3375 careers advice in abruzzo

I had been thinking of getting my TEFL diploma so I could teach in Italy when we move over but I 'm now realising that its not that easy to find work and its not well paid. We don't want to get rich, just to live comfortably. I need advice on what jobs are available or how we can earn money?
I have a degree in History of Art and Design and a Masters in Humanities but as it hasn't helped find a job in the Uk I doubt it will help in Italy! I am currently working as a Retail Manager and I do freelance writing for magazines although again it pays poorly. I would be happy to do any sort of menial jobs but I would really like to be able to train for something while still in the uk that is going to help when I move, something i can take with me. I'd appreciate any sort of advice. Cheers!

Category
Cercasi Lavoro - Employment Questions

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/24/2006 - 14:53

It sounds to me as if your background would make you a great tour guide to the artistic, architectural and historical places of interest in Abruzzo!
You may have to carve yourself out a niche in this area - and it may take a bit of time - (contacting local hotels, agriturismi, vacation home rentals etc., offering your services ) - and I doubt if you will make a lot of money, but it could be fun - meeting people, sharing enthusiasms and knowledge.
So - research Abruzzo history and monuments while you are in the UK: even if it doesn't lead to a job prospect it should be fun for you. I have various friends who do this stuff at a pretty intellectual level with tour companies like Page and Moy, (but whether tours like the ones run by this firm get further than Tuscany and Umbria I don't know). They should do, really, because Abruzzo has a lot of very spectacular "Spanish" stuff, and interesting arab connections.
Good luck!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/24/2006 - 17:07

Wow, I used to work for Page and Moy, as a sales and marketing executive.
It was a surprise to see their name here! They do use tour guides and like specialised people, so good luck with that, but to my knowledge they don't touch Abruzzo, however they do a lot of Italian tours so it may be of interest to you. They have a website which I think has vacancies on it, it may be worth a look.
Good luck in your search :)
Michelle

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/25/2006 - 04:23

I can't think from the top of my head of any 'proper' full-time jobs that are available to us expats. However here are a few pointers that I've either heard about or considered myself:

- do you speak Italian? if so, there might be work at one of the property agencies. Back in 2004 I was told that I could work for an agency if I spoke the lingo (I speak German and English so combined with fluent Italian this would have been excellent for them as they get people mainly from Germany and the UK).

- Universities: I was told that they sometimes employ native speakers to simply 'read' stuff to students. I don't quite know the proper title of this (i.e. what you would have to enquire about), but apparently it's for the language students (Pescara Uni for example) to hear a mother-tongue accent. I would imagine this to be only a few hours a week though. I really have no further information and my idea of what this is is very vague as I haven't done any further research.

- Teaching English: private lessons/tutoring. For this you wouldn't need the CELTA qualification. However I'd imagine that it's easier to find students in towns or cities rather than the countryside. Again, this wouldn't be a full-time job in the way we understand it, but probably mostly 'pocket money'.

- Local harvest: For example the olive harvest in autumn. There are many farmers who simply don't have enough workers at harvest time, so there is always seasonal work there (e.g. November for olive harvest). I don't know where you'd find out about who to contact but I imagine you could just ask at the local bar.

- if you train for anything, the safest bet is to go for the CELTA. I can't think of any other qualification, other than fluent Italian, that would be helpful in getting anywhere in terms of employment out here. While the CELTA certainly isn't required for giving private lessons, it might help when getting 'official' positions and as such is something that you could do. If you're fairly computer-literate, you might also want to look into getting the European Computer Driving License (or whatever it's called) as another piece of paper that will make you more attractive to potential employers.

- a final note about the rate of pay: I have heard that the going rate in the Abruzzo countryside is no more than €40 per day (cash in hand) for an 8-hour-day, though might be less than that. Might also depend on the area of course and I'm sure that in cities you'll get more!

- one last warning: once you hit 35, you are a less desirable employee for a company as the state no longer subsidises the company for employing you. I don't know the ins and outs but was told basically that one should try and find a job before 35 as after that it's even more difficult (for the above reason). Don't take this at face value as this was mentioned to me in passing and I haven't done research on the 'facts' behind this.

hope this gives you a few ideas!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/25/2006 - 04:45

While it seems that working as a tour guide would be a good idea with your background in Art, I believe that you will have to gain a certificate first. As far as I've understood from previous posts, you cannot just start showing people around without a proper certificate.

I'm happy to be corrected on this, though.

This type of job would be a great opportunity to combine your interests with work, I think.

Good luck!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/25/2006 - 05:03

Thanks everyone for that! I have always wanted to be a tour guide! That or a cowboy/girl! Don't suppose there's much need for cowboys in Abruzzo though. I will definitely look into all possibilities. I have been learning iTalian for a few years, teaching myself and doing a night class, so I can speak a bit but have a lot to learn. Is CELTA the same as TEFL or which is more recognisable?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/25/2006 - 06:46

[QUOTE=tessa myers]Thanks everyone for that! I have always wanted to be a tour guide! That or a cowboy/girl! Don't suppose there's much need for cowboys in Abruzzo though. I will definitely look into all possibilities. I have been learning iTalian for a few years, teaching myself and doing a night class, so I can speak a bit but have a lot to learn. Is CELTA the same as TEFL or which is more recognisable?[/QUOTE]

CELTA is the most recognizable one. I thought TEFL simply means 'Teaching English as a Foreign Language' (??). CELTA is the name of the qualification - '(Cambridge) Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults'. the CELTA takes 4-5 weeks full-time and 12 weeks part-time. I think there are other ones you can do but from my research CELTA is the standard one that is recognized world-wide.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/25/2006 - 08:26

[QUOTE=tessa myers]Thanks everyone for that! I have always wanted to be a tour guide! That or a cowboy/girl! Don't suppose there's much need for cowboys in Abruzzo though. I will definitely look into all possibilities. I have been learning iTalian for a few years, teaching myself and doing a night class, so I can speak a bit but have a lot to learn. Is CELTA the same as TEFL or which is more recognisable?[/QUOTE]

I'd be very interested to find out about the tour guide requirements too, as I have similar ideas in mind - just not city, but region-based (further north though...).

These are two different types of certificates and a CELTA certainly sounds better, as it has the Cambridge link. But there are many other providers doing TEFL certs or diplomas. Just try a search in this section for previous threads for both - there have been a number of links to schools and providers.