By EUlaw - 12 Jul 14 3:45 PM
Hi everyone,
To introduce myself: I was convicted a few years ago and was sentenced to a community order. I have a law degree and, and as you can imagine, I found getting work within the sector very difficult. I also didn't want to study post-graduate because of the fear of disclosing my conviction to universities. So, I widened my knowledge of EU Law and emigrated. I plan on returning once my conviction is spent but at the moment I have quite a happy life.
I'm here primarily to offer advice to others on legal issues. The feeling of being powerless is horrible. I hope to make members here feel a little more in control by offering what advice I can. It is disappointing that with the new rules I am limited on what advice I can give.
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By DeterminedToSucceed - 30 May 14 5:40 PM
Hi EULaw,
Welcome to the forum and well done on sorting yourself out. I too have had to skirt around my profession and find alternatives - but have managed to survive, in spite of the fear and powerlessness you describe. I hope you can help some folk out!
D2S
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By justiceeu - 15 Jul 14 1:03 PM
EULaw,
Where did you emigrate to? Are you working over there? Did they do any background checks? How much money did you need?
I'm also looking to start afresh and put my past behind me.
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By EUlaw - 12 Jul 14 3:45 PM
Hi,
I don't want to speak to much about my specific situation but speaking generally...
When you move to an EU country you have an automatic right of residence as a job seeker. You have to register your presence in the country within 3 month (although taking longer doesn't result in any consequence). It is unlawful for the host nation to routinely check criminal records. Remember, you're not applying for a visa but rather just telling them you've exercise your free movement rights and are now residing in the country. Therefore, they're not going to know about your past unless you've been in trouble in that country.
As for money... I didn't have that problem because I moved in with a friend until I found work. Saying that though, I found work teaching English within 2 weeks. Knowing English in is a huge commodity. I earn quite a bit of money teaching English to groups of business people, often during their lunch break. I earn around 15 euros per hour, which for me is fine. The cost of living in many European countries is much lower. Realistically it could be done with just enough money to rent a room for the first few months. Depending on the country, when you register as a resident in the country you have to be able to prove that you have sufficient resources as to not become a burden on the state (their is an exemption for students). Therefore I'd recommend not registering until you have found a job.
Things are completely different in terms of checks in Europe. Most countries do some sort of checks for working with children, for example, but apart from that checks are fairly uncommon. This whole thing about an employer having a right to know if you've been convicted would seem very alien to most legal systems. Criminal records are private. In some EU countries not even the police have direct access to them.
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