Looking For A Job Outside of The US

[jgatchell2]

I am a pastry student looking for suggestions for a place to work and learn for my externship. I have always loved the French and Italian pastries as well as the art of making different tyeps of breads. I love history and culture and am very eager to travel outside of the United States to learn more about other countries, however I have no idea where to begin or how to get started. Can you please help?!

[bughut]

I would suggest getting some experience of the cuisines you're really interested in while you're still studying. Part time jobs in resaurants is the ideal way, in my opinion.
When my no.2 son was of the same frame of mind, he volunteered his services in his spare time and the chefs he worked with loved that he really wanted to learn. He got loads of encouragement. He now has contacts in Italy and Switzerland if he does decide to make the move
Best of luck to you

[Guilty]

how many years job-experience do you have - ever worked in a ala carte restaurant? in what kind of restaurant do you want to work (michelin-rated etc.)?

france is great for pastry (forget italy) - is germany an other possible option for you?

but anyway, i want get in the US as a next careersteop - has anyone a good advice for me?

greetings from germany and sorry for my bad english *gg*

[tysonv]

i don't know the specifics for externships but i have done some research into working abroad. first off, make a list of countries you want to work/learn in. next, find out which countries you can get a working visa for. once you know where you can go, it will be easier to make the decision. check with embassy websites, backpacker forums, restaurants/chefs you'd be interested in working under.

i know canadians have access to a program called SWAP(Student Working Abroad Program). it's a student organization that walks you through the visa application process. available to anyone under 30 who meet the criteria. i would assume the US has a similar program.

if things work differently in the culinary world, someone please correct me.

[PastryManJosh]

Originally Posted by bughut

I would suggest getting some experience of the cuisines you're really interested in while you're still studying.Best of luck to you

I also advise you that if you do want to get a job outside USA & the Americas, you get a work visa and don't have a criminal record as this can result in it being turned down (like singer Amy Winehouse because of her illegal drug taking).

[AceBaker]

I was going to post an intro for my first post, but I saw this question and couldn't resist.

Ask your school. They should have a department, or at least a person that deals with externships. Find out if anyone's gone overseas and how they got there. Find out what the rules are for the school, the paperwork involved, anything the employer has to do. If you can streamline things for the employer, they'll be more likely to hire you.

How long is your internship for, and even more important, how long do you want to be abroad? If you're willing to stay a full year or more, that will increase the likelyhood (isn't that a word?) of someone taking you on. Make yourself a good investment for them, someone worth the trouble of whatever red tape they'll have to go through to hire you.

From what you want to learn, I can recommend Austria. The pastries there are wonderful (think Vienna) and the bread is well made. The only thing though is that pastry shops and bread bakeries are two different animals in that country. A baker is not usually a pastry chef and vice versa; you may have to choose, especially if you're there for only a short time. This is a normal thing in continental Europe.

Whatever country you want to go to, try and speak the language. Yeah, everyone speaks English, except when they don't. You don't want to be the only one that doesn't speak the native language, it'll make you nervous and make trips to the countryside harder. Besides, it makes you look good.

If your school can't help you and you have to go it alone, I can recommend a good agency that can get you a training and work experience visa for the UK. Don't laugh, they're doing good things with food these days.

Alternatively, take a good look at your heritage. Some European countries do things like ancestor visas which is if your family is a fairly recent arrival to America (grandparents or less) then you might qualify. Look into EU regulations and the regulations of individual countries for more info.

No matter what you do, it will not be cheap. Not only are the visas and permits expensive, but both the Euro and the Pound are doing quite a number on the dollar right now so making your way over there will be costly.

If you can get something through your school, that's probably your best bet at this stage, but if you can't, wait until you graduate, work a bit, get some experience and some money and then get your butt over there. It can be done. Good luck!

[Berni]

hei,

I know a hotel 4-5 star in norway/oslo. are you interesstet? If so, you can contakt me by mail, so I can give you the mail adresse to the head chef.
Bernhard_azinger@hotmail.com