No plan after university? Working abroad might be it

In short

• A gap year working abroad after school gives you income, independence and real CV experience. That counts as a plan.
• No experience needed for most starter roles, as paid training is included from the start.
• Spain, Portugal and Greece are the most popular destinations, with starting salaries usually between €1,400 and €1,900 gross per month.
• Greece and Portugal usually include flight and housing support; in Spain it varies per role.
• From decision to landing typically takes around two to four weeks.

Why a year abroad actually counts as a plan

A plan doesn't have to mean a degree or a career job at eighteen. A plan means you stop standing still. A year abroad gives you four things that are hard to get any other way at this stage. You earn your own money, so you're not sitting on savings or asking your parents for rent. You live on your own for the first time, which sounds scary until you're doing it. You add a real line to your CV that says you adapted to a new country, a new team and a job in two languages. And you get something most school-leavers don't have yet: clarity. 

Some people come back knowing exactly what they want to study. Others stay longer. A few pivot completely into something they never expected. The point isn't where you end up. The point is that you give yourself a year of real experience to think with, instead of guessing from your childhood bedroom.

If you want to read what that actually looks like from someone who did it, Sophie's experience in Lisbon is a good place to start. 

What does your first month abroad actually look like?

Take Nynke, who finished school in the Netherlands and moved to Lisbon for her gap year as a Market Research Agent for Mercedes and Volkswagen. She wasn't sure what to study yet and wanted her year off to actually mean something. She applied, got contacted by a recruiter within a day, and within two weeks everything was arranged, job, flight, housing. Her employer set her up in a shared flat with two other girls she'd never met, which turned out to be the fastest way to make friends. Most of her social circle ended up coming through her housemates and her colleagues, those people knew other people, and before she realised it she had a proper group.

"I didn't expect it to be possible to start working abroad so quickly." 

The biggest culture shock wasn't the language (most people in Lisbon speak English), it was how relaxed everyone was about time. Coming from Dutch punctuality, that took adjusting to. It also taught her to slow down. Her favourite memory? Going to the beach straight after work. 

Curious how Nynke's full story unfolded? Read it here and see what her year really looked like. 🧡

Spain, Portugal or Greece, which one fits you?

The three most popular starting points all offer the same essentials (a paid job, training from day one, an international team), but the daily feeling and the relocation support look different.

Spain is the loud, social option. Cities like Alicante, Valencia and Málaga have late dinners, big international crowds and weekends that fill themselves. Relocation support in Spain depends on the vacancy, some roles include flight and housing help, others don't, so it's worth checking each job individually. If you get your energy from people and movement, Spain usually fits.

Portugal sits in the middle. Lisbon and Porto feel calm and balanced, with surf culture, strong coffee, and English spoken almost everywhere. It's an option for people who want adventure without being overwhelmed. Roles in Portugal typically include both flight and housing arranged for you, which makes it one of the easiest first moves abroad. Daily life in Portugal tends to feel lighter than people expect.

Greece is the most local-feeling of the three. Athens and Thessaloniki are warm, lively cities that feel noticeably less touristy outside the summer months, while the cost of living is around 30% lower than in the Netherlands. Vacancies in Greece usually include your flight and temporary accommodation for your first month in Athens or Thessaloniki, so you arrive with the basics already arranged. If you want to feel more connected to the local culture, daily routines and way of life, Greece hits differently. 

“What stood out to me in Greece was how quickly everyday life started to feel familiar.” Marco 28, Athens

There's no better country, just the one that matches the kind of year you actually want.

How fast can you actually start working abroad?

Working abroad often feels much further away than it actually is. In reality, the process usually starts with a simple application, followed by a first conversation with a Yobbers recruiter and an interview with the employer not long after. Once everything feels right on both sides, things can move surprisingly quickly: contracts get signed, flights get arranged and suddenly you are packing your suitcase for a completely new chapter abroad.

Nynke went from applying to landing in Lisbon in exactly two weeks. Some people pull that off, others take a month because they want to wrap up their part-time job or have a proper goodbye dinner. Both are fine. If you want to know what each stage feels like before you start, the Yobbers application guide walks you through it.

What's sorted for you when you land depends on where you're going. In Greece, your flight and the first month of accommodation are always included, in Athens or Thessaloniki. In Portugal, both your flight and your housing are typically arranged. In Spain, it depends on the specific vacancy, so the perks list on each role tells you exactly what's covered. Across all three countries, you also get support with the local paperwork (NIE in Spain, NIF in Portugal, AMKA in Greece) and paid training from your very first day. You earn while you're still learning the ropes. And if the country, the role or the timing turns out not to be for you? You go back home. Simple as that. But here's the pattern: most people don't. Most end up staying past the year they originally planned.

So is this your year?

You do not have to have everything figured out yet. Sometimes it simply starts with being curious about what else is out there. Somewhere there is a city you have not seen yet, a role you never considered and a year that could completely change your routine.

And if you are not sure which country, city or job fits you best yet, someone from the Yobbers team can look at that together with you. You do not have to figure it all out alone. 🧡✈️ 

Take a look at our open vacancies abroad and notice which one you can't stop thinking about. That's almost always the right one. ✈️