Working in Italy
 

hello again. I'm moving to Italy, and, as a new EU citizen (having never lived in the EU)I am eligible to work legally, but am curious as to what types of jobs are available, and what type of pay can be expected. also, where to look for listings, or what approach to take when inquiring about employment. Is is much different from the US?
Cheers

ps. I'm 25 years old, and have 4 years experience in the Sonoma/Napa wine industry and have also bartended

Try going to www.slowtrav.com. I seem to remember that they have a link there to a Web site called something like "expats in Italy." Or search slowtrav for "expats".

Hi winesaavy,

Do you have a college degree? Or, have you taken 2 years or more of college courses in a specific subject field (such as computer science for example)?

A friend from college was able to use his Information Systems degree and bilingual capacity to land a nice job in Milan. I haven't kept in touch with him so I don't know how he is doing, but this was back in 2002 so it is still somewhat recent. Anyway, if you do have education in a specific arena you might try searching for jobs related to your skill... if you are bilingual it would be a big help too.

Good Luck!

I assume your Italian is fluent. If not - perhaps that is the first place to start in terms of expanding employmnet opportunities.

If you've been in the wine industray don't you or your employer have any contacts in Italy you can use? Or perhaps there is an international wine industray publication that might provide some starting info.

Damn, just reading this post is driving me to open a nice bottle of chianti...

Good luck! You are very fortunate. I think your wine industry experience is going to be a big plus.

My level of italian is a beginner's level but will soon be much more advanced as I have language classes 4 days a week for the entire year. I have been to college for over 2 years but consider my experience in the wine industry to be equivalent to or above studying a subject such as: wine or marketing considering I actually did wine sales/marketing/events for a living and really loved it and excelled at it. As I worked for boutique wineries, there are no Italian sister companies I can apply with. I will check out the slow trav and get back to you on that link.......keep the tips coming, I love it!
Just writing this makes me miss the vineyards!

http://www.expatsinitaly.com/

That's the website I think Eloise was referencing. There's so much helpful information on that site from what paperwork you need to the best stores to buy a TV. Most of the main contributors are living in Italy, so you're getting first hand advice.

Sigh. I'm so jealous. :)

jbee-
thanks! how often do you travel there?

To Italy? Not nearly as often as I'd like. This pesky little thing called life gets in the way...

I'm in your age range, so I've only begun to travel. We're going back next November and I can't wait!

can I ask (because I'm jealous)why are you moving and how did you become an EU citizen?

sandi-
I'm moving for a study abroad program. I'm now old enough to get school loans for my own education and thus the reason for being 25 and still in school.........
As for the EU citizenship, my dad is English: born and bred so he is always considered a British citizen by the UK, therefore making it possible ( I found after research) for me to become a citizen through him, which I did as fast as I could. Took some paperwork but was well worth it! No one else in my family has taken advantage I'm sorry to say. A little something strange about British citizenship: you can get it through your dad but not your mom! so medieval :)

jbee-
Sounds familiar. This is pretty much the beginning of my travels as well......having only been to Italy once for a few weeks a couple of summers ago. Of course if you count all the places I've lived in california I'm a traveling goddess! jk. I'll still be in Firenze next August, if you want my email

Send me an email- [email protected]

Sounds like we have a lot in common... I'm still waiting for my title of travel goddess, though! :)

How exciting for you! Here's another idea. An Italian man had suggested to me that I could teach/tutor English. (At that time I was considering a move to Florence) He said that Italians yearn to learn English.

He suggested that I advertise in a free newspaper that is very popular in town. (Naturally I can't remember the name!) He said the newspaper has all kinds of classifieds. He said that I'd earn a "sacco di soldi"!

I believe the law about getting British citizenship only through the father has been changed. My husband is getting his British citizenship through his British mother; his father is definitely NOT British (he's East Prussian).

Where in Italy will you be studying? There is a website www.wantedinrome.com that is very helpful for Rome.You may find a part-time job,an apartment and a few friends in one place!

I taught english in Italy for a couple of years and whoever it was who said that you'd make lots of money doing that probably had no idea about the market forces! There are LOTS of British/Irish/American/Australian etc teachers knocking around in Italy - even in quite small towns and the competition for jobs is high, especially with the good schools. I was lucky in that i worked for some good schools but i am under no illusion it is more about luck that anything else and you can't really guarantee the work!
Teaching privately through adverts is possible but if you are in a city like Florence or Rome you will have a lot of competition. It is possible though but just don't go thinking people will bite your hand of to learn English from a native speaker as there are lots around! Other than that, the working climate in Italy can be tough. Even with the citizenship (I'm British) there are lots of hoops to jump through regarding regulation. It is quite a closed market and people tend to help their own before offering anything to a 'foreigner' - that is why teaching as a native speaker is often the only option unless you have connections.
If you are serious about it, it can be wonderful. I had great fun and picked up a nice Italian fiance on the way so I can't complain too much but working in Italy isn't the bed of roses that going there for two weeks in the summer can seem to be, and of course, it depends a lot on what area you go to.
You can look in papers and classifieds as much as you like but the best way will always be by meeting people face to face and charming them.
When i was there (I left about 2 years ago) I was getting about 1000 euro a month, and that was seen as a good wage - better than teachers in Italian schools. So don't imagine that you'll get rich.. any more questions and get back to me. For whoever was looking for teaching jobs www.tefl.com is good.

The latest OECD unemployement data (August 2005 report with most data thru June) show Italy (about 7.8%) better than Germany (9.5%) and France (9.7%); worse than the USA (5.0) and UK (4.7).

Also:
"In 2004 unemployment in Italy stood above the OECD average. In addition, the share of
unemployed individuals who have been seeking work for longer than one year is among the highest in the
OECD, at about 50 per cent."

Of course, there are regional variations within countries as well, and Italy has some big extremes when comparing the north and the south.

Thanks for all the great info......some it is a bit depressing but....I supposed I'll just have to figure it out when I get there. Jbee-I'll email you later today-thanks!
If anyone knows of any good places to go to find a family to rent a room from.........that would be helpful info as well. I was thinking it might cost me less than signing a lease for an apartment.

Just to confirm WS7, apartments are super expensive in Firenze---unless you're considered an official "resident" of Firenze. Getting residential status is not very easy. I think for now that finding a room to rent is the way to go. I wish I could help you on that one....but I bet you'll find something. Good luck, and keep us posted.