Living in Italy for a year budget question
 

Hi,

A dream of mine has always been to live in Italy at least for year (for which I have been saving up).

Considering I would be more than happy with very modest accomodation (no dolce vita clichés are among my goals), how much would you need to live in Italy for a year?

I have an italian passport and speak Italian, so finding a job or studying is a goal. However, I think I have saved enough not to go crazy because "I cannot find a job!".

I know it would depend on the area. My main interests are Salento, Sicily, Turin or Trieste.

Thanks,

Orlando

What currency will you be exchanging? Over the coming year, the valuation of the euro may significantly change (or disappear entirely). Economic forecasts for a very strong depression could dramatically lower the costs of rentals. Finding a job will be almost an insuperable task.

South is cheaper than north, and Trieste is cheaper than Torino. If you are willing to live with others, it is cheaper than trying to find independent accommodation. If you speak Italian, you research online the cost of a rental in all the places you listed.

The costs of food and clothing can be kept quite low. That's entirely up to you.

If you live in Italy for a year, you will be considered a taxable resident and will need to file appropriate documents even if you don't owe any taxes, so make sure you understand the requirements.

Dollars into Euros. I am an English/Spanish teacher; that's the job I would try to find. I am aware that teaching is underpaid everywhere. I hadn't thought about taxes. Thanks for bringing that up.

I have been to the places I've mentioned except for Apulia. I am just looking forward to have the experience. I am not looking to settle down in Italy.

Thanks for your input,

Orlando

It's not just that teaching is underpaid. The economic situation in Italy is such that it hard for anyone to have a job. Also, the terms of your year-long visa may not allow you to look for work. It depends on what kind of a visa you get. Obtaining a student visa would be the easiest. Getting a work visa would be the most difficult, and probably only possible if you have arranged ahead of time for employment. In general, jobs are more plentiful in northern Italy than in southern Italy.

At this point in time, it is very hard to predict what circumstances will be in Italy regarding the euro or the European Union, and therefore the cost of living or what type of visa you will need. A clearer picture will probably have emerged by March, or perhaps sooner.

PS: Just to be clear: Ordinarily people who have student visas are not legally allowed to use that visa to stay and obtain work.

Thanks for your reply, Zeppole.

I am an italian citizen. Of course, I know that being an italian citizen doesn't mean that jobs are waiting for me, but, at least, I don't have to worry about having a visa.

Thanks again,

Orlando

There's a demand for native English speakers as teachers of English as a second language, but they're not terribly well paid. There will be more opportunities in larger centers than in smaller ones.

Orlando,

Yes -- sorry. I overlooked that you have an Italian passport. Good luck with your plans!

PS:

It occurred to me to add that you will also need to factor into your living expenses the costs of basic utilities -- electricity, water, gas, internet connection -- since renters very often pay them directly instead of their landords. And no doubt you will want a cellphone. These things can be more expensive in Italy than they c are in other countries. You might want to ask about the typical costs for a single renter over on the LifeInItaly forum.

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/forum/forum.php

Also, I did a little Googling, and came up with this website of a professional language school and its advice for those seeking to teach in Italy:

"How is the job market for teachers in Italy?

"(Updated August 2011) Smaller towns often have more open positions for English teachers than qualified applicants to fill them, and even in larger towns and cities a qualified, reasonably experienced teacher with all papers in order will have no problem finding a job. Larger cities normally have a very large potential pool of 'teachers', but many of these are occasional teachers/housewives, foreign students, babysitters, or bilingual Italian students. A common, and normally successful, route to finding a job is to move to Italy and then start looking... The corporate market has very noticeably shrunk, and so there are fewer in-company teaching positions available, especially in the big commercial cities.

"A hot area for teacher recruitment currently is children and young learners.... Most of the state school positions are filled via tenders or by language schools who act as agencies, but there are also some positions available for individual teachers, especially in southern Italy, who have the right information, contacts, and lots of patience."

Whether the opportunities in smaller towns in the south includes Apulia, it didn't say. There was other information on the website you might find interesting:

http://www.tjtaylor.net/english/teaching-market

hi Orlando,

have you tried contacting any language schools and sussing them out in advance? when i was looking for a language school in Tuscany for myself, I discovered that there were about a dozen in Florence alone, and there must be some in Turin. also I'm pretty sure there is one in Trieste as I get a newsletter from its venetian counterpart.

at least you could get a feel for what you might find when you get there, and who knows, you may find an opening or the possibility of one. if not, you'll know to try somewhere else!

www.hospitalityclub.org good locals to help you in city of your choice.Cities are of course more expensive than rural areas.If you find the right situation with a local it
can be done very cheaply.Living cost way cheaper in the
South but no jobs now.There is a massive financial crisis
in Italy now odds of euro crash next year are very high
according to experts I work with.So I would not hold my
breath for a job and try to find something cheap in the South.
Try to save as many USD as you can. virtualtourist.com
a good site with local posting.Grocery your food deal
direct with locals to save.

Happy Planning!

Ragusa in Sicilia is nice for me in the past might have
alook around there... awesome cheap real estate leases
compared to the north and lots better weather.

Ragusa lies to the south of Sicily and has a population of about 70,000. Ragusa is off the beaten track when it comes to tourism which means that for the visitors that do make the effort, the city has a more authentic Sicilian feel. The city of Ragusa is in the province of Ragusa and on the coast the beaches are some of the cleanest and cheapest and least crowded in Sicily

One other opportunity to keep in mind for making some (extra) money is offering "repetizioni" (extra tutoring) to students and private English lessons to anyone (students or, more often adults). It is usually a word of mouth sort of thing (or at most a card on the local schools' bulletin boards), more than a presence in a language school, but if it starts out well and catches on, it can be quite profitable and easier to organize for someone here (relatively) short term.

Hi Orlando,
Send me a private message a.s.a.p.if Sicily would be an option for you. I know a nice person and he had an agriturismo. He looks for someone able to speak good English and I can help you get in touch. Maybe it could be the right way to start.

Hi everybody and happy 2012!

First of all, I apologize for not having replied... I was away for the Christmas break. Thank you so much for taking the time to give me your input; I really appreciate it.

Thank you, Zeppole for taking the time and trouble to look that information up. Teaching children is my field, or at least the one I prefer, although I don't mind teaching teenagers or adults.

Thanks Annhig and Qwovadis... I've been to Sicily and Tuscany (not Ragusa, though)... I've been searching languages schools online and tried to contact them.

Thank you, Heart of Venice... tutoring is also a good option, specially if you're already there with a job and need to round things up economically.

Thank you, Mirunaadler... How can I contact you? Sicily is also I place I can consider. However, I am curently working at an international school and I have a contract until the end of May, so, as much as I'd love to get started as soon as possible, I can't until the end of this school year. Maybe, this person that you know may also need help later in the year.

I'm going to move heaven and earth to try to make this happen this year. I am aware that Italy is currently going through a crisis. However, I am living in Venezuela, where the economic and political crisis have encouraged people into studying English in order to get jobs abroad.

Thanks again,

Orlando

http://www.eslbase.com/schools/italy

http://www.wantedinrome.com/clas/sho...=showcat&id=19

good luck, Orlando.

let us know how you get on!