People have many reasons why they want to find jobs in Europe, somewhere far from their home country. The higher salary of working in another country can sound ideal. To find jobs in Europe is easy, but arriving at a great job is not always guaranteed. For example, it can be stressful if the employer breaks promises and does not respect you. Welders, who have come to Estonia to work for Hansavest, have shared their bad experiences with ex-employers when they were working in Europe. We made a list from their warnings and what you have to know to safely be working in Europe.
Working in Europe starts with a good recruiter
If a person wants to be smart about finding a job in Europe he must first find the correct channels that offer honest work. That is why it would be best to find a job from a recruitment agency or a recruitment webpage. Recruiters are people who contact you when you have applied to a job – they will have a small job interview with you and ask about your work experience and training.
But you must remember, that there can be recruiters who work in bad companies or in human trafficking. That is why there are 3 things you should not share with the recruiter who contacts you.
What they should not ask:
- To give your bank account passwords
- To send or give them your passport*
- Money for recruiting you
If they ask for a paper or electronic copy, then it is okay
If they do not ask these 3 things then you have a normal recruiter talking to you. When applying for a job on Hansawork webpage you will be able to also get in contact with a Hansavest recruiter. They will describe the working and living conditions, also the salary will be discussed. The recruitment process and documents can take time, but our recruiters always are ready to talk and answer your questions – for free. Since 2005, Hansawork and Hansavest have offered jobs, work contracts, accommodation and work equipment – we will always try to find the best working and living conditions that suit your skills and needs.
Google search the recruitment company
Carefully study the history of the employer. Recruiters’ job interviews will never give you a complete picture of who is offering these jobs in Europe. Try to find out as much as you can about the company and what they do. A lot of this information can usually be found on Google. Where are they located? What different jobs do they offer? Are there stories from other workers? If you want to read more about Hansavest we are happy to share everything:
- Read more about us here – what we do and where we are located
- Read more about our job offers here – we are proud of our job offers
Never do anything without a work contract & ask for your net salary
Coming to work in another country, you can find yourself in an unusual environment – a different way of life, a different work culture, different weather.
The key to successful and safe work is the written terms of the relationship between the employer and the employee – an employment contract that spells out the rights and obligations of both parties. The contract must also follow the work laws.
A lot of job seekers do not understand what is a gross salary and what is a net salary. It is actually quite easy:
- gross salary is the salary with taxes (like health insurance tax)
- net salary is the salary after the taxes are taken away. Net salary is 100% the amount you will receive onto you bank account.
That is why it is important to ask what is the gross salary (with taxes) and how much is the net salary (the amount of money you 100% receive).
Example: If the employee offers you 25 €/hour and you have to work 168 hours a month (salary: 4200 €), you need to ask if you will get 4200 € into you bank account OR will the employee still take 30% away from 25€ for taxes. When they take 30% off, then the actual salary you get would be 1260 € for 168 hours. Always ask what is the net salary.
Gross salary is not a scam salary, because companies need to pay taxes from their workers’ salaries. But when you know how much money you will actually get (net salary) on your bank account then you always know how much money you have each month to spend.
Always think about other company benefits too. And the countries’ living costs (food, rent, etc):
- If a company offers you 2500 € net salary, BUT your apartment rent is 1500 € you will have 1000 € to spend.
- If a company offers you 1500 € net salary, BUT your apartment rent is 50 € (like in Hansavest) you will have 1450 € to spend.
It is also necessary to agree on the conditions for paying salaries: on what day of the month and to which bank. At the same time, do not forget to make sure that you will have access to the money earned in another country, at least through an online bank.
Have more questions? We are happy to talk to you! Contact us here.