Working your way across "the pond"

Working in Italy has definitely been a wonderful experience for me over the past year, but as I spent this past weekend in Basilicata talking to my cousins I came to realize how fortunate I have been to have found a secure position with a secure contract. There are many challenges facing young people here, and even those most qualified often find themselves bouncing from job to job seeking a better contract or accepting internships well into their 30s.

Here are a few points that I have found invaluable as to the working environment in Italy.

1- Ability to work:

The first hurdle as an American is actually being allowed to work in Italy. Americans with valid passports can stay in Italy for up to 90 days, but as tourists. I have heard of people who wish to stay longer and cross into Switzerland every 3 months to keep their eligibility valid, but this is neither legal nor a valid way to stay. Alternatively, you can try to find a company to sponsor you for a visa/permesso di soggiorno (permission to stay). This is a costly and time consuming process. I recently spoke with a friend who works in HR for a multinational company based in Italy, who confirmed that working between the US and Italian government makes it difficult (not impossible but difficult) to hire Americans because of national quotas, and so is usually something companies reserve for highly qualified workers or management.

I was able to move here because I hold dual citizenship, and therefore have an Italian passport as well as an American one. This is a complicated process, but put simply, I did research into my family background and found that at the time of my grandmother’s birth, her father was still an Italian citizen (my Grandmother was born in NY but raised in Rome). Because my Grandmother never realized she was born legally Italian, she never denounced her “birthright” and so it was passed to my mother and then to me. After collecting birth, death, marriage and naturalization certificates from every family member directly connecting me to Italy and waiting 2 years, I received my passport from the Italian Consulate General in New York. This process is called “Riconoscimento della Cittadinanza” (Re-recognizing of Citizenship) and although it takes quite a while, is the best way to go for those eligible, as legally I am Italian in all effects (meaning, I can work here, vote, buy property, am entitled to health care, and can collect a pension).

2- Finding the right job for you

As an American, or either way, a native English speaker, most “ex-pats” that I have met here work either as tour guides or as English teachers. To become a licensed tour guide in Italy, which most native English speakers are not, requires passing a lengthy state administered examination. I would also point out that most people who speak English have certification in Teaching English as a Second Language. When I first moved to Rome, seeing as I have a degree in Italian Literature and history, I began looking at jobs as a Tour Guide. The problem with this is that the work is fairly seasonable (meaning GREAT in the summer- slow in the winter), but you make more money than you do teaching English (and I think its more interesting- but thats just my opinion).

I came over here with the intent of continuing on the career path I started in New York however, meaning Insurance. To this end, it helps to do some market research, which I started to do before coming over. Know who the biggest players are, and try to get an idea on where you may fit in.

The first thing I noticed is that the Insurers are all in Milan, whereas the Brokers are scattered all over Italy. When I started working in Rome, it was for an American brokerage company, which I targeted specifically (the big 3 world wide- Marsh, Willis and Aon), because in an American company being a native English speaker would present a particular advantage both to the company looking to acquire, and to me as a selling point. After working in Rome for 6 months, I switched back to Underwriting, but staying with an American company, where again, being a native English speaker had advantages.

3- Contracts

In Italy, the type of contract that you hold at work has a big effect on almost every aspect of life. It is not uncommon to see people with a Laurea (Italian degree, American degrees can be validated through local autorities) doing Internships. Internships have a fixed time period (6 months usually) and if they are paid, it is usually a rather small amount (400-600 a month).

Then there are the 2 most common contracts which are: “Contratto a tempo determinato” and “contratto a tempo indeterminato.” You want to shoot for the latter.

A Contratto a tempo determinato, or determined time, is a fixed period contract, usually 6 months to a year, after which the company can either hire you again or let you go with no obligations to you. Most companies prefer to hire under these contracts because they are elastic, and less costly (in terms of taxes they pay on their workers).

Then there is the “mother of all contracts” which is the Contratto a tempo indeterminato (Contract of undetermined time- this contract is largely the reason I moved to Milan). This contract is that infamous, “you can never be fired unless you commit some grave mistake or do something illegal” contract. There is a 3 month “prova”, which is a window of leeway where you or the company can still back out- an approval period more or less- after which you are integrally part of the company. With this type of contract you can also get easily approved for bank loans and are entitled to a plethora of benefits. It is a secure contract in an insecure market, but is fairly hard to come by.

What is the one bit of advice I would give? Be patient and persistent.