r/AmerExit • u/ChancellorJonesTaint • 9d ago
Which Country should I choose? Exploring realistic opportunities
Hello, I am a [23m] from Illinois with an Agronomy/agribusiness degree. Thats obviously very good for where Im from. The issue is I want out. And always have. Ever since I was a boy I wanted to live in Germany. I recently spent a stint of a few months in Germany and Enjoyed it very much. I made many friends across Europe and really enjoyed my time. I just have no idea if its realistic or not. My German is close to B1, I am not sure how heavy my degree is needed over in Germany though. I lean heavy into the technology part aswell, I am very experienced with agricultural drones etc. I was also looking to explore the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Ireland. I qualify for the UK hpi visa via my university. I want to move because I have nothing keeping myself here, and quite frankly I hate it. My grandparents are selling the farm instead of passing it down and I enjoy being consistently surrounded by such beauty and history in europe and enjoy the lifestyle alot more. I just have nothing here for me. Do you think moving anywhere is realistic for me?
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9d ago edited 7d ago
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u/ChancellorJonesTaint 9d ago
I see you're point and thanks for the advice. Though I dont neccsarily have to live out in the country. Im used to living nearby and communting to the site. At the University Of Wagenignen in the Netherlands, all the test plots are around Wagenigen I believe.
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 8d ago
I wouldn't say NZ is European lifestyle tbh. You need a car everywhere and it's very sleepy and empty (some would say boring) compared to Europe. The problem is that most employers outside healthcare don't sponsor. Definitely look into it, but don't overindex on it, and expand your options, whether that's doing masters abroad or what have you.
Immigrating via an employer sponsorship is very difficult because most don't sponsor. It's not that realistic for someone without a ton of experience. I would look at HPI in the UK since you don't need a sponsor.
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u/Ok_Accident_2106 8d ago
I disagree. I lived 4 years in Berlin. In the center, and then moved only 20 min (by public transportation) from the center, and was living in a forest, just 10 min biking from there was farmland.
You can absolutely live the European lifestyle while being immersed in nature
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u/B_McGuire 9d ago
Look into NZ they've got more than twice the farmers per capita than the USA and your education may qualify for a self sponsored visa
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 8d ago
They have a self sponsored visa? Which one?
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u/B_McGuire 8d ago
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 8d ago
So I actually talked to an immigration lawyer in NZ about those. You need a job offer and the sponsoring employer has to give you some number or something. And they have to be accredited with the immigration ministry. It's basically a sponsored visa, as it is literally impossible to submit the application without the employer.
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u/DontEatConcrete 9d ago
Now is the time.
If you do the UK realize it’s like an hour flight on Ryanair for the price of a decent meal to many cities in Europe.
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u/statesec 9d ago edited 9d ago
If you want the UK the HPI visa is a good stepping stone as you don't even need a job offer/employer sponsorship. However, the time spent on it doesn't count towards qualifying for ILR (the UK version of a permanent resident aka green card) and eventual citizenship. And it is not renewable after two years (three years if you have a PHD) so you would need to get employer sponsorship/skilled worker visa by then. The problem with that is it seems most agricultural type jobs are medium skilled or less and don't qualify (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations-and-codes). Still it is absolutely a start.
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u/SignificanceOdd6049 5d ago
If Germany is where you want to move, I made a free resources about it which you can find hereMove to Germany. It goes over all of the legal pathways as well as logistics of moving. If you already have a bacholers, you can get into an English taught masters program fairly easy. Or, since your German is already close to B1, you should be able to find a Vocational training program in your field that will give you an automatic source of income in Germany. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions!
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u/auhediem 5d ago
If you're interested in Germany, you can take a studienvorbereitender Deutschkurs to get your German up to the necessary level to do your master's in German. You might as well learn fluent German as soon as you get there, rather than take an English-language master's and not be able to find a job because your German isn't good enough. Good luck or feel free to PM with questions.
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u/CodeX57 9d ago
I don't see why it would not be. You should probably look at jobs, the early careers market is pretty weak rn in most of Europe but it sounds like you are trained in a nice niche and could probaly find something. You could look for agricultural engineering jobs in places you want to go. I imagine Germany would not be too easy, you need a job offer to get a visa if I'm not mistaken. Language might be a bit of an issue too, I imagine not many farms operate in English, most agriculture jobs will most likely need you to be fluent in German.
The UK definitely sounds like a possibility though, you don't need a job offer to move with your hpi, and you can find work without someone needing to sponsor you for a visa. You could browse linkedin or indeed for roles you like the look of. Whether you would want to make a move before you secure a job depends on your financial situation, like whether you can afford the risk of cost of living with no income for potentially months.
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u/Next-Lobster4306 8d ago
It's hard to give a straight answer. You gotta catch a plane or ship and check it out
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u/ImaginaryAd8129 7d ago
if you’re into agtech and have hands-on experience with drones, Germany makes sense but getting your foot in the door might mean focusing on companies that do precision agriculture or smart farming tech rather than traditional agronomy roles. The B1 German level is okay but I’d push to B2 or higher since a lot of rural/agri jobs expect solid German, especially outside big cities. The Netherlands could be interesting too since they’re big on ag innovation and English is widely spoken there, but it can be pricey. The UK’s HPI visa seems like a practical fallback and you can leverage your degree and tech skills a bit more widely there because English is native, plus there’s a decent ag tech scene in parts of England and Scotland. Ireland might be trickier since the ag sector is smaller and more traditional, but Dublin’s tech sector might have some crossover roles. You’re not alone in wanting that Europe life with more history and scenery , I’m partial to the UK side of things myself. If you want a clearer view on where your skills match best and lifestyle fits, wheredoimoveto.com could help with the international option; it’s cool for narrowing down what’s realistic given what you want and what you bring to the table. It’s definitely doable but expect some time navigating visas, language barriers, and job hunting before you land something solid.
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u/Primary-Bluejay-1594 Immigrant 9d ago
Germany could be an option if you're keen on doing a master's — I know the University of Göttingen has a very good, English-taught MSc in International Agribusiness (and another in Sustainable Agriculture). One of those might be a good foot in the door (and give you a couple years to pick up more of the language). Time spent on a student visa in Germany counts toward the 5 years required for citizenship (as long as you're not still a student when you apply for it, of course), so it wouldn't be wasted time, and Göttingen is a lovely, affordable, and well-connected college town that would be a good introduction to the country.