working abroad

[dj_illusions]

hey all, posted this over at another lx forum but no one seemed to show me any love so will pose the question here also!!

i work as a head tech at a uni here in australia, also happens to be the same uni my girlfriend studies at.

over our summer she is going to study for a month over seas, so i was just wondering what the chances are of picking up some work over seas.

is it possible to get employment for a few weeks over seas or do they prefer a bigger commitment, what sort of things do you need to have to apply for a position or be in with a chance at picking up some work?
i am looking at either london or paris work so what would the best places to look for this work? i am obviously a lighting tech but can do audio and mech work, i have an australian qualification as a theatre technician with a major in lighting and occupational health and safey.

any help would be appreciated!!
cheers,

jeremy

[avkid]

As always, it depends on who you know.

[Grog12]

Well if you don't speak French...I'd have to say London...if you do speak French...I'd still have to say London. They have a large theatre community there and you may be able to pick up some overhire work.

Keep in mind all the working visa/green card stuff you'll have to fill out and look into it quick and early to make sure you'd qualify for one.

[dj_illusions]

yeah i can speak a bit of french, but ive heard stories and thought it might be a bit closed there.

i have a british passport so dont need all that other associated crap with working overseas, it is all sweet!!

[Grog12]

Originally Posted by dj_illusions

yeah i can speak a bit of french, but ive heard stories and thought it might be a bit closed there.
i have a british passport so dont need all that other associated crap with working overseas, it is all sweet!!

Are you sure about that?

Are you a British citizen?

[avkid]

Originally Posted by Grog12

Are you sure about that?
Are you a British citizen?

I would think he knows what kind of passport he has.
I bet he is well aware of laws too, that's kind of his job from what I gather.

[Grog12]

Originally Posted by avkid

I would think he knows what kind of passport he has.
I bet he is well aware of laws too, that's kind of his job from what I gather.

I wasn't questioning that silly....

But having a passport and being able to work are two different things. The UK if memory serves has many different levels of nationality and is a general pain in the kiester.

And since it appears he's a Australian (the whole working at a Uni there thing) I thought I'd check.

[Logos]

I'm actually pretty sure that if you are the holder of a British/EU passport you can work anywhere in Europe including UK. I know what you mean about being able to live there though. You can have many different types of resident permit some of which don't allow you to work some allow you to work only at seasonal employment and so on and so on.

[SHARYNF]

There is a qualificaton on some british pass ports called right of abode, this usually was more in reference to people from some of the other colonies. Aussies have very little problem working in UK even with Australian passport especially if they are a student

France is totally different, they have work permits etc, so even though if you have a EU passport things can be more bureaucratic. Not speaking French very well is a real issue.

UK has a massive amount of theater, not only the majors in the west end bt all the fringe theaters. Lived and worked in the EU, London was the easiest. Are you looking at your summer or our summer? the whole Christmas season is big on the Panto season also

Sharyn

[Logos]

If you have a right to work in the UK then you shouldn;t have too much trouble in London and surrounds especially with panto season coming up. You may have to work initially below the level you are used to. There are a number of crewing companies in the London area who provide crews for in's and out's etc. Get a copy of "Contacts" and check it out. It's a massively useful book that lists all these types of things and get "The Stage" weekly newspaper with lots of vacancies. That is available on line if you want to have a look first.
Sharyne If you've got an EU passport you can work in France but you won't get a job if you are not French.