in reply to How do North Americans find Europe as a workplace?

I worked (very short term) in the UK, DE, NL, and IT (in mostly English situations). Culture shock / freakout tends to set in for a lot of people at around 6 months. Some folks never get it that badly. And if you expect it, it's easier to handle.

I say go for it! Have an adventure!

Update: Realized I didn't really answer the question. I loved it. I'd have stayed in Italy in particular if I'd been able to get a work visa. The UK is the only place that was a little uneasy/weird for me (personally, it's not a judgement).

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Re^2: How do North Americans find Europe as a workplace?
by BerntB (Deacon) on Aug 19, 2010 at 12:28 UTC

    What was weird with England?

    /Scandinavian that is thinking about next job...

    Edit: Thanks for the answer. I can relate. I'm now in Finland instead of my native Sweden and it is frustratingly non-exotic -- almost like moving to another Swedish city. (I recommend Finland a bit more than Sweden, all things considered. Less political correctness. Also, while the tax department are incompetents, most stuff works a bit better.)

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      I found this Shaw quote to be strangely appropriate-

      England and America are two countries separated by a common language.

      One of the things I like about travel is that when I don't fully understand things going around me (small talk, customs, idioms, etc) I have a better time thinking of the place as "pure" or "friendly" instead of "petty" and "banal." Speaking the language with complete fluency, and understanding the culture, made England less like travel and more like landing in some weird American state.

      Plus, not to start a political tangent but, I have many problems with the US and most, if not all, of them I find reflected fairly directly in the UK. This may just be me though, so don't take that part as advice.

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