Anybody with personal experience or who lives in one of these countries would be very helpful!
You cannot just up and move to Europe simply because you feel like it. You would require an employment visa, and these are not given to anybody, they are reserved for highly skilled professionals in fields like medicine and engineering.
If you come over as a tourist and attempt to find a job, that's illegal. You are required to find a job from your country of origin, and if you get a valid job offer only then can you apply for a visa - which isn't always issued. The potential employer has to prove that there are no suitable local or European candidates available to do the same work, and that takes a lot of time and money. So unless you are independently wealthy to the extent that you don't need to work to live and contribute to the local economy, or can score citizenship of an EU member state, this isn't happening.
And yes, you would need to learn the local language, but that's the least of your worries.
For years Europeans and others have had to jump through similar bureaucratic hoops to relocate to the United States, so there's no point in griping about this.
As an American without getting a visa through a family member you will not be allowed to stay in the EU for more then 89 days, will have to leave for 180 days before being allowed to return to the EU.
The only practical way would be to go to school in Europe on a student visa if you can't get a work visa.
You must get a visa before entering the EU.
I am an American with a resident permit to live in Hungary. MY husband and son are both HU citizens but I still had a very hard time with getting a resident visa.
Some countries may give you a visa if you are of retirement age and can prove you have enough funds to not be a drag on their welfare system.
My eldest sister went to London in 1969 on holiday after getting a divorce in the US. She fell in love with a UK man and stayed in the UK for 10 years legally They married in the UK and still had to wait to work.. She was highly skilled and still had to wait over one year for a work permit.
Not even that easy these days to stay legally in the EU, she could never do it that way these days.
US citizens cannot simply move to Europe. Unless you are independently wealthy you need a job. To get a work visa you need advanced educational and professional qualifications plus be able to fluently speak/read/write the local language.
Unless you have the qualifications the only realistic way to live long-term in Europe is to attend university on a student visa.
Really.
Move to the country in which you are fluent in the language and have a long term job offer from a company which can sponsor your work visa after not having found and European to fill the position. Otherwise you can not move to Europe.
Spain is the only place on your list that will be cheaper than Berlin as long as you are willing to live somewhere other than Madrid or Barcelona
But as everyone says, getting a visa to live in any of those countries is very dificult
You won't get visa and work permission, so you can't just move to Europe.
What education & job skills/experience do you have? What languages do you speak? You cannot just pick up and move to another country. You can compare the cost of living in potential host countries/cities using sites like http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/
If you are not European, you will have to arrange a visa in order to move there legally. European regulations require employers to advertise jobs and demonstrate that there are no viable European candidates for a job before they can offer a position to a non European. In the best of times non-Europeans have to have specialized skills, education and/or experience that cannot be easily duplicated by European job seekers. You're more likely to get a job that takes advantage of your education and skills than an entry level job; however, it's very difficult. Expecting a job when you don't already speak the local language or expecting employers to go to the time and expense to get you a work permit when that wouldn't be necessary for European candidates is unrealistic.
Right now, the overall unemployment rate in Italy is around 12.6% and it's around 41.2% for young people. In Greece, the unemployment rate is 26% overall and 51.2% for young people. In Spain, the unemployment rate is 23.4% overall and 50.9% for young people. In Portugal, the unemployment rate is 13.3% and 33.6%. In France, the unemployment rate is 10.2% overall and 24.9% for young people..
My direct experience is with Italy where I lived for the past 13+ years (working for a Swedish company); other countries here in Europe will have similar rules. It's not all that different anywhere else. The site for visas in Italy is: http://www.esteri.it/visti/index_eng.asp . The site has links to the application, the additional information you need to supply in order to get the visa and where to apply. It also includes education visas which are somewhat easier to get than work visas. You can find similar information for other countries on their consulate websites.Visa information on the website of the French Consulate in New York is here: http://www.consulfrance-newyork.org/-Vis... . You can find other consulate websites with a fairly simple search. Note that you'll need to apply to the consulate that has jurisdiction over the state where you live, but you can find the necessary information on any of the consulate websites.
A work permit is separate - you cannot apply for that yourself in many countries. The company has to apply and they have to be able to demonstrate that there is not a viable EU candidate for the job. As a result, jobs for foreigners including Canadian or US citizens are pretty much restricted to people with special education, knowledge, or experience ... and you would have to be able to speak the local language. However, the level of English is high in Scandinavia and most adults speak it very well. You would be able to manage well while learning the language. Right now, as noted above, the best bet would probably be something in the healthcare field which is a fit for you. When I moved here, it was through a transfer of the job I was already doing in the US to the Italian office. Even so, it took 8 months to put all the paperwork in place to apply for a visa. If you already have a job offer, the company will provide you the information you need for your visa application and take care of things like work permits.
It's useful to check the expat sites for information about living and working in the places you might be interested in:
http://www.expatsinitaly.com/
http://www.escapeartist.com/
http://www.expatica.com/
You can find other sites by searching for "expat" and the name of your target country. These sites will tell you how to register your address, provide information about healthcare, banks, and so forth to ease you into daily life. You also need to know that as a US expat, you need to file income tax returns in the US as well as in your host country. That can get to be very expensive.
What do you have to offer any of these countries in the way of job skills, education, experience? Do you speak the language? Have you ever been to any of these countries?
Unless you have skills and experience in the STEM field, and are fluent in the language, you have little chance of a job and visa.
Most those countries peoples won't want ya there but i guess italy, spain, berlin or the uk would be your best shot. Uk would be a good transition spot if you've never been to Europe
