In this edition of U-talk,Tomasz from Poland asks: “I wish to go to London to work. Do I need a work permit to work in the UK? Who can help me to find a job in London?”
The reply from Malgorzata Kurowska, Senior Communications Officer, Europe Direct:
“Being an EU citizen, you can freely work in all the EU countries and also the so-called European Economic Area (EEA) countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
“As an EU citizen you don’t need a work permit to work in another EU country. However, in some countries, there are temporary restrictions for Bulgarian or Romanian workers until the end of 2013.
“If you don’t have a job yet, you have a number of rights. Firstly, you’re entitled to the same assistance UK nationals receive from the British employment services.
“Secondly, you can stay in the UK long enough to search and apply for a job and be recruited. And thirdly to look for a job in another EU member state.
“If you need help to find a job abroad, EURES is the EU’s job mobility portal and it’s also a human network of job-advisers that can help you in resolving a number of formalities abroad.
“EU countries may still reserve certain jobs for their own nationals, but only if these positions involve safeguarding the general interests of the state and/or the exercise of public authority. These posts typically involve the police, armed forces, diplomatic service, judiciary and tax authorities.
“But if these positions don’t involve public authority they cannot be restricted to their own nationals.”
If you would also like to ask a question on U-talk, click on the button below.
For more information about the EU, call 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or check out the website: europa.eu/youreurope