speranza

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum as of today! Just looking for some honest advice from people who have been through the experience. I'm a married father of 2 girls aged 5 & 4 and we live in Dublin. I have worked in the public sector here for 12 years and my wife is a secretary. I have been studying Italian in the Italian institute here and I am up to level 3 at Intermediate level. My wife has no Italian but I am just about to enrol my two little one's in an Italian non-native speaker course here in Dublin to see how they get on. Now, finally getting to my point. We were hoping to move to Italy with our kids for at least a year in June of 2013. We have no mortgage in Dublin and are bill free other than our rent from the local council. Because we rent from the local council our home is also secure once we continue to pay the rent, which isn't too much of a burden. We have significant saving to rent a property and live in Italy for at least a year. Our aim was not to go gung-ho but to rent and see how we get on. If I was able to get a job and it all worked out great if not, and we needed to come back after a year that would be fine also as we would have a home. I know from previous posts that finding work is extremely difficult at the moment, everywhere really not just in Italy but I was hoping that with the language that would be a help. If nothing else we are hoping that it will be an experience for our children and us of course! We spent a month in a place outside Venice last year and the kids adapted well. We have also spent time in Rome. Our hope was to move to either Abruzzo or Apuglia. For some reason I am drawn to Lecce, no specific reason and we have never been. We plan to go out and stay for a few weeks this September in one of these two places. I suppose our main concerns are schooling for our children, how they will settle in and which area is best, job prospects, and quality of life in the area. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sue

Hi and welcome to BE,

I see you have found your way to our Italy forum and I'm sure you will pick up lots of tips there, everyone is great at sharing info.

Anyway I hope you enjoy being part of our little community and please give me a shout if you get stuck on anything.

speranza

Hi Sue,

Many thanks for the welcome, it is much appreciated. Are you in Italy yourself?

Rosemary

Hello and a big welcome to BE.

Excellent information can be found in the BE Wiki, not forgetting the Living and Moving Abroad forum that will help you, another set of great help is the permanent threads at the TOP of each forum, they are very pertinent to that particular forum and makes sensible reading.

Moderators deal with any problems that arise such as inappropriate posts, spammers etc, you will find their names at the bottom right hand side of each forum's index in bold font.

Please contact me if I can give you any further help.

Rosemary

dreadsoc

Hi Speranza

Welcome to BE.
Good to see you are finding your feet in our Italian forum where you can chat with plenty of expats who are already living and working in Italy. Those folks are the ideal people to offer advice and information about moving to Italy and living in the areas you are interested in.
It is always a good idea to try out a place before making the big move when possible, so that is a good idea on your part.

I wish you all the very best with your plans

Dread - x

speranza

I must say I am overwhelmed by the goodwill and support shown by people on this forum. Feels like a real community. Thank you all so much. I hope to be able to contribute so kindly myself.

christmasoompa

Wow, what an adventure for you all as a family. Sounds fabulous, and Italy is such a beautiful country.

Good luck with it and welcome to BE.