Working in Italy: How To Find Work During and After Your Studies

Italy is home to many industries ranging from fashion and design to automotive manufacturing, all of which offer a wealth of opportunity for anyone looking to find work.

Whether you are a postgraduate student seeking part-time employment or are a recent graduate ready for the transition to working full-time, we have all the information you need to know about working in Italy. This guide includes information on the required visas (if any), the type of work you can do and how to find jobs.

How can you search for a job?

The best place to start is with your university’s student services. They usually hold all the information about the available university jobs. It’s also worth checking out the career service as they will usually advertise part-time jobs and internships on their online portals or notice boards.

You can always look at some widely recognised job listing websites like Indeed or LinkedIn.

If you are an EU/EEA national

You do not need a separate work permit or visa. However, you need to keep renewing your resident permit depending on the amount of time you are in the country.

If you are a non-EU foreign national

You will need to convert your student permit to a work permit. The kind of work permit you can apply for depends on whether you already have a job offer or if you are still in the process of looking for work.

If you already have a job offer before your student permit expires, you can directly apply for a work permit or a Permesso di Lavorol.

If you are still in the process of looking for full-time work, you can apply for an extension on your current residence permit called a Permesso di Soggiorno. Depending on your programme, this extension can be granted for 6 to 12 months. You have to be able to secure a job in this period and convert it to a Permesso di Lavorol to be able to continue to stay in Italy.

You also have the option to apply for an EU Blue Card if you meet certain requirements. You must have completed a degree in Italy (or have a comparable degree) and have a binding employment contract. You must also earn at least €33,500 to be eligible.

How can you search for a job?

The best place to start is job listing websites like Indeed and LinkedIn that are widely recognised. Italy also has a few country-specific websites like monster.it which can be a valuable resource.

Now that you know everything about working in Italy, you are ready to experience Italian culture and make the most of the abundant opportunities, as a student and a working professional.

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