Italy was hit hard by the
international financial crisis and is still recovering. This has had an impact
on certain job sectors, such as automotive engineering, finance and
construction, as well as unemployment figures, particularly among the young.
There are still opportunities, however, in tourism, green technology, mechanical
engineering, Electronics, Renewable Engineering, IT. Non-EU graduates will be
in competition with Italian nationals. Non-EU citizens may find it difficult to
obtain a job without a good knowledge of Italian.
For jobs other than English
teaching, and possibly IT, a good knowledge of Italian is essential. German,
French and Slovenian are also spoken in the regions of Italy that border the
respective countries. Making use of any personal contacts you have and
networking will also greatly improve your chances.
Where can you work?
·
Major industries: tourism, machinery, motor vehicles, chemicals, iron and
steel, food processing, textiles, fashion, clothing and footwear, ceramics,
wine.
·
Major companies: Enel (power), Eni (integrated energy company), Fiat,
Finmeccanica (aerospace and defence), Generali Group (insurance), Intesa
Sanpaolo (banking), Luxottica Group (eyewear), Pirelli, Telecom Italia,
UniCredit Group (banking).
Whats it like working in Italy?
·
Average working hours: 40 hours per week.
·
Holidays: a minimum of four weeks' annual leave, in addition to 11
national public holidays.
·
Tax rates: are progressive and range from 23% to 43%.
Applying for jobs
You don't need to be in Italy to apply for a job, as vacancies
are often advertised online. However, your chances will improve if you're
in the country as networking and making personal contacts are common ways of
finding employment.
Applications are made using a CV
and covering letter or the application form provided by the company. Speculative
applications are common and should give an indication of why you would like to
work for the company and what you can offer them. Your CV and all letters of
application should be in Italian unless otherwise stated. You should also have
your university degree and certificates translated into Italian. Online
application forms are more usual with large international companies that have a
presence in Italy.
The interview process can be
long, taking between one to three months to complete, as there may be three or
four interviews. Make sure you know how long the recruitment period will be
beforehand. As in the UK, some interviews may involve psychometric or other
types of testing. Be honest about the level of your Italian language skills in
your application as these will be tested at interview.
The application and interview
processes in Italy are similar to those used in the UK.
Vacancy sources
·
Cambio Lavoro –
job listings (in Italian).
·
Clicca Lavoro –
job listings (in Italian).
·
Cliclavoro – website
of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Welfare in Italy. Provides a list of job
centres (centri per l’impiego), job vacancies and CV-posting service for
jobseekers (in Italian).
·
EURES – European
Job Mobility Portal – provides information about job vacancies,
living and working conditions, and labour markets in Italy, as well as a
CV-posting service for jobseekers.
·
Lavorare.net – job listings for graduates (in Italian).
·
Primolavoro –
specialises in first jobs for new graduates (in Italian).
Recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies are listed
in the Pagine Gialle (Italian Yellow Pages).
Use the search term: ‘lavoro interinale e temporane’.
Newspapers
·
Corriere Della Sera
·
Il Sole 24 Ore
·
La Repubblica
·
La Stampa
Other sources
·
Job centres (centri per
l'impiego) can also help in your search for work. Register with a centre in
the area where you're living.
·
Guidance services at universities
(servizi di orientamento) are available to students studying in Italy.
·
Family businesses still make up a
large portion of the businesses, particularly in smaller urban and rural
areas. Personal contacts are, therefore, important – a lot of work is found by
word of mouth. Be prepared to apply speculatively to companies and to network
extensively. This kind of approach may work particularly well in language
schools, hotels and restaurants, particularly in large cities.
·
Contacting relevant trade or
professional associations is another way of finding out about opportunities.
Getting work experience
Erasmus+
Erasmus+ is the EU programme for education, training, youth and
sport for 2014-2020 and covers student exchange, work experience and
volunteering opportunities. Both undergraduate and postgraduate students can
study abroad for 3 to 12 months. Erasmus+ also provides opportunities for work
experience for students to learn new skills or languages, as well as
volunteering in different countries for between 2 weeks and 12 months.
Exchange programmes
The International Association for
the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience provides students on technical degrees
(primarily science, engineering, technology and the applied arts) with paid
course-related training in a range of countries, including Italy. Opportunities
are available to students in their second year of study or above. Although the
majority of traineeships take place over the summer, longer periods are also
available.
AIESEC provides an international exchange
programme for students and recent graduates. They offer voluntary and paid work
placements in professional organisations, schools and charities in a range of
countries, including Italy. Main areas of work are in teaching, marketing and
IT. Internships last between 6 weeks and 18 months.
Teaching schemes
The British Council – Language
Assistants programme
provides the opportunity for UK-based students who are native-level English
speakers to work in Italy as an English language assistant. You need to
be aged 30 or under, have passed two years of university-level education
by the time you start your assistantship and have a minimum Italian language
qualification at AS level or equivalent
If your university has a
department for foreign languages or equivalent, you may be able to pick up
useful advice, guides and contacts on teaching opportunities available in
Italy.
Living in Italy
·
Cost of living: varies between the relatively wealthy north and the much
poorer south. In cities, the cost of living is similar to the rest of
Western Europe but tourist areas can be expensive.
·
Internet domain: .it
·
Currency: Euro (€)
·
Health: healthcare in Italy is of a good standard. EU citizens
should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)before
travelling, which gives access to healthcare under the same conditions as
nationals. Also take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance.
·
Type of government: parliamentary, democratic republic. Italy has a long
history of short-lived coalition governments.
·
Laws and customs: you must be able to show some form of identification if
requested by the police or judicial authorities. Crime rates are generally
quite low, but there's a risk of petty theft in the major cities, particularly
around rail, sea and air terminuses. In Venice and Florence you may be fined
for dropping litter. It's also illegal to eat and drink or sit on steps near
the main churches and public buildings in Florence. Many of the major cities
have introduced a small tax on tourists.
·
Emergency numbers: 112 (single European emergency telephone number, available
everywhere in the EU free of charge); 113 (police); 115 (fire brigade); and 118
(medical emergencies). British citizens can get help in an emergency from the British Embassy in Italy.
·
People: majority are Italian with German, French and Slovene
Italians in the north, and Albanian and Greek Italians in the south. Also
immigrants from Romania, Albania and Morocco.
·
Major religion: Christianity.
