# Moving to Rhodes from US-jobs and rentals



## Sarie (Apr 3, 2010)

Hello,

I am new to this forum but am looking forward to feedback on my dream of living and working in Greece for a year. I am a single 50 year old female who has worked as a fundraising and marketing professional for the past 20 years. I realize there are no nonprofits in Greece, although perhaps there are some NGO's in Rhodes that could use my expertise. However, I am considering getting a certificate for TESOL. I also have experience in the travel and resaurant industry.

My questions are as follows: 

-How easy is it to get a teaching job in Greece (I think I've decided on Rhodes in particular, but am open to other suggestions)?
-How much can I expect to pay for a rental. I will ultimately need something with a small yard as I have an Aussie Shepherd.
-Is it hard to find rentals that accept pets? Am I crazy to think I can bring her with me?
-What are the best website addresses for job searches and rentals.
-What is the best area of Rhodes to live in?

Thanks to all, I look forward to your feedback! I am open to any and all recommendations!


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Hi Sarie, and welcome to the forum!

I'll try to answer your questions. Background: I'm an American living and working legally in Greece; although I recently married my Greek husband, previously I was here with a residence and work permit unrelated to him, several times, so I'm familiar with the whole thing.

-How easy is it to get a teaching job in Greece (I think I've decided on Rhodes in particular, but am open to other suggestions)?

I assume you mean English language teaching. If you want to teach in a Greek public school (elementary or secondary), you must be an EU citizen. Otherwise, you are limited to private schools. Most English teachers in Greece who are not from the EU work for private schools and private tutoring operations called frontistiria. There are usually a lot of frontistiria in larger cities and towns, and none in small villages. It's much easier to get a job teaching at one if you can teach more than one subject or more than one language. Some places will be looking for people with a British accent, not an American accent, so that could be a problem for you. These places usually have very low pay, but luckily it's usually possible to live on a pretty low wage in Greece. For these kinds of jobs, you have to have a residence permit WITH work privileges, so that will affect what permit you apply for.

If you want to do private lessons, you can set your own rates, but you still have to report your income and pay taxes on it, and you still have to have a permit with work privileges, but it can be an option if you live in a place without frontistiria.

-How much can I expect to pay for a rental. I will ultimately need something with a small yard as I have an Aussie Shepherd.

I don't live in Rhodes and I know that there are some helpful folks on here that do, so they can help with that. On my island, we pay €240/month for a small studio apartment.

I'll leave the rest to the Rhodes people.

Just be aware that if you are not an EU citizen or a person of Greek descent or married to a Greek or anything of that nature, you are going to be embarking on the biggest headache of your life. I've done it so I can give you details, but if you look at other posts I've written on this forum you'll find my detailed explanation of the paperwork anyway.

Greece is strict about overstaying tourist visas, so don't come here to work for a year on a tourist visa (i.e., just your passport). Being an illegal alien in Greece is not fun!


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## Sarie (Apr 3, 2010)

*Information on teaching and living and working in Greece*

Thanks for the quick reply WKA. Yes, I was thinking that getting a certificate to teach English as a second language would increase my chances of getting a job in Greece. I h ad hear of the frontistirias, but didn't realize exactly what those were. Regarding visas I had also gathered that I can get a tourist visa for three months, but that past that I must have a work visa sponsored by a US or a Greek employer. I am very sensitive about the importance of working there legally and supporting the country through taxes etc, but I will keep on researching that, including looking back at your chain of communications.

I'm hoping to connect with someone on this site who actually lives in Rhodes, or perhaps Crete, that could give me some inside information about living and working there as a US citizen, and the possibility of having a dog there. So if you know of anyone, please forward on my message. I am also still curious about any NGO's that might operate out of these two islands. I might be able to approach them for a position considering my background in nonprofits in the States.

Looking forward to gathering more information. Thanks for your help! Sarie



wka said:


> Hi Sarie, and welcome to the forum!
> 
> I'll try to answer your questions. Background: I'm an American living and working legally in Greece; although I recently married my Greek husband, previously I was here with a residence and work permit unrelated to him, several times, so I'm familiar with the whole thing.
> 
> ...


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Ηi again,

To my knowledge, I'm the only member of this forum who is both an American citizen and legally living and working in Greece, so you may be stuck with me. But there are several EU citizens who are living and working in Rhodes, so they can definitely help with the Rhodes-specific stuff, however, luckily for them, they don't have to do ANY of the paperwork that we have to, because they have the right to live and work in Greece, which we do not.

You are misinformed about the visa situation, I'm afraid. You do not get a tourist visa for 3 months and then stay on a work visa thereafter. Your passport serves as a tourist visa for 3 months _provided you leave the Schengen Area including Greece at or before the conclusion of the 90 day period._ If you intend to stay longer than 90 days _*you must NOT enter on a tourist visa/passport alone.*_ This is a very important distinction. In other words, NO you cannot just come to Greece and apply for a work visa when you get here. 

What you have to do is apply for a Schengen visa before you leave the United States, which is also good for 3 months but is not the same as just showing up with your passport in Greece. Once you have this visa (which is a sticker in your passport), then you show up in Greece and start the application process for a one-year residence permit with work privileges. *Please note:* it can take the full year before that permit is issued, and during the time that you are waiting for the permit to be issued, you are not allowed to leave Greece. Sometimes they call an amnesty to allow those of us waiting for our permits to leave Greece _only in order to travel to our country where we are a citizen_ (United States) but sometimes they don't. If you leave the country before you receive your permit, you will not be allowed back in the country without starting over. I applied last summer and still haven't received mine, so effectively I am trapped in Greece and the United States, and cannot travel to other parts of the world. This may or may not be important to you but it's worth knowing. (Some people will travel within the Schengen Area anyway because they don't stamp passports at the borders.)

So you must understand that you have to start your application already from the USA. The Embassy will vet you and decide if you are eligible for the visa which allows you to apply for a permit once you are in Greece. The vetting process is somewhat arduous and involves FBI background check, medical check, personal interview (at the Embassy, some consulates do not - depends on which state you live in), proof of financial reserves, and so on. I've posted about all of this in detail before.

Then once you get here, you have to undergo medical evaluation, have your medical insurance documents translated, and fill out the application. Once you have filled out your application you are allowed to stay in Greece until your permit application is either approved or denied. If it's approved, you will be allowed to stay 12 months from the date that you applied for your permit. You have to make the application before the end of your first month of stay in Greece.


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Please also read this thread:

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/gr...ing-greece/13237-teaching-english-greece.html

especially the last post.


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## Sarie (Apr 3, 2010)

Wow. Ok, I get it, much more difficult than I thought. Guess I have more research to do on this and thought to give to it. Thanks so much, your information is invaluable! I'll let you know how things go!


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## pipelinos (Jun 13, 2010)

Sarie said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am new to this forum but am looking forward to feedback on my dream of living and working in Greece for a year. I am a single 50 year old female who has worked as a fundraising and marketing professional for the past 20 years. I realize there are no nonprofits in Greece, although perhaps there are some NGO's in Rhodes that could use my expertise. However, I am considering getting a certificate for TESOL. I also have experience in the travel and resaurant industry.
> 
> ...


Hello.I just read your post.I now live in Rhodes but think of moving to Thailand.I have my own house which i propably rent for a long time.It has a backyard and a small garden (plus two turtles) and it is 120 s.m with a kitchen one bathroom two living rooms and a bedroom.If i finally decide to relocate i will let you know.The house is inside Rhodes and the above buildings are shared with my parents who will be there if you need any help.I am not quite sure if i finally rent the place but judging from your post i will gladly rent the house to you if you wish so....Thank you


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## Sarie (Apr 3, 2010)

Thank you Pipelinos! I may be interested in your house. As I mentioned I am a 50 year old professional woman from the US-Colorado actually. I have a very sweet and well behaved Australian Shepherd named Sadie.

I am just in the midst of exploring the options of living there, and making sure I can get a work visa and a job (teaching, in tourism, hotel industry or a combination) and hopefully bring my dog with me. It sounds like you are considering your options as well. I am hoping to come to Greece for a few weeks in Aug. or Sept to just to explore the possibilities look at places to live and talk to potential employers. If you rent your house, how much would you charge? How long would the lease be? Do you have any pictures?

Thanks for the response, let's keep in touch.


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## pipelinos (Jun 13, 2010)

Sarie said:


> Thank you Pipelinos! I may be interested in your house. As I mentioned I am a 50 year old professional woman from the US-Colorado actually. I have a very sweet and well behaved Australian Shepherd named Sadie.
> 
> I am just in the midst of exploring the options of living there, and making sure I can get a work visa and a job (teaching, in tourism, hotel industry or a combination) and hopefully bring my dog with me. It sounds like you are considering your options as well. I am hoping to come to Greece for a few weeks in Aug. or Sept to just to explore the possibilities look at places to live and talk to potential employers. If you rent your house, how much would you charge? How long would the lease be? Do you have any pictures?
> 
> Thanks for the response, let's keep in touch.


 If things go well in Thailand i will propably rent my house in September.About the charge i think about 400 euro but don't know for sure...It is sth my parents must agree too.The lease will be for at least two years.At the time i don't have any pictures available but it is sth doable.I've spoken with my parents about you and they seemed pretty satisfied.If we finally come to an agreement you will be surrounded with a friendly spirit and support from my family in a quite and peaceful neighborhood in our beatiful island.My regards

pipelinos


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