Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Work and study
The bestwayofgetting toknowacountry properly istoworkthereandlearn thelan-
guage. Study opportunities are also a good way of absorbing yourself in the local cul-
ture,thoughtheyinvariably need tobefixed upinadvance; check newspapers forads
or contact one of the organizations listed in
Work and study contacts
.
Working in Europe
There are any number of jobs you can pick up on the road to supplement your spending
money. It's normally not hard to find bar or restaurant work, especially in large resort areas
during the summer, and your chances will be greater if you speak the local language - al-
thoughbeingabletospeakEnglishmaybeyourgreatestassetinmoretouristyareas.
Clean-
ingjobs
,
nannying
and
aupair
workarealsocommon,ifnotspectacularly wellpaid,often
just providing room and board plus pocket money. Some of them can be organized on the
spot, while others need to be arranged before you leave home.
The other big casual earner is farm work, particularly
grape-picking
, an option from
August to October when the vines are being harvested. The best country for this is France,
but there's sometimes work in Germany too, and you're unlikely to be asked for document-
ation. Also in France, along the Côte d'Azur, and in other yacht-havens such as Greece and
partsofsouthernSpain,thereissometimescrewingworkavailable,thoughyou'llobviously
need the appropriate experience.
Rather better paid, and equally widespread, if only during the September to June period, is
teaching
English as a foreign language (TEFL), though it's sometimes hard to find English-
teaching jobs without a TEFL qualification. You'll normally be paid a liveable local salary,
sometimes with somewhere to live thrown in, and you can often supplement your income
with more lucrative private lessons. The TEFL teaching season is reversed in Britain and to
a lesser extent Ireland, with plenty of work available during the summer in London and on
the English south coast (but again, some kind of TEFL qualification is usually required).
A final tip for those hoping to work abroad: buy a book dedicated to the subject. We re-
commend those published in the UK by Vacation Work; visit
crimsonpublishing.co.uk
for
their catalogue. Also try
studyabroad.com
, a useful website with listings and links to study
and work programmes worldwide.
Studying in Europe
Studying abroad invariably means learning a language, in an intensive course that lasts
between two weeks and three months, and staying with a local family. There are plenty of
