Moving to Europe?

August 3, 2005 8:18 AM

Interested in possibly moving abroad in a few years, either to the UK or to France...

I am currently a graduate student looking to attend medical school starting next year. My girlfriend is a French teacher. We have been mulling over the idea of living abroad after I finish school, but Google gives me so many vastly different suggestions and answers as to be near useless.

Does anybody, either European national or US ex-pat, have any suggestions on moving to UK or France? I know she can find a job fairly easily, but how would it be for me as a future physican? What sort of exams are there, etc? Is there a demand there? I quite like the pace of living and attitudes of the people there, and could get along fine on a personal level, but I am worried about employment abroad.

posted by kaseijin to Work & Money (4 answers total)

With regard to the UK, this article reporting shortages of modern language teachers should be heartening for your partner.
Opportunities for Doctors seems more difficult to gauge. The BMA says there is a shortage of posts for Senior house officers. However, there may be a shortage in Scotland.

Would you consider Ireland?
posted by biffa at 8:37 AM on August 3, 2005

I'm a French teacher, and spent a year teaching in a French high school for a teaching exchange. I'd be nervous about all of the paperwork involved in getting the government to sign off on your work permit, though. The exchange I participated in was sponsored by the French Department of Education and lasted over 9 months. I applied for my work visa the day I arrived in town, and still did not have it in hand when I left nine months later. I spent a long time with the guards at the Berlin airport on my trip home trying to explain why it was that I had exceeded the three month limit that normally applies to Americans visiting France. I showed them the temporary work visa that I was issued before leaving the states, but had a hard time convincing them that the French government hadn't managed to issue the real thing after nine months of working.

That being said, I have nothing but good things to say about the time I spent. Just be prepared for LOTS of bureaucracy if you're also planning on trying to work.
posted by richmondparker at 2:07 PM on August 3, 2005

If you have any interest in Ireland this will be useful.
posted by daveirl at 4:24 PM on August 3, 2005

This may be considered a bit of a snark, but personally I wouldn't consider moving to the UK at all - it's going downhill rapidly, the government sucks, and you'll get taxed to the hilt.

Scotland may be a better choice, or as has been suggested, Ireland (although I have some memory that I've read somewhere stating how badly the Euro has impacted the Eire economy... may not be 100% accurate, though)

I'm on the Isle of Man (We do have roads, honest!) and it's pretty cool - not part of the UK, own laws, government, taxes, etc. and crying out for qualified medical staff and teachers... and if you like motorsports, we've got the TT Races, Southern 100 and Manx Grand Prix motorbike races, and also host some (highly lauded) rally events, including stages of the British rally.
posted by Chunder at 2:39 AM on August 4, 2005