Working in Portugal:
Things you need to do:
Unlike most countries in Europe, the empolyeer will register you for National Insurance (Caixa). This means that in effect there is nothing you need to do as an EU resident to apply for work
Useful links:
Segurança Social (English Site)
FINDING A JOB IN PORTUGAL
Your search for employment may
begin in the UK,
by scouring papers ant the internet, or by contacting organisations dealing
solely with jobs abroad, again often advertised in journals. If, on the other
hand, you have already landed in Portugal and have decided to try
your luck, the following suggestions may help your search:
English periodicals such as The
News, APN, Algarve Resident, wherein you will find a selection of jobs from
teaching to secretarial, to advertising and sales.
Portuguese journals such as Diario
de Noticias, Correio da Manha; of course the majority of these jobs will be
for Portuguese companies, with some multinationals or language schools also
advertising.
Job agencies, especially in the
larger cities you may find multinational agencies, such as Manpower in Lisbon (www.manpower.pt), who act just as they would in
the UK,
so it's a good idea to have copies of CVs and references, and make a personal
contact if possible. More than anything they will have an abundance of
secretarial work. You will also find smaller agencies locally in the Algarve. 
`On spec' enquiries - you can try
hawking your wares, by writing on spec to hotels/businesses/organisations,
asking about potential work; try to follow this up with a meeting with the
manager (gerente) or (director/ a), as often letters tend to be
pushed aside initially.
Asking around - be prepared to use
up a bit of shoe leather and have the nerve to ask on the spot for work. This
can often be effective with manual labour. Use any contacts you have and get
them to ask around for you as well.
Place ads yourself - in papers,
bar noticeboards, in shops and so on.
Portuguese job centres (centro
de emprego) - most towns have an office, operating in a similar way to
UK-run ones, with job ads on notice boards and clerks to help you. It is
difficult if you speak no Portuguese, but you may at least get a few ideas and
some advice on training possibilities. The local/regional telephone directory
will list your nearest centre, or your cdmara will be able to inform you. There
are Regional Delegations (Delegacdo Regional) in:
- Algarve(Faro) Tel: 289-890-100
- Alentejo (Evora) Tel:
266-760-500
- Lisbon/Vale do Tejo ( Lisbon) Tel: 213-307-400
- Centro (Coimbra) Tel: 239-860-800
- Norte (Porto)Tel: 226-159-200
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