Finding Jobs in Italy

The unemployment rate in Italy is high; in fact it is one of the highest in Europe.  Furthermore the Italian economy has been rather stagnant of late and it is these two factors that are the main obstacles in anyone’s way when it comes to finding jobs in Italy.

But - do not let these facts put you off your dream of a new life and career in Italy.  For one thing there are many opportunities open to well qualified native English speakers and there are also a range of temporary and seasonal, low skilled vacancies each year, potentially suitable for those travelling around Italy and Europe for example.

Whatever category you fall into it’s imperative that you get a handle on the realities of the jobs market in Italy before you venture forth and move to Italy.  If you are forearmed with key knowledge you will be best placed to succeed in securing gainful employment.

If you hold a European Union passport you are fully entitled to enter Italy, reside there and seek work there.  You do need a work permit but you are automatically granted one once you’ve jumped through the necessary bureaucratic hoops to get one!  A work permit is called a permesso di soggiorno per lavoro in Italian and a residence permit is called permesso de soggiorno.

If you’re not from another EU member state then it can be quite tricky getting permission to live and work in Italy.  Your first port of call should be the Italian embassy in your particular country of residence.  If you can secure a job in Italy before even attempting to enter the country, particularly if you have key skills or have been offered a position that an Italian would be unable to fill, you will find your permissions to live and work in Italy will be far easier to secure.

As a native English speaker you have a massive advantage over most Italians and other Europeans.  Italians study English in school as a compulsory subject - but often they are taught by an Italian who has never even set foot in an English speaking country!  So your natural language skills will benefit you particularly if you’re interested in finding jobs in tourism, finance, media or any other international business sector, as English is the international business language.

A further advantage that many British and American workers have over their Italian and European counterparts is their work experience that results from the fact that they finish their university educations far earlier.  It is not uncommon for French, German and Italians to take until they’re in their late twenties and early thirties before completing a straight forward degree or masters qualification.

This means that they don’t effectively leave ‘school’ until they are approaching thirty by which time you may already have reached senior positions within your career field.  This makes you a far more attractive candidate for many international employers.

If you’re travelling or simply interested in securing seasonal work - from olive picking to bar tending for example - and you have an EU passport, you will find that you can easily drift from one job and one location to another picking up fairly low paid, cash in hand jobs.  Be prepared to have periods where work is harder to come by, and know that working in this manner is actually illegal!  You’re not declaring your earnings and your employer is unlikely to be either.  You could also approach some of the employment agencies in Italy for official temporary work.  Try Manpower http://www.manpower.it/, Adecco http://www.adecco.it/ or Kelly http://www.kellyservices.it/

One other method of entry into the employment sector in Italy - or any other country for that matter - is to take work as an English teacher.  There are a number of TEFL schools in Italy that teach the business language to businessmen and women and students for example, and these often have a fast turn around of teachers and are often recruiting.  If you have a TEFL qualification you will find that it is probably one of the most popular and portable skills that you can have!  Wherever in the world you go you will always find people who want to learn what you can teach them.