I'm a Polish citizen living in Lebanon, as my father is Lebanese. I've been living here my entire life, and now i'd like to move to Europe and seek a better life.
I'm a university graduate with good work experience and i consider myself talented.
Of course that's not the case, but only to give a clear picture.
I would like to get your thoughts on how to best plan my move...
First of all, i do understand that going to anther European country is easy knowing one is an EU citizen, and stay up to 3 months. My question, after the 3 months, i need to state the purpose of my stay to the officials? of course in my case, it will be to find work.
Second, am i naturally allowed to rent a home in any European country? because i'll be on the hunt for a job.
Third, in case i'm interested to move to a European country "not to be a burden on society and claim benefits", but to really find a new life and work, but i'm not familiar with the language, will the officials give any help? like, allow my stay for more than 3 months, learn the language, and try to find a job?
I would really like to hear your insights or personal experiences.
PS: i consider myself and nice person and can blend in quite well.
Well, you're not going to get much of a useful answer without providing a lot more information about yourself.
Are you a full Polish citizen with a Polish passport?
How old are you? Married or single? Kids and ages?
What degrees do you hold, and in what fields? Where did you earn them? The same for your spouse.
What work experience do you have, concretely? The same for your spouse.
Describe your skill set.
What languages do you speak, and how well?
Which target countries and cities do you have in mind, and why?
Do you have family in Poland or elsewhere in Europe? Have you ever lived in Poland or elsewhere in Europe?
Generally, though, it is best to arrange a job before you come, and the best way to find a job is by word of mouth from the contacts in your personal network. Recruiters and internet job sites are far inferior. So make sure your network is well developed.
yes i am a full Polish citizen with a Polish passport.
I'm 26 years old, single.
I hold a Bachelor degree in Banking and Finance from a reputable Lebanese university.
I have experiences as a Bank Teller, Research analysis, Technical support, and Software quality assurance.
I don't have any specific country in mind, whichever i get a good job deal in, i'd consider.
I have family in Poland, Belgium and the UK, but i'd rather not plead help from relatives.
I will in fact try to find a job on recruitment portals and LinkedIn, although, i would like to know if i chose to go to Europe personally and learn a foreign language and search for work, will i be able to get support from the target country's officials? and i repeat, not to be a burden, but for i genuinely have a purpose to find work and start fresh.
I forgot to mention that i speak English very well, and Arabic is my native language. Once i have more time, i'll learn better Polish.
as polish passport holder you dont have to state purpose of stay to the officials in any EU country.you can reside as long as you please.
you can legally work and rent property.as for social walfare help,i am not sure,it depends from EU countries.in some you can get full access but some restrict access to social help to poles.
So, if i stayed for more than 3 months, i will not be asked for the purpose of my stay? The reason i ask, is because i came across articles that speak of such.
Can you please state which countries restrict access to Poles?
So, if i stayed for more than 3 months, i will not be asked for the purpose of my stay?
no
Can you please state which countries restrict access to Poles?
UK forexample..you need to work for period of 1 year before you can claim means tested benefit.and its only given for 6 months.and its very little money.nowhere near enough to live on.
As for the social help that you mentioned, how is that usually applied to if needed? is there a special office i'll need to apply at considering i'm a Job seeker?
As for the social help that you mentioned, how is that usually applied to if needed? is there a special office i'll need to apply at considering i'm a Job seeker?
yes.there are designated offices where you can ask for information and apply for help,or even apply online at .job centres websites.they have different names depending of country.
but walfare money and life is rubbish.with your education you can live like a king with proper job.could help at the beginning tho. applying is usually fast and easy.
As Gregy said, with a Polish passport, you can live and work wherever you want in the EU.
As for finding work, you'll find it, but it won't pay great with your degree and experience, especially if you are going to rely on the internet for your job search. Consider going back for a masters, preferably in a math-heavy field like financial mathematics, financial engineering, actuarial sciences or econometrics. In those fields, you will have little difficulty landing a decent job. Much easier than with low-math finance.
While you're doing that, aggressively build up your personal network so that you don't have to rely on recruiters or the internet to find a job. Also, pick a target country and start learning the language.
As hard as it may be for someone in your generation to believe, my generation, that is, the generation that makes the hiring decisions, rely much more on word of mouth for filling the best positions. The only thing you will ever see on the internet are the table scraps. The feast takes place "in real life", face to face, or friend of a friend.
One advantage that you have is that you speak Arabic as a native. Muslims in Europe have an alternative banking and finance system. You may be able to find work in that sector.
In all, give yourself two or three years to beef up your qualifications, learn a language, build up a personal network in "the real world" (Linkedin does not count), and do your research, and you could end up with a nicely paid job in London, Frankfurt, Zurich or other European financial center. Go now and you will certainly end up with a lower paid job and fewer opportunities to advance.
If by "support", you mean "money", no. No one is going to give you any money to get established, find a job or learn the language. That's why arranging a job BEFORE you go is so important. Otherwise, you would have to rely on your savings or your family for the time it takes to find a job, and that may take a considerable amount of time.
About the criminal record, would that be a criminal record from Lebanon and Poland (EU)? or only Lebanon since i'm a resident there?
Not being availabe for an interview, being out of country, would a big negative I think
I do find that somehow a downside, but as Dominic said, there's Skype. Speaking of which, do Europe employers fancy receiving Resumes that has an included photograph?
You will need an official certificate from your local police that states that you have never been in trouble with the law, translated and notarized.
As an American, I was quite surprised to see resumes with photographs when I was living in Poland. In the States, they would immediately be thrown in the trash. Same with resumes with personal information like date of birth or marital status. I don't know about other European countries, though. Always best to ask.
Use linkedin but in a targeted way - if you have good experience and talent as you say it should give you good leads. This is 2016 and it is by far your best tool.
As for resume - well people will have looked at your linkedin often before they bother to open it - make sure the two sets of data tie up. No problem to add a picture in Poland and age is kind of expected on your CV if we are talking about people in 20s or 30s then how could I identify career gaps without seeing age.
