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Job Hunting in Latvia

When looking for a short-term work in Latvia, keep in mind that English speakers will encounter very limited offers of job positions unless they are also fluent in the state language - Latvian - and/or Russian. The majority of positions require basic understanding of the Latvian language as a minimum. The friendliest industries for expats are language teaching, IT, specifically, programming, and management of local branches of international companies.

Search Engines

• Visidarbi.lv is a search engine that collects job ads in Latvia from job portals, classified ads portals, and corporate websites, thus giving the best overview of vacancies
• CV Online is the biggest job database for the Baltic countries
• CV Market is another large internet recruitment company that operates in all Baltics
• Like IT is a database specifically for information technology jobs

EURES

As part of the EU, job seekers can access the European job mobility portal EURES. This resource provides information about job vacancies and the labor market. It also provides information on the living and working conditions, and a CV posting service.

Forums

Networking can be helpful for finding the perfect position. You can try to get in touch with other expats through LinkedIn groups, e.g., EasyExpat, job LATVIA, or biz Latvia. Take a look also at the Easy Expat Latvia forums.

Newspaper

Several papers have a helpful classified's section. These include the four large dailies:

• Diena
• Neatkariga Rita Avize
• Latvijas Avize
• Vesti segodnya (Russian)

Common Positions

The availability of short-term positions for expats can vary by the sphere of work. On the one hand, positions in such fields as teaching foreign languages or IT / programming are available all year long. On the other hand, job offers in tourism-related industries are more frequent in the summer season.

Teaching Foreign/English Language

There are plenty of opportunities for native speaker languages teachers in Latvia. And not only English speakers, there are schools teaching German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian as well. Most of the jobs are concentrated in the area of the capital Riga.

For more information please consult the "Teaching English" subsection of Job Search.

Student Employment Contract

An employment contract is standard for any working environment and in the case of student or short-term work a student employment contract may be used. This usually imposes a time-limit between a student and an employer, with the student getting a salary for his/her work. Making a formal student work contract is not mandatory (it is possible to sign a standard employee contract instead), but may have additional benefits for a student position.

Discount Cards

ISIC (International Student Identity Card) - issued in over 130 countries, the ISEC serves as an internationally recognized proof of student status and offers discounts in over 125 000 locations worldwide. It is issued for full-time students over the age of 12 and, depending on the country, its price varies from 4 to 25 USD. The ISIC card can be purchased online or at a local ISIC issuer. You will need a proof of your student status, an ID document, and a passport sized photo. The card is valid up to 16 months, its start and expiration dates depend on the academic year of the country where you purchase the card.

To find businesses that give discounts for ISEC card owners see the discounts worldwide and discounts in Latvia (in Latvian).

The ISIC offers two additional cards that offer many of the same benefits and discounts and can be obtained either online or at a local issuing office:

• ITIC (International Teacher Identity Card) -this card is available for fulltime teachers or professors
• IYTC (International Youth Travel Card) - available for individuals under the age of 30 who are not fulltime students

ISE Card(International Student Exchange Card) - An internationally recognized identification card with thousands of discounts in over 80 countries, it is valid for one year from date of issue. Students of ANY age are eligible, as well as faculty members and children to young adults from 12-25. The price is 25 USD and you can purchase it online.

Work Visa

Latvia is a member of the EU and the Schengen zone therefore citizens of the EU and European Economic Area do not require a working visa.

Those coming from countries outside the EU will need to obtain both a residence permit and a work permit.

Working holiday visas are available only for citizens of New Zealand and Canada, whereas citizens of other countries will need to apply for a work permit.

For more information on visas, consult the section on "Passport and Visas".