Working Abroad

[rictic 0]

hi, got a couple of questions about working abroad.

do we use their gear? daft question maybe but i dont fancy lugging a load of kit with me if i can get a gig sorted out.

 

do their macines play our cd's? are cd's regionalised like dvd's?

 

what sort of deal can i expect? food ,digs etc.

 

where is the best place to look for work in the spanish resorts?

 

i am more into the soul/motown side of music altho i have a large selection of modern and charts and stuff and a eclectic collection too i might add tongue out icon

i have 50+k karoake files on hard drive and can hold a tune with the best. used to do the circuit in blackpool as a singist lol.

 

any help or advice appreciated guys.

cheers

dave

[C.S 0]

Equiment and cds standard all over the world ! You use their equipment and working abroad especialy in Spain is usualy low paid with food and board covered and some pocket money.

[Mattaious 0]

Hi Dave,

 

Ive done a few seasons now in greece and had no problems,

Actually going to Zante in 2008 for another season (extended)

 

There players play every cd i had, and there kit is usualy ok, however they tend to have it all set up backwards and very strange,

 

The only thing i take with me is cd.s and radio mic &headphones,

 

If your looking for just karaoke/dj work then the average in greece is around e50 a night, Lowest ive heard is e35.

Most places will find you digs, (bed/kitchen/bathroom) but in all fairness its pretty cheap to live anyways,

 

Most will also throw in a meal or 2 for the right guy,

Just remember its a totally different crowd out there and you can have some wkd nights,

 

If you need anymore help or if you wanna chat then please just drop me a pm or email.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[Secret Disco 0]

If you dont want to "wing-it" and looking for something more secure try JULIANAS of london, if your good enough they'll send you all over the world, playing some of the best clubs / Accommodation.

 

[rictic 0]

thanks for the deesback guys much appreciated. will have to look further into it

[C.S 0]

Julianas is a very good alternative and thats how i ended up getting stuck above the artic circle ! They sent me here and my hormones did the rest ! :dan+ju:

[Secret Disco 0]

Julianas is a very good alternative and thats how i ended up getting stuck above the artic circle ! They sent me here and my hormones did the rest ! :dan+ju:

 

NO chris!!!!!!! Norway adopted you coz your SOOOOOOOOOOOO cute. :mikee: arf arf!!!!!

[rictic 0]

cs worked norway for 12 weeks place called larvik on the oslo fjord. great place bro but very expensive.

[C.S 0]

Know it ! lived here for 25 years and yep its expensive!

[rictic 0]

went to oslo for the oslo day holiday what a blast,i was the resident at the retiriat bar in larvik, i met a local girl,quite nice,she worked in the towns biggest employer ,a massive foundry.

 

she was a WELDER ROFLMAO.

[digitaldistortion 0]

Julianas is a very good alternative and thats how i ended up getting stuck above the artic circle ! They sent me here and my hormones did the rest ! :dan+ju:

 

You mean they got sluggish coz of the temperature?

 

or maybe they thought it was night time permanently and fell asleep?

 

tongue out icon

[C.S 0]

now into our 3rd week of plus 20c temps and 24 hour sunshine ,whats your weather been like ? My hormones have a sunshine and are wearing bathers !

[Dave80s 0]

Best place to look for work would be on forums I guess, most english resorts seem to have some sort of web presence.

In the old days before the web, I just went there and asked around - usually finding something quick.

Sounds a bit dodgy now but back then it was cash in hand on the night, no questions asked, no paperwork etc.

Money was a pittance, but perks included all the booze and birds you could handle, and I made a bit on the side selling souvenir tapes (yes it was a while ago).

 

Your taste in music sounds ideal for a holiday resort, and you will probably find someone from Blackpool or Manchester out there who would love to have you in their bar.

Edited July 12, 2007 by Dave80s

[Pete Best 0]

Hi

I worked in Oslo at the rebo club then in sanvika at the night flight .It was very expensive i got free food and accom's.I done about 12 weeks met some realy nice people there.I was goung to go back but i met a lady whe i returned home who is now my wife .If a remember right i think the pay in 82 was about £1000 a month but it was long hours 6 nights a week .

[stevemarshall 0]

I would highly recommend anyone to work in Europe, I'm currently running a radio station in Spain, working 3 nights a week too in bars and nightclubs, most of the places I work for are Spanish or German owned as they tend to pay better than English bars

 

The cost of living in Spain is very cheap too, a bottle of beer is 40p in a Spanish bar an average weekly supermarket shop won't cost you more than 25 pounds

 

As someone who has worked in a few places across Europe and worldwide for a number of well known agencies a few points!

 

1/ No agency which has been around for a while will charge you a membership fee for joining, when you get paid either for the gig or if you are working on a monthly contract, the agency will subtract their commission from your wages..thats how a real agency makes its money....

 

2/ Always get a contract! which is normally sent to you well in advance! and if it is written in a language you don't normally speak ie German French Spanish or whatever, get someone to translate it, there are plenty of translation services in the telephone book, it could save you alot of money and trouble!(and always read the small print!)

 

3/ Some contracts include accomodation some don't, some contracts include insurance some don't some include travel some don't!...

 

I worked for a wellknown agency in Switzerland, where my contract stipulated that I had to be provided with free accomodation which ranged from a plush apartment to a chalet(I kid you not!) 1000 feet up in the Alps(under swiss law foreign nationals who work for a company must be housed) and also every contract I signed said that if I was injured in the course of my work(a speaker fell on me, or aI tripped over a wire for example or whatever and couldn't work...under the contract I would be paid for the time I was off work!)

 

4) A couple of other important points, most contracts say that you have to be smartly dressed for example working in hotels etc, that means a shirt and tie, you are being paid to play background music for guests, not make a fashion statement....

 

Always be polite to your boss/es after all they are paying your wages....

 

Be nice to the guests too, after all you are the face of the nightclub, you might only be there for a couple of nites or a month, the business will be there long after you have gone.....

 

 

No drinking when you are working...its totally unprofessional, you are being paid to work, rather than get rata:cense:..it reflects badly on the company and business you work for.....

 

 

 

And be aware of the local culture, get out and see the place mix with the locals rather than the local ex-pat bar and the sights you will meet nice new people, and will also bring some other memories other than I worked in a niteclub 6 days a week!

 

Also make an effort to learn the language, it means you can communicate better and also it will help you make friends easier too!

 

Another thing I started in Switzerland, which other people started doing, was before I left a club when my monthly contract finished, was to leave a short note for the next dj, telling them things like where the local CD/Vinyl shop was, where the local supermarket and local stuff was, its nice to arrive in a strange town and have all that information in front of you, incidently when I finished working for the agency the last place I did, there was a note waiting for me with all this information, so obviously the system works:)

 

And be aware of the local musical tastes, you are after all in any niteclub background music to all the other things that go on in niteclub, remember that and you will keep your feet on the ground!

 

Check out the local music charts, and have a listen to the local stations on line, it will give you an idea of the music you need

 

Grab yourself a copy of the Mastermix Classic Cuts collection and a copy of the DJ in the box set too, best investment I ever made...also rather than carrying a whole load of CDs across Europe, get yourself a decent laptop a 500gb external hard drive and a mixing programme like Sam DJ and digitize your collection..lightweight and portable...

 

Of course these conditions and contracts vary from country to country, and if you are doubt about an agency ask for a number or contact details about someone who has worked for them before...if they are genuine they won't mind you checking them out, as they will be checking your references too!

 

If that is not possible, check with the local trading standards in the town/city they are based, or even the local Embassy in say Britain, it will save you alot of heartache and money in the long run!

 

And most people who have been in the business for a while know the good agencies and the not so good ones....

 

 

Working for a DJ agency is fun and you get paid for entertaining people into the bargain

 

 

 

And give Julianas in London a call they have been around for a very long time, ( I know plenty of people who have worked for them in the past) you get to go to some great places in the Middle East and Worldwide and get paid for it:)

 

Juilanas look for people who can mix music and use a microphone, they normally like people to come down and meet them, do a short auditon etc

 

 

If I can be of any more help and maybe point you in the right direction ? PM me:)

Edited April 17, 2008 by stevemarshall