EURES
On 11 November 2019 all the classes in the fourth year (4A PCU included) and a week later all the classes in the fifth year at IIS P. Sraffa met a EURES advisor and had the opportunity to explore this European Portal.
But what is EURES?
EURES (European Employment Services) is a cooperation network formed by public employment services. Trade unions and employers’ organisations also participate as partners. The objective of the EURES network is to facilitate the free movement of workers within the European Economic Area (EEA) (the 27 members of the European Union, plus Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland), Switzerland and the UK.
Who can benefit from the EURES services?
EURES targets both job-seekers interested in moving to another country to work or to study, and employers wishing to recruit from abroad.
How can I contact a member of the EURES network in my Country or region?
EURES offers a network of advisers that can give information, help and assistance to jobseekers and employers through personal contacts. EURES advisers are trained specialists who provide the three basic EURES services of INFORMATION, GUIDANCE and PLACEMENT, to both jobseekers and employers interested in the European job market.
There are more than 850 EURES advisers across Europe and the number is growing. One of them is Mrs Maria Megna. We had two meetings with Mrs Megna during which we talked about the EU and the EURES portal.
Do I have to pay for EURES services?
EURES is a free service to both jobseekers and employers.
How often are EURES databases updated?
The EURES job vacancy database is updated daily. Information on labour market trends and living and working conditions are updated regularly by the national EURES correspondents.
What kind of information does the EURES portal offer?
The EURES portal offers information on job vacancies in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK, but also information on labour market trend in all EEA countries and regions, practical information on living and working conditions in Europe, as well as an on-line database containing jobseekers' CVs.
What languages is the EURES portal available in?
The EURES job mobility portal is available in the twenty-five languages of the European Union/EEA.
Can I freely move to another country to work?
Every citizen of the EU has the right to work and live in any Member State without being discriminated against on grounds of nationality. Free movement of persons is one of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Treaty on the European Union (art. 3, 39, 40) and Community law.
Why does the European Commission promote mobility?
Greater labour force mobility is believed to contribute to economic and social progress, a high level of employment, and to balanced and sustainable development. It also enables the European economy, employment and labour force to adapt to changing circumstances more smoothly and efficiently, and to provide the impetus for change in a competitive global economy. A greater degree of mobility between Member States will also foster closer political integration in the EU.
Why Europeans should take advantage of mobility?
Around 2-3 million jobs are unfilled in the EU while the rate of unemployment is around 10% (25% for the youth). Moreover, 59% of those who move while unemployed actually find a job within a year (compared to 35% of those remaining in their country).
Europe offers tremendous opportunities to anyone wishing to move in order to get ahead. Yet Europeans are remarkably static.
What are the advantages of moving to another country?
There are many things to be gained from a period of study or work abroad: a real change of environment, new personal horizons, daily contact with a different culture, the improvement of hard and soft skills among which entrepreneurial skills, the ideal opportunity to learn a new language, the chance to enjoy working or studying alongside people from different backgrounds, exchanging ideas and comparing experiences.
What type of jobs does EURES offer?
The vacancies available in "EURES Search for a job" cover a wide range of occupations and include permanent and seasonal opportunities.
Each vacancy has information on how to apply and whom to contact. The contact may be either a EURES adviser, who will process the application or, in other cases, contact can be made directly with the employer.
How do I find a job in "EURES Search for a job"?
EURES "Search for a job" has a user-friendly search interface. Job-seekers may select, for example, a country, region, profession, type of contract, or combine several criteria for finding a job.
The EURES job-search database is updated daily by the European employment services, and vacancy notices only stay on the system as long as they are current.
I am a non-EU citizen: can I use EURES for finding a job?
The EURES on-line services are freely available for any user having access to the Web.
The platform is totally free of charge and only takes a few clicks to sign up via EURES.
The students from 4A PCU were particularly interested about the portal. Some of them are involved in an Erasmus+ VET project and will experience a work placement abroad for a month. They had also been abroad with a PON project and had worked in Eastbourne (UK) in July 2019.
They will take into account the opportunities offered by the portal. They are aware of the fact that working abroad will help them open their mind and boost their spirit of initiative.