So you finally made it to Italy or the republic of Italy as it is known, congratulations! This can somehow be counted as an achievement for many considering that a number of migrants have died while trying to come to Europe. Theguardian estimates about 34,361 people have died and rising not only deaths at sea, but also in detention blocks, asylum units, factories and town centers in an attempt to get a better life, scary!
As one of the founding members of the EU, Italy is historically, culturally and religiously rich and it is home to 54 World Heritage Sites which are either of the natural (5) type or cultural(49), the most in the world, and is quite popular making it the fifth-most visited country in the world.
Now that you are here and have decided to make Italy your home, you would need a job to keep up with your expenses like food, accommodation, light and gas bills, transportation and others. It is estimated that the monthly expense per individual in Italy is about 1000 Euros/month, that is according to rickzullo, although this may varied from city to city, I suggest that you can use Expatistan, a living cost calculator that allows you to compare the cost of living between cities around the world with a better understanding of the cost of living of any city in Italy.
Finding a job is not quite an easy task to accomplish couple with the fact that there are many unemployed migrants and citizens alike who will be struggling for the same or kind of job you want puts you in a rather precarious situation. According to Tradingeconomics.com, the number of unemployed persons in Italy increased to 2719.05 thousand in January of 2019 from 2703.90 thousand in December of 2018 out of a population of approximately 60 million according to worldometers
So what are the things I must consider before looking for a job or what are the things I should know before starting my job hunt even if its temporary before I can find my feet in Italy?
Let’s Go!
1. BE LEGAL
This is the beginning of your job hunt in Italy. It is important to stress that if your been in Italy is illegal, it is impossible to find a job or at least to find a legal one. The legal status of a foreign national that enjoys international protection may be that of an Asylum seeker or refugee. There is also the economic migrant and regular migrant. While illegal migrants include irregular migrants or clandestine, displaced persons or stateless person.
Read: Understanding asylum, refugee, migrant, displaced person, stateless person. Subsidiary protection
All non-European Union (EU) nationals who plan to stay in Italy for a period of more than three months must apply for a residence or sojourn permit (permesso di soggiorno) within eight days of their entry into Italy. Holders of residence permits are entitled to the same benefits as nationals, including “access to schooling, medical and social assistance,” for as long as the permit is valid. There are different types of temporary resident permits issued by the police(questura), so it is important to know the type that you have and what it can do for you. You also have the permanent resident permit(Carta di Soggiorno) for long-term residents. Most employers will require some documents from you like your carta identita which is your form of id card, your codice fiscale(Tax code) and permesso sorggiono with is your permit of stay in the country. This is quite important because it is needed to prepare your work contract no matter how short it may be.
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2. UNDERSTAND A LITTLE OF ITALIAN.
Learning a new language is not such a bad thing especially when you are likely not to find many English speakers around. While to become an expert in Italian speaking and writing is not a priority and a must to find a job in Italy, depending on the kind of job you are looking for here, it is fair to say it helps to a large extent if you understand a little of Italian like the basics I think. Soon, you would discover that you need it in your everyday life not just for work only. Communication is key, the better you understand what you are been asked to do the better you can do it well and it is safe to say, life becomes much easier for you too.
To learn Italian in public schools is quite cheap and affordable about 30 Euros. You may need to attend classes for a few months to about a year depending on your Italian language level but do not worry, the time and days for the classes are usually very flexible. You would find a public school virtually in every city or in the community you live, feel free to walk in there to ask when the classes opens.
In addition to going to school, there are a number of apps you can download on your phone to teach your self how to read, speak and understand the Italian language. I personally recommend DUOLINGO, it is free and the best around for now. You should try it too.
3.TAKE A COURSE
Waiting for that job could take longer than expected, while waiting why not take a course? There is a long list of training courses for various fields, including mechanics, IT, tourism, food, social and health professions, you can take while you are here in Italy.
ENAIP (National Agency ACLI Formazione Professionale) is an Italian training institution recognized as a moral body and accredited by the Ministry of Labor. It works to provide professional training and technical assistance for public and contract financing of companies or private associations. Again will recommend that you get in touch with the nearest ENAIP closest to you to find out the courses available for you.
4.PREPARE YOUR PERFECT CV
Because you are here in Italy and will most certainly use your curriculum here for your job hunt, it is expected that you have your CV translated to Italian except you are applying for an English speaking job or the advertiser for the job request you not to do so. There are some basic CV etiquettes that you must follow which maybe be quite different from the ones that you are used to, for example it’s particularly important in Italy to put your date of birth at the top of your CV.
A good CV should also be accompanied by a good cover letter. This sometimes set you apart especially from thousands of job seekers who may consider this not to be important. I will recommend that you employ the services of a professional to handle your CV and cover letter write-up to stand out from the crowd. I will suggest MIGRANTDIGEST who also handle the services of CV and cover letter write up if you live in Italy.
5.START NETWORKING AND USE JOBPORTALS
One of the sure rest but slowest way to get a job in Italy is by recommendation. This works in a way whereby someone already working in a factory for example can recommend someone to his/her boss to fill up a vacant position that just opened up recently. While this is very efficient, it is quite slow and relies on luck and if you know someone that is in that position to do so. The traditional way of summiting your CVS to Recruiting Agency is still your best choice.
Summiting your CVs through online job portals like indeed.com or my personal favourite infojobs.it, requires some knowledge of computer skills and internet usage knowledge, you can employ the services of professionals like MIGRANTDIGEST who can help you with that or alternately you can drop your CVs by summiting your CVs personally to recruitment agencies by searching for the one nearest to you.
Also, it is also important to visit the center of employment(Centro per l’impiego) closest to you. They are a public administration office with the function of managing the labor market at the local level.
6.GET YOUR ITALIAN DRIVERS LICENCE
9 out 10 recruiting agencies you visit will ask you if you have a drivers license. The reason is simple for easy accessibility and promptness. It is not uncommon to find bus drivers going on strike in Italy. Also, it is because they want to know if distance would be a barrier to you getting the job or not. Some of these companies or factories are in the outskirt of cities without the reach of effective public transportation and too far for the use of bicycles which is a common means of transportation in Europe, so it becomes very important to consider to have one or to begin to make plans to obtain it.
But if you already have a valid drivers license, you can drive in Italy if you are from a country that is outside the EU for up to one year from the acquisition of residence if you have an international driving Permit or a sworn translation of the licence.
However, after the conclusion of the first year, it is mandatory to convert your license if there are reciprocity ties between your country issuing the drivers license and Italy.
To find out if your country has reciprocity ties with Italy, click HERE
You may need to understand a little of Italian for this because the test is usually in Italian, French or German. Since you are already taking lessons in Italian language, asking your teacher to guard you through some driving vocabularies may be of help to you. Also, you don’t need your Italian to be perfect before you can pass the exam, you just need to know Italian driving vocabularies, understand the road signs and a few others and you are good to go.
I would like to hear from you: What are your thoughts on this subject. You can share your thoughts and experiences with me and others in the comments section below!
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Thanks very much good information