Pegstaff

Hi everyone!

I'm currently living and working in London and I should be moving to Bergamo in around September with my girlfriend who is a native of the area and it's a big step for me. Never been on a plane and I'm very slowly starting to grasp the language.

I'm going to be taking a TEFL course in a couple of months so that I can hopefully teach some English and get some work as a mother tongue. We know someone who can suggest some schools and whatnot so hopefully it shouldn't be too hard even though I know that the job market is shaky at best at the moment. And just in case the work transition isn't as smooth as I would hope, I'm saving money to keep me going for a little while at first.

I was just going to ask how people found it with the initial moving to Italy part. I don't have much in the form of possessions (mainly clothes, a few books and DVDs) so I would assume that shouldn't be much of a problem in terms of getting them there. I've looked at a variety of websites concerning living in Italy for extended periods of time and it says that I don't need a visa. Is this true? I also have accommodation sorted as my girlfriend's parents own a couple apartments.

Any general advice would be brilliant and I'd really appreciate it if someone could explain the whole visa thing.

Thanks guys!

Lorna at Vicenza

Hello and welcome.
It would help us if you tell us what citizenship you have now.
If you're British then you don't need any kind of visa at all.

Garbatellamike

A warm welcome from me too. As Lorna says if you are a Brit (or other EU) Citizen then visa is no issue at all. As your GF is Italian she should be able to help you through the registration process with the local commune and you may want to consider getting your Codice Fiscali (tax number) before you come via Italian Consulate website - it is the key thing you need when you arrive to enter "la burocrazia italiana".

I think you are wise to save some pennies for the transition period and that studying TEFL is also a smart move; that is what my OH is doing now as she is coming out to Rome in summer. Quite a few of "the regulars" on this forum started out that way too before moving onto greater things.

Keep working on the language as that will help your transition too.

Finally, you are right about jobs/economy being tight but persistent people seem to find work - so go for it!

Any questions post them here and someone will likely know the answer - also I recommend you have a read through earlier threads as many questions have been asked and answered before!

very best of luck

homeandgardens

Hi Pegstaff,

Life here is quite expensive compared to the rest of Italy, but you can live comfortably if you have a regular job. I hear from others that there are opportunities in teaching english at various private and public schools, but there are pro and cons. Public school work is more regular, but very demanding because of bureaucracy and kids attitude, especially younger students. Private schools pay less. So it is worth thinking of private one2one lessons too, as there is quite a lot of demand for that. Bergamo is a modern industrial province with good services and lots of events. Well connected for the airport which brings 4 million tourists every year (ranked 4th?) so there will be more opportunities in the tourism and hotel business. Another possibility is to commute to Milan. About 40min train, but quite stressful. Kind of commuting in London, if you know what I mean... Milan is a huge market of course.
Having said that prepare for loads of paperwork, stupid laws, unfair taxing system, which for me equals to more costs and time waisted.
Good luck!

duffer

If you have an active social life in London then be prepared for Italy. There are good aspects and some very good aspects about Italy but some things are so infuriatingly bad that it beggars belief. Infuriating because you know how things should work and how they do work better in the UK.

You're moving from a huge city to a small one and I presume you've not been to Italy before? Unless perhaps you drove? I guess you're young and in love and have plenty of time ahead of you to make mistakes and gain experience so go for it.

If on the other hand you're in your 30s or older or your GF is butters, DON'T DO IT!!! Change girlfriend.

Isakat

Are you talking from your experience Duffer?

Scozzese

I used to live in Bergamo, and taught at the University which paid well considering the hours of teaching and also got me in the back door to teaching at the Accademia delle Belle Arte and the Chamber of Commerce - the latter paid very well indeed! As you will be going in September just in time for Uni starting I would suggest if you are a graduate that you speak to your university and see if they can ut you in contact with Bergamo uni to try and get a contract as a "lettore".

I am assuming as have others that you are a British citizen, if this is true you definitely do NOT need a visa of any kind.

Bergamo is very nice, especially the Città Alta... but it will seem veeerrrrrry quiet to you after London. Also as someone else has said, be prepared to get frustrated with the apalling way that Italy is run. It is a beautiful place but it is managed shockingly badly... Bergamo is probably one of the easier places I have lived in!

You might hear people say that in that area people "don't like foreigners", but in Bergamo itself I never once heard anyone say a word about me being foreign and found most people to be very nice. In the small towns nearby I got some nasty comments, but nothing threatening.

Good luck with the move - hope you like Bergamo!

homeandgardens

Wow, you had a good job! Just passed by the Accademia Carrara musuem today. Had a chat with an employee as I worked for them for a short time several years ago. The whole complex is closed now for restoration and the chap there told me of a lot of damages in the actual construction work on accademia's garden and side buildings.

Scozzese

Aw man that's a shame It was a great job, sometimes I kick myself for leaving but OH is from Salerno and would never move up North - he has his own business down here.

Pegstaff

This is all great. I'd like to thank everyone for all of this information and putting me at ease somewhat. It's nice to hear that those of you who have been to/lived in Bergamo have had good experiences.

I've heard about the bureaucratic machine that is Italy and I think I should be able to handle it. I'll stay forever vigilant though...

Sancho

Hi Pegstaff,

I agree with everything other people have said - i.e. good luck, you sound like the right sort of person, welcome, etc...

A couple of things that no-one's mentioned

1. I'm sure the best thing for you workwise would be to teach in a school, but if you're ever interested in teaching students privately, at home, I've just come across this site, which looks as if it may be useful - http://www.firsttutors.com/italia/tutor-search.php

2. If your books are a bit heavy for your luggage on the aeroplane, try sending them on ahead, or asking someone to send them on after you've arrived. As long as you keep the weight of each individual parcel below 2 kilos, it'll travel as a "small packet", which is much cheaper and faster than a parcel and doesn't need any customs declaration.

estornel

Hi everyone. Just got done reading the thread and wanted to know if anyone has a contact in Bergamo for a real estate agent? We too are moving there in three weeks and have only been able to see properties on line. Every time we try to contact an agent they usually are uncooperative and apparently none of them know English. Our Italian is limited so we've had quite a difficult time connecting with any one in Bergamo that could help us.
Thanks in advance.
Alex and Stacey

homeandgardens

Hi Alex and Stacy,

I live in Bergamo and I am an english speaking dual Italian/RIBA registered architect, so might be able to help you. Personally I can't recommend a good agent, but my mom has good and direct experience of dealing with local agencies, so I might ask her which one are best or al least serious.
The best is to scan the weekend issue of 'l'inserto' which comes with the local news paper 'L'eco di Bergamo' (the online version is a little poor: http://inserto.ecodibergamo.it/), but there are loads of listings on the printed version.
You can contact me with a direct message if you need to.
All the best for your search.

H&G

estornel

Thank you H&G. We will definitely check out the online version of the paper. We really appreciate your help.
Cheers!
Alex and Stacey

yoshers

Anyone still there in Bergamo? I'm currently looking for apartments. American who is living in Barcelona and making the move over there...