In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Don't want to put you off to much but work in Italy is very hard to find. I am from Udine, North East Italy and my husband is English and we have looked into going to Italy, but work opportunities for the both of us are hard. Friends of mine living in Italy find it very difficult to get secure work, my best friend who is 38 has only just got a permanent contract, without which it is virtually impossible to obtain a mortgage etc. Before getting her contract she was working on a twelve month contract for the last 12 years. And this is in the richer north.
I don't want to put you off, it is still the aim of my husband and I to move to Italy but it is hard, and we have the help of my parents!!!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I have been learning Italian for a few years now and will continue to improve obviously as time goes on. My partner currenrly works as a builder/ decorator and had hoped to pick up work in this field. Do you think there is a possibility of finding work, even if it is casual? I myself will turn my hand to anythin I can. Cleaning, farm labour, whatever is out there. I just want to see what our options are for making enough to pay the bills and eat, not getting rich. As long as we are there with a roof over our heads which belongs to us then that's half the battle isn't it? Or am I being naive?!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=tessa myers]I have been learning Italian for a few years now and will continue to improve obviously as time goes on. My partner currenrly works as a builder/ decorator and had hoped to pick up work in this field. Do you think there is a possibility of finding work, even if it is casual? I myself will turn my hand to anythin I can. Cleaning, farm labour, whatever is out there. I just want to see what our options are for making enough to pay the bills and eat, not getting rich. As long as we are there with a roof over our heads which belongs to us then that's half the battle isn't it? Or am I being naive?![/QUOTE]
Tessa, if your husband has a trade he may find it easier to secure work on a piecemeal basis. Especially if he plugs into the local expat community he might be able to get some work through word of mouth recommendation.
If you are prepared for the challenges that relocating brings, and have made provision for an initial financial shortfall, you should do ok.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Tessa,
I don't know where you plan on moving to but a good place to start would be one of the major cities. I moved to Rome 11 years ago with about 10 words of Italian and started working as an English teacher. it was tough, and I didn't earn enough to live, but it got me through the first year during which time I made good contacts and learnt the language. This is probably the toughest thing to do, in order to learn the language well you should try to avoid speaking English...but in order to get employment when you first arrive it would be a good idea to get to know the expat community.
In any case, work for foreigners would be teaching, child minding, working in an Irish Pub (need Italian to serve, though). Don't forget, though, that once you can speak Italian well you would have the advantage of being mother tongue English. If you have two years to think about it, learn Italian, maybe do a TEFL, and learn translation skills (companies are always looking for people to translate from italian to English)..
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=Ronan1971]Tessa,
I don't know where you plan on moving to but a good place to start would be one of the major cities. I moved to Rome 11 years ago with about 10 words of Italian and started working as an English teacher. it was tough, and I didn't earn enough to live, but it got me through the first year during which time I made good contacts and learnt the language. This is probably the toughest thing to do, in order to learn the language well you should try to avoid speaking English...but in order to get employment when you first arrive it would be a good idea to get to know the expat community.
In any case, work for foreigners would be teaching, child minding, working in an Irish Pub (need Italian to serve, though). Don't forget, though, that once you can speak Italian well you would have the advantage of being mother tongue English. If you have two years to think about it, learn Italian, maybe do a TEFL, and learn translation skills (companies are always looking for people to translate from italian to English)..[/QUOTE]
hi ronan
Thanks for the tips.
we are most likely heading for lazio or abruzzo depending on house prices and employment. i hadn't thought of translation. Is that something I can learn in the uk at a college or how owuld i acquire those skills... do you know? does anyone else know?
if anyone else has anymore tips please join in!!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Tessa,
Obviously learning italianwould be your first step and then ask any language schools whether there are specific courses for translating. Another idea would be to do a course in web-designing as you could always to freelance webdesigning (and, again, your English skills would be important here for clients who want sites in English).
As for choosing a place to live, I live in Rome but if you are looking further afield, Northern Lazio would be a good place to start, there is a commuter rail libne which runs from Rome airport, through the city and North to an area called Sabina. Finding a small property here would be a good place to start as your work opportunities would be more.
R
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=tessa myers]hi ronan
Thanks for the tips.
we are most likely heading for lazio or abruzzo depending on house prices and employment. i hadn't thought of translation. Is that something I can learn in the uk at a college or how owuld i acquire those skills... do you know? does anyone else know?
if anyone else has anymore tips please join in!![/QUOTE]
Hi Tessa,
Why not try searching through Google... there are many language schools all across the country who offer translation courses leading to certs or dips. As a certified translator (English/German) I must say that studying is hard work and - if you work as a translator - you will need to be on the ball with current affairs in both countries, various different areas (eg business, tourism, politics) and should you decide to go into interpreting (higher pay!), then you will need to be a quick thinker too... :) Though I've trained as a translator, I only worked briefly in that area, then moved on to other, better paid jobs. However, you could find a gap in the market somewhere, depending on the area you move to, so there could be plenty of options for you!
Found a few on the web... not sure what they're like but might be a start for your search... Perhaps also look at your local language schools and ask them for advice?
Buona fortuna!
Stephanie
[url]http://www.city.ac.uk/languages/dtdl.html[/url]
[url]http://www.lingualearn.co.uk/managers/distance_courses.htm[/url]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Thanks to everyone for the help. It's so great to have encouraging and positive advice! We are booking a trip to San Vito Chietino in the spring so we can look at property and see what is available for the little money we have! If anyone is in that area let me know. It would be great to hook up with people and find out about the area!;)
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
This website might be useful to you.
[url]http://www.inglese.it/[/url]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hi Tessa I managed to get a two year maternity cover translators job some years ago because I speak fluent German and English and knew how to type .I know this was probably pure luck but it enabled me to really tune up my Italian. It was however very technical (breathing masks for firemen and from German to English and eventually into rough Italian) Very first piece of of advice learn Italian - and to the highest level possible so that when you arrive you can adapt to the local dialects more quickly. Secondly, there are scores of language schools out there needing your English but the pay is low , Before getting my translator's job I came back to the UK to do a month's TEFL course (quite expensive) and I was offered a job at my first interview but they wanted me to work 9 -11 and then 19-21 in central Rome and I lived an hour's bus drive out of the city so knew it wasn't for me. It is something I will look at again though when I go back to live there permanently - a small local language school would be a good bet
Hi Tessa,
I am not speaking from personal experience, but from reading the number of posts on this forum that have addressed this subject I would say that the first and most important thing you can do to prepare for your move is to learn Italian and learn it well. The better your ability to communicate in and otherwise understand Italian speakers, the greater your likelihood of securing employment.