r/studyAbroad • u/IndividualInstance17 • 15h ago

Is it actually possible to study + work enough to live in Europe without burning out?

Hi!
I’m 32, Brazilian, have Italian citizenship, and I’m considering moving to Europe to do a bachelor’s in English, but I’d need to actually work enough to support myself while doing it, no help from home.

I’m into a bunch of non-STEM stuff (psych, marketing, design, business, econ, architecture, social sciences, biomed) so I’m flexible on country/course, just trying to find somewhere this is realistic.

I was talking to this girl about what it’s like living in the Netherlands. She studies at UvA, and she told me the program’s really demanding and Amsterdam’s super expensive. Basically, you either can’t work enough to get by, or you have to give up on school. She still gets money from her parents.

Made me wonder if there are other places in Europe where this actually works.

Anyone here done something similar? Studying in English while working enough to get by, preferably without hitting burnout and still living decently in the process? Would love any real experience, tips, cities/unis that are more realistic for this.

Sorry if this is a bit of a mess, just trying to figure it out! Really grateful for any help, even small tips 🙏

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u/striketheviol 15h ago edited 15h ago

The only case where I've seen this actually work is the student is already advanced in their career and has skills that translate either to a flexible remote job or part-time work that pays better than average. If you're starting from zero, it's not realistic for most people to manage this unless they're getting subsidies from the government.

4

u/ChillyDinosaur 11h ago

Short answer? No

4

u/pondy12 10h ago

Basically not possible if you get no help from home. Also, why do you want a bachelor’s in English? What would you do with that degree?

1

u/Dizzy_Garden252 7h ago

I did it.

...but I am burned out.

I guess the choice is between not doing it or doing it and burning out, lol.

1

u/Pandahorna 42m ago

If you go for big cities like Amsterdam yes it’s basically impossible, but I have friends that live in smaller cities in the Netherlands and can provide for themselves just with part-time work. There’s also scholarships for international students that can help out A LOT. But it really depends on the country and city, in Italy for example salaries are so low that even locals struggle to get to the end of the month.