Employment Realities for Foreigners in Portugal
There are jobs and there are no jobs in Portugal. I’ve seen people who arrived in Portugal and have been searching for jobs for one year, two years back to back without success. I’ve also seen people who arrived in Portugal and were able to get a job between one month and six months. I’m not trying to scare you but I’m trying to let you know about the reality of things, especially when it comes to jobs in Portugal. In this article, I’m going to be talking about job opportunities in Portugal for international students and foreigners.
Customer Service and Call Center Opportunities
If you’re looking for a way to earn while studying or working legally in Portugal, this is for you. The very first job I’ll be talking about is for everyone, international students or foreigners. That first job would be a customer service job. Customer service call center jobs are very common in Portugal. In fact, almost all foreigners are into customer service jobs. When you ask anybody who is in Portugal what kind of jobs they’re doing, especially students, they tell you they’re working as a customer service agent because that’s basically where you can find English speaker positions.
High Competition for English Speakers
The problem is there are thousands of people searching for this same job and it is very competitive. Customer service and call center jobs in Portugal are highly competitive because a lot of English speakers are here who want to get the same job. If you don’t know how to speak Portuguese, if you don’t know any other language aside from English, it is very difficult to get these jobs. You have to put in effort. It depends on the amount of effort, the amount of time, the strength you put into searching for jobs that will determine how fast you can get a job.
Multilingual Skills and Higher Earnings
If you are knowledgeable in terms of language, if you have skills in German, French, or Spanish language, you can earn more in a customer service role. They pay them more if you are multilingual and you can speak these languages. You would find it easy to get a job because you know these languages, and you’re going to earn more than an English speaker. An English speaker can earn between 870, 1,000, 1,200 and even 2,000, but it depends. It’s going to be from 870, 1,000, 1,200 and 1,500. This will depend on the bonuses and incentives that are being organized or given by the company you’re working for or the organization you’re working for. The amount of bonus they decide to give you will determine the amount you would receive at the end after adding your base salary and the bonuses and incentives. That will determine your gross salary or your net salary after taxes.
Night Shift Regulations and Salary Bonuses
For customer service and any other jobs in general in Portugal, there are also chances to make more on the night shift, although it is not easy for students to work on the night shift while studying. There is also this law in Portugal whereby you earn a particular percentage from your salary when you work on the night shift. From 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. you earn 25% additional on your pay, and if you work between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. you earn 50% additional from your pay per hour.
The Tourism and Hospitality Sector
Language Barriers and Competitive Markets
We all know that Portugal is a tourist country where tourists come in yearly. In terms of tourism and hospitality, there are hotels, cafes, and restaurants that need workers, but they require Portuguese. There are very few of them that want English speakers. Most times they will ask you if you know how to speak Portuguese because they still want to be able to communicate in Portuguese. It’s very competitive because the number of people searching for these jobs is higher than the number of jobs in Portugal. If you are able to learn Portuguese before coming, it’s going to be a very good help to you.
Driving and Delivery Service Jobs
Driver License Exchange and Ride-Sharing
If you can drive and you have your driver license, when you get to Portugal there is a good benefit where you can exchange your driver license to a Portuguese one if your driver license is among the bilateral ones. I’m going to be making a video on how to exchange a driver license soon. Another good thing is if you’re able to drive and you have a driver license when you get to Portugal, you can work as an Uber driver or a delivery rider for Glovo or Bolt.
TVDE Professional Certification Requirements
Before you’re able to work as an Uber driver, even if you have a driver license in Portugal, you have to go through this TVDE professional activity. You have to be registered under this sector which registers you to work as a driver professionally. Without this you cannot drive professionally in Portugal. It’s at least three weeks to one month for the TVDE classes. You have to go to the class and write the exam and get the card for the TVDE which allows you to professionally drive in Portugal.
Income Potential for Uber and Delivery Drivers
When I tried to make inquiries on how much they earn, Uber drivers in Portugal earn about 1,000 to 1,500 even to 2,000 depending on the number of hours you are able to work. Remember if you don’t have the car to do the Uber, you’re going to have to give some percentage to whoever gives you the car or the company or the organization you’re working for. It’s definitely going to be commission or percentage based.
Tourist Transport and Car Rental Roles
If you can drive, there are also job opportunities in Portugal where they would require driving. Remember it’s a tourist country, so for those tourists that come into the country, there are jobs where they would need drivers to pick them up. They call it car rental jobs. You pick up people or when they rent a car you need to drive the car to those people to pick them up, or pick up at airport to their home addresses, or to drive them or to tour them around the city. These kind of jobs are there. If you have a driver license, it’s an opportunity. When you have these kind of jobs you can go and grab the opportunity.
Skilled Labor and Technical Careers
IT and Digital Marketing Opportunities
Skilled workers are there for both students, foreigners, experts, full-time, part-time. If you know IT, it is competitive again but this determines and will depend on how much or how far you step up your game, how much effort you put into searching for these jobs. There are IT jobs in Portugal for software development, cyber security, data analysis, and digital marketing. These jobs are there. There are websites where you can search for these jobs and find them. You have to just keep searching every day. Apply for jobs, 10 to 12 applications, send it out every day. Do not relent. I’m sure you will get something if you put in that much effort. They have these jobs and they pay quite well if you are able to get one of these.
Construction and Engineering Roles
This job is also there in Portugal for engineering and construction. If you know how to work in this sector, I just want you to be aware that it is tedious. For international students it might be very stressful to do this and work as well as it is very difficult. They pay them between 870 to 1,000 or a little bit more. I don’t have a specific amount on how much they pay them but they are there. The way you can find this job is to go to recruitment agencies in Portugal. It’s very hard to get these ones on job sites, so you have to go to the recruiting agencies in Portugal to get this particular type of job. I’m also going to be making another video on job sites and those recruiting agencies where you can get this kind of jobs. There are a lot of people searching for jobs in Portugal so competition is high. It depends on how much effort you put in.
Specialized Sectors and Seasonal Work
Healthcare Challenges for Non-Portuguese Speakers
If you’re thinking about healthcare jobs in Portugal, I know you might be wondering what about healthcare. Healthcare in Portugal is second to none if you don’t know Portuguese. Please take it off your mind. Don’t have your hopes high. You can’t work as a caregiver or as a medical assistant or as a nursing assistant in Portugal if you cannot speak Portuguese. Please do not have your hopes high on this one. If you find something that’s in English all good, but then it is second to none.
Seasonal Agriculture and Farming Jobs
They have agriculture and farming but this job is a seasonal job. This one can only be gotten through these recruiting agencies. They rarely post them on sites, and if they do you can find those sites as well, but then it’s easier if you go to those recruiting agencies and they will tell you when these jobs are open. They are actually done outside Lisbon, they are at the villages. These kind of jobs are those ones where you go to pick berries like strawberries, olives, those fruits that you have to pick. These ones are done seasonally either during winter or summer. Once you finish they pay you for that particular period that you have worked and that’s it. You can’t get this one as a full time job, it’s a seasonal job and it is actually tedious as well. You have to leave your city to the city where they need workers, and I think they provide you with accommodation as well there.
Strategies for a Successful Job Search
Optimizing Your Europass CV and Online Applications
The website where you can find this job would be on indeed.pt, that’s the Indeed Portugal website for job application. We have LinkedIn, you can keep searching. A lot of jobs are there but it is competitive. Make sure you put in your profile properly. Create an Europass CV. Use the right keywords, use the right keywords, use the right keywords. I know what I’m saying. When you use the right keywords to prepare your CV, employers will contact you. Make sure you do that and also apply every day, 12, 13, 15 jobs every day, and I’m very sure you would find something. I wish you all success on your arrival to Portugal and I hope you all get jobs according to your desires, but you have to put in the effort.
Legal Obligations and Working Regulations
Employment Hour Limits for International Students
As a student you have to work 20 hours per week for international students. It depends on the schedule of your classes. If it’s not tedious and for master students, most of them and PhD students have lesser schedule so you can work your way around working more hours as a student.
Mandatory Documentation for Legal Employment
Remember you have to have a residence permit to work in Portugal. If you don’t have a residence permit you cannot work in Portugal. This is very important. Before you start applying for that job, make sure you have all your documents ready: your health number, your social security number, your tax identification number, and your residence permit. These are the criteria that you have to meet before you’re going to get a job in Portugal.