# I want to move to Greece



## Diotima444 (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi All !
I am new to this forum. 

Hope you are having a great week so far.

I will be graduating from a uni in June and I would love to move to Greece and find a job (legal) there. After checking google for jobs, it seems like my options are rather limited. I would love to teach English there or be a business partner to someone ... 

I don't speak Greek  ..

Any advice ?

Thanks guys/gals!


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

one major piece of advie is to LEARN GREEK....without it you wont have muh of a chance of finding a job........even with Greek in this economical climate it will be bloody difficult


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## tpebop (Nov 2, 2009)

Hello We live in A village on Rhodes & are retired. In the past year a lot of British have returned to the UK. They have been unable to find long lasting work here.
That was good advice from xenos. You must be fluent in Greek


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

tpebop said:


> Hello We live in A village on Rhodes & are retired. In the past year a lot of British have returned to the UK. They have been unable to find long lasting work here.
> That was good advice from xenos. You must be fluent in Greek


.......

Trebop, we AGREE on something!!! I must be getting old!


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Read and follow the Greek law that applies to your situation. ΦΕΚ 212/2005 #3386.
http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/p...IuR5ONx6WQQBheVTPaBfRs8y7W086C_AHDuuZqKvVkq-f

If that link doesn't work, search by date (August 23, 2005), Τεύχος Α at ????????? ?.?.?.


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## Sarahandkostas (May 5, 2009)

Hello Diotima444,

I have been living in Athens for 18 months now with my Greek fiancée. I graduated in 2008 and gained work experience in my field before I moved here. I also studied Greek for 2 years before moving, which has been a big help. But even with all this, it has still been very tough going over the past months. 

I found a job before I moved, but after less than a year the position/employer didn't turn out to be what I had expected. I now know that it's quite the norm to be promised something here in Greece and it not turn out the way you want. Work conditions aren't always the best and you have to be aware that employers may take advantage of your situation being foreign and not knowing Greek law etc... Of course there are always exceptions, and this isn't a rule. There are many reputable companies and there's always many international companies based in Athens - but these sometimes prefer people who are multi-lingual. 

As the teaching goes, there are many English schools here - called Frontistiria in Greek. However, they are often run by business people not interested in the quality of teaching but just about making money. The situation used to be that these schools would give people from English speaking countries a job without any teaching experience. But now, more and more ask for a teaching qualification and experience. The ones who don't, you have to wonder about their quality of school. I do know that also it can be harder for an American to find a teaching role, most schools favor British people. (Which is unfair, I know) I'm not an expert on the American side of life here, and maybe someone in the forum would elaborate on this point.


BUT!!! After all this, there are many positives to living in Greece it's not always a smooth ride, you just have to be prepared to work hard. Knowing Greek will definitely help. After 18 months I have finally settled in my career and life here in Greece. 

Have you spent any long periods in Greece? I would suggest, if you're able, come over to Greece for a while, you could go to a Greek language school for a term, improve your Greek and see if living in Greece is really for you.

I'm sorry if this is rather negative in some parts, but it's best to be realistic about what you're getting into


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## expat914 (Oct 9, 2009)

It's difficult for an American to come to Greece and find a job. We are not EU citizens and there is more paperwork. Many employers don't want to deal with this. If you want to teach English, you need experience and a certification. You don't need to speak Greek, but educating yourself on the basics will help.


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