Hello, I’m very interested in travel but as everyone knows, it’s really expensive. I wanted to learn more about trying to get a job in Europe even if temporary. I know this is very difficult and people invest a lot of time and make many sacrifices, I just want to learn more so please be forgiving if any of these questions make it seem like I don’t understand the difficulty. I just want to learn more and have a lot of broad questions.

I’m a 30F US citizen looking for a job in accounting ideally and am flexible on location. Preferences would be the UK or Ireland. Other countries I’m interested in are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland. This is a huge chunk of countries but it doesn’t make things easier. I speak a little German and some Spanish so most countries wouldn’t have a need for me. I don’t have my CPA license but I have worked at a consulting firm as a Controller for several years so I have a lot of experience and am high up in the field. I’d be willing to work almost any level for a short period of time to get to experience a new place without draining my bank account.

Questions (so many of them!):

- Is it impossible to hope for sponsorship for an accounting position if I don’t have my CPA?

- If I studied abroad as a way to see Europe while being productive, would my chances increase on being sponsored after finishing a program even if I hadn’t passed the exam yet? Would I need different visas to be able to stay after finishing?

- If I tried to get an intracompany transfer with a multinational firm would this count towards residency in the country I transfer to?

- Are there any companies known for sponsorship or intracompany transfers? Preference would be not the Big4 due to work life balance concerns

- If I applied for a company like Microsoft or Apple, could I just apply to a position listed in a different country or would I need to have a visa first?

- Does accounting pay well compared to other professions in the EU?

Additional Questions: I’m curious about working standards in the UK. I know it is terribly hard to truly immigrate to a new country so these questions are more so curiosity.

- I read that the standard vacation time offered in the UK is 5 weeks. Does this include holidays or is it on top of holidays? Does it increase with tenure?

- Do all companies in the UK offer pensions? Do UK pensions mean that you would keep your same salary or a percent of it after retiring or is it more similar to a 401k? I’m assuming residents can’t get a pension with a company and you must be a citizen