Q&A part 2: EURES Advisers answer questions from jobseekers

Q&A: EURES Advisers answer questions from jobseekers — (l to r) EURES Advisers Simone Döhner, Jan Vleugel and Lara Feller answer jobseekers’ questions

Do you have a question you’d like to ask a EURES Adviser? Here are some that jobseekers asked at Today’s Dream, Tomorrow’s Reality, the first E(O)JD to include advisers from all 31 countries of the EURES network. Find out below how EURES Advisers answered them.

Q. I only speak English. Can I work in the EU only with the English language?

A. Jan Vleugel (EURES Denmark): Yes, of course – English is one of the most used languages in the EU – but it depends. If you’re going to work in a big international company where the working language is English, then OK. At work, among your colleagues, you can do it with the English language.

But let’s say you move with your family and children go to school and you have to go to the supermarket to buy some things. Then it is a fantastic idea if you learn the local language. Happily, in many countries there are good opportunities for that and there are also things you can do beforehand to learn a new language.

Q. I’m interested in working cross border. Do you have any advice about that?

A. Jan Vleugel (EURES Denmark): We don’t have a specific cross-border organisation, but in the southern part of Denmark, we have a lot of people living in Denmark and working in Germany, and vice versa – and a lot of people from Sweden who come to work in Copenhagen. There are examples of cross-border regions in many different parts of Europe as well.

I think jobseekers should take a look at the EURES portal. They also need a specialist EURES Adviser [through the EURES Advisers chat] who can tell them about working contracts, tax and healthcare systems in the different countries. As an EU citizen, you can take the European Health Insurance Card with you from one country to another, and there may also be some specific regulations about tax and health.

A. Simone Döhner (EURES Germany): There are many cross-border regions. There are about 2 million commuters crossing the border, so this is always an important topic. EURES Advisers work together in many cross-border regions, even holding their own cross-border activities. They organise days where you can register to go and meet EURES Advisers from different regions, sitting at one table, and answering all your specific questions. This is a very interesting and successful achievement. You sit there, have questions about both Member States and you have both representatives in front of you. You can solve many things like that.

Q. How does the U2 form work for benefits?

A. Jan Vleugel (EURES Denmark): The full name of this document is the PDU2 – the personal document unemployed no 2. As a citizen of the EU, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, you can take your unemployment benefits with you for three months to another country. That means the first country where you came from is going to export your unemployment benefits to the other country. Contact the authority that pays your benefit in your home country, ask them for PDU2, and take it to the other country where you want to look for a job. Let’s say that’s from Denmark to Spain – you’ll have to register within a week with the relevant authorities in Spain.

We get lots of questions saying, ‘now I’m in another country, what do I do now?’ The easiest thing is to use the EURES Advisers chat to search for EURES Advisers. In a week you’ll be registered in the country where you’re going to be – electronically. The authority in the destination country sends a message saying now you’ve arrived, the country of origin will pay your benefits. If you don’t succeed in finding a job where you are in three months, you have to go back to your country of origin or risk losing unemployment benefits.

A. Simone Döhner (EURES Germany): Try to find a job before you leave. Also, for unemployment benefits, don’t travel to the other country and try to ask for benefits from abroad. You have to ask first and get the unemployment benefits to take with you before you leave. Better still, look for a job first, and then for a transfer.

Check out part 1 of EURES Advisers answer questions from jobseekers.

Click here to ask your own question to a EURES Adviser.

Ask your own questions and find out more about working abroad in tourism, entertainment and hospitality at Seize the Summer with EURES 2025.

Related links:

Chat with a EURES Adviser

Seize the Summer with EURES 2025 E(O)JD

Living and working conditions in other EU countries

Read more:

European Job Days

Find EURES Advisers

Living and working conditions in EURES countries

EURES Jobs Database