What’s another way to work in Europe? In my continuing quest to explore all the options available to take your career anywhere in the world, I recently found the EU Blue Card. The EU Blue Card Network enables European employers to connect with non-EU nationals to offer them employment and residence in the European Union through an online portal and fast tracking of visas.  In other words, registering your information, education and CV (resume) on the site will allow you to be searched by potential employers to recruit you for positions in their country. It’s a way of matching you with potential employers and streamlining the immigration process for those with skills in high demand.  While the EU Blue Card doesn’t allow you to immigrate to a country without a job it provides one more place for you to seek a job in the EU and lets employers know that you are eligible for a quick work permit turnaround (the process takes approximately 3 months after a binding work offer) and allows you a path to permanent residency or even citizenship. The following EU countries issue the EU Blue Card: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

My earlier post about BUNAC work abroad permits has strict requirements and very limited country options – young people (under 35 at the top limit), only 4 countries (New Zealand, Australia, Ireland & the UK) and only those recently graduated or still in school, are eligible.  The EU Blue Card has no upper age restrictions – although it does require that you’ve already completed your education at an associates degree level or higher. However, this program can also be applied for while studying as a way to give you another opportunity to put your skills into a searchable database and get a jump on offering your newly minted high-demand skills to a potential EU employer.  Signing up was easy and free – it will be interesting to see if I also get any companies “browsing” my CV.  This service will allow me to see who searched my profile. I can then follow up with the company to get more information (the EU Blue Card site allows you to see who looks at your information much like LinkedIn).  In fact, there’s even a LinkedIn group to discuss the EU Blue Card, warts and all. You can find out more information and apply for the EU Blue Card here.

Comments, questions? – now it’s your turn