# What's it like to live in Greece now?



## Tinabina (Jun 22, 2016)

Hello! I am considering moving back to Greece and am wondering what it's like living in Athens due to the crisis. I lived here in 2002 and was a writer in an ESL publishing company. I am a native English speaker with dual us/Greek citizenship so I can get a Greek passport. My Greek is conversational though I can read and write ok. I'm visiting Athens now, and things don't seem that different from before, but of course I don't live here now. How is it getting jobs as a foreigner? How is it living here now? I noticed the English newspaper is discontinued. Any other resources for foreigners? Thanks in advance!!


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## A.Non (Jun 22, 2016)

Painful!


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## Tinabina (Jun 22, 2016)

Can you elaborate please?


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

Tinabina said:


> Can you elaborate please?


Jobs are non existant so unless you have money behind you coming here is a definate NO,your health care,only private if you are not paying into the state care and thats horrendous anyway


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## flatfoot (Jul 8, 2016)

concertina said:


> Jobs are non existant so unless you have money behind you coming here is a definate NO,your health care,only private if you are not paying into the state care and thats horrendous anyway


Dunno about Athens but my Kretan friends here are being taxed to revolution by the E(f*)U.

* - "f" = financial . . .


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## Rexall (May 12, 2014)

Tinabina said:


> Hello! I am considering moving back to Greece and am wondering what it's like living in Athens due to the crisis. I lived here in 2002 and was a writer in an ESL publishing company. I am a native English speaker with dual us/Greek citizenship so I can get a Greek passport. My Greek is conversational though I can read and write ok. I'm visiting Athens now, and things don't seem that different from before, but of course I don't live here now. How is it getting jobs as a foreigner? How is it living here now? I noticed the English newspaper is discontinued. Any other resources for foreigners? Thanks in advance!!


Not my website, but check out Living in Greece
If you still have to work, getting a job happens primarily via *contacts* -- not your CV or education.
Good luck.


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## Greeman (Aug 21, 2016)

Hi, not yet received an answer to my question on the thinking of a move so I will cheat and try here.

Thinking of moving to Kos probably first Samos second. Have lived in Turkey for 6 years and feel need for a change, aware there is no utopia.....any info on long term rentals in either, any advice re health ins. We have no intentions of working by the way.


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## coby (Sep 21, 2016)

Hi again,

The regular health insurance is called: IKA.

What I heard the medical help situation is not too bad. I have no personal experience, as I did not have any problems during my stay in Greece. 
I used to work as a nurse in Holland; some stories I heard from neighbours on Corfu, about contacts with doctors, I found quite trust-inspiring.
I also heard that you get quicker treatment and better 'service' when you have a private insurance, understandable as the doctors don't get paid much for their regular patients.


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## Greeman (Aug 21, 2016)

Thanks again Coby, we have private ins in Turkey but I am still looking around for Greek info but I have to say I am disappointed so far with this forum and may not return.


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## sheilag (Feb 19, 2016)

Hi i am also british expat,lived in Turkey for 10yrs. Came to live in the Peloponese 2yr ago,best move my husband and i ever made. We are retirees,have IKA health ins,we both have heart problems so we are familiar with the system and like Turkey the best doctors wev'e ever had.


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## Greeman (Aug 21, 2016)

Cheers, health ins could be a stumbling block not knowing what effect Brexit will have re E111 cards etc, sorry to sound ignorant but could you explain IKA ins, is it a Greek one or private?

Also I need to know how much but that in itself sounds nosy! As I said on another thread we pay £800 per year for the 2 of us and cannot see us getting a price like that elsewhere. 

It could mean the difference between a possible move or staying put for now. Feel free to pm me if you want....also from Scotland by the way


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## sheilag (Feb 19, 2016)

Hi we are residents of Greece. IKA health ins is like UK NHS its free. We pay anything from 5euro to 30euro to see a doctor,if we need blood tests done,its free. Any specialists treatment its very cheap,IE my husband had cyst removed from his eye,in a clinic,fortunately we haven't been hospitalised so can't help you there. We don't use E111 when we go back to UK on holiday,if we need medication or have to see a doc or hosp,we only need to show our letter from DWP with our name and Greek address. Don't know how or if Brexit will make any diffo to all this. We find it a lot cheaper to live here than in UK.


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## Greeman (Aug 21, 2016)

Many thanks for the info.


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