Moving from UK to Romania advice

Hi,

I'm a British Citizen looking for a potential move to Romania (Bucharest or Cluj) and I'm just trying to collate as much information as I possibly can together in preparation for a move. From what I've read, I shouldn't have a problem entering the country as I'm an EU citizen then it's just a matter of visiting the embassy to extend my stay?

Is it possible/easy enough to secure employment prior to a move or would it be best using time off as a holiday and try to find work during a short stay there?

I'm also looking at renting an apartment in either Bucharest or Cluj, how much approximately per month would I be looking at spending for rent?

A little background to my work experience - I'm currently a warehouse stock controller, I'm also an experienced Administrator and worked within Customer Service environments. I've done a little bit of bar work whilst I was a student as well.

Any help is much appreciated, just trying to get an idea of where to start with this move.

I'm also open to alternative locations within Romania that are recommended for a British citizen, the unfortunate thing for me at the moment is English is my only language.

Thank you in advance.

IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD NOT MOVE TO ANY OTHER COUNTRY TO FIND EMPLOYMENT, SINCE ENGLAND IS ONE OF THE BETTER COUNTRIES TO FIND WORK IN. DID YOU HAPPEN TO FIND OUT WHAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS IN ROMANIA?; QUITE A FEW ROMANIANS ARE LEAVING TO GO TO WORK IN YOUR COUNTRY, AND THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING!  YOU SEEM VERY YOUNG (IF THAT IS YOUR PICTURE),  SINCE I AM ALMOST 62 YEARS OLD, I WILL GIVE YOU A PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU MUST BELIEVE SINCE I HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN BY IT: YOU MUST GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND GET A BETTER EDUCATION.  YOU MUST! THE LABOR MARKET IS MOVING FORWARD AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE NO EDUCATION PRETTY SOON WILL HAVE NO WORK TO DO ANYMORE. MORE AND MORE OF THE JOBS THAT REQUIRE NO SKILLS WILL BE REPLACED BY MACHINES!  HOWEVER, AT THIS SPECIFIC TIME IT SEEMS THAT AN INCREDIBLE VARIETIES OF PROFESSIONS ARE POPPING UP AND THEY MAY ONLY REQUIRE A TECHNICAL INSTITUTE SUCH AS AIR CONDITIONING, MECHANICS, ELECTRONICS, ROBOTICS,  ETC.,  IF YOU DON'T HAVE YEARS TO SPEND IN A TRADITIONAL COLLEGE, A 2 YEAR TECHNICAL SCHOOL WILL SERVE YOU WELL, IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO!. TIME GOES BY REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU DO, AT LEAST IN 2 YEARS YOU WOULD HAVE A PROFESSION. I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK~

Expat_GTS wrote:

Hi,

I'm a British Citizen looking for a potential move to Romania (Bucharest or Cluj) and I'm just trying to collate as much information as I possibly can together in preparation for a move. From what I've read, I shouldn't have a problem entering the country as I'm an EU citizen then it's just a matter of visiting the embassy to extend my stay?


Hi. You can stay in Romania for three months without any kind of paperwork (apart from a passport to show on entry, obviously) and if you wish to stay longer, you need to go to the Authority for Foreigners in the city you're staying in and apply for a residence certificate. for this certificate you just need your ID, proof of residence, work contract (or bank statement showing you have enough funds to support yourself), and a few other minor bits and bobs. It's not that difficult to obtain.

Expat_GTS wrote:

Is it possible/easy enough to secure employment prior to a move or would it be best using time off as a holiday and try to find work during a short stay there?


Theoretically it's possible but almost all employers would much prefer to interview you in person. I know of some IT companies who employ people from abroad via telephone interviews or video conferencing.

Expat_GTS wrote:

I'm also looking at renting an apartment in either Bucharest or Cluj, how much approximately per month would I be looking at spending for rent?


There are a few posts here about cost of living, which you should check out, but a studio apartment in Bucharest will set you back about 150-250 Euro, depending on the area. No idea about Cluj, but probably a touch cheaper.

Expat_GTS wrote:

A little background to my work experience - I'm currently a warehouse stock controller, I'm also an experienced Administrator and worked within Customer Service environments. I've done a little bit of bar work whilst I was a student as well.

Any help is much appreciated, just trying to get an idea of where to start with this move.

I'm also open to alternative locations within Romania that are recommended for a British citizen, the unfortunate thing for me at the moment is English is my only language.

Thank you in advance.


It's going to be really hard for you to find work here, to be honest. The poster above, while exaggerating the gloom and doom aspect of Romania a little (as people here are prone to do) is essentially offering good advice. There are jobs here, people with professional skills are paid decent local salaries, but you have to ask yourself who would employ you? Do you have skills that are so unusual yet sought after than someone would employ you despite the fact you can't speak a word of the language, or would it be easier enough to find a Romanian to do the job?

The difference with a country like Romania is that there isn't a big enough expat community that jobs exist only without that community thus negating the necessity for local language skills. I'm not saying don't give it a try but I'd come over for three months with enough funds to support yourself, start looking for work as soon as you hit the ground, but don't burn all your bridges back home just in case.

All the best.

Thank you both for the replies.

I'll take time to try and learn some basics with the language before I do anything, I'm qualified in Business and Information Technology so hopefully that'll be a good start with persuading an employer over there that I'm worth taking on.

To the first poster, I'm a very young looking 26 year old! :)

The idea of three months over there to start off with seems more realistic, get to know some people and maybe that'll provide links to getting work.

I've always been quite settled in UK but wanted a change of culture and lifestyle.

you can trie ejobs.ro and bestjobs.ro or even linkedin romanian forums.You have english version so is not so difficult for you to find something that suite you.
|Good luck anyway,if you need a place where to stay for 3 months i have a free room in my appartament,but is not in Bucharest.The big advantage is i can provide you a lot of informations about cost living ans some tips where to look after jobs.Good luck!

Hi mariacatarina,

Please can you avoid posting in caps lock this tend to make your post hard to read. :)

Thank you,

David.

In Bucharest or Cluj it's a diferent life than the province.I believe you will find a job very easy if you have any experience.
They need brains too , so don't worry.
Romanians are friendly people. The place maybe you already know it's not London :) so be ready to see many things that you have never seen before.
Be very pacient in looking for renting an apartment! some areas can be dangerous!
Working in IT  will give you a decent life :)

Good luck in finding a job. And learn romanian as soon as possible.

Cheers !

Hi Expat_GTS,

If you are looking for a job in Romania, I would advise you not to come here until you find it. It is very difficult even for Romanian people to find employment right now... Even if you are a highly qualified individual, it might take a while until you find a satisfying job with fair pay...

Regarding the accommodation, I would recommend Cluj. In my opinion Cluj is the nicest town in Romania... It's old (structure, buildings), yet full of young people, important university center, not very crowded, as compared to Bucharest... perfect to live in... I don't know about accommodation prices...

If you choose Bucharest instead, stay away from Ferentari and Rahova. The criminality in these neighborhoods reaches high levels! ;)
You can find a studio flat within 200-250 euro or a one bedroom apartment within 250-350 euro. These prices refer to nice places, furnished, all utilities included. You can also find more expensive ones, it only depends on your preferences... ;)

These being said, I wish you good luck!

Hi ExpatGts, in Iasi we have some good IT companies but it is not easy to enter there, however, you can try to find an IT job online.
Or come here and work 3 month in my company on construction site as a qualified or unqualified worker; in this time try to find a job in iT or go back home after 3 month if you don't like to work anymore on construction site. This is what I can offer for you right now. We build timber frame houses, from the foundation to the roof.
If interested send me a private email to [email protected]
Best wishes and success with your challenging adventure :-)
Teodor

helo mteodor..

what salary do u offer for ur workers? if some one else want to work with u. plz let me know....


waseem

Here salaries are very low comparing with UK. I have a company in UK too, but there I do not need to hire people. However, here in construction field the salaries start from 200 euros for unqualified workers up to 800-900 euros for very high qualified person. However 1000 euros is the salary of the President of the country.
Coming here could be a big adventure for those who want to experience how to survive in capitalism without having money :-)
Teodor

Mteodor , your comment makes me laugh :)).

That's good! :)