by phone or videoconference. Rather, questionnaires were sent to referees, thereby making each reference easily comparable to all others. (I’m aware that this is not a universal practice among European employers.) This was consistent with how interviews were handled, where the same questions were posed to all candidates, then scored quantitatively after all candidates had been seen. To me, the approach was overly cautious, even constipated—but in that environment the employer sought to limit challenges and liabilities by utilising a method that was seen to be fair and legally unassailable.

Sometimes the date of the interview for a job is posted with the job description; sometimes it is provided to you at the time you are short-listed for a job. Don’t expect the date to be up for negotiation, and don’t be surprised if it’s the next week. However, a gift of the Covid-19 pandemic was the ubiquitous use of teleconferencing software, and it is now not unusual for applicants to be accommodated through such technology.

If invited for an interview, enquire whether it will be conducted in English. I have interviewed in English for jobs in Ireland, the UK and Belgium (in the latter a commitment to learning Flemish was nevertheless a condition of employment); in Germany the interview was conducted in German. In each case, however, all correspondence and documents exchanged were in English.

If you’re accustomed to interviews being a two-way street, where you have ample opportunities to query employers, HR representatives, and future colleagues about the work environment, you might be surprised by a very different experience. In my own interview experience—being interviewed and when serving on many interview panels—questions from potential employees were limited to the traditional “Do you have any questions for us?” posed at the end of the session. If you’re offered the job, you’ll have more leverage in subsequently seeking to meet with HR representatives or other stakeholders to inform your decision. And often you’ll find out on the day of the interview whether you’re the successful candidate—so be prepared with your questions and negotiating points.

Accepting employment: If you’re offered and accept a job, you will receive a written contract—that is the basis of employment in European countries (see below for more on this). You’ll need to review this carefully as it will become part of your permanent portfolio. In some settings, it is treated as a sacrosanct document that doesn’t change even after years of employment. If there is anything confusing about the terms of employment, seek clarification (especially if the contract is not in English); if there are red flags, challenge them and if possible negotiate around them. There may be no other opportunity to do so once both parties accept and sign the contract.

Governance of the workplace - employment contracts

In the U.S. employment is generally governed by the doctrine of employment at will, whereby either employer or employee may terminate employment at any time, subject to certain constraints (which could include an employment contract or collective bargaining agreement).¹¹ The doctrine provides significant empowerment to an employer in managing a workforce, but creates vulnerability for employees for whom employment is linked to both income and, in many cases, health insurance and the building of retirement assets. The regulations of the Fair Labor Standards Act also codify aspects of work and compensation that many Americans take for granted. It defines, for example, the difference between salaried and hourly workers, i.e., “exempt” (from overtime pay) and “non-exempt” (entitled to overtime pay). It regulates minimum wage, tips, hours worked, record keeping and child labour, and more.

In the European Union, employment is based on contracts. In seeking work, it is important to understand what type of contract will be on offer. The most coveted kind of contract is the Contract of Indefinite Duration, or CID. Such jobs have no fixed termination date (other than possibly a state-mandated retirement date) and therefore provide job security, especially since there are often significant worker protections in E.U. countries’ labour laws. Banks and landlords also often require that an individual hold a CID to qualify for a personal loan or a mortgage. There are also fixed-term contracts which have a pre-determined end date, and employers may be required by law to justify why a job is temporary. In my own experience, it is not uncommon for fixed-term contracts to lead to CIDs. An employee might argue that the job activities will continue past the termination date and therefore the fixed-term contract was issued based on false assumptions; in Ireland, should a job on a fixed-term contract continue past four years due to employer neglect or other circumstances, then the law requires that the contract be re-issued as a CID.

The type of contract typically determines the level of social protections and benefits. Other types of contracts include, depending on jurisdiction:

• Agency work contracts, wherein one is employed by an agency for placement in a third-party work environment;

• Apprenticeship, Training or Internship contracts, wherein work and vocational training are combined;

• Freelance and self-employed contracts, such as consultancies and fixed-term project work;

• Task or gig contracts, wherein compensation is provided for fulfilment of specific tasks, such as food delivery or other services made available via digital platforms; and

• Zero-hours contracts, common in Ireland and the UK, where the employer offers no guaranteed number of hours or shifts (such contracts are inherently controversial).

Apart from this there are the usual workplace regulations: minimum wage for hourly workers; maximum hours of work each week; accrual or granting of paid leave for illness or holiday; mandatory breaks during the workday; employer discretion for overtime work or work outside of contracted hours; etc. Employers also typically assert local policies, often representing the local implementation of a nationally regulated issue, such as mandated practices to assure compliance to privacy regulations, or how disputes between management and staff are resolved or regulations to assure fairness in hiring or compensation.

In Ireland and the United Kingdom, a concept that may be unfamiliar to Americans is that of custom and practice, which typically applies to benefits of some kind. Essentially this embodies the principle that if some unsanctioned workplace benefit has persisted for a sufficiently long period of time, it would be considered normative. For example, if by policy staff are allowed a fifteen-minute break twice daily, and this has stretched to a customary 30-minute break twice daily in practice, the argument could be put forward that it had in effect become “custom and practice” and had been accepted by management and therefore could not longer be challenged by the usually applicable policies.

What about visas? If you’re not an E.U. citizen, be aware of visa requirements. The E.U. has agreements with many countries that entitle their citizens to the same working conditions as the nationals of their host country; the U.S., however, does not have such an agreement with the E.U. Apart from overarching E.U. regulations, each country has its own work visa regulations and requirements that need to be explored in detail. While these are variable, they will generally require a written offer of employment or a signed employment contract, a work permit, proof of housing accommodation, health insurance to cover a period of transition to local insurance systems, and in some cases proof of language proficiency.

The employer will typically apply on your behalf for issuance of a work permit, identifying the role, its requirements, the alignment of your qualifications thereto, and often by providing justification for why the job cannot be filled by a national of the host country or the E.U.

The issuance of a visa will depend on proof of a job offer and the work permit, as well as a valid passport and other documentation, which can include: proof of housing accommodation; evidence of private health insurance; evidence of qualifications (such as copies of diplomas); and of course payment of an application fee. Types of visas vary country to country, but the most common type would be a long-stay visa (or “national D visa”). The requirements and terms of such visas vary widely according to jurisdiction, but their common ground is their being short term (generally 90 days to one year) and permitting work. Applications are submitted via a consulate or embassy in your home country, with documentation such as was identified generally above. An in-person interview might also be required.

For highly qualified professionals there is also the desirable EU Blue Card, characterised as follows by the EU Immigration Portal:

An EU Blue Card gives highly-qualified workers from outside the EU the right to live and work in an EU country, provided they have higher professional qualifications, such as a university degree, and an employment contract or a binding job offer for at least one year with a high salary compared to the average in the EU country where the job is. The EU Blue Card applies in 25 of the 27 EU countries. It does not apply in Denmark and Ireland.

Applications for the EU Blue Card must be made by the potential employer in the country where the job is based and will include substantial evidence that the individual meets all conditions required for this status. See the EU Immigration Portal for details.

The E.U. has also developed a special job portal for EU Blue Card holders called the EU Blue Card Network.

Even with an employer’s sponsorship, you will still have responsibility for assuring that all documentation is in order and that your personal circumstances are covered. If you are moving with a partner or family, pay attention to how visas apply to those accompanying you, and what documentation they need to provide.

Settling in

Work permits and visas will get you where you want to be with regard to your new job, but if you’re not a citizen of an EU country than there are other bureaucratic issues that will demand your attention. These are variable by country but typically include:

• Registration one’s address as a foreign resident and/or application for residence permit or card;

• Enrolment in a national health authority or otherwise securing health insurance; in some cases this will constitute enrolment in a country’s social security system, in other places social security registration requires a separate process;

• Registration with the national tax authority (this might not happen until submitting a tax declaration for your first year in a country);

• obtaining a bank account (possibly not necessary, depending on jurisdiction, by desirable and not always easy due to U.S. FATCA regulations; and

• some countries, such as France, mandate language training or evidence of language competency as part of the immigration integration process.

Then there are details like drivers licences. If your stay is for a year or less, this might not be a concern. If it is permanent, then you’ll want to obtain a licence in your country of residence. In some cases a U.S. licence can be exchanged for a licence in another. Just be aware that the transaction is genuinely an exchange—you generally don’t get to keep both. If you cannot exchange your U.S. licence, then you might have to start from scratch with driving lessons, then face a written exam and often rigorous road test.

Workplace culture

No, workplace culture in France doesn’t generally resemble what you’ve seen in Emily in Paris or The Parisian Agency. But it might not closely resemble what you’re used to in the United States, either. It’s hard to generalise, since each workplace tends to have its own local culture, and its workers may be represented by one or more unions.

If considering employment, there would be wisdom in asking about which unions are active in the workplace and for a characterisation of “industrial relations”—the employer/union relationship. Enquire also whether, for the position in question, union membership is expected; if the position involves management, enquire about formal arrangements for management-union communications. If you wish to probe deeply, ask about how disciplinary issues are handled—poor performance, performance improvement plans, bullying and sexual harassment, etc.—and ask for an example or two that show how such things work.

Other common workplace procedures or “benefits” may be handled differently from what you are familiar with from working in other jurisdictions—things such as performance appraisals (when they exist); determination of promotions or pay increases; time off for illness (this can be complicated in different jurisdictions); access to a crèche (child care) and terms of maternity/paternity leave; professional development policy and supports; travel policy; even the “right to disconnect.” Being able to sit down with a senior HR officer to review such questions should be part of any hiring process as well as any on-boarding activity.

Regulations and assumptions about retirement

European workers tend to enjoy generous retirement benefits, but the terms and conditions for such benefits are variable. Pensions are also still common in Europe; most European countries provide a retirement pension similar to U.S. Social Security benefits, but earning such benefits requires completion of a certain number of years of employment. This is not governed by E.U. law but rather by national jurisdictions, and conditions vary widely. In France, three months of employment with payment of social charges yields a partial pension entitlement; in Italy, 20 years is required. In Ireland where I worked, the requirement was 520 weeks—but at the time the requirement had to be met by age 65 to qualify for more than a partial pension (the age for qualification has since changed). If earning a retirement pension is one of your objectives, pay attention to the pertinent national regulations, which can be discovered, with some effort, at the E.U.’s Your Europe website.

If you’ve paid into U.S. Social Security, or have worked and paid social charges in more than one E.U. member state, there will be complex inter-state calculations when, upon retirement, the value of a European state pension is reckoned.¹² Some tax authorities also treat pension income differently depending on whether it is paid by a public- or private-sector entity. Each country also enables certain kinds of tax-deferred or tax-advantaged retirement savings plans.

In some jurisdictions—particularly Ireland and the UK—a “lump sum” payment is also often made at the time one starts to collect payments from a pension. If you are coming from an American employer, “lump sum” might conjure an amount of money in a retirement plan that you can choose to annuitise, rollover into another retirement investment, or simply take as a cash payment. But the pension lump sum I am referring to is a separate cash award—think of it as a retirement bonus. In my case, in Ireland, the size was determined by my final salary and length of service. And it was tax free in Ireland. (If it had been paid to me after I had become tax resident in France, it would have been subject to French income tax, given the way the France-Ireland tax treaty is written; this is an example of why it pays, literally, to understand tax treaties.)

Again, find a time to speak with an HR pensions specialist when accepting employment in Europe. The arrangements made for retirement support can present complex new circumstances that take some effort to absorb.

Other cultural issues

As I’ve indicated already, it’s difficult and possibly unfair to generalise about cultural issues, but anyone who has come from the U.S. to work in a European workplace will have observations to share. One sometimes hears oft-repeated cultural stereotypes, but sometimes also indicators of genuine issues, such as the reality of gender equality/inequality.

There are so many variables when it comes to assessing workplace culture. If you know people who have worked in Europe, ask them about their experiences. They’ll probably have some stories to tell. I have some myself beyond what I’ve recounted here, but I’d be more inclined to share them verbally after a glass of wine or two.

Oh, there is also this:

Employment kiosk, photographed at the Gare de Toulon, April 2025

1. See, for example, Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, “Americans Are Buying an Escape Plan: Is it time for a second passport?” The Atlantic (22 March 2025) https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/03/gold-card-residence-abroad/682103/ (consulted 26 March 2025)

2. Smriti Mallapaty, “These frustrated scientists want to leave the United States — do you? Take Nature’s poll In the wake of the Trump administration’s funding freezes and job cuts, some researchers are planning their next move,” Nature (13 March 2025) https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00757-1 (consulted 11 April 2025)

3. Alexandra Witze, “75% of US scientists who answered Nature poll consider leaving More than 1,600 readers answered our poll; many said they were looking for jobs in Europe and Canada,” Nature (27 March 2025) https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00938-y (consulted 11 April 2025)

4. “… renforcer l’attractivité de la recherche en Europe et continuer d’attirer les meilleurs talents.” “Lancement de « Choose Europe for Science » à La Sorbonne,” Élysée: Actualités (5 May 2025) https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2025/05/05/lancement-de-choose-europe-for-science-a-la-sorbonne. See also Julien Hoez, “Macron's 'Choose Europe for Science' speech [Translation],” Substack: The French Dispatch (5 May 2025) https://www.frenchdispatch.eu/p/macrons-choose-europe-for-science-speech-sorbonne.

See also “Europe Makes a Pitch to Attract Scientists Shunned by the U.S.,” New York Times (5 May 2025) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/world/europe/eu-us-scientists-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FE8.RDBf.-Rnb_P0OsFhc&smid=url-share

5. “Closing speech by President von der Leyen at the ‘Choose Europe for Science' event at La Sorbonne,” European Commission: Press Corner (5 May 2025) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/da/speech_25_1130

6. See above, “Lancement de « Choose Europe for Science » à La Sorbonne.”

7. See also Patricia Cohen, “The World Is Wooing U.S. Researchers Shunned by Trump,” New York Times (14 May 2025) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/business/economy/trump-research-brain-drain.html?smid=url-share (consulted 14 May 2025)

8. Sylvie Kauffmann, “Europe failing to take over from the US as it challenges science would open the door wide to China,” Le Monde (9 April 2025) https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2025/04/09/europe-failing-to-take-over-from-the-us-as-it-challenges-science-would-open-the-door-wide-to-china_6740027_23.html (consulted 11 April 2025)

See also:

David Matthews, “How Europe aims to woo US scientists and protect academic freedom The European Union’s new research chief Ekaterina Zaharieva speaks to Nature about attracting disaffected US scientists and cutting grant bureaucracy,” Nature (1 April 2025), https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01002-5 (consulted 11 April 2025);

John Kampfner, “The US brain drain has begun,” Politico (9 April 2025) https://www.politico.eu/article/united-states-higher-education-brain-drain-academic-freedom-research-innovation-donald-trump/ (consulted 11 April 2025)

9. Senan Molony, “Government offering to pay higher salaries to attract leading academics fleeing Donald Trump’s education threats,” Irish Independent (13 May 2025) https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/government-offering-to-pay-higher-salaries-to-attract-leading-academics-fleeing-donald-trumps-education-threats/a735917849.html (consulted 13 May 2025)

10. See Maria M. Mota’s commentary, “Europe can capture the US brain drain — if it acts fast,” Nature 641/1074 (28 May 2025) https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01567-1 (consulted 29 May 2025)

11. See: “At-will employment,” Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment (consulted 20 December 2024) ; Charles J. Muhl, “The employment-at-will doctrine: three major exceptions,” Monthly Labor Review, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (January 2001) https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2001/01/art1full.pdf (consulted 20 December 2024)

12. See “EU social security coordination,” Live, work, travel in the EU: Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion,” https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/moving-working-europe/eu-social-security-coordination_en (consulted 6 April 2025)