im currently on my final year of a degree in international tourism management,priorto which iv completed a foundation degree in sport and adventure management.after i graduate im hoping to go travel and gain some valuable work experience and make a bit of money,doing odd jobs but im hoping to make a career out of tourism,adventure,extreme sports or something similar eventually.iv had previous work experience in bars,hotels,garden centres and lifeguarding in a leisure centre but nothing big.i also have basic first aid training.for years i have wanted to escape to doom and gloom of british life and move somewhere warm for a better lifestyle than my parents could give me as a kid.im toying with the idea of several european countries including portugal, france and spain. what is life like for brits moving out to portugal?iv visited the algarve 4 times but wouldnt mind getting out to explore and see other areas.id be happy living anywhere relatively well populated and reasonably coastal.as a british citizen i wont have trouble with immigration but i know that the euro is very expensive at the moment and the european jobs and financial crisis is no better than the UK one.i dont know any portuguese but i tend to learn useful phrases fairly quickly.my family have a couple of friends in the algarve.im a culturally open person and will always make an effort,im definitely not one of those brits that bosses around locals and only speaks english.i have a few questions about general living in portugal: -how expensive is portugal compared to the UK? -how difficult is it finding work in portugal,particularly in the algarve? -how well do portuguese people speak english? -is there anything or anyone/dangers i should avoid? -what do portuguese girls think of english men? -where should i start if im hoping of going,just to find casual work to begin with,should i apply before i go or fly out there and see what i can find? any information from british expats or portuguese will be helpful,thanks!..
Portugal - 2 Answers
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1 :
Hello friend, this question comes in handy. =P I'm Portuguese, from the Algarve, and i also work in tourism (in a hotel, to be more specific). As you know, having been to the Algarve, you know that this region has a lot of potential in what concerns tourism. It is one of the most visited places by British people in the world. And one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. To you, having the pound £ as currency, things will be easier, if you intend to make a living here. Seeing as the pound is the most valuable currency right now. Things here are cheaper than the UK, since the minimal wage here is one of the lowest in Europe, things tend to be cheaper as well. But i warn you that the Algarve, by being the most touristic region of Portugal, is more expensive than the rest of the country. But still a lot cheaper than the UK. The Algarve lives of tourism, and since the sun and beach product only prevails mainly during the summer, during winter a lot of people become unemployed, mostly Portuguese. If you want to own your own business, and if you have enough money to open it (restaurant, bar, etc) things might be easier, since you own the place and set the rules. But the winter is weak. You might wanna close the establishment during these months. Here everyone speaks English. Obviously not people above 50 / 60 years old. But below that age most of us here in the Algarve speak English, and many even speak German. Like i said, we live of tourists here. Didn't quite understood what you meant by "dangers" but if you are asking if the Algarve is safe, i garantee it is. One of the safest places in Europe. There is a lot of mixing over here. And we are a very kind and accepting people. Portuguese women might be interested in English men, but that deppends really. Money, success, looks, etc. Regarding your last question, come here first in "vacation", meanwhile, try to find some work (with contract), just to get you started and residence, then go back to England, get your things ready, then you can come. Hope my information helped and if you need any more advices don't hesitate to contact me on my yahoo answers e-mail. By the way, i'm from Lagos.
2 :
Have a read of these: http://www.movingtoportugal.org/2010/11/finding-work-in-portugal/ http://www.movingtoportugal.org/2010/10/591/ Portugal is a wonderful place to live
