Find a job in Portugal – Where do you need to start?!

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Find a job in Portugal – Where do you need to start?! 

 Hi, I am Iris (Dutch) and I work and live in Portugal since the 27th of August 2019. When I decided that I wanted to make the step to move to Portugal, I had many questions. The most important one: Where do I start? Well, let me share with you my journey and make it easier for you! 



I decided what I wanted to do

First thing first: what do I want? I really wanted to go to Portugal (for the reason you can read my article pros and cons - living and working in Portugal), but I didn’t want to do nothing over there. I am still young and to live somewhere, you need money. At least, I assume that people around my age don’t have money to lay down in the sun for the rest of theirs lives without working. If you have that kind of life, please contact me, I want it too! But to be serious right now… I wanted mostly to enjoy my stay in Portugal and I didn’t want to have a job with too many responsibilities right away. The investigation started… 

I choose a Dutch company that could help me with realizing my dream 

If you want to live in Portugal you need to arrange some things. With the job offers that I found and all the information that I read I didn’t have an overview anymore. So… much… information. Also, (not surprising) all the interviews were conducted in English. I did not speak English in a long time, so for me, this was a bit too scary yet. 

At that point, I saw a little light that guided me to a Dutch website that offers jobs in other countries. This website is called https://www.grenzelooswerk.nl. From the first contact, a match was made. I asked for some information and the next day we had a call planned to discuss my future plans and possibilities. If I look back now I feel kind of sorry for the employee that helped me, because I had questions, a lot of questions. The people who work at ‘Grenzeloos werk’’ are very friendly and they helped me to find a job with some good benefits. They also have a lot of stories and blogs on their website. I would recommend you to read this because it also answers a lot of questions. 

The benefits of the job

Well, there are a few benefits that I would like to share with you: 

- The company provided a room in a shared apartment (no stress of finding a place) 
- The company took care of the paperwork, so you can relax in the sun (in a country like Portugal, bureaucracy to the top, this is very handy). 
- The company is paying for your flight if you stay more than 9 months (more money for you to spend on wine and pastel de nata). 
- The company is paying for a flight once a year (besides wine and pastel de nata, also a free trip back to your family). 
- The company takes care of your insurance and is also paying this (so don’t worry if you hurt yourself). 
- The company provides you with training and there are many growth possibilities. 

That is a whole list, don’t you think? 

Where did it bring me?

I worked for this company for 1,5 years in total. From the first contact with www.grenzelooswerk.nl. I was guided in a professional way. Steps like this (moving to Portugal) are very big and it is not nothing. Make sure someone explains to you what to do and what to expect. After half a year in the company, I was promoted to first-line manager. How cool! I learned a lot and I enjoyed the work and the persons that I met at my job. Some of them are still close friends. 

This is my story. Perhaps you will have the same adventure or even better (or unfortunately worse). I can advise you to apply for a job in another country via a Dutch company because in this way you don’t have to take care of all the things alone. And if you think that I make the things more beautiful than they are… It is a true story and I am happy with it. You need to make your own experience and only you are deciding how the end will be! If you have any questions regarding this subject or other subjects, please contact me. It will help you and I always give my honest opinion. 



Love, Iris

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