Older workers moving abroad – experienced and realistic

Experience can be a selling point on the job market, but it can also put potential employers off. Older workers can be more expensive to hire and in depressed economies, often the semi-trained youngsters present a cheaper option. When the range of jobs you can go for shrinks in your own country, moving abroad with the help of the EURES Network can be a good choice.

Roberto Guillermo León Jaramillo, (to the right in the photo), is 46. His wife is also unemployed and they have a 15 year-old son and a daughter of 8. Originally from Ecuador, Jaramillo migrated to Spain in 2011 and has Spanish citizenship.

Time was running out for Jaramillo, who has only two more months of unemployment support due, having been unemployed for almost two years. He receives €650 a month, out of which he has to finance his mortgage.

One of more than 170 Spanish workers to have been helped to find work in Germany through EURES and POD, Jaramillo is delighted to have been accepted for a post in a German company, as a

refrigeration technician. ‘I feel very good because after so many job applications with no feedback at all I was finally invited to a job interview and got accepted. I want to kind of start my life all over again there. It is a new way of life with more stability where I can plan the future of my family with more certainty.'

Although he is relieved to know he will have a regular income again he is worried that his level of German will be a barrier. With the help of EURES, POD is by Jaramillo's side, offering three months of intensive language and cultural classes. For the final sessions POD invites German workers who have the same skills and who live locally, to train the successful applicants in technical vocabulary and tell them what to expect on German sites. 

EURES Adviser Diego Moliner, based in Valencia, thinks this support is invaluable, ‘We´ve got excellent professionals with experience in this field but they have to make a real effort to learn German and take the plunge, moving themselves and in some occasions with their families to Germany.'

Delighted to be benefitting from the close cooperation between EURES and POD, Jaramillo feels this is one of the best opportunities to be found at the moment, ‘The Spanish economy certainly will not recover fast.'

He is confident about the move having already experienced the major upheaval of moving from Ecuador to Spain. But for those more nervous about taking the leap he has this to say, ‘I think that a person who leaves their country will experience personal growth – and maybe better opportunities.'

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