Afternoon all,
So after long debating the idea of travelling to NZ, given the current pandemic and my age (29), it doesn't look like it will be an option. So I am after a bit more information on travelling in and around Italy.
I am from the UK, and currently work as a chef, would be awesome to work as I travel and learn some proper Italian recipes, and hopefully the language too.
Does anyone have any experience or advice having done something similar?
TIA
Grant
I've worked freelance for Italian clients.
Italy is very like the UK. Jobs are available in the prosperous areas and much less in the attractive but poor areas. In the tourist towns waiters and bar staff earn massively more than the equivalent in London say. I knew a barman in Venice who wouldn't drive anything but a Ferrari. I thought it was hilarious that someone living in Venice would even own a car.
Hey!
Thank's for the reply, wow really!? That is insane!! So finding work within the main tourist spots would not be too difficult then? This may sound like a silly question, but did you or anyone you know struggle with the language barrier?
thanks
Grant
Finding work in the well paying hotspots is well nigh impossible. Jobs are passed down from father to son. If your grandfather and father worked in a restaurant all their lives you might stand a chance.
English is the language in big international companies but everywhere else there is very little English spoken. What you also need to take onboard is that Italy suffered a big recession when the Euro rose a few years back. All across the industrial north things are quite tough.
Hey,
I must have misunderstood your previous comment.
I would much rather work in the lesser known spots, because I think you would get a better insight into the Italian culture that way, but I am fully aware this may not be achievable. If I could secure a job where I make enough to survive in the country, that would be enough for me. I am not looking to get rich over there, purely just want to live/work there as long as circumstances would allow.
Thanks
Grant
Dear Grant
Have you thought of starting in the Northern Italian ski resorts this year? It would give you a bit of experince before moving somewhere else for the summer.
Unfortunately, thanks to Brexit, after December you won't be able to work in Italy without a work visa. They're not easy to obtain for non-EU citizens and especially so if there is no shortage of local people to fill an applicant's profession/ job. I'm afraid a chef isn't really a shortage profession and I doubt you'd find employment even in the ski resorts.
You might, in normal circumstances, have been able to pick up casual kitchen or bar work in popular visitor areas until December but I suspect Covid has put paid to the chances of that. There are now plenty of unemployed Italians who will snap up that sort of work.
>English is the language in big international companies but everywhere else there is very little English spoken.
I must disagree with Photobob about language. English is widely spoken in all visitor-popular parts of Italy...and in all major cities....and amonst the under-30s.... but that doesn't mean having no Italian won't be a problem. I'm afraid it will be: not all visitors are English-speaking and, apart from 'front of house', all business is of course conducted in the local language. Italy isn't like e.g. the Spanish Costas or the popular coastal resorts in Malta and Cyprus where you can get a full English, go to an 'Irish' pub, fluency in English is a norm and people can manage work and play without knowing a word of the local language.
I'm sorry to put a damper on your plans. Italy is by far my favourite European country and I've visited many times but imo it's not a good choice for what you want to do. If you're set on going this summer maybe it would be best to aim for the areas I mentioned above?
[ Edit: Edited on 04-Aug-2020, 16:57 GMT by leics2 ]
Quoting TheFatFox
So after long debating the idea of travelling to NZ, given the current pandemic and my age (29), it doesn't look like it will be an option.
Hi Grant
Going back to your original comment, I believe you can commence a NZ working holiday up until right before your 31st birthday. As you're 29 that gives you upwards of a year for things to get back to normal - so I wouldn't write off the WHV as it's a marvellous idea if you can swing it.
Andy
Quoting PHOTOBOB
Dear Grant
Have you thought of starting in the Northern Italian ski resorts this year? It would give you a bit of experince before moving somewhere else for the summer.
Morning,
I haven't no, but the idea of it sounds quite appealing, have you done something similar? Would it be a relatively straight forward process securing work there?
thanks
Grant
Quoting leics2
Unfortunately, thanks to Brexit, after December you won't be able to work in Italy without a work visa. They're not easy to obtain for non-EU citizens and especially so if there is no shortage of local people to fill an applicant's profession/ job. I'm afraid a chef isn't really a shortage profession and I doubt you'd find employment even in the ski resorts.
You might, in normal circumstances, have been able to pick up casual kitchen or bar work in popular visitor areas until December but I suspect Covid has put paid to the chances of that. There are now plenty of unemployed Italians who will snap up that sort of work.
>English is the language in big international companies but everywhere else there is very little English spoken.
I must disagree with Photobob about language. English is widely spoken in all visitor-popular parts of Italy...and in all major cities....and amonst the under-30s.... but that doesn't mean having no Italian won't be a problem. I'm afraid it will be: not all visitors are English-speaking and, apart from 'front of house', all business is of course conducted in the local language. Italy isn't like e.g. the Spanish Costas or the popular coastal resorts in Malta and Cyprus where you can get a full English, go to an 'Irish' pub, fluency in English is a norm and people can manage work and play without knowing a word of the local language.
I'm sorry to put a damper on your plans. Italy is by far my favourite European country and I've visited many times but imo it's not a good choice for what you want to do. If you're set on going this summer maybe it would be best to aim for the areas I mentioned above?
I was expecting there to be some sort of visa process, but as naive as it is, I thought it would be an easy process, bummer. Yeah I did think Covid would have put a downer on things,
As for the language side of things, perhaps in some ways, what you have mentioned above is better. I would love to learn the language, and being in an environment where it is the only language spoken, may be the best way to learn.
Not at all, I appreciate the information/advice
Thanks again
Grant