Portugal
Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula, bordering Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. Lisbon, Portugal’s hilly capital, is a coastal city known for its cafe culture and soulful Fado music.
History / Basics
Portugal, one of the oldest countries in Europe, is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula lying between Spain in the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean in the south and west. The signs of the Portuguese presence around the world are still visible and this is the reason why Portuguese is one of the most spoken languages worldwide and the Portuguese are one of the peoples more open to other civilizations. Portugal has been a Republic since 1911 and its government is a Parliamentary Democracy. A member of the European Union (EU) since 1986, Portugal is a nation in full development that has always kept its best treasure – its ability to welcome people. This makes this country an attractive and safe place.
Capital: Lisbon
Dialing code: +351
ISO code: PRT
Currency: Euro
Finding Work
If you plan to hunt for a job once in Portugal, prepare yourself by researching the job market before moving, and set realistic expectations for yourself. Here are some places to look for employment :
Industries: tourism, real estate, hotel and catering, public services, agriculture, energy and water provision, retail.
Big companies: Accenture, British Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, Deloitte, Europages, Guianet, Hewlett Packard, Kompass, Libtery Seguros, Mafre, Martifer, Pricewaterhousecoopers, Portuguese Yellow Pages (Paginas Amarelas), Portuguese White Pages (Paginas Brancas), Re/Max Portugal.
Main cities: Lisbon, Porto, Vila Novo de Gaia, Amadora, Braga, Almada, Coimbra, Funchal.
Jobs in demand in Portugal :
There is a shortage of candidates in positions such as: seasonal tourism jobs; hotel and catering services; doctors of diverse specialisation; information technology, particularly computer engineers; call and contact centre management. You can find jobs online with following websites :
http://jobsinlisbon.com : Jobs in Lisbon and Portugal for professionals and expats seeking employment opportunities.
http://indeed.pt : The sister to the big U.S. job search site Indeed.com.
The Portuguese Public Employment Service (Instituto do Emprego) – provides advice on training, opportunities and how to find work, as well as providing access to vacancies (in Portuguese).
Superemprego – online vacancy portal with a section for careers advice. You can post your CV and receive email alerts (in Portuguese).
EURES – European Job Mobility Portal – provides information about job vacancies, living and working conditions, and labour markets in Portugal, as well as a CV-posting service for jobseekers.
Academic Jobs EU – part of the European Union (EU) network of websites and advertises academic jobs across the EU, including Portugal.
Accommodation / Mobile / Tax / General
You can often find some hidden gems if you dig through the classifieds and real estate agent listings.
http://lisbon.craigslist.pt : Pioneers in the internet classifieds space. These guys have tons of Lisbon apartment options that are updated daily. Craigslist is the first place I would check after testing out the Portugal-specific search engines.
http://casa.sapo.pt : Sapo is a really big portal for just about everything in Portugal.
http://www.remax.pt : I’m sure you have hear of Remax, the giant worldwide real estate agency.
http://www.clickflatshare.co.uk/Lisbon/
http://portugalrooms.com/
https://www.airbnb.com/s/Portugal
Do I need a work permit?
If you are moving to Portugal and intend to work, you may need a work permit to legally apply for a job. As a European Union national or a national of the European Economic Area you will not need any official permit to work. You are however required to have a residence card. You will have to find a job or start a business within six months and then apply for one. As a non European or EEA national, you may find it difficult to secure a work permit.
The easiest way to get a Portuguese work permit will probably be to work for a multinational that operates in Portugal. The advantage is that the company usually takes care of all of the paperwork.
Taxes :
Portugal’s tax rates for individuals is progressive.
The 2013 tax rate is 14.5% – 48% with an additional 3.5% surtax for income exceeding the minimum salary with additional 2.5% surtax for income between EUR 80,000 EUR 250,000 and 5% for income exceeding EUR 250,000.
Mobile and Internet :
There are three major mobile phone service providers in Portugal, Vodafone, Optimus, and TMN. Each provider offers a variety of prepaid (Pré-Pagos) and contract (pós-pagos) SIM cards, both of which are available to foreigners.
Internet Service Providers in Portugal: ARTelecom, Net Sapo, Zon, Telepac, Cabovisão, Claranet, PT Wifi, Vodafone, TMN. Internet access is rapidly improving in Portugal. Espaço Internet is a government initiative that aims to give every resident in Portugal free access to the internet and multimedia technology.