Im looking for a (design) job in Italy....any ideas?

Question

I am graduating college in may of 2007 with a degree in Industrial Design (product design), and am looking for a job / internship somewhere in italy. i studied in florence from january to may of 2006 and had an amazing time. i need something that will pay me a decent amount because i need to support myself to live there for another year or 2 before i get a job in america. does anyone know what i need to do, or how easy it is to do what i want? i speak decent italian--- for only having taken a semester and a half so far (i will have had 1 1/2 years of italian when im finished with school) but can understand a lot more. let me know what you guys think, thanks!

Answer 1

to find a well paid job with your education in italy is quite hard also for natives, so maybe you should check if there are some american agencies opening an office somewhere in italy, then your english would help you to get a good job.

Answer 2

Hi,

Check out this page:

http://www.infojobs.it/?referrer=Google&...

..or more specific this:

http://www.infojobs.it/oferta/sitemap/pL...

Hope you find something here!

Best regards,

Ketil Sjavik

http://www.ItalyExposed.com

Answer 3

wow!! your studying industrial design in florence??? me too...!! wierd...and yes im also from the states. what school are you attending?? im at the university of florence,'universita' degli studi di firenze', ya know in calenzano, the department of indust. design isnt  even in the center of florence how all the other ones are. im sooo curious to know if your in the same school...! im saying that because i havent seen any other american there at the department all these 3 years.

im done with my classes, just finished my 3 years, as you know, they go for the 'tre piu' due' programm, im sticking only with the 3 years and no more. i have to complete a few more exams, begin my internship and do my thesis, so im planning on graduating next june. at the unviersity, they give you places where you can apply to do your internship. in fact, i have a complete list of places where they accept internships that they gave me at the university. if you want, i can scan them and email them to you. contact me and let me know if your interested.

i think the idea here in italy about getting a job and all that, CAN be a bit difficult. from what the first person answered, it made a little sense in how things were being run to get a job permit. living for 4 years here, ive noticed, the trick of surviving here in italy is through connections. people dont go by the rules here. like, you have to know people to get what you want. for example, when i was looking for an internship this july my bf (italian) who has lived in florence allof his life knew a lot of refferences to give me and before checking out the list of companies i was given, i had already 3 spots close to where i lived that my bf knew or somehow had connections and one of them i chose to do. im beginning the internship on the 16th of october. and i think, if it wasnt for him, i dont think it would have been easy.

the issue on job and people not hiring foriegners, that i DISagree to a limit. because here in italy just living here for so long and seeing how people react. i think if theres a big design company that needs real good people, they would be open to giving the job on a person who speaks fluent english, who has a different interesting taste in design unlike every other italian, and you know here in italy, amercan's areNT hated at all. at least thats the message im given. BUT the trick is, you have present yourself ina proffessional organized way even if you arent experienced. THEN will you be accepted from a big design company.

give it a try and see how it goes.

what school are you attending in florence??? im still curious to know.

Answer 4

Yes - I wanted the same thing after college and after studying abroad in Florence...It is nearly impossible to get working papers even if you are a high-level executive and no companies want to hire foreigners because they need to pay the government more in taxes if they do that, etc.  They don't want foreigners taking jobs away from the Italians as the unemployment rate is so high already.

Unless you want to go over and be a waitress or work in a bar to make money, BEST way to stay more than 3 months is to enroll in school for the minimum amount of time required to get a student Visa.  Try design schools Marangoni or Domus in Milan (or research others in Rome and Florence), get the student Visa and immediately intern for the company of your choice while attending school.  You can make tons of contacts in your field with guest speakers in the business and even professors who will help place you in the company of your choice.  I took out a personal loan and did a year "Master" program at Marangoni - www.istitutomarangoni.com. Only after I made connections through the school and landed an internship through my professor was I hired to work full time and paid under the table.  I applied for "working papers" right away when I got my job working full time in Milan, and after numerous attempts with Italian lawyers, etc. I didn't receive them until 2 years later (when I was already back living in the U.S.)...there is so much red tape and corruption in the Italian system, that it's not worth the years and time wasted.  I taught English to foreigners who attended my school and babysit to make money to support myself.  

It's a way to get around it and live your dream - not easy but once in a lifetime experience and you'll be a better asset when you return to the U.S. for a job.  In boca al lupo!