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How to find web development work in Europe as an American?

8 points by istorical ↗ HN
I was wondering if anyone else who has made this happen has any advice or resources for finding work. I've been sending emails / applications to European companies but my process is slow and I feel like there has to be a better way to find opportunities. So far I've used LinkedIn job search, googled for European startups (and searched for terms like Copenhagen startups, Amsterdam startups, etc.), used Angel.co a little bit.

I know that the most important thing is just putting the time in, but if there are any good resources or organizations to make my search more efficient I want to find out about them.

My background+resume: cmadams.org.

11 comments

[ 5.4 ms ] story [ 48.1 ms ] thread
beat
Perhaps you could do remote freelancing while living in Europe? You could work for American companies (or European, or anywhere else).
basdevries
Why is it important to you to work in Europe per se? A lot of big companies like LinkedIn, FB, Google, etc. have offices all over the world and when you apply for a job at an American employer you could later ask to go abroad.
istorical
I want to experience life outside of the United States. Good idea about looking at big companies.
tlubinski
I always recommend Berlin (Germany) as it is real fun to be and to work there (full disclosure: I'm German, and I lived in Berlin for 10 years). Start-ups there are usually used to employ people from different countries, which definitely helps. You might want to send your resume to one of the bigger incubators:

www.rocket-internet.de (they are huge!) www.project-a.com (former rocket internet managers)

or directly to one of the bigger players: - wooga.com (social gaming) - plinga.com (game publisher) - soundcloud.com - 6wunderkinder.com (to-do list app) - ...

Good luck! Thorsten

istorical
Hey Thorsten,

Thanks for the info.

I see a lot of job posts from Berlin companies that say they will hire people who only speak English, but when I click on the job listing PDF or go to their website it's only in German.

Do you think it's really possible to work there without German?

tlubinski
Definitely yes. I worked in teams with 25 different nationalities and I loved it. Even every-day-stuff like buying groceries is possible without a single german word. Dealing with german authorities (immigration!) might not that easy, though (means long waiting times as they are short on english-speaking staff). Pro tip: if possible wait until april before moving to Berlin, winter is dark and cold ;).
playing_colours
You can also try this site for Berlin startup jobs: http://berlinstartupjobs.com/ If current vacancies are not enough you can go down the list of companies on the right side of the page and check their sites directly. Berlin is nice, lots of work, more or less English-friendly, though rent prices are growing. Check for BlueCard visa if you want to move here.
hcho
You need to be more specific than "Europe". European countries have different rules and regulations when it comes to employing non-European people.

For GB, unless you have spouse with a EU citizenship, your chances are almost 0 at the moment.

istorical
Yeah I've heard the market is really difficult in the UK.

I'm seriously looking at most anywhere on the continent, but it seems like there are the most openings in the Netherlands and Germany. I'd like to live in central or eastern Europe though.

digita88
Stockholm seems to be startup friendly.