Jobs in Sicily for Foreigners
Let's begin this page with a raw, candid reality check: In early 2012 it was reported that Italy's national "youth unemployment" rate (people under 30 who are actively seeking jobs) was 30%, and in Sicily it was estimated at closer to 40%. Unemployment for Sicilians over 30 was estimated at 24%. The last few years have seen an exodus of young Italians, with around 100,000 going to Australia each year - perhaps close to a million have arrived in the true Land of Oz in the last decade, comparable to the number of Romanians now living in Italy. Finding a job in Sicily is difficult for Sicilians, and even moreso for foreigners. But the fact is that Sicily's mild climate and leisurely lifestyle are difficult to resist, and nowadays people everywhere like to exchange cultural experiences. In response to people who email us about job opportunities in Sicily, our editors decided to encourage two of our writers (one from Palermo and the other from Catania) to deal with the issue of employment for foreigners in Sicily. There's obviously a substantial difference between vacationing (or even studying) in Sicily and actually working here. As with other social topics on this website, these are generalities; our observations and suggestions may differ from those offered by other sources, or from your personal experience.

Overview
Corporate Appointments
Foreign Military
Teaching English
Tour Guides
Au Pairs
Travel Writers
A Realistic View

Overview
Legally, you must have a stay permit to live and work in Italy unless you are a European Union (EU) citizen. In practice (if you aren't an EU citizen), this permit is difficult to obtain unless an employer sponsors you. Getting a student visa is easy enough, but it won't permit you to work here. Our page on city life describes living and work conditions in Sicily, where the unemployment rate is higher than twenty percent. It is largely due to the lack of work in Sicily that Sicilians still emigrate. Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, England, Germany and Scandinavia have large Sicilian immigrant populations, and the vast majority of these Sicilians leave our island in search of employment opportunities superior to those available in Sicily. Today's Italians may not be proud of this fact, but it's the truth. Even in Milan, opportunities for foreigners are few. Meritocracy is not an important word in the Italian vocabulary; "recommendations" (preferments) are the order of the day. The employment situation in Sicily is difficult at best, and shows no sign of improving any time soon. For this reason and others, a foreign worker in Sicily may encounter a certain degree of overt resentment from Sicilians. Let's take an objective look at the kinds of employment foreigners typically seek in Sicily. We don't want to take a negative tone, but neither do we wish to mislead you. We've met foreigners whose aspirations to find employment in Sicily have turned into nightmares.

The books and websites that foster false hopes in the minds of job aspirants are especially deplorable.

Corporate Executive Positions
Foreign managers in foreign corporations with offices in Italy are increasingly rare, while Italian employees abroad are becoming commonplace. Even the American government staffs its consulates and military bases with local Italians for positions which do not involve national (American) security. Incidentally, very few of the American personnel at United States consulates are foreign service officers; most are support staff or employees of allied agencies (Social Security, etc.). The few multinational companies which may hire non-Italians at larger offices are based in Milan and Rome, not Palermo or Catania. You won't find much in Sicily.

Foreign Military Personnel
By treaty, the spouses and children of American military personnel cannot legally work in Italy except on the military bases to which they are assigned. In Sicily, this law applies to the relatives of personnel stationed at Sigonella (the US naval air station) near Catania. The spouse or child of a NATO officer stationed in Italy may be employed by an Italian company if he or she is a citizen of an EU nation.

Teaching English
The books and websites that tell you it's easy to find a job teaching English in Palermo, Catania or elsewhere in Sicily - or in Italy generally - are not telling you the whole story. In practice, most positions available are low-paying teaching jobs with small private schools. That may be suitable if you're simply looking for the chance to spend some time in one of Italy's warmer and sunnier regions, but the better schools do require teaching credentials of some kind. High school and university positions are almost impossible to obtain because bureaucracy, recognition of foreign credentials and job availability create unnecessary complexities for even the most qualified candidates. The native speakers of English hired as lettori are not full-time tenured instructors; their positions are renewed by contract annually (with luck) and their salaries are poor. Many of the teachers in small private schools are native speakers of English from abroad. In Sicily's public schools, however, it is not unusual to encounter Italian teachers of English who can barely speak the language. Not surprisingly, many Italian adults enrol in courses at private schools after years of unsuccessful language study in high school. Anybody seeking a position teaching English in Italy should speak at least some Italian (this depends largely on the teaching method your school uses) and should enjoy the unique social art of teaching.

Au Pairs
One should distinguish between au pairs and full-time nannies or housekeepers. Most of the au pairs here in Sicily are young women (under 24) from England, Scandinavia or Germany. A typical work term lasts about six months. We must stress that a candidate should only search for such a position through a reputable international agency, of which there are rather few in this generally unregulated field. Even recommendations through friends are not always a reliable approach. In any event, it is extremely important to know the host family reasonably well (personally rather than merely through correspondence) before coming to live with them. The dynamics of family life in Sicily (even "typical" marriages) may differ considerably from that to which a young woman is accustomed in her own country. Obviously, the candidate should feel perfectly comfortable in this environment before considering becoming an au pair, even for a brief period. Naturally, this is a highly individual choice, but unless all these conditions are met, being an au pair here in Sicily (or perhaps anywhere) is generally discouraged. As regards housekeepers, distinguished from au pairs, Sicilian newspapers have run numerous stories about the exploitation of (in particular) Romanian women, reporting what can only be described as extreme exploitation.

Travel Writers & Photographers
We often receive requests (usually for a job, free research or free advice) from aspiring or "professional" travel writers or photographers. Best of Sicily's staff provides travel writing, photography and research as a paid consulting service and we work with various publishers. Some writers and travel agents ask us for paid "familiarization trips" to Sicily. These "junkets" are rarely available from any source, and certainly not from Best of Sicily! Most of the professional travel writers who come to Sicily are paid by major publishers abroad. Many of the best known authors already live here; Ellen Grady and Mary Taylor Simeti come to mind. Realistically, there are not many employment opportunities here in this field.

A Comment About This Page
"I'm an American who has lived in Catania for eight years and after stumbling upon your web site, I felt compelled to give you my opinion regarding the 'Jobs in Sicily for Foreigners' page. After years of struggling in the practically non-existent job market here (I feel I could write a book about it), I was struck by how wonderfully (and refreshingly) accurate your information is on this subject. Too often I read glossed-over accounts of job possibilities for foreigners written by self-interested tourist board-sponsored organizations, which never paint the real picture of just how excruciatingly difficult it is for a foreigner to make a living in Sicily. One thing I might suggest you add to your info: In addition to the overall difficulty of finding a job and the low pay, one should also be informed that there are quite a few unscrupulous employers and sometimes just getting paid is a problem!"