As youth unemployment rates continue to rise across Europe, people tell of their struggles to get a job and fears for the future
As part of our series on Europe's youth unemployment crisis, we asked readers to tell their stories of frustration and indignation. A selection of responses follows. Have your say below the line.
Rachel Grey, 23, Middlesbrough, UK
I've been unemployed since finishing university in July 2011. My hopes after graduating [with a 2:1 in sociology from a Russell Group university] weren't unrealistic. I was prepared to take any job to build up enough experience to find a job in London. Instead, I've ended up living at home with my parents. I feel incredibly guilty about still having to live with my parents and like I've let them and my partner down by not being able to get a job. I never imagined I could feel as worthless as being unemployed has made me feel. I dread talking to friends and family because I'll have to explain that I still haven't found a job.
I've sent well over 400 applications and I've had only a few job interviews, as well as a handful for work experience and internship placements. On the whole, I've had very little feedback, bar the generic "the standard of applicants was very high … tough decision … regret to inform you". Ironically, none of the interviews I've had have been for the admin-type roles I'm required to apply for by the jobcentre – which decided admin was the most suitable route. Most entry-level admin positions are advertised as apprenticeships because of government funding which allows employers to pay £2.65/hr as opposed to the national minimum wage of £6.19/hr. The problem is that government funding is not available if the employee holds a degree.
I'm at the point now where I have a sense of detachment from interviews – that isn't to say I don't make an effort, just that I'm almost numb to the fear I used to feel. The way I see it is I cannot possibly fall any further than I already have, so if I go in and give it my all and I don't get the job, I haven't lost anything.
I'm required by the jobcentre to send out speculative applications, which I find insulting to the employer and demoralising to myself when I have to presume they will want to employ me without any experience.
I'm worried about the strain my unemployment is putting on my family. The cost of having both children living at home – my sibling is due to graduate in July – even paying full rent, with one parent employed and one on a pension, is going to be difficult.
I'm also worried about what such a long period of unemployment will look like to future employers. I know that I haven't spent two years being lazy and living off the taxpayer, but employers skim-reading CVs won't know that and if it doesn't rule me out of the shortlist, I won't even be able to explain at an interview.
Salva Camarasa, 30, Barcelona, Spain
I've been looking for work in a motion graphics studio or as a video editor or camera operator since I started university in 2006. But since 2011, I've been looking for anything because I barely earn enough money to make repayments on my student loan.
On average I apply for three to four jobs a day but since March 2012 I haven't had a single interview, not even a phone call or email. I once took the Yellow Pages and went to every studio I found to deliver my CV in person. The only feedback I've ever had are from jobs outside Spain who politely told me to keep going. But hey, at least they gave me some feedback!
I've got a degree in media and communications as well as training in digital graphic design. My hopes were focused on working in something I could deliver all my motivation, skills and knowledge, more than just having an economical motivation: I felt I was wasting my time and others' working in an office or in retail.
There's almost no job advice here and the Spanish government has brutally trimmed courses for the unemployed, as well as student grants and education in general. When my last job ended in November 2012, I received €380 (£325) a month for six months from the state. But now that's ended I have no idea what to do. I've had to ask my parents for help and I can't describe how horrible it makes me feel because at my age, it shreds my status of being an independent individual.
They tell us to be patient. But the Spanish government is doing almost nothing to stop this disaster. How can we be patient when we see months and years pass by and we're still getting nowhere?
What worries me is that I'm stuck in this vicious circle. You have no money to study something else, the time you're unemployed increases therefore you become less employable, and you keep moving in a wheel like a hamster with no chance of getting out. I do see the possibility of things changing but not before five to 10 years and by then I'll be 40 years old! If nothing changes, what I'm supposed to do then?
I try to maintain a positive attitude but time is passing, the situation is getting worse and I'm starting to show signs of weakening. I'm starting to lose all hope. My feelings alternate between guilt and "it's not your fault". I also try to empathise with the ones that are in the same situation than me, or in a worse situation, to tell myself I'm not the only one stranded in the beach.
If someone told me to move 8,000 miles away to give me an opportunity, you can bet I'd be flying there right now. But my problem is: no work, no savings. Without money to do anything you can't make the situation any better.
Panayiotis Christodoulou, 26, Nicosia, Cyprus
I'm worried that my degree will soon have no value. When the economy recovers I'll be 35 years old and unable to find work as a junior and without the experience for a more senior position.
I knew things weren't going to be ideal and getting a job was going to be a hard task – I graduated from the University of Nicosia with a communications degree. During my studies I worked as a DIY sales adviser but had to leave after one-and-a-half years as my course demanded a practical exam of a month's work in a newspaper and I was unable to take the time off work.
Since graduating I've sent on average about 25-30 applications a month, and I'd welcome any position related to my degree, such as a journalist, presenter, writer or PR adviser. During the past two to three years a lot of media organisations have been shrinking with news websites finding it difficult to attract adverts to survive.
Finding work has now become a matter of survival and I'm looking for almost anything. But it's been hard to convince employers that my dream is to become a storekeeper, or a sales person for a spare parts car company, after spending four years and €40,000 on tuition fees. They tell me they will spend time and money to train me and cannot risk losing me when there are so many other candidates available. Despite months of going to the department of labour for job advice and seeking assistance I, along with many other people, have not been offered even a single job.
I've been receiving €600 a month from the government for the past six months – which is the maximum time – until a couple of weeks ago. Now that I don't have any income besides limited help from my family it is very hard. I feel uncertainty. It has affected me psychologically and given me feelings of depression. Lately I am not able to enjoy simple things, such as a drink with friends, exercise, or concentrate on watching a movie or reading a book. I've also put on a lot of weight. I was supposed to start building my life and moving forward after graduation. I am at the age considered the most productive yet I cannot even earn enough for the basics.
I'd prefer to stay in Cyprus, but am thinking about moving abroad despite the fact that a lot of countries in the EU and the world are in a similar situation. It will be easier to go to the UK given that the only language I know besides Greek is English. Still, I'd prefer to stay here.
Coline Willinger, 25, Montpellier, France
I went to university for six years and graduated with a master's degree in political science. I was hoping I'd find employment more quickly than I have. After volunteering at a website I found a job at a radio station that paid €560 a month; €460 by the state and the rest by the station. Although it gave me independence it wasn't enough to live on comfortably and at the end of the contract I moved back to my mother's home. Since then I've sent over 100 applications. I've had four interviews: three in Montpellier and one in Marseille.
I'm a bit desperate because employers require a lot of skills: speaking many languages, having many years of experience, specific diplomas. I do not really come across any openings for beginners. I'm also a bit disappointed because I expected after those long years of studies that my search would be a lot easier. I'm worried because I'm starting to believe that I'm not going to find my "dream job", the one I've been studying this long for. I might have to accept one which is not what I'm looking for. Most of my friends have found jobs even if it's an assisted contract where the employer receives financial support from the government and the employee receives minimum wage.
I know we have to make concessions, but I'm torn between believing in the education I've got or stop dreaming and start building a life.
I don't really know what to do.
If I could find a job I would finally have independence, and be able to start to build my life properly.
Ioannis Pelegrinis, 30, Athens, Greece
I was forced to quit my previous job to join the Greek army for my compulsory, and financially crippling, unpaid nine-month military service. After I was discharged, I discovered I was not eligible for any government assistance or benefits. I registered with the unemployment agency (OAED) for about four months, but they were unable to help. Work opportunities are few and far between, particularly for younger people. Most of my friends are out of a job. A couple have work cash-in-hand or uninsured and underpaid part-time jobs.
I left Greece in 2000 to study in the UK, where I got my bachelor's, master's and MPhil degrees in media and cultural studies. I had hopes of finding a creative job in media. I had been searching for a job for about six months during my military service, primarily office work and in the media and marketing sector, where my education might be of use.
My employment condition has recently changed; after what appeared to be a four-month internship I have been employed part-time by a newspaper in Athens. Aside from the pay not being regular, I am uninsured and expected to work longer full-time hours when needed. Aside from the feeling of having a purpose in the morning on my way to work, the irregular rate of pay has made me more paranoid about my daily expenses and the general state of the economy.
I had a couple of interviews before settling for my current job. I think they went all right, the interviewers seemed to be interested in my academic background, though slightly concerned about my limited experience.
My short-term worries are to hold this job and be able to make a career out of it; with all the uncertainty I fear I could be out of a job at any moment. I used to think that if I got a job I would feel more relaxed and at ease. Sometimes I think I am more miserable now than when I was unemployed. I am worried about my health and to what extent I will be able to contribute to my family's wellbeing, particularly my parents who are growing older. I feel trapped; that there is no real hope or anything to look forward to in Greece any more.
While I know I should pursue opportunities abroad, I am finding an ever-increasing number of practical and sentimental reasons to remain in Greece. I have given myself until the end of the year to see how things work out.
Emilie Graille, 25, Charleville-Mézières, France
There aren't any opportunities within 124 miles of where I live as I'm qualified for a really specific line of work. I know that for my next job I'll have to move far away as I did with my previous position – I had to move more than 373 miles away for my first temporary contract.
I have an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Caen and a postgraduate degree in environmental management and water treatments from the University of Limoges. I was really lucky to find temporary work quickly after graduation.
I've sent around 80 applications and had eight interviews – one in France and seven in the UK – since the beginning of the year. I've had feedback most of the time and according to interviewers I have a high standard, but they always choose another candidate with a better score.
I have an employment adviser who looks after me really closely. During my second interview, I impressed one of my interviewers. He sent me detailed feedback and documents to help me describe personal abilities and skills. I am very grateful to this person.
I am looking for positions abroad because there are many more opportunities in the UK, maybe because studies are really expensive there, and a lot of employers are looking for engineers. But for now I depend on the French unemployment system, meaning I can't move abroad to look for jobs.
I feel desperate sometimes to think I have had so many interviews but no offer of work. The thing I hate most is I can't choose the location where I would like to go because the position is too specific. You also don't have a clear vision of your future.
I'm worried because I know that my unemployment allowance won't last for ever and soon I'll have to go back to my parents' house.
Tell us your job hunt story.
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