Looking for a job abroad during a pandemic? Amandine’s experience shows it is possible

When Amandine graduated with a Master’s degree in 2019, she began looking for a job. The anthropologist had undertaken an Erasmus+ exchange in Portugal and a traineeship in Mauritius, but she quickly realised it was not easy to find opportunities. She decided to register with Actiris, the Public Employment Service that manages EURES services in Brussels, Belgium.

Actiris opens up opportunities abroad

Amandine took part in a general information session about Actiris’ various services, including a presentation on traineeships abroad. She said to herself, “why not me?” Amandine began developing her “projet professionel” (individual professional path), a tool that Actiris uses to help jobseekers plan their career path and find suitable job or traineeship opportunities. She then began applying for various positions and was offered a three-month traineeship with an association in Madrid.

COVID-19 forces a change of plans

Amandine moved to the Spanish capital to start her traineeship in February 2020. Unfortunately, soon afterwards, Europe began to see the impact of COVID-19. Like so many other people, Amandine had to change her plans.

She left Madrid halfway through her experience and had to complete the rest of her contract from home in Brussels. After a while, she began applying for new positions in Brussels but found that despite having the right qualifications, she was often up against experienced candidates in competitive application processes.

Amandine tries again… and finds the perfect match

After a few months, Amandine realised she didn’t want to give up on her original plans to work abroad. She decided to begin applying again and got back in touch with her EURES Adviser at Actiris in September.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, Amandine received many offers from employers in countries such as Spain, Malta and Portugal. Many were offering her remote work, but she wanted to experience working abroad again.

Eventually, she had an interview with an LGBT association in Valencia for a position carrying out research on sports, gender and sexual orientation. It was the perfect match. Amandine was really interested in the role and, after impressing in her interview, she was offered the job.

In spite of the difficulties posed by COVID-19, Amandine was recently able to move to Valencia to begin her traineeship. She now lives in an international house shared in the Spanish city and is pleased to have the experience of living abroad once again.

Amandine’s experience shows that, even in the ongoing context of COVID-19, employers across Europe are still looking for international staff.

If you too are interested in finding a job abroad, contact a EURES Adviser today to see how they can help find the right opportunity for you.

You can read more about Amandine’s story in this article (in French) on the Actiris website.

Related links:

Erasmus+

Actiris

Projet professionel

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