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Antiwork

Leaving the US (and other countries) for a better working life, some visa options

Hi all, I wanted to make this post because I saw this post earlier today talking about the feasibility, the stress, and the monetary requirements of moving from the US to another country, this post is specifically talking about Europe. This does apply to those of you living outside of the US as well. https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/uy7ms1/why_americans_cant_just_move_to_a_better_country/ I wanted to shine some light on an option I don't see a ton of folks talking about, and that's a Working Holiday visa. Plenty of countries have them and have agreements with other countries allowing younger folks (usually under 35) to get a visa for either cheap or free that allows you to travel there and work or live for 12 months, and longer if you get sponsored employment. As an American, I'll speak about my own experience. I applied for a Working Holiday visa in New Zealand in 2018, it was free, and…


Hi all, I wanted to make this post because I saw this post earlier today talking about the feasibility, the stress, and the monetary requirements of moving from the US to another country, this post is specifically talking about Europe. This does apply to those of you living outside of the US as well.

https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/uy7ms1/why_americans_cant_just_move_to_a_better_country/

I wanted to shine some light on an option I don't see a ton of folks talking about, and that's a Working Holiday visa. Plenty of countries have them and have agreements with other countries allowing younger folks (usually under 35) to get a visa for either cheap or free that allows you to travel there and work or live for 12 months, and longer if you get sponsored employment.

As an American, I'll speak about my own experience. I applied for a Working Holiday visa in New Zealand in 2018, it was free, and I got approved in just a couple of days. I was 18 at the time and when I got to New Zealand I did some traveling then settled down, found a place to live, and got a job. I won't go too much into what work was like over there since this post isn't about that, but long story short, leaps and bounds better than working in the states, even in service jobs (I cleaned cars and camper vans for a rental company, shout out JUCY!).

I didn't end up staying long enough to need sponsorship but could've easily gotten one to stay for longer, as can most people. Once you get a sponsorship it's a fairly straight shot to residency and so on. I don't mean to make this sound easy, it is a lot of work, a HUGE change in your life, and years to make it happen, but it is possible. It's not crazy expensive either relatively speaking (that plane ticket does hurt the wallet bad though). Once you get in the country, you can either travel for a bit or if you're strapped for cash, go straight to finding work. Their service industry is geared towards their workforce being a lot of backpackers that travel around, staying here and there, and not committing to super long stays at a single job, at least in my experience there. All is to say, it's pretty easy getting a job, and even an apartment, again, relative to something like what that user talked about in their comment.

So, the moral of the story, look up who your country has Working Holiday visa options with! Perhaps, it could be a “shortcut” to leaving your country if that's what you wish.

As a last note, I say this from a place of pretty good privilege. I had a great paying job all through high school and had parents and friends that were there if I ever needed anything. My safety net was always there and I am incredibly lucky and grateful for that. For those of you who aren't fortunate enough to have a situation like that, you can still find a way. I knew plenty of people from India and South America that spent all the money they had on a ticket and landed in the country with hardly any money left to their names. It'll take time, but most folks can make it work one way or another.

Feel free to DM me with any questions, or as them below, I'm more than happy to answer.

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