Hello, I'll be living in Rome for 6 months on my own! I'm so excited but I've been told Italians don't speak much English and I haven't found many resources for English expats!

Can you give me some tips? Is the expat community good in Rome? Do you think learning Italian is a must? Also, I'll be there for work on my own, are there any networking events I can sign up to? Thanks for all the help!! SUPER EXCITED!!

If you're going to live and work in Rome for 6 months, IMO of course you need to learn Italian. That is, unless you want to live on the expat fringes and never really get to know the place. It's an easy language. Why would this not be your very first goal? I'm sure there's a vibrant expat community in Rome as in any other European city (or town, even), and its members can easily point you to networking opportunities. There's a huge expat worldwide community called InterNations; it's never held any appeal for me, but they do hold meetings and social events in every city in the world practically. Might be a good place to start.

Hi Regi! I think some Italian basics are a must (especially to meet Italians). For the time I lived in Rome I always looked at Romeing Magazine (https://www.romeing.it/). They literally cover everything about what's on in Rome.
For expats group I think Expats Living in Rome is a good one (they organize some events too). But if you want networking events I suggest RooftopLife (https://www.facebook.com/RooftopLifeRome/).
Hope this can help you! Let me know if you need anything else.

Thanks for your suggestions! Yeah, I know... I've been taking some classes here in Houston but I find the language super hard! That's why I was asking
I will do my best to learn as much Italian as possible! It's good to know about InterNations, though. Thanks for taking the time to help out, super appreciated!!

WOW! Thanks so much Indrea, Romeing looks super useful and those events look FUN!

Have you ever heard of the website Meetup? They have them for everything, and I'm sure they'll have plenty in Rome for expats or English speakers.

like this
https://www.meetup.com/International...man-Community/

right now, go on italki.com and sign up to chat to Italians, very easy, free and they are desperate to learn English, do it now, today.......

you'll almost immediately start speaking to people in Rome

What an opportunity, you need a family in Italy so go find one.

Meetup and italki are both great ideas.

I found a few private lessons with a good teacher (native speaker) was worth a year of group classes.

If you're coming for six months you won't be living in the tourist centre. At least not likely. That means you'll need at least some Italian.

Is your employer helping with lodging? If not you'll need to figure that out. Six months is too short for some rentals.

You'll need to figure out basic transport. To work. Shops. This will depend on the location of your apartment and work.

Is your employer giving you any support?