EURES – the job mobility portal

Established in 1993, EURES is a cooperation network between the European Commission and the Public Employment Services of the European Economic Area Member States (the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and other partner organisations. Switzerland also takes part in EURES cooperation. The EURES provides high-quality services to job seekers and employers through the concerted efforts of the EURES members and partner organisations.

The objective of EURES is to provide information, counselling and services for recruitment / employment (meet job seekers with employers) to workers and employers, as well as to any citizen wishing to make use of the principle of free movement of persons. EURES is a network of more than 850 EURES counsellors who are in everyday contact with job seekers and employers in Europe. EURES has an especially important role in the cross-border regions where cross-border commuting is very common. More than 1 million people who live in one EU country and work in another (the so-called cross-border commuters) are necessarily faced with different national practices and legal systems. They can encounter everyday administrative, legal and fiscal obstacles in relation to their employment mobility. In the cross-border regions, EURES provides its services mainly (but not exclusively) through the EURES cross-border partnerships.

In the website of the EURES portal young people can obtain information about the living and working conditions in the countries of the European Economic Area and Switzerland, current jobs published in the employment services within the EURES system, information about employers seeking staff through the EURES portal, as well as a lot of other useful information.

Jobs in the EU targeted at job seekers from Bulgaria are published at: http://eures.bg

The European job mobility portal provides employment opportunities to young persons. Along with useful advice such as under the heading Your First Job in EURES, the portal will inform you about the EU job mobility scheme Your First EURES Job which helps the young European citizens to find a job, apprenticeship or traineeship in another EU country, Norway or Iceland and employers – to find qualified labour force. It aims to provide young job seekers with adequate paid work offers across Europe. An important requirement of the scheme is that the minimum duration of employment contracts has to be at least six months (job or traineeship).

Through the Your First EURES Job scheme you can obtain information, seek a job, receive help for contacting employers and getting employed. You may also be eligible for financial assistance for a job interview abroad, as well as for covering certain costs such as for language training, recognition of qualifications or movement to the origin country.

Young people who have decided to seek a job abroad will find valuable practical advice in the heading Steps for Starting Professional Career Abroad. It includes synthesised information on How to Find a Job Abroad; Practical and Legal Aspects of Mobility; Applying for a Job Abroad; Examination Tests and Interview, and discusses practical issues such as Moving to Another Country and Establishing in a New Country.

The URL of the European job mobility portal is: https://ec.europa.eu/eures/public/bg/homepage

Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain experience, and work as volunteers abroad.
Erasmus+ is open to many individuals and organisations, although eligibility varies from one action to another and from one country to another.
Individuals can take part in many of the opportunities funded by Erasmus+, although most will have to do so through an organisation taking part in the programme. The eligibility of individuals and organisations depends on the country in which they are based.
Eligible countries are divided into two groups, Programme countries and Partners countries. Although Programme countries are eligible for all actions of Erasmus+, Partner countries can only take part in some, and are subject to specific conditions.
More information on eligibility is available on the pages for specific opportunities (both for individuals and organisations), as well as the Programme Guide, which can be found at the official Erasmus+ web site:
http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/node_en