i was wondering how much is the average hourly rate for people working in student jobs e.g waiter, sales assistant. i know it varys depending where you live but just a genral idea is fine. i would really like to earn around $1000-1500 per month. any tips where the most jobs are in this type of work. thanx

1000 A$ about €615 or US$ about €640 - Highly unlikely I would have thought, and Italian culture isn't at all strong on 'tipping'!

Many Italians in 'regular' work wouldn't mind a paycheque like that!


But there are others here who will certainly be able to give you a better idea.

quote:

Originally posted by Vince:
i would really like to earn around $1000-1500 per month. any tips where the most jobs are in this type of work. thanx

Ummm...the Italian economy is not the Australian economy that's all I can say! Read some of the salary threads and you'll see that A$1000-1500 a month for part time work is a really good salary here and more pro rata than most university graduates make!

Anyway, I have a friend who used to work at one of the "Irish" pubs here in Rome. Her hourly rate was 6 euros an hour pre-tax and they got very few tips as Italians don't generally tip. You'd have to work a lot of hours to earn 650 euro a month on top of your studies but it would be doable. However, 650 a month would be rent for one room in a shared flat in Rome. No extra money for food, travel, other basics. Things are probably cheaper in a smaller town.

my question then is how do so many other expats have a non spartan lifestyle? can italians only do it because they live with their parents for so long? i have been reading previous posts and people have said that euro 850 is a short budget. if that is a low budget how then is it difficult to make at least euro 1000.if the average rent is 500-700 euro that would mean only about 200 euro for spending money including food,clothing etc. per month which i do not think would be suffice for me or many italians to live on. what would be the kind of monthly income i would need to cover basic accomodation and basic living expenses in places like Siena or Palermo and do you think i would be able to earn that income on these jobs? i understand that Australia is a very prosperous country compared to italy, i know living standards are somewhat lower but still are they really that low for the average worker living of 200 euro a month.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Vince,

quote:

Originally posted by Vince:
i would really like to earn around $1000-1500 per month.

Jeez, you would need a MS in Engineering to earn that. (Talking in US dollars)
I earn $1372 a month and I fall in the category of the previous line.

Anyway I have a friend that works part time in the cafeteria of a medium size cinema (3 screen rooms). She has an indeterminato contract, works 19-24 6 days a week and sometimes also in the early morning to make popocorn, and she earns €670 a month.

Btw, of course I live at home with mommy.

quote:

Originally posted by Vince:
i understand that Australia is a very prosperous country compared to italy, i know living standards are somewhat lower but still are they really that low for the average worker living of 200 euro a month.

This is the big mystery of Italy! When I first moved here I was amazed at the salaries which were offered to me (I'm a lawyer) and the salaries which my fellow Italian lawyers were earning (either nothing or around 1000-1500 a month for 10 hour days). I figured out that the reason so many Italians were able to live decently is that their parents support them. For example, it's traditional to buy each of your kids a flat, normal to pay for your adult children's summer holiday by the sea, normal to give your adult child money to live on way into their 30s. And people's parents are able to do this because back in the good old days Italians earned a lot of money and paid very little tax. Unfortunately things have changed drastically with this generation.

I was assuming from your question that you wanted a part time student job. If you're willing to work full time or more than full time you can earn 1000 euros a month at one of these jobs and that's just about enough to survive in a shared flat with no car in Rome. You have to be very careful with your money of course. In Palermo 1000 a month would get you a lot further (rents there are waaaay lower than here in Rome) but I"m not sure what salaries are like there.

PS - students here don't generally have jobs so "student jobs" don't really exist. Their parents support them!

Thanks for putting up with me guys, but what your saying is that it is pretty much impossible to live in Roma by yourself. in places such as Siena (from what i have heard the price of living is lower) are the wages lower relatively to the cost of living which in this case not really making all that much of a difference where you live in italy? i ask this because i am looking at courses in Italy and the classes only occur twice a week for a couple of hours (it is in Siena). this will enable me to work at least 40 hours a week. from my calculations if i work in these type of jobs i can earn approx 960 euro a month (from Ramona's previous post, 6 euro an hour)providing the work is available . from this perspective i think it does not seem that difficult to live outside the big cities like Milan and Rome or the very touristy places and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. What i am really trying to ask is, is this amount of euro enough to live pretty much anywhere in italy (aside from the previous places mentioned) and enjoy a healthy lifestyle?

I am an economics student and i have not studied Italy's economy in depth but from what i can tell it seems to be heading for a disaster unless drastic action is taken soon (i mean even Spains economy is stronger). do things look like changing anytime soon, you know with il cavaliere in office?

As a student you are limited to 20 hours of work per week.

If we use past action as a predictor of future behavior, Berlusconi will not be taking drastic action to turn the economy around. He will be taking action to extricate himself from his legal troubles and push through laws to further enrich himself.

Consider this a practical economics lesson!

Also remember that taxes here are very high - much higher than in Australia and you get a lot less in return. So you won't be earning the entire 6 euro (or 8 if you're lucky) per hour unless you're willing to work under the table (in nero).

You could probably supplement your income with private English lessons. But it takes a while to build up a clientele.

The cost of living in Siena is high. Not as high in ROme but pretty arn close. For a student visa and PdiS you would need to be enrolled in an accredited school and I do not think that the 2 ties per weeks schools qualify but I may be wrong. If you went to the Uni per Stranieri in Siena I know those are accredited. As a student you could work 20 hours per week but looking at your earlier posts it seems that you want to come to gain citizenship jus sanguinis. If that is the case then you would not get a student visa/PdiS and currently you cannot work if you are applying for citizenship.

I know many people here who make less than 1000 per month. Rents are high unless you go into student housing (between 400 and 500 per month in a shared apt.) Parents here help out as most can't get to the end of the month without help.

I think what you need to do is come over, go to the comune and register to get a PdiS for attesa citidinanza and then just wiat it out (taking Italian courses but not as a student per se) and then once you have your citizenship, then start looking for work. But do not expect to make good money. Living in the south helps as it is easier to get by on less but you would also make less.

Thanks for all the replies, i really appreciate it.
Yes you are correct Cristina i want to apply for citizenship, although i am pretty sure i can apply for dual citizenship while studying in Italy, it has been suggested by many people that i study for three years and during the second i can apply for citizenship. also i do not exactly understand by what you mean in your last paragraph, what is a attesa citidinanza?

I am well aware that students are only allowed to work 20 hours a week, yet i really think it is possible to squeeze in a few more as many others do. because i do not think 900 euro is much less compared to 1372 euro relative to the jobs. is what you're saying is that you do not think it possible to maintain a good lifestyle on this type of income or if it is even possible to obtain this type of income working in bars etc.?

If you "squeeze in a few more" hours you'll have to work in nero (ie under the table) not something we really encourage on these boards.

Anyway lets say you do squeeze in a few more hours and work 25 hours a week at 7 euros an hour. That's 175 euros a week or 700 a month. Then you subtract tax which gets you to 500-600 euros an hour (I'm guessing here- but you can look up your tax rate). You live in a shared student apt in Siena for 450 a month and have 100-150 a month left over for food, bills (which are very high here btw), travel, going out, clothes, books etc. Also, what about your student fees?

You might be better off in the South (Palermo?) where things are cheaper.

I thought that you had jus sanguinis rights so you could apply immediately. If you are waiting until the second year then you are (I am assuming) applying for naturalization due to a grandparent being an Italian citizen at the time of their birth but the chain was broken due to naturalization in Australia. The PdiS for Attesa Cittadinanza is what you would apply for if you were applying via jus sanguinis. You can get a PdiS for this and do not need to have a student visa etc.

As for working more than 20 hours per week, yes you could probably do it via working under the table (the 20 hours is through a regular job, taxed and all) but if you are applying via naturalization I would not recommend as if they find out you could be denied. For this you would have to live in Italy for two years legally (PdiS, residence, taxes etc.) and any thing that is not allowed (working extra) will be frowned upon. After the two year mark (from date of residency) you can apply for citizenship but you must do this before the end of the 3rd year.

Working 20 hours per week at a bar etc. it would be virtually impossible to earn the kind of money you mention. Again, most people working full time legally in Italy in blue collar jobs make less than 1000 euro. My best friend (Senese born and bred) has been working for a bar (head barista) for the past 15 years and she makes about 1300 but she has two children so she gets an assegno familiare (close to 200 euro extra per month from the state).

thanks for the quick response. that is what i was thinking, yet i think the job prospects and wages would also be lower in the south therefore having null affect (correct me if im wrong). also i thought that many utilities were included in the rent? i know things would be tight, but do you think i would be able to sustain this for at least 3 years until i gain citizenship?

No unfortunately the chain was broken so i have to live in Italy for three years and i thought the best way to do this would to study in italy. so the attesa cittadinanza is only for people applying for jus sanguinis while living in italy?
i know that working the dismal 20 hrs a week would not earn this money but of course i could supplement this by english lessons and my family will send 100-200 euro a month? all i really want to know is this enough to stay in italy for three years?

Vince, in your other post about the criminal record you state "i have to apply for a study visa to obtain jus sanguinis". Now you are saying you need to live in Italy 3 years and apply during the 2nd year.

These are two different things. With jus sanguinis citizenship:
go to Italy, apply for residenza immediately with circolare 32

once you have residenza you can submit your citizenship documents to the comune

then you take the letter of receipt to the questura (or poste) and apply for a permesso di soggiorno per attesa di cittadinanza

That is what Cristina is referring to.

The 3-year residenza requirement is for persons who are ineligible for jus sanguinis citizenship, but have Italian ancestry.

I'm not sure you can get residenza with a student pds. Hopefully some of our former/current students will chime in and say if that's possible.

As far as "squeezing in a few more hours", I would avoid breaking the law if you are here on a pds, especially if you plan to apply for naturalization.

Yes i need to live/study in italy for three years. i want the study visa so i can work during the three years but what your saying is i cannot apply for citizenship through a study visa? i have to take residence for 3 years WITHOUT a job? are you sure this is correct?
if most people working full time in blue collar jobs earn less the 1000 euro and have a decent standard of living is it not possible for me, a student, to live off 300 euro less?

The thing is, you may be able to squeak by with money from family, student housing where utilities are included, etc. making about 500 at a job BUT, I don't know if it is sustainable for 3 years like that. I think you would need aq minimum of 1000 euro per month. Teaching English sounds great, many people plan on doing iut but if you are not TEFL accredited you can't get a real job doing it and working under the table as we have said is a BAD idea as well as there are literally thousands and thousands of native English speakers already here who are trying to do just that (and most not even getting enough to pay for their phone recharges). Oh and nowadays, sorry to say, the request is for US English so you being Australian may be a hinderance.

Then there is a problem with finding a job in the first place. If you are in a touristy area you will have more luck being that you speak English but the touristy places are more expensive (even in the south).

I think a good idea would be to either try to sign up as a nanny and see if you can get a job like that or try to contact family members in Italy and see if they can help.

Remember, for the 3 year citizenship by naturalization, this only goes as far back as grandparents.

quote:

Originally posted by Vince:
if most people working full time in blue collar jobs earn less the 1000 euro and have a decent standard of living is it not possible for me, a student, to live off 300 euro less?

Ummm...no one here said that 1000 euros a month (let alone 500 euros a month working part time!) in a place like Siena gives you a "decent standard of living". 1000 a month is just about possible to live on if you are extremely frugal especially - if you don't have kids, have a spouse who also works and/or your parents support you (or you live with them) but people aren't living here on these wages the way they live in Australia. This is just economic reality. Haven't you ever wondered why Italians have one of the lowest birth rates in the world?

yes it is through my grandparents. also i am a male and i thought most au pairs were female.
yes i think i would also need approx 1000 euro to survive. i am seeing now that without an immediate jus sanguinis(without the three years of waiting) it is very difficult to become a citizen especially if it is not an option to do it through being a student.

quote:

Originally posted by Vince:
Yes i need to live/study in italy for three years. i want the study visa so i can work during the three years but what your saying is i cannot apply for citizenship through a study visa? i have to take residence for 3 years WITHOUT a job? are you sure this is correct?
if most people working full time in blue collar jobs earn less the 1000 euro and have a decent standard of living is it not possible for me, a student, to live off 300 euro less?

You can apply wheil holding a PdiS as a student so you could go this route. You also normally can get residency but you need to be in a university program.

As for most people making 100 euro, remember these people have family here who help them out. My friend (the one who works in a bar) gets taken to the grocery store weekly buy her parents and her boyfriend's parents (he makes only 900 euo/month working at a grocery store) help out with the bills.

If you are a student you can eat at the mensa so this would lower the costs for food (I think you pay around 5 euro per meal) but you still have to buy TP, toothpaste, shampoo, new clothes every once in a while, pay for transport, pay for school book, pay for school (not a citizen you will pay more) phone, internet, etc. On 1000/month you can pretty much forget about going out with friends for a pizza around here. I cannot think of the last time I went out for a drink or a movie with friends. They just cannot afford it.

quote:

You also normally can get residency but you need to be in a university program.

Thanks Cristina! I wasn't sure.

Yes i am familiar with the way Italians live their lives, it is a lot different to the way Australian, americans etc. what i was unsure of and was implying that would i be able to with some help from my family be able to live like most other Italians on this wage. would i be able to do this for just three years while i study until i get citizenship and then start looking for a steady job? I know that Siena has a high cost of living but the suggestion of things are cheaper in Palermo whilst true is contradictory as i was there only about 14 months ago and apart from the stunning scenery and people things seemed pretty dead with little lively places to find work in.
I know this is getting a bit off topic but is this studying while waiting for citizenship option still available if now you are saying that it is not possible to apply for citizenship by staying in Italy for three years while studying. This is what i was counting on as i was told in previous posts "come here for school, do everything by the book and in 3 years you could be a naturalized citizen". i am going to do some more research but i was given this impression on this website and others and that it was legal to do this to obtain dual citizenship.