Germany

Here are some links about living and working in Germany that I have personally found useful:

Work Visa & Residency Permit

My own working needs required a visa to work as a freelance English trainer. Most of this information is related to that.

US Embassy’s webpage about how to obtain a residence & work permit
German Embassy in the USA info on where and how to apply
Information from Berlitz about getting visas and such. However,

If you are an American, Canadian or other non-EU citizen, you need to have a permit to reside, and ultimately work in Germany. You can enter Germany with a three-month tourist visa and receive a restricted residency permit. At that time you can apply for a position and, if accepted, begin the process of obtaining permission to work as a freelance instructor. In most cases the visa applications are approved. The fee for obtaining a visa with permission to work as a free-lance instructor is about $40.

Although you may begin working once you have received your residence permit, you will need to go to the tax office (Finanzamt) in your city to get a tax number. By German law, a tax number is required in order to compensate free-lance employees.

This how-to page talks about residing and working in Germany, and lists the important steps you have to take to register, apply for the visa, etc. This site has a lot of useful information about various practical and cultural aspects of living in Germany.
This page talks about teaching English in Berlin (& tips on getting the work visa).
The German Way – getting a resident permit.
Criminal Records Checks in case you need to present a “certificate of good conduct” (I didn’t)
How to apply for the self-employment visa in Germany