Where can we both legally live?

My boyfriend is from the UK and I'm American. We are trying to emigrate somewhere so we can live together, but I'm finding it difficult to get a work permit as I'm self-employed. It seems that the only solution is to get married, which I am not keen to do right away.

Previously, I had Tier 1 visa in the UK and a work-sponsored one in Ireland, but neither of those options are currently available now that Tier 1 doesn't exist and I'm self-employed. I'd prefer to go back to Ireland but would also like to stay unmarried for the time being. So--are there any countries outside of Asia that we can both live and work legally without getting married? In the meantime we are doing a long distance relationship which is not ideal.

If you are both under 30 and can show some savings, you can get a 12 month working holiday visa in Australia:
http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/

A few ideas:

A working holiday visa for you as a US citizen in an EU / EEA country, if you meet the requirements e.g.
Ireland:
http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=73713

Canada (a working holiday for UK partner / NAFTA or working holiday for you (US), if you qualify:

http://www.bunac.org/uk/work-abroad/work-canada/visa
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/special-business.asp#nafta
http://www.swap.ca/in_eng/us_index.aspx

A student visa for you in the UK or for him in the US
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/studying/
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html

Or New Zealand WH visa for both:
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/

Do you have any connections to an EU / EEA country e.g. UK, Ireland, Italy, France....

HTH. 

MLG

Unfortunately we are both over 30, so the working holiday schemes aren't available to us.

It's looking like only Asia and South America have visa-lax countries. It's quite frustrating because I want to do this legally, but it seems that a lot of immigration doors have closed in recent years. There doesn't seem to be any easy way out other than marriage.

Marriage is definitely the best way to go.