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Message: 2
Subject: [Consdistlist] Advice sought for international employment or
internship opportunities
I am planning on a leave of absence from my current position as a restorer and
bookbinder in Italy to improve my English and gain some new experience. Can
anyone offer advice on where I should focus my efforts -- UK, U.S., or other
places in Europe, or connections I should consider? Any advice would be greatly
appreciated.
Silvia Cecchini
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Hello Silvia,
While I can't give much specific advice my feelings would be to aim for
Ireland. It's largely English speaking and since you're from Italy, I'm
assuming you're a citizen of a European Union country, you won't need a visa to
live or work there. It fits your criteria and you could pick up and move there
with minimal fuss once you find a position or even before that.
I'd shy away from the UK if I were you. The potential end result of
Brexit could be that you may find yourself no longer able to work or live
there. My understanding is that the process of the UK leaving the EU could take
up to two years and if you're taking a leave of absence you'd likely be back in
Italy by then but what if you end up getting a great job or simply end up
becoming settled there? You may be able to get a visa following their exit but
maybe not. That seems like a big risk in my opinion when you have an equivalent
experience waiting in Ireland.
Other international destinations will have many of the same issues.
Depending on the country you will likely have at least some difficulty
obtaining a long term work visa and they generally require a solid job offer
beforehand. Depending on the specifics of the country potential positions may
not be eligible for visas or employers may need to jump through hoops and cut
through a bunch of red tape. It's not impossible as people do it all the time
but it's generally not an easy process outside of a few professions. This may
make potential employers shy away. Depending on your age and destination you
may have luck with a working holiday visa. These go by different names but
basically they let you work for a short period with minimal requirements beyond
an age limit and proof of funds to support yourself while you get settled. The
tradeoff is that they don't count towards citizenship or long term visas and
generally can't be extended. Depending on the country they can range from about
s
ix months to a couple years.
You mentioned the US. While there are many great people down there they
are going through some rising nationalism at the moment that may not pay out
well over the next few years for non-citizens who are looking to come and work.
Visa requirements may change quickly and could leave you in a situation where
you have to leave unexpectedly. While they are quite far away Australia and New
Zealand could be options. My understanding is New Zealand has a higher cost of
living of the two but both speak English and likely have 'average' visa
requirements. Canada is another option, you'll still need a visa to work here
but the bonus is that you could end up in an incredible range of places from
relatively warm BC, gorgeous salty Atlantic Canada, flat golden prairies, to
snowy sub-Artic/Artic areas, and in a smaller town or a city of nearly six
million. Quebec may not be the greatest since you're looking to improve your
English but it would be a wonderful place to visit. There are other English
speaking countries but these are probably your best bet I would think.
Should you be looking in Canada keep an eye on:
https://app.pch.gc.ca/application/emplois-jobs/lister-list.app?lang=en. It
lists almost all heritage positions in Canada, at least public ones. Keep in
mind that Canada is huge compared to European standards with a transportation
network not nearly as developed so research where you'd like to and not like to
end up. As a bit of perspective, to drive from east to west would take nearly
two weeks of all day driving. Regardless of the country try contacting
conservation programs and their coordinators as they tend to know many of the
people in the field, likely having trained them. They may be able to give you
some leads on potential opportunities.
Good luck!
William Shepherd
Collections Officer
Swift Current Museum
44 Robert Street West
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
S9H 4M9
Phone: 306-778-4815
Fax: 306-778-4818
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