Hi everyone,

I really hope you can help me!

I'm moving to Milan (from UK as EU passport holder) in February 2011 to live with my girlfriend who is an Italian resident currently living in Segrate. I'm learning Italian at the moment with private tuition and I need help in securing employment for when I land and start my new life there.

Any advice, contacts, companies or reassurance will be greatly received especially focussing on the issues English expats have had doing the same thing as me or having past experience of finding work as an english speaking expat, it would be great to pick your brains!!! Also interested to hear of experiences with italian recruitment agencies and how they react to finding work for English expats that are new to the language. I would also be nice to hear how people have adjusted to life in Italy by changing career paths to live there.

I'm degree educated and in the UK I'm currently employed as a Quantity Surveyor with 9 years experience in the Civil Engineering industry. I specialise in project cost control but can apply this skill to different situations as I'm very adaptable.

When I move to Milan ideally I'd like to do the same work, but I'm a realist and accept that before I'm good enough with the language this may not be possible.

I'm also not expecting to walk into a highly paid job just because I have the degree and the previous experience but I like to think this will, at least, increase my chances of employment in Milan. I'm also open to all good opportunities that are out there whatever the work may be. Especially if any of you living in Milan at the moment have, or know of any job vacancies that would be available for me.

I travel to Milan 1-2 times a month so any leads or interviews I can also easily meet in person or attend.

Any advice, or help offered would be great, February's soon coming and I can't wait!

Look forward to speaking to you soon!

Hi and welcome to the forum

Milan is a great place and probably the most cosmopolitan in Italy. Theres a huge expat community and lots to do.
I'm in Turin but I have friends in Milan and I know for example theres an online magazine called EasyMilano for expats.
For job hunting while you're based in the UK you could try the sites :
www.jobrapido.it
www.Monster.it
they'll give you an idea of whats around and what requirements are.
Hope you have some luck.
in the meantime keep visiting here as there is alot of useful information about living in Italy and surviving all the beaurocracy

Thanks Patty,

I've already registered with Monster, but haven't heard of www.jobrapido.it so I'll be sure to check that out.

Yeah the beaurocracy!.....always good to survive it! Learning more and more tips each day

I wish you all the luck. I moved to Italy 2 years ago and the only work I found for 2 years was as a gardener and building labourer. I was a Sales Manager in the UK

Unless you manage to learn the language finding a job is very difficult. There is also unfortunately high unemployment over here.

Despite applying for jobs over the internet and sending out loads of C.V In the end I found a Decent Job with an Italian company through a friend of my Italian wife.

If I can offer any advice from my experience it is
1. Despite how hard the language is keep trying to learn it.
2. Meet and talk to as many Italians that you can and let them know what you can do and what time of job you will accept.
3. In Italy you will need to hassel and chase the agencies often, or they won't do anything for you.
4. Get your CV translated into italian by an Italian don't use google translation or it will look like a 7 year old wrote it.

The very best of luck

Pete

Jobrapido is good in the sense that its not a job 'agency' but a job search engine. Its a young(ish) company I think about 4/5 yrs old. What they do is take you direct to the employers advert and no middlemen - so you can trawl through all the jobs and take your pick as to which you reply to.

try also infojobs.it & trovolavoro.it Finding a job is very tough, you'll need luck and resilience and you'll also have to forget UK salaries on the whole. try getting onto Linkedin as well, that can give you useful contacts. On your trips over you'll have to trawl around the employment agencies one by one, filling out the same documents...get your CV translated and learn italian ASAP.
Good luck!

Thanks for the responses, some useful info there, I'll be sure to follow up.

And god, some daunting stuff there too, the language classes are going well and I'm going to do my best to learn as much as I can before I land in Feb. Well I know it's not going to be easy but I'm determined to make this work out ~ fingers crossed.

Its also worth searching for jobs via UK websites where the language is not an issue. We live about forty minutes from Milan and a lot of short term expat families live here but the fathers' (and occasionally mothers') jobs are based in Milan. Off the top of my head some of the employers are Whirlpool, Carlsberg, Unilever, Interbrew, Agusta Westland.