ITALY
Few countries can compete with the art, the architecture, the scenery, the food and the wine of Italy; if you are in search of culture and history, it abounds here. At its heart, it retains many of its old customs and traditions, and family values are held in high esteem.
Italians are passionate people as can be witnessed in the classic Italian operas, or just as well at a football match! Football is a national passion for young and old and I feel a little peeved I was not there in 2006 when they won the World Cup. I can only imagine the euphoria would have inundated the streets for days on end.
Another Italian passion is, of course, food! To eat, drink and enjoy is part of embracing life in Italy. No meal is 'on the run' for an Italian. I used to catch my bosses during lunch having a full-fledged four-course meal, while us foreigners ran around with a lousy sandwich! Meals often include an antipasto, a pasta dish, a meat dish, bread and dessert, tiramisu being one of the classics. Needless to say, there is always wine! Gelato is also world-famous and can be had at any time of the day or night.
Historically, this is one of the world's greatest empires. From all this emerged an incredible regional variety. The wonderful cities of art, Florence and Venice, were two of the most powerful trading cities of medieval and renaissance times. Rome, the core of Roman civilisation and home to a feast of ancient architecture, astonishes people even today.
Italy isn't cheap; the North is generally more expensive than the South. Salaries are generally higher in the North also. Buying locally-made produce is cost effective. Each city has its own markets where you can find any number of items from food to clothing and household items; generally the markets are quite affordable. Apart from the markets, it is not a country for bargains. Italy is known for its quality designer goods from the most fashionable clothing to stylish home ware items.
The English-teaching market in Italy is the strongest in Western Europe, with demand for teachers extremely strong in September and January, but with a reasonable amount of vacancies all year. Salaries, by Western European standards, are not bad (but remember shoes are very expensive!): 700-1500 Euro per month. Usually employers provide subsidised accommodation. Opportunities abound teaching in private language schools as well as business English. It is highly desirable to hold EU citizenship as this will make it very easy for an employer to hire you and, if this is the case, a degree is not necessarily required. However, TESOL certificates are a must in this competitive market. For people without EU citizenship and who are under 31, there is a Working Holiday Visa available for Australians and for other nationalities. If you are over 31, then you should be prepared to be on the ground and have at least a university degree plus a TESOL certificate, and ideally, some experience.
If you just can't wait to see the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, the Piazza San Marco in Venice and the Uffizi in Florence, get your TESOL Certificate and fly to Italy; you are bound to put on some weight, but you’ll love it!
