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You are not indicating in which European country you wish to settle. If you
want to settle in a EU country, you apply for a specific country. (Thas is,
if your question is about the documents that concern the European side.) But
this mainly depends on which European language you're at ease with. If you
only speak English you should first think about taking an intensive course
on the language of the country you wish to settle in, because it would
really be difficult to live there otherwise. Of course, you could settle in
Ireland or the UK, but you couldn't use the fact that English is your mother
tongue as an asset.
Each EU country has its rules when it comes to foreign workers. It may prove
difficult to obtain a work permit if you come as a lone independent worker.
OTOH, you may think about first coming as a student for an intensive course
in the country (but your work permission - if any - may be highly
restricted).
As unemployment is an issue in Western Europe, note that many countries do
not make the settlement of foreign workers easy.
Beginning with finding a position for a company which needs you in Europe
may make things smoother, if they're ready to help you get a work permit.
You should be aware that in many European (among other) countries, not
speaking the language is a major drawback if you intend to go past the
tourist status. (This is a repetition*, please ask me directly if you wish a
short bibliography as regards this issue in France.) And I'm not sure you
could think of learning the language while working as a TW, while part-time
unskilled work may be a possibility -- there, a strong North-American accent
may be an asset.
The STC has many groups in Europe, you might think of contacting them.
HTH
Gilles Cassin
* As it comes to repetition, I don't monitor the list permanently, and it
seems that this answer may be redundant. As there was no reference to
previous similar questions, I didn't check back as I would usually do --
which saves some typing if not reading.
Also, checking back in the archives I noticed you mention a two year
degree -- I'm not sure about what the two years are, whether it is a two
year TW degree.
Robert Sorokowski asked : Leaving Canada
I'm doing a graduation project for my technical communication course on
establishing yourself as a technical writer in Europe. I am wondering if
there are any technical writers from Canada who have gone over to Europe to
work either permanently or for a short period of time. The question I have
and seem to be having difficulty to find answers to is what documents do
you need to have filled out and dealt with before leaving Canada. Thanks,
Robert
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