3852 Ciao Amici

Hi Auds - and welcome to the forum. It's only natural that some of the information will be a bit worrying. A move is always a challenge. However moving to Milan should be much less of a shock and it is certainly the most likely city in Italy to find use for your skills as it much easier for a skilled person to find a job in Milan than in the rest of Italy.

Hopefully someone will be able to help you on the school front - learning the language is really worth it!

All the best,

Ronald

Hi Auds,
Agree with all that Ronald has said.

It's only natural that you will be feeling a bit scared at the prospect of getting up and changing your cosy lifestyle back in Bonnie Scotland.
I have been down that road-----it's not easy but it's not impossible either.
As Ron says, Milan is a big city and so you shouldn't find that you miss too many things to do etc.

Also from a work point of view, you will have more opportunities given the number of large international companies who are based in and around Milan than say if you were going to a smaller rural area.
You didn't say what you do in Scotland but I'm sure that once you have got your Italian up and running (and it's so much easier when you are surrounded by it every day) then the world will open up for you.

I missed family and friends at first but that was all before Mr Ryan and friends opened the skies to more frequent and cheap air fares.
You are lucky to be going to Milan as with Bergamo on your doorstep, you can nip back to Glasgow for a curry when Friday nights get tough!!!!

All the very best and have a lovely wedding.
Are you getting hitched in Scotland or in Italy?

Well,
I am italian from torino and I have married a Scottish gentelman instead... exactly the other way around from you... do not worry you will love Milan, Monza is a lovely wee town. And Milan is for sure the best place where you could get an international job where you will be able to use English as a major selling point.

Good luck!

Paola

Hey Latoca, Good for you, hard to beat a good Scot!!!!
Was it his kilt on a windy day that sold it for you????
:D

Hi Auds, have a look at [url]http://beinginmilan.com[/url]. it once had a great forum but not many people use it now.
It's for the english speaking community in milan.
it is still filled with lots of great links which I'm sure you will find helpful.

Hi Guys,

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement.:D

I am getting married in Italy (Lake Garda) in September so I probably won't move over untill just before then.
Could anyone give me some advice as to what I should be doing now before I move over. Can I apply for any kind of residencey yet?

Latoca, How do you cope with the weather over here. My I have to practically drag my other half over to visit as he is always "freddo".

Ciao for now

Auds

Auds, don't worry he's not so caldo in Milano right now either.
Weather is awful.
You will have to get him used to our national water (and I don't mean Irn Bru)
that should take the chill away.
You will need to wait until you move here before applying for your paperwork.
It's straight forward don't worry.
It takes time for the actual document to reach you but the day you lodge your application, they will give you a receipt which is all you will need in the initial stages.

[QUOTE=Auds]Could anyone give me some advice as to what I should be doing now before I move over. Can I apply for any kind of residencey yet?[/QUOTE]

Well, something that needs to be done at some point, costs nothing more than a bit of time and would result in you having your first bit of Italian government paperwork is getting a Codice Fiscale.

Since you're in Scotland, contact the Italian Consulate in Edinburgh and they'll send you a form.

More on the process [URL="http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/legal/2872-codice-fiscale.html?highlight=codice+fiscale"]here[/URL].

There's certainly no need for you to do this now since you could get your CF just by walking into one of the appropriate government offices in Italy, but it's something you might consider doing now.

Al

I would wait and take a day to do all your paperwork when you have got the wedding and everything else out of the way.
The most important thing you need is your Permesso di Soggiorno or Carta di Soggiorno as they now call it I think-----so long since I've needed to do it as thankfully it's now so much easier and they don't ask you to re-new it now as they used to.
When you have that you can then apply for your residenza and get your carta d'identità.
The Codice Fiscale is the easiest of the documents to get-------they see a potential tax payer and so will give you it in 2 seconds flat!!!!

With the above docs you will be able to do everything you need to
Open a bank account
Have an Italian Driving Licence (do this yourself rather than going through one of those agencies as they will charge you a fortune).

After some time 2 years I think it is now, you can even apply for your citidinanza and have an Italian passport etc.
I have been eligible for this for many years but have never applied for it as really there is no great need or advantage in doing so in my opinion.

Most of my friends who are married to Italians, prefer to keep their British Passport and so have the best of both worlds.

I think it's great that you are marrying an italian.....I am going to live with one soon. I know what you mean about it being terrifying, at least we will have somewhere to live but despite my having studied italian for the last 3 years, the thought of actually living there is scary! And meeting the family..... Does your fidanzato speak good english? We have a lot of fun speaking in broken english/italian....but I am really keen to get there so that my conversation abilities improve, classes in the UK can only help so much....I also intend to go to an italian language class in Italy, probably Firenze but there are loads of them there. Good luck with your search in Milano. The job thing is also scary, what line of work are you in? I have done lots of things but spent the last 20 years being a mum/housewife and only in the last 3 years have ventured back to work as a school science technician...not much use in Italy, I would guess!

It sounds as if it's all happening for you too.
Luckily my fidnazato had already done the divorce thing a long time before I came on the scene so things are generally pretty smooth. His mum and two sisters and friends have all made me feel really welcome.
He has a daughter which has been a new experience for me as I haven't any kids. She's learning english so I kind of give her a little english lesson and she corrects my rather baby Italian. My fidnazato speaks very little english. At first the common language was a kind of sign language with a bit of school French thrown in,three years later and we are getting married so something must have been right!.
As for work I have work in the airport industry for the past 16 years. I'm just hoping the range of training and experience I have had over the years stands me in good stead some kind of job. At the moment I feel absolutely ill every time I remember I have to leave the security of it. From the sound of it I imagine you will find a job no problem with your school science skills. You might move out there and decide to do something completely different. Best of luck. Auds:D

Auds, I would think that finding something in your line shouldn't be all that difficult for you in Milan. You are lucky that they have not one but two internationl airports and also Bergamo which is within commuting distance too.
Good luck.

Good luck Auds, My partner has a son who is learning english so hopefully we can help each other. I didn't do my degree until I was 26 - and thoroughly enjoyed being that much older. My partner can't understand how our university system works.....it is most unusual in Italy for people to have a gap between school and uni....so I am trying to enlighten him as to the positive aspects of this...although university education in Italy is very theoretical and there isn't much 'hands on' experience from what I hear. I am currently doing an introductory TEFL course and will do the 4-week intensive one there, I think I may get more work in that line in Florence/Siena (maybe private work?) than anything like science technician-ing! I used to be a diagnostic radiographer years ago, and did a degree in Architecture after that, but I can't imagine those skills will be of much use without fluent italian (plus, after a break of nearly 20 years.....can I remember anything?) Regarding commmunication....it's great fun trying to have 'in depth' conversations about things, don't you think? We both find reading and writing in our respective foreign languages much easier than speaking or listening. As far as jobs are concerned, I suppose I won't be desperate at first as I will have money from my divorce settlement, although I don't want to have to live on it and fritter it all away, but at least it will feel a bit secure for a bit.... there is a garden so I think a veg/fruit plot would be a good idea! Keep in touch....

Ciao,
What a wonderful opportunity. Milano is truly an industrial city with many opportunities. I know because I lived near the centro with my aunt. Although my mother spoke a few Italian phrases to my sisters and I (she was too busy trying to learn English)and I knew many, many Italian words, I found it very difficult when I moved there. I found an Italian class at a unitersity near Castello Sforzesco. I can't remember the name because it was many years ago. I think it was called LaBrera, but I'm sure you will be able to find many schools that teach Italian. There are many English speaking women's clubs (International Marriage for one) that should be able to point you in the right direction. Buona fortuna! Carol
UOTE=Auds]Hi Everyone,
This site is brilliant, although I'm not sure if reading some of the threads make me more nervous or put my mind at rest. :eek:
I am marrying a Italian gentleman in September of this year and am moving from Scotland to live in Milan and am absolutely terrified.
I have worked in the same industry for over 16 years and am really nervous as to how my skills will transfer.
My plan is to go to an Italian school for a few months as my Italian is really basic. Does anyone know an Italian school in the Monza area?

Regards
AX[/QUOTE]

Thanks Everyone:D

I will look up the site for the International marriages Carol. Hopefully It might introduce me to some people in the Milan area. I am really looking forward to imersing myself in the Italian language and culture but sometimes you just need to speak your own language. It kind of gives your brain a wee rest.....trust me between house sales and weddings mine needs it!!

Stai Bene Tutti;)

Auds:p