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Dear Dr. Civitelli,
How do I find a career that would free me from my desk, let me live anywhere and still do my work–and I would prefer to live in Italy, please? My background is that of a 25 year successful real estate broker specializing in selling new homes for a national top 10 builder.
Signed,
M. Ricci
Dear M. Ricci,
I invited a guest expert to respond to your question since she knows a lot more about careers in Italy than I do. Ms. Helen Godfrey is an international careers specialist who helps clients to land employment in the country of their choice. She wrote:
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Dear M. Ricci:
I can understand the reason that you are drawn to Italy and “la bella vita.” If you need any more convincing, and you haven’t already, read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert; she offers thirty six short chapters full of compelling reasons to pack your bags immediately.
In all seriousness, I do recommend researching your options thoroughly. From your email I was not sure if you wanted to continue as a real estate broker or if you were interested in a career change. Certainly, a good option for native English speakers is teaching English. You did not mention whether or not you speak Italian. If you are serious about living and perhaps even moving there permanently, you may want to start studying the language. In my opinion, Pimsleur is the best language system available. A few years ago, I studied Japanese by listening to their CDs on the way to work. My former boss, who is Japanese, remarked upon my noticeable improvement just after a couple of lessons.
I hope these resources will give you a good start:
Dave’s ESL Cafe: Teaching English Overseas
Monster – Italy (Let Google translate the site for you if you don’t read Italian)
LiveCareer’s International Job Search Resources
Buona fortuna!
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Ms. Helen Godfrey, M.A., NCC is a career counselor. She is passionate about culture and travel. She spent 5 years working overseas and as well as two years working at an international company in the U.S. where she was the only American. She always enjoys helping clients clarify their career goals and fine tune their interviewing skills for both international and domestic positions.
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