“A new environment, new culture and new people”: EURES helps French jobseeker find work in Ireland

Having previously worked as an office manager for an accounting company in Paris, Florence Pernock decided she wanted to move to Ireland to gain experience working in an English-speaking country. Florence contacted EURES while she was job hunting and they soon found a role for her in Sligo, in the North West of the country.

Florence now works as an assistant at Alainn Tours, a French tour operator that specialises in holidays for francophone tourists in Ireland. “My duties include general administrative work, as well as helping to improve the company’s communication, management and organisational activities,” Florence explains.

“A good fit for everyone involved”

Florence is grateful to one particular member of EURES Staff, Georgie Pevrol, for supporting her with her move to Ireland. “She was really supportive, and was actually the person who found this job for me,” Florence explains.

“As soon as she saw the offer, she contacted me to tell me that this was THE job for my profile. So I applied for it, and two months later, I got it!”

Florence recalls how Georgie provided extensive support throughout her job search and move. “She advised me on the financial support I could receive for the interview abroad and my move to Ireland, and called me a month and a half later to check that everything was OK. She was really competent and helpful all the way to my new life in Ireland. I thanked her a lot for that!”

Georgie herself is modest about her involvement. “It was a team effort,” she says. “The job offer was sent to me by a colleague, Marine, who was in touch with the employer. I sent her Florence’s CV with a warm recommendation because I knew she was a serious and skilled candidate.”

“Florence trusted my advice, and the employer trusted Marine, which led to a pretty good fit for everyone involved!” Georgie recalls.

“It is a new life, but I like it”

For Florence, the best thing about working abroad is getting to discover “a new environment, new culture and new people”. “The Irish people are so warm!” she says.

Florence is not sure what the future holds, largely because her fiancée remained in France when she moved to Ireland. Nevertheless, she has relished the challenge of living abroad.

“It is a new life, but I like it”, she says. “Moving to a new country is not only [beneficial] to improve a language, but also to learn about yourself. My only regret is that I still speak too much French in Ireland, so I advise anyone working abroad to have as much contact as possible with the locals.”

“If you really want to get this experience abroad, keep your target in mind, and never give up,” Florence advises. “Believe in yourself and everything will be alright.”

“The EURES services are amazing and I am really happy with how this benefited my job search.”

If you too are interested in working abroad in Europe, visit the EURES portal today to explore millions of jobs or contact a member of EURES Staff in your region.

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