Career breaker’s guide to Europe

Exciting places, exciting people and a whole bundle of experiences on offer, Europe is a fantastic place to work or travel!

Europe is becoming more and more popular with career breakers because of the sheer amount there is to do here. A few thousand years of history and dozens of countries mean that even with a year on your hands, you’ll have to plan carefully. The continent has gone through a massive ‘history filter’, leaving the best bits like fairytale castles, medieval churches and Roman walls while losing all the nasty things like the plague and throwing people to lions! At times it feels like a giant open-air museum, but not as boring!

From bracing Scandinavian winds to blistering Mediterranean sun via the most exclusive cities in the world, Europe offers the career breaker every opportunity to forget the office; just remember to send the jealousy-inducing postcards! Whether you need to spice up your life with a little adventure or launch a new career through teaching abroad, Europe deserves your attention!

Teaching abroad

If someone offered you a ticket to free travel you’d check it out right? Well, essentially this is what teaching English abroad is; a way of financing your trip without compromising it. European cities make a constant appearance in the list of the world’s top 10 most expensive places to live and can be a pricey continent in which to travel. Good planning is essential whatever sort of trip you want, but if it’s not enough, why not consider doing paid teaching. Teaching abroad is a great way to explore cities that otherwise may be beyond your financial reach.

Earning money while you’re abroad has two advantages for the career breaker. Firstly, it allows you to pay the bills that may still be coming in at home, and secondly, it means you can afford to see and do more while you’re away (and who knows maybe even extend your trip!) Demand for TEFL teachers is huge on the continent and we personally work with placements in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Spain. Qualification is quick and easy and you can open up a world (literally) of travelling opportunities.

Travelling around

Europe is popular with career breakers and gappers alike because of the ease with which you can travel from place to place. With a long period of time in which to explore, you should give some attention to whether you can get to all the nice places you want to visit. After all, the Norwegian fjords and the Eiffel Tower are both worth seeing but they are quite a long way apart! Luckily crossing borders here is easy and most countries are served with good, efficient public transport. There are a few things you can do to bring the cost down too.

Rail passes are a popular way of getting around and are generally a cheaper and more enjoyable alternative to air and coach travel. Rail Europe offers a good example of the deals available, but shop around and you could find even more of a bargain. If you’re not a rail enthusiast then air travel is an option; it’s getting cheaper and cheaper and internal flights can be bought at attractive bargains. Plan your itinerary and your ‘must sees’ in advance and then plot your route around them.

Things to see

There’s so much to see in Europe we thought we’d select a few of our favourites just to whet your appetite! Tell us your best bits, or even send us a postcard.

• Take an evening tour of the Coliseum in Rome, while it’s bathed in amber light
• Step back in time amongst the castles of beautiful Bavaria in Germany
• Shop until you drop then hit the cafes in Milan
• Do a little Mediterranean island-hopping on the beautiful Greek islands
• Enjoy the refreshing air of the fjords in Scandinavia

Daydreamometer

How does Europe compare to those daydreams you had while you were waiting for the photocopier to finish!? Well, Europe has so many places to enjoy that the only problem is fitting them all in. However, with careful planning you can enjoy a trip that quenches your wanderlust and even creates a little bit more! Too often just flown over by those on their way to Asia or Africa, Europe has plenty to offer those willing to make the effort.

**** The only difficulty is plotting a route to take it all in

Useful links:

• http://www.i-to-i.com/career-breakers-guide.html
• http://www.i-to-i.com/tefl
• http://www.lonelyplanet.com/

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