As with any country, there are certain job roles that are more in-demand than others, so this list is the perfect place to start if you’re looking for jobs in Italy for expats.
If you’re thinking of moving to Italy long term, you’re going to need some kind of employment. Unless you’re entering the country on a student, spousal, or retirement visa, you’re going to need sponsorship from a company in Italy in order to stay and work in the country.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but given how precarious the Italian job market is, these careers are probably your best bet for gaining that all-important temporary resident visa!
Let’s dive in and find out more.
Feeling overwhelmed with your job search, creating different resumes, and keeping your LinkedIn profile up-to-date? Simplify and get it all done in one place with for FREE with Teal HQ.
Teal HQ offers an AI Resume Builder designed for the modern job search and a LinkedIn Profile Review tool to optimize your profile, helping you enhance your resume, track your job search across different sites, and land a job you love.
1. Healthcare
As with a lot of countries, doctors and nurses are always in high demand. Although it’s pretty unclear what paperwork you need to convert your practicing certification, it’s been reported that Italy is in need of plenty more healthcare professionals.
If this is you, you should be able to go through your professional channels or check out healthcare-specific expat forums to find out what you need to do to be able to practice in Italy.
It’s likely to be EU-regulated due to the freedom of movement, so this may be a good place to start.
2. Physiotherapists
Similarly, to doctors and nurses, other healthcare professionals such as physiotherapists are also in high demand.
As Italy has an aging population – with some of the oldest towns and cities in the world – movement specialists are definitely necessary.
Again, you’ll need to check the red tape around accreditation and licenses to practice in Europe, but once you’ve sorted that, there are plenty of jobs throughout Italy for physios and similar musculoskeletal practitioners.
3. Sales
With the global marketplace meaning your customers can and do come from anywhere, the ability to have a multilingual, multinational sales team is huge. Italy is no exception to this.
If you have experience working in sales or have a way with words, you could find yourself a job in most Italian cities.
Whether that’s working in an office or working remotely from home, there are plenty of options, and you leverage your knowledge of a key market if you’re coming from overseas.
New geographical regions and languages mean new opportunities for customers, so that’s a big selling point that you can use to get a job as an expat in Italy.
In order to make your resume/CV more competitive, I definitely recommend earning a few certifications on Coursera. For sales, this course is great and comes with an official certification that you can include when applying.
I‘ve lived abroad for many years and love helping others find work abroad and figure out their “Move Abroad Plan.” Check out my class below to get you started ASAP!
4. IT / Tech Jobs
Where would we be without our IT heroes? Nowadays nothing in business can get done without tech, so if you know your way around a computer, you’re going to be in demand.
From coders to developers to consultants and technicians, you’re probably in the most well-placed industry in the world.
With experience or a degree in computing, you can find job openings in pretty much any industry – after all, everyone needs some tech assistance from time to time. So, whether you want to work freelance as a consultant, in a small indie startup, or for a big corp, you’ll find plenty of opportunities across Italy.
If doing anything tech-related sounds vague and scary to you, that’s where I come in! I pivoted into tech from a non-tech background, here’s how you can, too.
Here are a few courses I would recommend taking to prepare for a job in tech (I used courses from Coursera to beef up my CV when I applied for my tech job!):
5. Digital Marketing
Know your CTAs from your CMOs and SEOs? Then you’ll be able to find a home in digital marketing as an expat in Italy.
Although traditional marketing in the form of print media and events still exist, digital marketing is the way that we learn about new products and services, and ultimately how we make the majority of our purchasing decisions.
Pretty much every company will have a marketing department at this point. Even small bakeries and cafes have a social media presence and website to keep them on the map and searchable. So, you can have your pick of industries and styles of business.
If you have a ton of experience, you might also be able to work as a marketing consultant, setting your own day rates for audits. There are a lot of options to consider with digital marketing.
Here are a few courses I would recommend for digital marketing that will make your resume stand out:
6. Tourism
Possibly Italy’s main source of income as a country is tourism. Millions of people flock to the country, so if you have experience working in tourism as a tour guide, logistics for tour companies, customer service, or even putting on tourism-driving events, you’re in luck with a move to Italy.
As the majority of Italy’s tourists come from outside of the country, having an outsider’s perspective of how the rest of the world sees Italy can really help.
Chances are before you became an expat in Italy, you were a tourist a fair few times! Use that experience to help boost your application. Additional languages are also a huge plus in the tourism market.
Interested in traveling or living around Italy for FREE? Trusted Housesitters is a site where you can stay at someone’s house while they are away in exchange for watching their house or sometimes their pet.
It’s a great way to travel the world for free!
7. Hospitality
Know your way around a bar, cafe, hotel, or restaurant? Maybe your dream is to open up a cafe or B&B in the rural Italian countryside. Hospitality goes hand in hand with Italy’s huge tourism industry.
Although there are definitely distinct peak and off-peak seasons, you’re likely to find a good flow of tourists all year round.
If you have experience in the hospitality industry whether it’s as a chef, a manager, a waiter, a cleaner, or customer service, you’re sure to find a vacancy in Italy.
Of course, this may be easier to do in the major cities where tourism is higher, but there is definitely a need for expats who want to live out in the rural countryside and help run the hospitality industry out in the rolling hills and vineyards.
Sounds idyllic, right?
I recommend taking this course on Hotel Management to add to your CV.
8. Teaching English
Despite being smack in the middle of Europe, a continent with a high bi or trilingual population, many Italians do not speak Italian. Many prefer to learn Spanish, German, or French, depending on the region they’re from.
As such, there’s still a high demand for native English speakers to teach the language to locals and refugees that have come across to Italy.
If you’re a native English speaker, you may not even necessarily need experience if you have a degree. That being said, if you have a language teaching qualification such as TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA, you have a much better chance of securing a job.
I recommend taking this course to get your certificate and make your resume more competitive. You might even get a better offer because of it!
Obviously, as with any teaching job, there is a season to apply for roles for a September semester (term) start, however, if you’re looking to work in a language school or as a tutor, you can find vacancies pretty much all year round.
As an added benefit, many schools will help you find accommodation, if not include it as part of your relocation package.
During the interview process, it’s always worth asking, especially if you’re in a smaller town with fewer rental options or in an expensive area that might be out of your reach without some local know-how.
9. Seasonal Work
Of course, if you don’t know what you want to do yet and want the freedom to move around the country, why not try picking up some seasonal work?
With the south of the country experiencing more tourism in the summer, and the mountainous north having its own distinct ski season, you can flit between the two and earn money that way.
Often, seasonal work will come with perks like accommodation or food included, especially if you’re doing resort-based work.
Similarly, agriculture is a huge industry in Italy and there are very specific harvesting, planting, and production seasons for each crop or style of farm. You can try your hand at harvesting grapes for wine production or picking olives for the delicious, luxury Italian olive oil.
You know that you’re going to eat and drink well if you take up one of these hardy seasonal jobs as an expat in Italy.
3 Essential Tips for Finding Jobs in Italy as an Expat
Finding work in Italy can be tricky but here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Hit Up the Expat Forums for Your Chosen Area
These places are goldmines and you can get real advice from people who’ve been where you are now. You never know, they might have a job vacancy at their place of work, or know the businesses in town who are willing to sponsor your visa.
2. Sign Up for Alerts on Job Sites like LinkedIn Jobs
Put in your criteria or industry and see what comes up near you. Are you more likely to work in an office or on a remote basis? Are there tons of opportunities or do you need to wait for a specific season to apply?
These are all going to inform you when you’re going to be able to move and how far from the main business districts you’re going to be able to live.
3. Use Glassdoor to Find Out the Pay Scales
Unfortunately, many job adverts still have “competitive” in their salary section, so you need to know what your role is worth in Italy. It might be much higher or much lower than you’re on at the moment depending on the cost of living in the region you’ve chosen.
Do your homework so that you don’t end up overextending your budget.
Related Posts:
- Can I Find English-Speaking Jobs Abroad with Accommodation?
- English Teaching Jobs in Government Programs Abroad
- The New Italy Digital Nomad Visa Application Process
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.