I'm talking about for Britons wanting to live in the EU.

Personally I'm gutted as I wanted to work abroad in the future and not to have the stress over visas, work permits and them running out after a year and needing to leave and head home if I can't find another job straight away.

So what do people think will happen?

Will it be a hard Brexit where we'll be banned from working in Europe unless we get work visas like Americans or Canadians would need to?

Will we get a middle-type status (easier than for current non-EU citizens but not free movement as we have it now?)

Will anything come of this associate citizenship for ex-EU countries?

Will we end up staying in the EEA due to some weird legal implication and will carry on with having free movement?

I'm wondering what others think will happen...or hope will happen...anyone got a magic ball?!

Its a big worry, two of our kids have left the UK in recent years, now we are worried about what it all means for them.

Definitely - the uncertainty is the worst bit! At least if we knew 100% what would happen, we could all start making plans for what we wanted to or had to do!

All that work in countries who have to export their young people to the UK cos they have mass youth unemployment thanks to the euro. Or competing against the 1 million single men who have arrived in Germany in the last year who are still unemployed

Wouldnt they rather move to a part of the world where there are actually jobs?

What's annoying is that all the elderly people who voted Leave would have no interest in moving to, or working in Europe. They've selfishly screwed up opportunities for younger people.

Rubbish, go educate yourself.

There are plenty of jobs in EU countries for U.K. nationals; it all depends on skills and types of jobs. Over 1 million UK citizens have jobs in the EU at present.

Plenty of people moved Abroad before the EU? If you have a skill or profession in demand you can move almost anywhere.

In reality the vast majority of people never stray more than a few miles from home anyway bar holidays.

And good luck with getting jobs in EU countries with 30 per cent plus youth unemployment or a million unemployed male refugees just arrived recently. If it was so easy to find jobs in the EU London wouldn't be packed Full of young French, Italian, Spanish and Eastern Europeans cos they can't find work at home

What an ageist ignorant comment.


There many "elderly" Brits living in Europe who worked there and have retired there. They are not draining the UK of NHS resources or any other benefits.

Frankly I am far more interested in people who want to make their lives in this country than those who want to walk out on it!

That's true - I think it will be harder now the EU is larger because they will recruit from the other countries in the EU before issuing work permits....

And unfortunately I teach Psychology and Sociology (only high school level, not uni) so it's a specialist job (sort of) yet most EU countries don't teach those subjects in their secondary schools....ahhhh I knew I should have become a maths teacher!

I am assuming you wish to find employment waiting on or in a bar or similar but surely the unemployment rates in the countries are so phenominally high that you find it very difficult? Also would it not be unfair of you to take work from the indigenous population? They might be forced to accept zero-hours contracts if people like you just wander in and increase competition for jobs.

Not sure if you were being sarcastic re: working in a bar?

Wanted to teach actually (hence my username, I teach A levels here in the UK) - wanted to work abroad for a few years for the experience and to learn a bit more of one of the foreign languages I've studied - so it wouldn't be IMPOSSIBLE without free movement but would definitely be more difficult.

Edited to add: Ha, I'm being a bit slow (too much xmas food the last few days) - yes, I get the slant here now

Thats rubbish.
The majority of Brits living abroad are pensioners.
You may not see them out and about when you take a holiday but they are there living their quiet life and living on their pensions.
I cant see much changing Europe needs your pounds so your holidays are safe they also need the taxes British run pubs bring in if they stopped Brits owning pubs we would find somewhere else to go.
The EU makes billions from Brits without Brits Spain Portugal Greece Bulgaria would become ghost towns and millions of their people would be out of work and out of business.

Nothing much will change. There will be Visa free travel and probably 6 month for working visa free. Want to work longer, get a 10 year visa or something will be the option.

People are a commodity and intelligent well educated brits will always be sought after in any western style country.

Actually, it would be very easy and thousands of British (and Irish) people do it every year. All you need to have to work in a bar or restaurant in tourist are in Spain or Greece is the ability to speak English.


Have you every moved away from your home town in order to work? In which case you have stolen a job which could have gone to one of the "indigenous" population. When any of us starts a job we are taking it off someone else. That's how the job market works and it's not always fair.

People worked in Europe before the EU so why not after it? All those British tradesmen had no problem in the 70's working in West Germany. My Uncle and some cousins with British passports have been living in Germany since the 60's with no issues.

So if you don't think that stopping Freedom of Movement will stop Britons working on the Continent what makes you think it will reduce the numbers of EU people working here?

Don't confuse them!!!😉

Back in the 60s Britain hadn't just walked away from the EU citing hostility towards European immigration as the main reason. The Germans might not be so hospitable in the future as they were back in the 60s.

My company in digital industry has seen so many young migrants from EU countries for the last a few years. Many are from Germany, Italy, France, Spain where job market is tough. Also seen more new ones from Eastern European countries and Greece lately who tend to have higher qualifications such as Master degrees and more work experience than British new graduates who had to compete entry level jobs with new arrivals. I have to say the new arrivals would definitely have better chances if their communication skills are up to standard.

It won't stop EU residents working here if they have skills that are wanted/needed.

Which brings us back to the old question of who determines the type of people wanted and by whom. At present, it's left to the market. If a business needs fruit pickers or neuroscientists are needed then they can be hired without delay. If they aren't then they don't come. Far simpler than having a politician or bureaucrat determining the recruitment needs of every employer in the country.

Isn't that how it works in other countries though? Companies just have to show they've tried to recruit for a position in their own country and failed, and people can move there to work after getting a job offer, which is much better than allowing people in to look for jobs.

There will be some form of relaxed visa requirements for EU nationals and I suspect that will be reciprocated on the continent. TBH I think 90 days in line with what the Americans do is just about appropriate, else the administration would be a nightmare.