It’s the Mamma Mia fantasy to get paid to move to Greece, right? But how much of that dream can be rooted in reality? Well, there are plenty of ways that you can get paid to move to Greece, depending on the area and your experience.
From relocation programs to work visas with hefty compensation packages to specialist job offers that include accommodation, there are a lot of different methods for making your Greek dream a reality. Let’s dive in and find out more.
The Antikythera Relocation Program
One of the most famous ways to get paid to move to Greece is the Antikythera Relocation Program. This small island has been rumored to pay you €500 per month for the first three years you live there, as well as a house and a plot of land.
This is a super rural island, which is relatively off-grid, so definitely not for everyone. However, the island is looking to encourage families and people with experience in agriculture, fishing, and hospitality to help improve the economy of the island.
There are roughly only 40 people living on Antikythera in high season, and the closest island is Kythera, a 2-3 hour ferry ride away. It’s on Kythera that you’ll find the nearest hospital and further ferry connections.
While this is the clearest form of “getting paid to move to Greece”, it’s a remote option that requires a lot of commitment to making it work.
In order to apply, you can contact the city through their website here. It’s unclear if this path is currently open or not.
Visas for Getting Paid to Move to Greece
Another way you can get paid to move to Greece is by getting a job offer with a relocation package or working while you’re there. This is obviously less lucrative than literally being given a house and a monthly stipend, but it does give you more flexibility over location and working situation.
Schengen Visa
Technically, you can work on the Schengen Visa, which is the visa you get by just entering the Schengen area (which includes most of Europe). I need to caveat that with the fact that this is the official Schengen Visa and not the visa-less entry for Schengen countries. Confusingly, those are two different things.
On a Schengen Visa, you can visit any Schengen country for 90 days out of a 180-day period, but the difference is that you can do it for any of the following reasons, rather than just tourism:
- Tourism,
- Business,
- Visiting Family or Friends,
- Cultural and Educational,
- Sports,
- Medical reasons,
- Studies,
- Airport transit,
- Seafaring, and Other.
You can apply for this as far as six months out, and as last-minute as 15 days before. You need to do this at your local consulate or embassy.
So, if you’re doing short-term or seasonal work, a secondment overseas, or study abroad semesters, you can likely do it through a short-term Schengen Visa.
Digital Nomad Visa
As with many countries after COVID, Greece sought to create a specific digital nomad visa. You need to be from outside the EU and earn €3,500 per month from businesses outside of Greece. You also need proof of income and accommodation (at least a six-month lease) in Greece.
The digital nomad visa lasts for up to a year and can be extended, so it’s a great way to get paid to move to Greece.
The minimum income requirement works out to just under $50,000 per year, so you can work for a wide range of remote roles and freelance disciplines, especially if you’re getting paid by US companies.
You’ll need to find the nearest Greek consulate to you, here’s a link to all the US Greek embassies. From there, you can book an appointment with that embassy and show up on the day of with all of the required documents to apply for the digital nomad visa.
Long-Term D Visas
If you want to spend over 90 days out of a 180-day period in Greece, you’re going to need a Long-Term D Visa. This form of visa has a range of uses and typically lasts for up to a year.
Usually, you can reapply to extend your stay in Greece until such a point as you can apply for permanent residency.
The types of Long-Term D Visas in Greece are:
- Executives and representatives for Undertakings Established in Greece
- Intra-corporate transfers
- Members of artistic groups
- Business people who will be providing contracted services in Greece
- Tour leaders
- Digital nomads
- Financially independent individuals
- University studies (bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral studies)
- Voluntary work
- Specific programmes for students
As you can see, this covers a huge range of reasons for being in Greece. You’ll apply for the Long-Term D Visa, or National Visa, as it’s otherwise known, and then report to your local Greek Diplomatic Mission or Consular Post to be registered, interviewed, and given your appropriate residency permit.
If you’re coming across to study, as a tour leader, conducting voluntary work, or as part of a corporate transfer or an overseas mission, you may be able to negotiate accommodation as part of your move.
Many companies will have teams that help with relocation from visa processing to accommodation to flight assistance in some cases. Make sure you ask during any interviews.
More Ways to Get Paid to Move to Greece
While you can move to Greece in a range of ways, there are some roles that are more popular than others. The reason why these are so popular is that they feasibly mean that you get paid to move to Greece.
Most, if not all, of these roles have companies attached that will support with accommodation, visas, and flight packages, in some cases. This, in addition to a paying job, means it can be a lucrative compensation package.
Tour Guide
There is no getting away from the fact that Greece can be a very touristy place. As a result, there’s always a need for tour leaders in a variety of languages. If you have experience in tourism or you have a flair for the dramatic, you may be able to be a tour leader or tour guide.
You can find work either working for a set local company in a city, or with local excursions, or by joining an international brand like G Adventures, Intrepid Travel, and more.
If you opt for the latter, you may be leading multi-day tours around the local area. This means you’re on call for the duration of the trip, but you are also traveling around with the clients, seeing new places, and getting paid for it.
Seasonal Work
Given that Greece gets overwhelmingly busy in the summer months, there’s always a need for seasonal workers. Resorts across the mainland and Greek islands are in need of more team members, from activity leaders to kids club leaders to chefs and waiters.
Many of the resorts will help with local accommodation if they don’t have staff-specific lodging of their own. They’ll also assist with visas, and you’ll usually get on-shift meals from the hotels and canteens.
Of course, if you’re a sports instructor, such as windsurfing, paragliding, or rock climbing, you can find vacancies in Greece, as there are more active tours and vacations than ever.
You can also sometimes find seasonal work picking fruit and vegetables, as well as grapes, in the historic vineyards. You can usually do these in return for free accommodation on sites like Workaway, but a few of them pay on top of that as well.
Au Pair
One of the quintessential jobs that allows you to move overseas and get paid is the au pair. The European form of a nanny has one of the most comprehensive relocation packages out there.
The only downside is that the pay tends to be very low, like $800 per month. However, you don’t have any major outgoings while you’re there.
You usually live with the family you work for, get your meals, and sometimes have access to the family car. Depending on the agency you organize through, you can also have your flights paid for, which is a huge bonus.
You’ll normally have a couple of days off per week, in line with the family’s needs. A day may include looking after the kids, picking them up from school, helping with homework, doing grocery shopping, cleaning the house, and more.
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English Teacher
If there is an ultimate work abroad job, it has to be an English teacher. You can find language schools all over Greece, looking for English teachers. Depending on the individual school or hiring agency, you can also get accommodation, flights, and visas included in your remuneration package.
To get the better-paid roles with more perks, it helps to have teaching experience, a degree, or a certification like a CELTA, TEFL, or TESOL. Many schools also like it when you’re a “native English speaker”, as this can often be used as a marketing tactic to charge more.
Wages for English teachers in Greece usually run between €700 to €1,000 per month in a private language school. That’s for full-time, but you can usually supplement your income with private tutoring, which can earn you €10-20 per hour.
When you consider that the average cost of a one-bed apartment in a Greek city center is around €397 to €488 per month, the wage doesn’t seem quite so low.
Vanessa Wachtmeister is a travel tech professional and the creator of the wealth & wanderlust platform, Wander Onwards. Vanessa is originally from Los Angeles, California, she is a proud Chicana, and she has been living abroad for the last 9 years. Today, she helps people pursue financial and location independence through her ‘Move Abroad’ Master Class, financial literacy digital products, and career workshops.