So You Want to Work in Italy: Some Practical Advice
Though difficult, study abroad is a promising area for finding a
job in Italy. There are over 100 American schools in Italy, all
of which hire people to teach courses and administer their
programs. Working in study abroad can be exiting, but it can
also offer more stability and (possibly) better pay than other
types of jobs open to foreigners in Italy.
How does one find such a job? Unfortunately, there is no
standard road to follow. There are a few strategies that can
lead to success, but persistence and patience are key.
1. First, know the outlets for job postings. While many openings
are never advertised because they are filled quickly, the best
place to look is Wanted in
Rome, which is an English-language magazine appealing to the
ex-pat community in Italy. You can freely view job postings on
their web site. Another good prospect is the NAFSA web site (the
Association of International Educators) (www.nafsa.org), which
posts many jobs in study abroad generally. The Chronicle of
Higher Education's (chronicle.com) job section occasionally
posts something for Italy as well.
2. Mine the AACUPI web site (the Association of American College
and University Programs in Italy) at www.aacupi.org. AACUPI
represents American study abroad programs in Italy and is
recognized by the Italian Government. It has about 90 members,
most in Florence and Rome, though many American schools in Italy
do not belong to AACUPI. The AACUPI web site lists all of its
member schools and most of the names and email addresses of the
directors of these schools. Write a cover letter explaining your
interest in working at a school, attach a resume and email it to
a director. You might be ignored, but you may also get some
interesting responses.
3. You might get your foot in the door by starting as an intern,
which could lead to a paying job. These positions may not pay,
but could offer housing. The best way to find an internship is
to email program directors and ask. Even if a school does not
have an internship program, you could offer yourself as one.
Study abroad programs in Italy are just coming around to the
idea. It is free labor and it is legally easier to have an
intern than to hire someone who may not yet have the legal right
to work in Italy.
4. The single best strategy to land a job in study abroad in
Italy is to take the risk and go there and seek a job after you
have arrived. Once you are there you can visit schools in
person. Why is this the best strategy? For one, it proves to a
prospective employer that you are willing to leave the comforts
of home and show up at a job site in a foreign country. Finding
reliable people is often difficult for a school, especially for
those located outside of Florence and Rome. Also by meeting
people in study abroad, you will discover things that you cannot
learn from afar--such as job openings that are not advertised or
how to navigate the local bureaucracy. If you make yourself
familiar and available to a school, you might get hired
temporarily, which could lead to a full-time job.
Some Legal Considerations
Like all countries, Italy has legal requirements for foreigners
who want to work and live there. Yet many articles on finding a
job in Italy make no mention of this. To merely reside in Italy
for any period of time longer than 7 days, foreigners are
required to obtain official permission to stay (called a
permesso di soggiorno). If you are traveling around the country
as a tourist, you do not need a permesso. This is only for
someone who will reside at a specific address for a period of
time. The permesso is obtained from the local questura (police
department) in the city that you will live in. If you are
staying in Rome, for example, you will need to register with the
questura there. A permesso can be granted to you as a tourist
(the easiest), as a student (requires a study visa), or as a
person allowed to work (requires a work visa).
Many Americans tend to stay in Italy without getting the
permesso and Italian enforcement of this is
sporadic-to-non-existent. Ignoring the law, however, might put
you at a disadvantage. The rental agency or landlord who owns
the apartment that you want may require that you get one. You
will also need it if you go to the hospital or deal with the
government or police for any reason. If it is your first time in
Italy, then get a permesso as a tourist. You will only need your
passport for this and, if you are an American, you will be
granted an automatic 90 day stay in Italy. People from other EU
countries also need permessi if they want to reside in Italy.
The biggest legal issue is the right to work in Italy as a
foreigner, which requires a work visa. The hassle involved in
getting one is a story in its own right, but the major hurdle is
getting sponsored by the school that will hire you. It is an
open secret in study abroad that many Americans work there
"under-the-table" without a visa. The usual story is that you
get hired first and then, sometime later, apply for a visa. The
trick is finding a school that will hire you this way. It would
be rare to find a school that would sponsor you for a visa
without you first having a track record of employment there.
There is already an army of people in Italy with the desire and
ability to work in study abroad.
Useful Assets to Have
If you already have Italian language ability, this will help
you. Programs in Italy always need people who can speak both
Italian and English. If you are working in student services and
have to escort a 20 year-old American student to a local
hospital, you might have to assist the student in speaking to
the doctors. If you do not have good Italian skills, then
acquire them.
If you have an advanced degree, then you could teach courses.
Courses offered at these schools span the disciplines and are
mostly in English. While art history, Italian literature and
Italian cinema are always in demand, there are also many people
with these degrees who are seeking these jobs. If you have a
degree in business, psychology, economics or writing, for
example, you may find it easier to obtain a position. Visit the
web sites of the schools listed in AACUPI and look at their
course offerings to get an idea of their needs. It is less
likely that a study abroad school would hire you to teach
Italian, however, because there are countless Italians who fill
these jobs. They have the home school advantage on language.
If you do land a teaching job in Italy, pay is by the course and
can vary from $2500 to $5000, depending on where and what you
teach. Once you learn the ropes, however, you can find
additional opportunities. You could end up teaching 3 or more
courses per term at one or more schools. This might be a lot of
work, but it will allow you to survive.
If teaching is not an option, then there are administrative
positions that do not require any special education. The upside
to these jobs is that they are usually full time and offer a
salary, though the pay can vary greatly. Most non-teaching jobs
involve office work, housing and student services. There are the
coveted directors positions, but these are much harder to get
and usually require a Ph.D. and experience. Some of these jobs
require significant language ability and a lot of local
knowledge, but you can learn. You might get a job leading
students on trips around Italy, for example. You would have to
know how to charter buses, contact hotels and create itineraries
for the students.
Any experience in American higher education is a plus. Programs
need people who can function effectively in Italy, but also need
people who understand American-style academic or student service
standards. Italians who work for American study abroad programs,
for example, frequently have to undergo a learning process
because their understanding of higher education is dramatically
different than that of an American.
Do you have dual citizenship or can you qualify for it? If so,
you have a huge advantage over those who don't or can't. If you
can get Italian citizenship or citizenship with any other EU
country, then you have no need of a visa (nor for a permesso if
you have Italian citizenship). If you have Italian ancestors,
you might want to visit www.myitaliancitizensh
ip.com, which covers all of the cases where a person could
qualify. If your ancestry is that of another EU country, visit
their consulate and embassy web sites in the US for information
on qualification.
About the author:
Michael P. Gerace is an educator who spent 4 years living and
teaching in Italy and has recently completed writing a book
called Full Moon Over Perugia, which chronicles the strange
world of expatriates in Italy, entitled Full Moon Over Perugia.
Read an excerpt at www.michaelgerace.com.
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