How to Move to Europe Without a Degree

Is it possible to move to Europe without a degree? Yes, it’s absolutely possible to move to Europe without a degree!

Let’s get into the three main ways that this can be done.

How to Move to Europe Without a Degree

1. Get a Cheaper Degree (or a Free One) In Europe

The BEST way to move to Europe without a degree is to plan to get a degree while you are in Europe. A lot of European countries have pathways to citizenship that start with you getting a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree in their country.

Even if you aren’t looking to stay in Europe permanently if you choose the right country you can get your degree for WAY cheaper.

In the USA, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5,000+ per semester, while in a lot of colleges in Europe you could pay as little as $300 per year.

There are tons of sites where you can compare Bachelor’s programs in Europe and filter them by price, country, area of study, etc.

My personal favorite is StudyPortal, where you can find Bachelor’s degrees all over Europe in whatever field you are interested in studying.

StudyPortal Bachelor's degrees in Europe

Getting an education in a country in Europe is a great way to start a life in that country, so if you go this route, try to choose a country that you would consider living in.

Can you work abroad without a degree? Read this post to find out how.

2. Bring a Job With You to Europe

You don’t need a degree to get a job, so if you already have one, why not try to figure out how to bring it with you?

There are two main ways you can do that:

1. Get a Job Transfer to Europe

If you have a decent job where you live now, consider asking your boss if they’d let you work in Europe. They might have a branch in Europe where they could send you, or you could ask them to create one on your behalf.

This one is the more difficult of the two options because it assumes that you already have a job and that you’ve worked there for long enough to ask a big favor from your boss.

If none of those are true for you, maybe the next option will work better.

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2. Work Remotely for Yourself

Another way to move to Europe without a degree is to work for yourself. You don’t need a degree to be an independent contractor.

In fact, this is the direction that the world is heading, where people will opt to work for themselves instead of a company.

You can do anything, from design to English teaching to blogging, etc. Your skill doesn’t necessarily have to be a tech one, but just something that you can do through your computer.

If you choose to do a job that isn’t online, you need to make sure that your visa allows your activity.

If you want to stay long-term in Europe, you can open a business as a self-employed person and that will open a lot more opportunities to work.

3. Find a Job that Doesn’t Require a Degree

The last option on this list is the most difficult. You could move to Europe and find a job that doesn’t require a degree at all.

This one is the most difficult because a lot of European countries have strict rules about hiring, and a lot of times they have to prove that they couldn’t find any EU citizen that was qualified for the job before hiring someone who isn’t an EU citizen.

Plus, you may struggle with getting a visa this way. Many times your company needs to sponsor your visa, but that is a big risk for them and they might not be willing to take it.

Some jobs that don’t require a degree in Europe and would also be willing to hire foreigners would be seasonal jobs, English teaching, ski instructors, yachting, etc.