Italian nepotism - what a surprise!

I was talking to someone about why it takes sooo many years to gain your degree in Italy and my friend explained that the degree courses are barely tought and the emphasis is on self-study with very little guidance. Also the range of classes taken for a degree is huge. My friend's opinion is that it is completely impossible to complete an Italian degree in 3 years. I am sure that doesn't help either.

These rights are not uncommon throughout Europe. There is an old Spanish which says "El que no tiene padrino, no se bautiza" (literally, the one who hasn´t got a godfather cannot get baptised") but there is an English translation which appears in any dictionary: "You cannot get anywhere without connections". Nothing new and Italy is not an exception to the rule.

I work in financial  services in Italy and saw the Guardian article as mentioned on this post. What annoys me is that to be a financial adviser in UK financial services you have to go through a lot of exams to show "fit and proper status" to give advice through one of the approved financial agencies, Chartered Insurance Institute, Insititue of Financial Services or take one of the new degrees specific to the financial advice sector.   From the Italian financial advisers I know, not one of them has ever taken a professional qualification specific to their job.  In the UK the financial advice is getting harder with the Retail Districution review, which raises standards through qualification and removes commission from 2012, both of which I am in favour of.  But, when compared with our European counterparts it all looks a bit silly really.  To allow inherited jobs in Italian banks is tantamount to malpractice in my opinion.  OK, I know some of the people in the banks are good at their jobs and some are bad.  the same is the case in the UK, but honestly, to allow you to inherit a job is madness.  Maybe in the land where jobs are hard to come by even at the best of times it is necessary but at least ensure some kind of standards have to be attained as well.

I read somewhere that in Mussolini's time, he was trying to make more jobs even through impoverished times. He also wanted to give some motivation to people. He decreed that statale jobs came with a working lifetime decree. It may even be constitutional, I don't know. Perhaps that is why in some parts ( all) of Italy, staff are in no hurry to modernise and cut out bureaucracy. On the other hand the EU wants Spain and Italy etc to let go of their long lunch hours and become more like UK, France, Germany etc. in order to take advantage of the economic opportunities. In a moment of madness, for a split second, I thought that this might be a good idea. However, I now know that Spain and Italy are much smarter than us. because if we are not careful we will all be Europian clones if they get their way. That would mean that the cultures that we love will eventually disappear ( like ours), so many regulations that you will be charged for breathing - sorry, we already are. Also all the hype, modern practices and slickness and long hours did not stop the economy collapsing as we had all gone to far. The higher we went the harder we fell. On second thought I think we should leave things the way they are  

Moruzzo., Although I agree that lifetime jobs should be banned, I also agree with what you say about working hours.  Actually to impose Anglo Saxon working hours on mediterranean culture is madness.  Despite the weather which is prohibitive to daily working hours ( mainly in the summer), it is why a lot of us decide to come and work in Italy.  We are sick of the rat race of London or  Manchester.  I agree whole heartedly.  Keep the hours as they are.  There is nothing better than having a long lunch knowing that you can make up the time later in the day.  We would all be eating sandwiches at our desks and working through lunch otherwise...what a life that is...and I should know !!!

I agree Gareth. I hardly ever take a full lunch hour. Iam just a number and a machine and if all goes pear-shaped, we will bw gone and forgotten in the pursuit of profit. Long live long lunch hours. If we move abroad, it is us who should adjust. But the beaurocracy does drive you mad because the nepotism is not just about jobs but who gets served first as well!!