working in greece

Hi Debra,

I cannot speak from exhaustive experience I have only been here 4 months myself, and we came on a wing and a prayer. I am fortunate my partner is of Greek nationality, I think without prior Greek lesson's ahead of embarking on such a move would be shoveling you know what uphill. I had one year of lesson's and I losely manage out there in the wild by myself, I consider my miming skills, combined with few Greek words get's me through, along with a good laugh.

Your accommodation costs can be as broad as your imagination, depending on area and what you consider cheap, just jump on a few local search engines for rental properties.

I think your potential downfall will be bureaucracy,  lack of knowledge on the Greek language, I would not come expecting to find work, unless you where thinking of buying your own business. I strongly suspect nepotism is high on the agenda, from what I have observed.

If you do have many acquaintances or access to a data base of properties held by your own people living in England, such as holiday homes, and other accommodation, you may be able to set up a business overseeing the management, maintenance and letting of the properties. You could be their eyes and ears on terra firma, I believe sourcing an income in Greece which is largely reliant on a stronger currency other than the Euro might be your only hope among otherwise very slim pickings.

All the best in your decisions.

Nadine

Hello Debra.

We live in Greece.
We expand an online travel business.
Maybe that will help you with your husband.
My email is *****************
You can connect with me.

Thanks

Greece has extremely high unemployment. The economy is in tatters. Jobs outside of the tourist industry or very specialized sectors such as programming or other highly skilled work are naturally going to be taken first by Greek speakers. Although standard European laws cover employment here, the tourist industry is notorious for poor and late wage payment, ridiculously long hours and poor conditions for workers. In theory, workers should pay tax and insurance, but many seasonal employers, particularly of foreign workers, attempt to circumvent this, more so in remoter resort areas.

I live and work in Corfu legally and am fortunate in having a good employer, but my job is in a fairly specialized area. Every year, I see seasonal workers cut off at the end of summer, often with a month or two's arrears in wages.

I am not saying that all Greek seasonal employers are less than compliant with tax and employment regulations, but a significant number are. My advice would be to research carefully before making a leap into the comparative  unknown. People can and do succeed in relocating, but it gets harder every year.