The warm climate and picturesque nature of Greece attract many people who want to settle here for a long time. But for this you need to have a source of income - a job or a business. Before moving to the Mediterranean, it is necessary to understand what opportunities a job in Greece can provide for migrants.
Features of work in Greece
Finding a job in Greece is not an easy task. During the crisis years of the 2010s, many enterprises here closed down and unemployment reached 27.5%; in February 2021 this figure is 18.5%. But there are enough vacancies in the country for which employers are willingly hiring employees from abroad.
Working in Greece has the following advantages:
- Labor law in Greece is in line with EU legislation and provides foreigners with an adequate level of social protection.
- There are many vacancies in the field of unskilled labor, where special education and training are not needed.
- There are types of jobs that do not require knowledge of Greek or English.
- In many cases, workers are provided with housing and food.
- There are local and international companies in the country where qualified specialists are in demand.
- Mild climate.
Vacancies for foreigners
The most numerous vacancies in Greece can be found in the tourism industry.
Guests come to the country all year round, so there is always work in hotels in Greece. Migrants are invited to work as maids, waiters and bartenders. Hotels, which are visited by many tourists from Russia, willingly hire Russian-speaking employees.
A popular summer job in Greece is an animator who knows how to organize parties and themed events for children and adults.
There are a huge number of guides working in Greece. This job is often employed by migrants who are fluent in European languages.
A demanded job in Greece for Russians - a tour guide accompanying tourists from the Russian Federation and post-Soviet countries to local attractions. There are many Russian-speaking guides on the islands of Rhodes, Lesvos and Samos, where tourists from Russia come from Turkey on simplified island visas.
Wealthy families often employ women from Eastern European countries as housekeepers or nannies for their children. Sometimes couples are invited to do housework. There are many vacancies in nursing and elderly care.
The country is experiencing a construction boom and needs skilled bricklayers, concrete workers, carpenters and welders. Men are also invited to work as loaders, mechanics, technicians or electricians.
Agriculture is a significant sector of the country's economy. The most popular seasonal job in Greece for foreigners is picking fruits. Grapes, oranges, lemons, tangerines and olives on the coasts of Crete and other islands ripen in the fall, and they begin to be removed from the trees from September to October. Farms in Corfu also have livestock and poultry care jobs.
Due to the crisis, many Greek doctors, lawyers, economists moved to Western Europe. Therefore, the demand for professionals with higher education has grown in recent years.
EU citizens have priority when hiring in Greece, but there are international agencies in the country that are ready to hire people from post-Soviet states.
Migrants from different countries of the former USSR choose different fields of activity in Greece:
- Russian citizens usually seek to settle in the Mediterranean for permanent residence, therefore they are looking for a stable job or starting a business.
- The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians are not going to leave their home country and perceive work abroad only as an opportunity for profitable earnings. Therefore, they go to Greece for temporary work as teachers, engineers or technologists, or as seasonal workers on farms or construction sites.
- For Belarusians and Kazakhstanis, any kind of work in Greece is quite profitable, because the standard of living in their native countries is not very high.
Working conditions
To find a job, you need to be fluent in spoken English and understand basic Greek.
For employees of hotels and restaurants, guides and tour guides, a good knowledge of foreign languages is required: not only English, but other European ones. The work schedule is in shifts: 8 hours after 8 or 12 through 12. Accommodation and meals are provided by the company.
Working conditions on plantations and farms are quite difficult: the working day lasts 10-12 hours. For such work, young and healthy people are hired, preferably with experience in agriculture, but students are not denied either. The employees are provided with housing.
To get a job at a construction site or as a driver, you must have a document confirming your qualifications. The working day is about 10 hours.
Babysitters and nurses are provided with free housing and meals. Medical education is encouraged. Opening hours are often irregular, with one day off per week.
Qualified specialists from post-Soviet countries are required to go through the diploma recognition procedure. The work schedule is established in accordance with the schedule of the working day of the enterprise.
How to find a job
It is most convenient to look for a job online. For those who do not speak Greek, there are English-language resources.
For students and recent university graduates, an internship in Greece may be a suitable way.
If you are already in the country, you can contact the recruiting agency Adecco, Randstad or Manpower.
Another convenient way to find a job in Greece is to participate in volunteer projects. Such work is not paid, but it allows you to live in the country, make useful contacts and find a suitable employer.
Greek job search sites:
- mycarriera.gr
- gr.indeed.com
- justjobs.gr
- naftemporiki.gr/careeronline
- careerjet.gr
Sites in English:
- monster.com/jobs/search
- jobinathens.com
- learn4good.com
Internships:
- www.iagora.com/work/en/jobs-and-internships/greece
- www.greeka.com/greece-jobs
- tuinternship.com/tourism-internships
Professional social network: www.linkedin.com.
Employment in Greece
To work in Greece, citizens of non-EU countries need to have a work permit, work visa, contract with an employer and a residence permit. Working on a tourist visa is prohibited.
A broker in Greece for finding a job is not the safest option. The chances of becoming a victim of scammers are great enough.
Many employers are ready to hire foreigners without registration. But illegal labor is not only low wages and vulnerability to arbitrariness. An illegal detained by the police can receive 18 months in prison, a fine of 1200 euros, deportation from the country and a ban on entering the Schengen area for 5 years.
Required documents
To work legally in Greece, you need to find a job and collect a package of documents. Some of them are provided by a labor migrant, some - by an employer:
- one passport-sized photo;
- documents confirming a sufficient amount of funds to stay in Greece before the migrant begins to receive a salary;
- a formal employment contract with the employer, containing detailed information on the type of position that the applicant will occupy and the type of work activity;
- confirmation of payment for the service for issuing a work visa (paid by the employer).
The applicant must have:
- labor contract;
- documents on education and profession;
- certificate of marital status;
- a copy of the work book;
- medical certificate.
The employer needs:
- certificates of the company's income and tax payment;
- consent to the payment of travel, household and medical expenses of a foreign employee;
- a certificate from the Ministry of Labor, Social Insurance and Social Security that no citizen of Greece or other EU countries has applied for this vacancy in the last 3 months.
Work permit
Previously, a work permit in Greece was issued in the form of a separate certificate. Now all the data on the employment of a foreigner (profession, information about the employer, region of residence) fit into the residence permit card, which is pasted into the passport.
Work Visa
It is possible to apply for a Category D work visa if the applicant has an employment contract and a work permit. In addition to them, he will need:
- application form;
- foreign passport - original and copy;
- copy of the internal passport;
- two photographs 3x4 cm;
- police clearance certificate and its translation into Greek, certified by an apostille;
- medical insurance;
- certificate of the absence of infectious diseases;
- a receipt for payment of the state fee (140 euros).
A work visa to Greece is issued within 2-3 months.
After arriving in the country, you need to obtain a taxpayer number, social security number and a residence permit for a period of one year. Subsequently, it can be renewed for up to 5 years. For the first 12 months of residence in Greece, a migrant worker cannot change employer.
Salary level
The average salary in Greece in 2021 is 1,800 euros, which is lower than in the developed countries of the EU. But in different parts of the country and areas of activity, earnings can vary significantly.
In Athens and in the peripheral regions of the country, the pay for the same job can differ by two times. Most of all can be earned in the capital and in Thessaloniki.
The official minimum wage in Greece is 632 euros per month. But foreign migrants, especially those working without a contract, may be paid less.
Approximate level of remuneration for foreigners:
- Agriculture (harvesting) - 300-600 euros.
- Construction specialties - 800-1200 euros.
- Housekeeper, gardener, janitor, handyman, hotel maid - 400-600 euros per month with free accommodation and / or meals.
- Car service (tire fitting, auto mechanics) - 800-1000 euros.
- Nurse, nanny - 600 euros and full board.
- Bartender, waiter with knowledge of foreign languages - 600 euros salary and 500-600 euros tips.
- Animator - 400-700 euros.
- Guide - up to 2000 euros.
- Girls in dance shows - 1500-2000 euros.
- Programmers, designers - 2800 euros.
Tax
Taxes in Greece are quite high. With an annual income of up to 25,000 euros, the tax rate is 22%, and those who receive more than 42,000 euros per year pay 42%.
Employees are not required to file a tax return - all deductions from their wages are made by the employer.
Private entrepreneurs who earn more than 50,000 euros per year pay 26% income tax, over this amount - 33%.
Property tax ranges from 2 to 13 euros per square meter.
Own business
Many migrants do not want to work for hire and are interested in how to start a business in Greece. It is not difficult - citizens of other states are allowed to conduct business activities on the territory of the country.
To register a UAB, you need to have an authorized capital of at least 18,000 euros, to open a private enterprise - about 60,000 euros.
Companies with a capital of over 300,000 euros are registered on the condition that they employ at least 10 people, 30% of whom are Greeks. To open a business, a foreigner must submit a business plan for approval to the Commission on Migration Issues.
Residence permit
There are many legal grounds for obtaining a Greek residence permit. Foreigners can apply for a residence permit in such cases:
- If you have a work permit and a work visa - for 1-5 years.
- For family reunification (moving to relatives with permanent residence or Greek citizenship, marriage with a Greek) - for 3 years.
- Study on a student visa - for the entire period of study.
- Business start-up - for 2 years.
- Investment in enterprises of the country over 300,000 euros - for 2 years.
- Purchase of real estate in the country for more than 250,000 euros - for 5 years.
- Residence permit for wealthy people wishing to settle in the country (with a confirmed income of at least 24,000 euros per year per person) - for 1 year.
The residence permit must be renewed in a timely manner. After 5 years, a foreigner can get permanent residence, and after another 7 years - Greek citizenship.
Conclusion
Getting a job in Greece is not easy. Most of the vacancies are offered for blue-collar jobs and service personnel. Salaries are not very high and due to bureaucratic obstacles it is difficult to obtain a work permit. But if you are ready to open your own business or buy real estate, then it will be much easier to settle in the country.
