Gulf Connexions
DH-15: Director of Property Sales for Dubai and Russia, Dubai
Our client, a multi billion dollar international conglomerate, with a portfolio consisting of Property Development, Industrial Catering & Food chains, Investments & Trading is looking for a Director of Property Sales for Dubai and Russia to join its dynamic team in Dubai.
Responsibilities:
• Identify changing demands of clients as well as the market place.
• Assist with analysis of target markets and specific projects to assess opportunities and risks.
• Conceive opportunities and threats in order to gain a competitive advantage while positioning.
• Establish good relationships with clients, preserve their confidentiality and deal with all their transactions ethically.
• Identify and package real estate development investment opportunities as well as manage specific investment projects.
• Set targets and establish lines of accountability within the team and maintain a portfolio of high net worth individuals/corporations.
Skills
• Must have knowledge of market and industry trends, competitors and leading customer strategies in Dubai as well as Russia.
• At least 7 - 10 years of overall sales experience, preferably in the real estate industry in Dubai or Russia.
• Ideally you would have Real Estate / Automotive / Financial Products / Hospitality / Life Insurance or related service selling industry experience.
Salaries paid are above industry average and successful applicants can be assured of a rewarding and progressive career with the company. Candidates who qualify for this position may kindly quote the Job Reference Number and the Job Title in the subject of your email and send your CV as an attachment in MS Word Document format to exec@gulfconnexions.com
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Company Profile
GULF CONNEXIONS is the region's leading recruitment consultancy in the specialist Information Technology (IT) and Banking sector providing a wealth of local and international expertise and in-depth market intelligence for its blue-chip clients and candidates.
Contact our consultants directly for your specialist recruitment requirements. For candidates searching for job opportunities and requiring informed career advice, Gulf Connexions provides updates on the top positions available across the region.
Headquartered in Bahrain in the heart of central business district, Gulf Connexions maintains offices in Dubai,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and London fully equipped with state-of-the-art database technologies. Gulf Connexions has a rigorous screening process for all prospective candidates with interviewing facilities available throughout the region.
Gulf Connexions has the most extensive database of experienced and qualified Informational Technology candidates available for regional deployment. Gulf Connexions works closely with the region's leading blue chip organizations providing candidates with excellent career path development and unrivalled employment opportunities.
Reception Tel: + 973 17 565 161
PO Box 2591,
Manama,
Kingdom of Bahrain.
Additional Information
Start Date: 2008-09-09
Industry: Real Estate
Job Location: United Arab Emirates
Career Level: Management (Manager/Director of Staff)
Employment Status: Full time
apply now
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Chief Financial Officer, Dubai
Gulf Connexions
DH-18: Chief Financial Officer, Dubai
Our client, a privately owned company based in Dubai, is looking for an exceptional CFO to assume financial management responsibilities for the business. The successful candidate will be based in Dubai and will report directly to the Chairman/Owner in all matters and must be confident and adroit at offering direction at this level.
Responsibilities:
• Deliver monthly financial metric analysis and variance analysis.
• Take an active role in the annual planning and budgeting exercise.
• Review and implement best practice policies within financial control functions.
• Identify potential areas that may be of concern during regulatory audits and propose strategic solutions.
• Provide feedback to senior management on financial performance of the company and underlying products.
• Design and implement internal controls, accounting procedures and associated accounting systems as well as monitor them.
Skills
• Must be a CA / ICWA / MBA (Finance).
• At least 5 years of managerial CFO experience in a regional asset management or investment firm in the GCC, ideally the UAE.
Salaries paid are above industry average and successful applicants can be assured of a rewarding and progressive career with the company. Candidates who qualify for this position may kindly quote the Job Reference Number and the Job Title in the subject of your email and send your CV as an attachment in MS Word Document format to exec@gulfconnexions.com
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Company Profile
GULF CONNEXIONS is the region's leading recruitment consultancy in the specialist Information Technology (IT) and Banking sector providing a wealth of local and international expertise and in-depth market intelligence for its blue-chip clients and candidates.
Contact our consultants directly for your specialist recruitment requirements. For candidates searching for job opportunities and requiring informed career advice, Gulf Connexions provides updates on the top positions available across the region.
Headquartered in Bahrain in the heart of central business district, Gulf Connexions maintains offices in Dubai,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and London fully equipped with state-of-the-art database technologies. Gulf Connexions has a rigorous screening process for all prospective candidates with interviewing facilities available throughout the region.
Gulf Connexions has the most extensive database of experienced and qualified Informational Technology candidates available for regional deployment. Gulf Connexions works closely with the region's leading blue chip organizations providing candidates with excellent career path development and unrivalled employment opportunities.
Reception Tel: + 973 17 565 161
PO Box 2591,
Manama,
Kingdom of Bahrain.
Additional Information
Start Date: 2008-09-09
Industry: Real Estate
Job Location: United Arab Emirates
Career Level: Management (Manager/Director of Staff)
Employment Status: Full time
apply now
DH-18: Chief Financial Officer, Dubai
Our client, a privately owned company based in Dubai, is looking for an exceptional CFO to assume financial management responsibilities for the business. The successful candidate will be based in Dubai and will report directly to the Chairman/Owner in all matters and must be confident and adroit at offering direction at this level.
Responsibilities:
• Deliver monthly financial metric analysis and variance analysis.
• Take an active role in the annual planning and budgeting exercise.
• Review and implement best practice policies within financial control functions.
• Identify potential areas that may be of concern during regulatory audits and propose strategic solutions.
• Provide feedback to senior management on financial performance of the company and underlying products.
• Design and implement internal controls, accounting procedures and associated accounting systems as well as monitor them.
Skills
• Must be a CA / ICWA / MBA (Finance).
• At least 5 years of managerial CFO experience in a regional asset management or investment firm in the GCC, ideally the UAE.
Salaries paid are above industry average and successful applicants can be assured of a rewarding and progressive career with the company. Candidates who qualify for this position may kindly quote the Job Reference Number and the Job Title in the subject of your email and send your CV as an attachment in MS Word Document format to exec@gulfconnexions.com
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Company Profile
GULF CONNEXIONS is the region's leading recruitment consultancy in the specialist Information Technology (IT) and Banking sector providing a wealth of local and international expertise and in-depth market intelligence for its blue-chip clients and candidates.
Contact our consultants directly for your specialist recruitment requirements. For candidates searching for job opportunities and requiring informed career advice, Gulf Connexions provides updates on the top positions available across the region.
Headquartered in Bahrain in the heart of central business district, Gulf Connexions maintains offices in Dubai,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and London fully equipped with state-of-the-art database technologies. Gulf Connexions has a rigorous screening process for all prospective candidates with interviewing facilities available throughout the region.
Gulf Connexions has the most extensive database of experienced and qualified Informational Technology candidates available for regional deployment. Gulf Connexions works closely with the region's leading blue chip organizations providing candidates with excellent career path development and unrivalled employment opportunities.
Reception Tel: + 973 17 565 161
PO Box 2591,
Manama,
Kingdom of Bahrain.
Additional Information
Start Date: 2008-09-09
Industry: Real Estate
Job Location: United Arab Emirates
Career Level: Management (Manager/Director of Staff)
Employment Status: Full time
apply now
Friday, August 1, 2008
Work in Italy Creatively
Teaching English is Not the Only Option
By Emma Bird
Teaching English is the most popular profession for those looking for quick and easy employment in Italy. The work is open to everyone and offers a relaxed lifestyle. But because the pay is generally low, teaching English is tending to become the option of the rich.
Most schools pay around 900 euros a month for a 20-hour week regardless of the city you live in. Whereas you can just about make a living if you share a house in the south, in Milan and the other big cities, sharing a flat will set you back up to 600 euros a month excluding bills. So there is little left to live on. And when you consider that teaching jobs dry up completely once the summer comes, you realize you need a second income anyway.
I know of one school that charges students the highest prices in the city but regards it teachers almost with contempt. This past summer eight teachers left in protest, but as long as there are eager, willing applicants ready to step into their place, pay and conditions will never improve.
So what options are there if you don't really enjoy teaching or are looking for a fatter paycheck so you can make the most of the relaxed Italian lifestyle that is the envy of stressed-out executives everywhere?
You could go down the traditional route of looking for a job in an Italian office, but the chances are that you don't want to be caught up doing the same mundane office work you would be doing back home.
Initiative Pays
Tracy Roberts is a perfect example of how initiative, determination, and hard work can get you what you want when you no longer want to teach English.
Fresh out of college, Tracy arrived in Rome in 1982, longing for a year of adventure before returning to the States. She started teaching English to children and unexpectedly landed a contract to teach English to the journalists at the Mondadori publishing house. And from there she began to teach top bank managers and politicians.
But by 1984 she wanted a new challenge and a steady income for herself: the English Yellow Pages were born.
Ten years later the hard copy is now online at www.englishyellowpages.it and the pages employ five full-time staff. It has become one of the main sources of information for English-speaking expats in Italy.
Tracy offers this advice: "You have to be honest, hardworking, and pleasant to succeed. I think my success comes down to the fact that I went everywhere with a smile on my face. As a newly arrived person in foreign city, you are never going to land the best expat job, so you have to be willing to start at the bottom."
Like Tracy, you also need to be able to think outside the box. Don't assume that the line of work you pick when you first move to Italy will be the one you still have five years down the line. People who are most successful abroad are those who try out different jobs until they find the one that fits. It's a bit like buying an expensive suit. You wouldn't dream of parting with your cash unless you knew it was a perfect fit. It's the same with your career.
Odd Jobs Lead to New Skill Sets
The jobs may seem like a series of odd-jobs to you but if you pick wisely you will soon be able to market your different experiences in a complete package. Truly successful people are passionate about their work. Why not take a part-time job so you can start making an income from your hobby?
I know one American, Claire, who used to work as an accountant in Dallas. After being out of work for nearly three years, she realized that she was good at interior design. She is now paid well to overhaul the homes of wealthy Italians. And she started by accident.
Changing Careers
Of course, if you have had one career for ten or more years, it can sometimes be difficult to think what skills and abilities you have outside the context of that job. To clarify your goals and identify what you really want to do, try clicking onto www.coachville.com/lifedesigner2003pdf.pdf. Although not directly linked to working in Italy, this 2-page worksheet will help you identify your reasons for moving to Italy and potential income opportunities. A useful book to read is Elizabeth Kruempelmann's The Global Citizen: A Guide to Creating an International Life and Career. Similarly, Jo Parfitt's A Career in Your Suitcase, www.career-in-your-suitcase.com, provides inspiration to look for a portable career.
Networking
I have just landed an important relocation contract thanks to my web site www.weaveaweb.it, the social network for professional women in Italy. When I tell friends and contacts what I am up to, their replies are always along the lines of "I can see you being really good at that" or "Well, that's right up your alley, isn't it?"
I love the challenges of relocating people of all nationalities to Sardinia and helping them adapt to the new culture. Actually, it was something I would never have considered, but combined with my writing and PR skills, it means I now have another string in my bow. Should I end up moving to another part of Italy, I can always find employment in the corporate world.
Apart from Ecademy, www.ecademy.com, most major cities will have at least one expat association. However, if there is no networking group in your city, then create one. Place ads on the Internet and on expat sites that you know will be read by people in your area. The important thing to demonstrate is initiative.
Integration into Local Society
Integrating yourself into the local community is important. Without it you will feel uncomfortable, forever an expat outsider. The post office is an excellent place to start. While you are in line to pay bills or post letters, use the opportunity to find out what services are lacking: if they need house cleaners or window cleaners, gardeners or baby-sitters. If you have no money, you may want to offer to do these services yourself. But afterward, there is no reason why you can't set up a business matching prospective clients with cleaners.
Exploit the Internet
Another way to make money is to exploit the Internet. If you can set up an Internet service, then you may just find yourself with more work than you imagined.
Import Services or Products
You might be used to using virtual secretaries, but in Italy the idea is only just taking off. So are vending machines selling anything other than potato chips and fizzy drinks. The possibilities are endless.
Now that I have been in Sardinia for 17 months I have a good knowledge of the local community and I am known for my ability to turn opportunities into realities. This makes me sought after both by expats and Sardinians who need my skills. But had I waltzed in with a know-it-all attitude I certainly wouldn't be in the position I am in now.
Instead, I have found, like Tracy, that a genuine smile, honesty, and the willingness to try your hand at anything is the key to getting ahead. Plus, of course, a working knowledge of Italian is vital if you are going to be able to maximize your chances of work. Sure, it may lead you in a completely different direction to the one you imagined. But if you're that determined to live in Italy, aren't you ready for adventure?
Emma Bird is the co-host of www.howtoitaly.typepad.com and continues to work as a freelance writer. Contact her at info@howtoitaly.com.
By Emma Bird
Teaching English is the most popular profession for those looking for quick and easy employment in Italy. The work is open to everyone and offers a relaxed lifestyle. But because the pay is generally low, teaching English is tending to become the option of the rich.
Most schools pay around 900 euros a month for a 20-hour week regardless of the city you live in. Whereas you can just about make a living if you share a house in the south, in Milan and the other big cities, sharing a flat will set you back up to 600 euros a month excluding bills. So there is little left to live on. And when you consider that teaching jobs dry up completely once the summer comes, you realize you need a second income anyway.
I know of one school that charges students the highest prices in the city but regards it teachers almost with contempt. This past summer eight teachers left in protest, but as long as there are eager, willing applicants ready to step into their place, pay and conditions will never improve.
So what options are there if you don't really enjoy teaching or are looking for a fatter paycheck so you can make the most of the relaxed Italian lifestyle that is the envy of stressed-out executives everywhere?
You could go down the traditional route of looking for a job in an Italian office, but the chances are that you don't want to be caught up doing the same mundane office work you would be doing back home.
Initiative Pays
Tracy Roberts is a perfect example of how initiative, determination, and hard work can get you what you want when you no longer want to teach English.
Fresh out of college, Tracy arrived in Rome in 1982, longing for a year of adventure before returning to the States. She started teaching English to children and unexpectedly landed a contract to teach English to the journalists at the Mondadori publishing house. And from there she began to teach top bank managers and politicians.
But by 1984 she wanted a new challenge and a steady income for herself: the English Yellow Pages were born.
Ten years later the hard copy is now online at www.englishyellowpages.it and the pages employ five full-time staff. It has become one of the main sources of information for English-speaking expats in Italy.
Tracy offers this advice: "You have to be honest, hardworking, and pleasant to succeed. I think my success comes down to the fact that I went everywhere with a smile on my face. As a newly arrived person in foreign city, you are never going to land the best expat job, so you have to be willing to start at the bottom."
Like Tracy, you also need to be able to think outside the box. Don't assume that the line of work you pick when you first move to Italy will be the one you still have five years down the line. People who are most successful abroad are those who try out different jobs until they find the one that fits. It's a bit like buying an expensive suit. You wouldn't dream of parting with your cash unless you knew it was a perfect fit. It's the same with your career.
Odd Jobs Lead to New Skill Sets
The jobs may seem like a series of odd-jobs to you but if you pick wisely you will soon be able to market your different experiences in a complete package. Truly successful people are passionate about their work. Why not take a part-time job so you can start making an income from your hobby?
I know one American, Claire, who used to work as an accountant in Dallas. After being out of work for nearly three years, she realized that she was good at interior design. She is now paid well to overhaul the homes of wealthy Italians. And she started by accident.
Changing Careers
Of course, if you have had one career for ten or more years, it can sometimes be difficult to think what skills and abilities you have outside the context of that job. To clarify your goals and identify what you really want to do, try clicking onto www.coachville.com/lifedesigner2003pdf.pdf. Although not directly linked to working in Italy, this 2-page worksheet will help you identify your reasons for moving to Italy and potential income opportunities. A useful book to read is Elizabeth Kruempelmann's The Global Citizen: A Guide to Creating an International Life and Career. Similarly, Jo Parfitt's A Career in Your Suitcase, www.career-in-your-suitcase.com, provides inspiration to look for a portable career.
Networking
I have just landed an important relocation contract thanks to my web site www.weaveaweb.it, the social network for professional women in Italy. When I tell friends and contacts what I am up to, their replies are always along the lines of "I can see you being really good at that" or "Well, that's right up your alley, isn't it?"
I love the challenges of relocating people of all nationalities to Sardinia and helping them adapt to the new culture. Actually, it was something I would never have considered, but combined with my writing and PR skills, it means I now have another string in my bow. Should I end up moving to another part of Italy, I can always find employment in the corporate world.
Apart from Ecademy, www.ecademy.com, most major cities will have at least one expat association. However, if there is no networking group in your city, then create one. Place ads on the Internet and on expat sites that you know will be read by people in your area. The important thing to demonstrate is initiative.
Integration into Local Society
Integrating yourself into the local community is important. Without it you will feel uncomfortable, forever an expat outsider. The post office is an excellent place to start. While you are in line to pay bills or post letters, use the opportunity to find out what services are lacking: if they need house cleaners or window cleaners, gardeners or baby-sitters. If you have no money, you may want to offer to do these services yourself. But afterward, there is no reason why you can't set up a business matching prospective clients with cleaners.
Exploit the Internet
Another way to make money is to exploit the Internet. If you can set up an Internet service, then you may just find yourself with more work than you imagined.
Import Services or Products
You might be used to using virtual secretaries, but in Italy the idea is only just taking off. So are vending machines selling anything other than potato chips and fizzy drinks. The possibilities are endless.
Now that I have been in Sardinia for 17 months I have a good knowledge of the local community and I am known for my ability to turn opportunities into realities. This makes me sought after both by expats and Sardinians who need my skills. But had I waltzed in with a know-it-all attitude I certainly wouldn't be in the position I am in now.
Instead, I have found, like Tracy, that a genuine smile, honesty, and the willingness to try your hand at anything is the key to getting ahead. Plus, of course, a working knowledge of Italian is vital if you are going to be able to maximize your chances of work. Sure, it may lead you in a completely different direction to the one you imagined. But if you're that determined to live in Italy, aren't you ready for adventure?
Emma Bird is the co-host of www.howtoitaly.typepad.com and continues to work as a freelance writer. Contact her at info@howtoitaly.com.
Jobs in Italy
Where to Find Work and How to Network
By Emma Bird
Emma Bird on a beach in Sardinia
Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and the relaxed way of living makes it an ideal choice if you are searching for a way out of the rat race in America or elsewhere.
Since falling in love with Italy as a 19-year-old au pair working for a Mafia family in Naples, I have lived and worked in Bologna, Aquilla, Rome, Milan and am now happily settled in Sardinia.
I am a qualified newspaper journalist, but in the time that I have been here I have done everything from au pairing and washing dishes in a restaurant to setting up and running a magazine office in Milan, being the Italian correspondent for a series of high-profile textile and fashion magazines, and teaching English to babies and to top business executives.
Finding Work
Finding work is hard in Italy because unemployment is so high. In Sardinia for example, the unemployment rate is 19%.
But don’t let this put you off from turning your dream into reality and moving to Italy. While you will face competition from the natives, remember that you have a major advantage. You speak English and you speak it fluently. This already sets you apart from most Italians whose knowledge of the language rarely goes beyond the English picked up at school and taught by a teacher who never lived in an Anglophone country.
Secondly, you probably have far more work experience than your Italian counterparts. Although the Italian University system is one of the most demanding in Europe in terms of the sheer amount of information students learn for each exam, there are no time constraints. Thus, it is not uncommon to find people still studying at a University into their 30s after having first enrolled at the age of 18 or 19.
This means that while Italian students are still burning the midnight oil studying for exams, you have the experience that most companies need. With American and English companies often at the forefront of new business trends, this can be a huge advantage.
Media and communication, tourism, finance, and international business are the main job sectors open to foreigners. If you are after a top executive job, then searching through Italy’s national papers could be a good place to start. The Corriere della Sera publishes Corriere Lavoro every Friday (www.corriere.it/lavoro), which features the latest employment trends in Italy, profiles various companies, and also lists job vacancies around the country. In its main section, the paper also publishes an average of five pages of job ads every Friday, usually for management positions. The financial paper Il Sole24Ore, www.carriera24.ilsole24ore.com, is also a good bet.
Temping agencies are a valuable hunting ground. Short-term placements may not be your aim but they give you an insight into the Italian work culture, let you see what kind of company you’d like to work for, and also prove that someone in Italy thinks you are worth hiring. Kelly (www.kellyservices.it), Manpower (www.manpower.it), Adecco (www.adecco.it), Randstad (www.randstad.it), Sinterim (www.sinterim.it), Vedior (www.vedior.it) and EuroInterim (www.eurointerim.it) all recruit on a temporary basis, but you can often find jobs for a longer period. The big cities, such as Milan, often have several branches of each agency, although these are usually franchises, so visit each agency in turn in order to maximize your chances of finding a job.
One of the stumbling blocks you will encounter, however, is that Italians like their potential employees to be super-qualified with advanced degrees in the relevant subjects. If you want to land a job in marketing you will be expected to have a business and marketing degree, even if you have years of practical experience in the field.
This is true for all jobs. Even if you feel you are qualified to work in tourism or as a travel agent you will often be asked to prove that you have taken courses. If you are young and don’t have experience in the sector, you may also be expected to work for little or no money while you complete what Italians call a tironcino or training period.
In most cases you will also be required to speak good – if not fluent - Italian, so consider taking a language course, first in your own country before the move to cover the basics, then another one once you have unpacked your belongings. It is never too early to begin getting to grips with Italian. And with a wide range of courses you are sure to find one matching your requirements.
Location
Another factor to consider is location: if you have a choice, then think carefully where you want to be. Milan, Rome, Florence , and Bologna all have large expatriate populations and offer unlimited opportunities for work, study, and leisure. This means that if you have vocational qualifications you can directly target this community. After all, there is always a need for doctors, dentists, and health practitioners to deal with native English speakers. But here you need to weigh the cons of living in a big city. I worked in Milan for 18 months before I realized that I would rather give up my high-profile job than continue to live in a city where smog is much higher than EU regulations and where standing groin-to-groin with a sconosciuto, or stranger, on my ride into work every morning on the metro was too much to bear.
If you decide to live in the countryside, job opportunities are much harder to find. So if this is the case you need to reinvent yourself and use your initiative to land yourself the job you really want.
Networking
Instead of viewing the move as the end of one career and the start of another, why not look at the Big Picture and see it as a continuous line? Remember that truly successful people are passionate about their work, so try to find a way to combine those marketing skills with your love of Chianti, or your writing skills with a company looking to expand abroad. If you can afford to do so financially, also consider working for little or no financial compensation initially. It could be the price to pay for meeting new people who undoubtedly will open new doors for you.
Of course, this is what Italians do best. Cold letters to potential employers rarely work in Italy because networking is the Italians’ preferred method of finding a job. Here, it is firmly who you know rather than what you know that will secure you the contract you have been hankering after. And as much as nepotism may not be your thing, it’s a very real fact of life that even if you are the most suitable candidate, you may be pipped to the post at the last minute by the managing director’s cousin’s son who has just graduated from University and needs a job.
There are lots of professional networking organizations in Italy. These include www.ecademy.com, an international social networking organization that has offline groups in Bari, Cagliari, Como, Florence, Milan, Rome, and Salerno. The Professional Women’s Association in Milan, the Benvenuto Club of Milan, and the American Women’s Association of Rome are other valuable associations that double up as welcoming committees when you first arrive. My organization, www.weaveaweb.it, connects professional women in Sardinia with an e-newsletter which has subscribers throughout Italy (and beyond). Turning up at networking events religiously gets your face known. And once your face becomes familiar, people start to trust you and want to do business with you. I am a member of www.ecademy.com, www.linkedin.com, www.talentedwomen.com, and, of course, www.weaveaweb.it. All four have brought me winning business opportunities.
Networking for Jobs
Networking has a double function: you will find English speakers willing to help you settle in your new town and you can find out about new job opportunities:
The Benvenuto Club of Milan: www.benvenutomilano.net,
The Professional Women’s Association: www.pwa-milan.org,
The American Chamber of Commerce in Italy: www.amcham.it,
The American Women's Association of Rome: www.awar.org,
Ecademy Italia: www.ecademy.it,
Weaveaweb, social networking for professional women in Sardinia, launching end of 2004 in Italy; www.weaveaweb.it
Teaching English
One of the most portable careers is English teaching, since nearly every Italian would love to be able to speak English well. However, don’t assume that just because you are a native speaker you are qualified to teach the language. Although there are some schools that will take you on without any qualifications, the pay and conditions are often extremely poor. Investing money and a month of your time in gaining either a CELTA or Trinity certificate in TEFL will pay dividends later and will give you credibility with the serious language schools.
Had anyone told me five years ago that I would end up sidelining my journalism career to become an English teacher I would not have believe them. Yet now, when I’am not bashing out articles on deadline, networking or simply enjoying the quality of life in Sardinia, I can be found prancing around the classroom, playing preposition basketball or judging karaoke contests. What was meant to be a short-term bridge-the-gap job has turned into the long-term it-gets-me-out-of-bed-with-a-smile-on-my-face job. What more can you ask than that?
Job Sites in Italy
The most popular job sites in Italy. They include vacancies for a wide range of sectors and feature career articles.
www.assioma.org
www.bestjob.it
www.cambiolavoro.com
www.career-plus.com
www.cliccalavoro.it
www.easyjob.it
www.europa.eu.int/eures/index.jsp
www.intoitaly.it
www.jobpilot.it
www.kangaroo.it
www.lavoroinrete.it
www.stepstone.it
Contracts in Italy
There are several contracts available for employees in Italy. Check carefully which one your employer offers you:
Contratto a tempo indeterminato (permanent contract). These contracts are like gold. You are fully protected under Italian law.
Contratto a tempo determinato (fixed-term contract). The contract may not renewed, but you retain your benefits.
Contratto a progetto (working for a project). The contract can be renewed. Your employer is not entitled to provide sick, maternity, or holiday pay.
Job Sharing. Your contract is shared with another person. You have more flexibility.
Job on Call. You are paid a retainer fee during the period in which you don’t work. When you are called to work, you receive full wages.
Staff Leasing. Companies that do not need their staff at all times may hire them out to other companies. If this happens to you, you effectively become an employee in the new company.
By Emma Bird
Emma Bird on a beach in Sardinia
Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and the relaxed way of living makes it an ideal choice if you are searching for a way out of the rat race in America or elsewhere.
Since falling in love with Italy as a 19-year-old au pair working for a Mafia family in Naples, I have lived and worked in Bologna, Aquilla, Rome, Milan and am now happily settled in Sardinia.
I am a qualified newspaper journalist, but in the time that I have been here I have done everything from au pairing and washing dishes in a restaurant to setting up and running a magazine office in Milan, being the Italian correspondent for a series of high-profile textile and fashion magazines, and teaching English to babies and to top business executives.
Finding Work
Finding work is hard in Italy because unemployment is so high. In Sardinia for example, the unemployment rate is 19%.
But don’t let this put you off from turning your dream into reality and moving to Italy. While you will face competition from the natives, remember that you have a major advantage. You speak English and you speak it fluently. This already sets you apart from most Italians whose knowledge of the language rarely goes beyond the English picked up at school and taught by a teacher who never lived in an Anglophone country.
Secondly, you probably have far more work experience than your Italian counterparts. Although the Italian University system is one of the most demanding in Europe in terms of the sheer amount of information students learn for each exam, there are no time constraints. Thus, it is not uncommon to find people still studying at a University into their 30s after having first enrolled at the age of 18 or 19.
This means that while Italian students are still burning the midnight oil studying for exams, you have the experience that most companies need. With American and English companies often at the forefront of new business trends, this can be a huge advantage.
Media and communication, tourism, finance, and international business are the main job sectors open to foreigners. If you are after a top executive job, then searching through Italy’s national papers could be a good place to start. The Corriere della Sera publishes Corriere Lavoro every Friday (www.corriere.it/lavoro), which features the latest employment trends in Italy, profiles various companies, and also lists job vacancies around the country. In its main section, the paper also publishes an average of five pages of job ads every Friday, usually for management positions. The financial paper Il Sole24Ore, www.carriera24.ilsole24ore.com, is also a good bet.
Temping agencies are a valuable hunting ground. Short-term placements may not be your aim but they give you an insight into the Italian work culture, let you see what kind of company you’d like to work for, and also prove that someone in Italy thinks you are worth hiring. Kelly (www.kellyservices.it), Manpower (www.manpower.it), Adecco (www.adecco.it), Randstad (www.randstad.it), Sinterim (www.sinterim.it), Vedior (www.vedior.it) and EuroInterim (www.eurointerim.it) all recruit on a temporary basis, but you can often find jobs for a longer period. The big cities, such as Milan, often have several branches of each agency, although these are usually franchises, so visit each agency in turn in order to maximize your chances of finding a job.
One of the stumbling blocks you will encounter, however, is that Italians like their potential employees to be super-qualified with advanced degrees in the relevant subjects. If you want to land a job in marketing you will be expected to have a business and marketing degree, even if you have years of practical experience in the field.
This is true for all jobs. Even if you feel you are qualified to work in tourism or as a travel agent you will often be asked to prove that you have taken courses. If you are young and don’t have experience in the sector, you may also be expected to work for little or no money while you complete what Italians call a tironcino or training period.
In most cases you will also be required to speak good – if not fluent - Italian, so consider taking a language course, first in your own country before the move to cover the basics, then another one once you have unpacked your belongings. It is never too early to begin getting to grips with Italian. And with a wide range of courses you are sure to find one matching your requirements.
Location
Another factor to consider is location: if you have a choice, then think carefully where you want to be. Milan, Rome, Florence , and Bologna all have large expatriate populations and offer unlimited opportunities for work, study, and leisure. This means that if you have vocational qualifications you can directly target this community. After all, there is always a need for doctors, dentists, and health practitioners to deal with native English speakers. But here you need to weigh the cons of living in a big city. I worked in Milan for 18 months before I realized that I would rather give up my high-profile job than continue to live in a city where smog is much higher than EU regulations and where standing groin-to-groin with a sconosciuto, or stranger, on my ride into work every morning on the metro was too much to bear.
If you decide to live in the countryside, job opportunities are much harder to find. So if this is the case you need to reinvent yourself and use your initiative to land yourself the job you really want.
Networking
Instead of viewing the move as the end of one career and the start of another, why not look at the Big Picture and see it as a continuous line? Remember that truly successful people are passionate about their work, so try to find a way to combine those marketing skills with your love of Chianti, or your writing skills with a company looking to expand abroad. If you can afford to do so financially, also consider working for little or no financial compensation initially. It could be the price to pay for meeting new people who undoubtedly will open new doors for you.
Of course, this is what Italians do best. Cold letters to potential employers rarely work in Italy because networking is the Italians’ preferred method of finding a job. Here, it is firmly who you know rather than what you know that will secure you the contract you have been hankering after. And as much as nepotism may not be your thing, it’s a very real fact of life that even if you are the most suitable candidate, you may be pipped to the post at the last minute by the managing director’s cousin’s son who has just graduated from University and needs a job.
There are lots of professional networking organizations in Italy. These include www.ecademy.com, an international social networking organization that has offline groups in Bari, Cagliari, Como, Florence, Milan, Rome, and Salerno. The Professional Women’s Association in Milan, the Benvenuto Club of Milan, and the American Women’s Association of Rome are other valuable associations that double up as welcoming committees when you first arrive. My organization, www.weaveaweb.it, connects professional women in Sardinia with an e-newsletter which has subscribers throughout Italy (and beyond). Turning up at networking events religiously gets your face known. And once your face becomes familiar, people start to trust you and want to do business with you. I am a member of www.ecademy.com, www.linkedin.com, www.talentedwomen.com, and, of course, www.weaveaweb.it. All four have brought me winning business opportunities.
Networking for Jobs
Networking has a double function: you will find English speakers willing to help you settle in your new town and you can find out about new job opportunities:
The Benvenuto Club of Milan: www.benvenutomilano.net,
The Professional Women’s Association: www.pwa-milan.org,
The American Chamber of Commerce in Italy: www.amcham.it,
The American Women's Association of Rome: www.awar.org,
Ecademy Italia: www.ecademy.it,
Weaveaweb, social networking for professional women in Sardinia, launching end of 2004 in Italy; www.weaveaweb.it
Teaching English
One of the most portable careers is English teaching, since nearly every Italian would love to be able to speak English well. However, don’t assume that just because you are a native speaker you are qualified to teach the language. Although there are some schools that will take you on without any qualifications, the pay and conditions are often extremely poor. Investing money and a month of your time in gaining either a CELTA or Trinity certificate in TEFL will pay dividends later and will give you credibility with the serious language schools.
Had anyone told me five years ago that I would end up sidelining my journalism career to become an English teacher I would not have believe them. Yet now, when I’am not bashing out articles on deadline, networking or simply enjoying the quality of life in Sardinia, I can be found prancing around the classroom, playing preposition basketball or judging karaoke contests. What was meant to be a short-term bridge-the-gap job has turned into the long-term it-gets-me-out-of-bed-with-a-smile-on-my-face job. What more can you ask than that?
Job Sites in Italy
The most popular job sites in Italy. They include vacancies for a wide range of sectors and feature career articles.
www.assioma.org
www.bestjob.it
www.cambiolavoro.com
www.career-plus.com
www.cliccalavoro.it
www.easyjob.it
www.europa.eu.int/eures/index.jsp
www.intoitaly.it
www.jobpilot.it
www.kangaroo.it
www.lavoroinrete.it
www.stepstone.it
Contracts in Italy
There are several contracts available for employees in Italy. Check carefully which one your employer offers you:
Contratto a tempo indeterminato (permanent contract). These contracts are like gold. You are fully protected under Italian law.
Contratto a tempo determinato (fixed-term contract). The contract may not renewed, but you retain your benefits.
Contratto a progetto (working for a project). The contract can be renewed. Your employer is not entitled to provide sick, maternity, or holiday pay.
Job Sharing. Your contract is shared with another person. You have more flexibility.
Job on Call. You are paid a retainer fee during the period in which you don’t work. When you are called to work, you receive full wages.
Staff Leasing. Companies that do not need their staff at all times may hire them out to other companies. If this happens to you, you effectively become an employee in the new company.
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