DD18- summer work in Europe?

[Cathpot]

Hi looking for ideas for DD. Her interrailing plans for the summer have just fallen over and she’s very flat about having no plans- especially after saving up . She would like to find some summer work that would allow her to have some time in Europe and still get to have a mini adventure. She currently works as a waitress at the weekends, is comfortable on boats/ competent crew sort of level. She’s done volunteering with kids gymnastics so she’s happy fielding small children. No second language- did French at gcse but I’m not sure she would get much past ordering an icecream! I’m sure there must be something suitable but I don’t know what to suggest- looking for ideas from the hive mind…

Workaway? Eurocamp and pgl often recruit activity staff but Brexit may limit this now.

Somewhere like Mark Warner or Neilson maybe? Language wouldn’t be an issue and boatie skills useful. No idea when they recruit though but worth a look.

Trek Adventure are currently recruiting - they are a sailing holiday company with base in Kefalonia here.

We went away with them a few years ago - staff were all English. They seemed happy!

DD did 6 weeks in Spain when she was 18 with Workaway and had a super time

She’ll likely need an EU passport or Visa.

Thanks to Brexit she’ll have to explore options like entering on a student visa to do a language course and working the permitted limited hours alongside that.

EU Solidarity Corp and workaway

DS just had an amazing 18 months with both, but he has dual nationality and an EU passport.

More costly and difficult now if no EU passport - blame Brexit !

I looked into this for my niece, she wanted to work maybe in a café or similar over the summer to learn the language and experience living abroad. Due to Brexit the just turning up somewhere and picking up a bar job has got more difficult. To work in the EU you now need a work permit (which needs paying for) as well as someone prepared to hire you and justify hiring you over EU citizens, which is a hard sell for an unskilled job. There are still places which might take you on cash in hand, but without the language even that will be a challenge.

Even holiday companies are finding it hard, I have a pal who runs a small residence in a ski resort frequented by Brits, he used to get quite a few U.K. students and the like for the season as bar staff or housekeeping/nannies etc. Now he hires only EU passport holders as the hoops needing jumping through to hire third country people for unskilled jobs are not worth the effort. Plus many kids in Europe now speak pretty good English, so the language is not so much of an issue as in the past.

My friends DS wanted to do this and ran into Brexit issues, a work visa is needed (I believe even for a seasonal/summer type job).

Thank you very much for these replies. I did wonder about Brexit issues. I’ll look into the ones suggested. I do feel for her- she’s brave but not brave enough to go travelling (first time) on her own, whereas a job would come with some support in terms of meeting people etc.

Sailing Holidays, a company we have holidayed with in the past, were advertising for staff for the summer season. Might be worth checking their website ?

I’ve just had a chat with her this morning about these options and she is really keen on the sailing holidays option and will put together her CV this weekend. She’s been talking about doing her power boat licence anyway so she will book that. She has really cheered up- appreciate the replies

I don't think she stands a chance of getting a summer job without an EU passport. It's not worth the hassle and expense for any employer just for someone to come and work for a month or two. Besides, she isn't in a highly skilled role and they can quite easily recruit within the union anyway.

Maybe look at British cruises and see if she can work on a British ship and that way see a bit of Europe.

Deck hand? When I lived in Marseille charter yachts were always looking for summer help. I don't mean anything like 'Below Deck' but smaller day charter 50ft + size sail boats doing trips to the local islands. The base pay is not great but the tips are usually pretty good, get to see the Cote d'Azur, pick up the language and get a decent sun tan.

A bit further afield, but I've been looking at Bunac for my teen.

My teenage niece looked at trying to do something like this last year, but everything she looked at said you needed an EU passport. In the end, she moved to another part of the UK and worked there. It was a very different sort of experience to what she had originally wanted.

Does she have an eu passport/right to work in the eu?
Many holiday companies are only hiring people who already have the right to work in the eu as they don't want the hassle of sponsoring work visas etc. last couple of holidays I've been on lots of the staff have been Irish.
Thanks to Brexit UK young people's opportunities for this sort of thing are much more limited.

Sorry, missed the link off earlier.

This is the link to Bunac, working holidays, which I'm looking atcwith my teen at the moment. Several Mumsnetters have recommended them in the past.

bunac.org/working-holidays?gclid=Cj0KCQiA8aOeBhCWARIsANRFrQGBtI4Srr5VGz1tbi2ObYVB0Kv-kAbS4WFN7g72SBg2TJN0NtzUeF0aAoWVEALw_wcB

@SauteBaconHollow
Yes we have been looking at America as well. One of the providers seems to want them from June but the other is later and might be doable depending on dates. She had set her heart on Europe with inter rail plans so I think she is still keen to try there first.
@juicy0
i just looked at sailing holidays and there are suitable jobs but they want a longer season than she can do . However it’s maybe worth her applying anyway in case they need cover at peak times. I note they say they get so many applicants they might not reply!

@wwyd2021medicine
workaway looks interesting too we can look at that this evening

If her main concern is structure and company, rather than earning, she could maybe look at companies like Intrepid who do small group guided trips including ones for 18-29yr olds? I’m sure there are other companies offering similar.

@minipie
That’s also a good idea- I think she is quite keen to work anyway but I was thinking something in Europe like the old overlander Africa trips would be good.

Thinking on- her inter rail trip fell apart recently for reasons outside her control and her other groups of friends have already committed to other holidays. All the boys in her group for instance are doing a lads holiday in Greece. Part of me thinks that a job or the workaway idea would feel less ‘no mates’ than taking a trip she wanted to do with friends on her own- and chances are guided tours people would be mostly older than her and possibly in couples. She is being very resilient about it but is all a bit rubbish as this is a full on year and she was so excited . Anyway this has given us lots to talk through this evening.

I spent a summer in Greece as a sailing instructor and it was honestly the best summer of my life. Pay was pretty poor but board and food was included, we got half price drinks, car hire etc locally. Some of my colleagues made money, some probably came home in debt, I broke even . Would have loved to do it again. Unfortunately the company I worked for folded, but Neilson are meant to be good. I heard better than Mark Warner, but this was many many years ago.

This used to be a great opportunity for young people to get out of the UK and spread their wings, as well as experiencing different cultures and meeting people from all across the Continent. Around 50,000 people a year used to do this.

Then something happened and the doors and opportunities were slammed shut - in fact, the UK itself shut the doors on its own citizens.

It is now very difficult for British passport holders to get seasonal work in the EU. The exceptions are those with established working relationships (for example, qualified skiing or sailing instructors who have done regular seasons prior to Brexit and whose employers can argue the case for a short-term visa, and are willing to pay and complete the paperwork) or those with skills that are in short supply, such as qualified chefs. Some countries are making exceptions for senior positions such as Resort Managers, but again, these will be people with experience and usually with language skills too, and the situation varies from country to country.

Everyone else is now sadly #450,000,001 in the job queue.

She doesn't need a visa to work in Ireland. There are lots of surfing school that do summer camps and need instructors/helpers and some sailing / powerboat schools. Kayaking, watersports etc if she's into that. Lots of hospitality / retails / catering summer jobs.