# Engineer trying to move to Germany or France



## kylemi85

Hi, I'm new to this forum. My name is Kyle, and I'm currently living in the US. I'm studying in Delaware, and I'm originally from Boston.

My girlfriend and I have always wanted to move to either Germany or France permanently since we've traveled across Europe. We're both nearly fluent in French, and can communicate in German. I'm currently working on a masters degree in environmental engineering and before I move, I plan to work for several years (or more) at a company in the US to gain work experience and make myself more marketable. If possible, a company that has offices in these two countries.

My concern is...how difficult will it be to move to Europe and find work there? We're going to decide on which country to move to next year, and based on our choice, really work hard to master the language. Even the technical language in my case. Are there some things I should be aware of, and plan for that might not be too obvious? Basically, I'm asking how difficult is it to move, and find employment in a technical field like this?

By the way, my grandmother is from Germany if that helps my chances at all.


----------



## Bevdeforges

I've lived in both Germany and France, and from my perspective it's probably easier to integrate yourself into Germany. Then again, if you're planning on working "for several years" there's no telling what changes there might be to the immigration laws by then.

Having both German and French in addition to a technical degree can open lots of doors for you. The easiest way to qualify for a visa is always to get transferred by the company you're working for - and let them handle all that paperwork for you. Next is probably finding a job yourself and going where the work is. 

While working in the US, be sure your employer realizes that you have the languages. And see if you can get yourself onto projects that involve working with colleagues in Europe. That's another way to get known and possibly get mentioned for a transfer or job assignment.

Basically, though, you need to find the job before your move. That's normally how you qualify for a visa. If you have both languages, you increase your chances.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## kylemi85

Bevdeforges said:


> Basically, though, you need to find the job before your move. That's normally how you qualify for a visa. If you have both languages, you increase your chances.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Thanks for the reply! The hard part it seems is finding that job in Germany or France. How do you go about doing it, if for example your company doesn't have any offices there? Maybe there are job hunting agencies in the US that work internationally, or agencies I can talk to in those respective countries? For me, the big road block is, "ok I have the experience, now how do I find employment opportunities in this country?"


----------



## James3214

Obviously, for most jobs you are going to need to be able to understand and speak the language, no matter how bad. For a starting point in Germany I would suggest looking at the following sites to give you an idea. Some are even in English.
StepStone: Jobs und Stellenangebote bei der Jobbörse für Fach- und Führungskräfte
Stellenangebote, Jobs, Jobsuche, Stellensuche - JOBworld
Stellenangebote - Jobs - Stellenanzeigen » JobScout24

Good luck. I am sure you will find it a rewarding challenge


----------



## Weebie

France has a skilled migration program so if you can speak the language and have degrees you'll be marketable enough.

Germany has something similar and aggressively promotes for IT pros worldwide.

Both places are good.


----------

