The biggest challenge living in Italy
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2024
- In this video, I share the biggest challenge living in Italy - and it's not what you expect!
If your dream is to move to Italy or you are already planning your move to Italy - this video is the perfect preparation for you! Living in Italy is a wonderful experience but it's not always easy and this video will explain why.
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* VIDEO CHAPTERS *
00:00 Introduction
00:31 First Aspect
10:42 Second Aspect
13:47 Third Aspect
21:22 Reflections
* VIDEOS I MENTION *
My daily thoughts about South Italy
• My daily thoughts abou...
The UGLY truth about working in Italy
• The UGLY truth about w...
The Four Stages of Working in Italy
• The Four Stages of Wor...
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WHO I AM:
Hi I’m Claire, aka Ms Britaly! In 2018, I decided I wanted to change my life and relocate to Italy. I didn't know anyone there, I didn't speak the language and I had only visited the country twice before. Just eight months after I had made this decision, I packed up my suitcases and moved solo from London to Italy, embarking on my very first Expat experience. On paper it sounds completely bonkers but in reality it was the making of me.
On this channel I share with you the beauty and reality of everyday life, here in South Italy. I also share insider tips for visiting South Italy, so that you can get the most out of your Italian experience!
*Edit* 16:38 - Louis Vuitton not YSL!
Can you relate to any of these aspects? Comment below and let me know!
Beautiful 🙏🏻 watching from Kuwait. I enjoyed your detailed description.❤
Goodness what a good video! I’ve lived overseas once in my life before and I wished that people were honest enough to tell me about the downsides of making such a big choice, now I’m older and 20 years later planning to live in Italy for a longer stay and appreciate all the honesty and balanced viewpoints I can find. There ups and downs everywhere and I’m aware of some of the issues you raise, it’s just good to get confirmation from someone living it..thank you
Thank you too! It's not easy to always be so real about life here because oftentimes people don't really want to accept it. Being aware though is what can make the difference and actually lead to a much more positive outcome.
It is not true that there is not a minimum wage in Italy. The fact that employment in Sicily from what you say appears to be on the basis of "accordi privati" (private agreements) and not based on the contents of the various CCNL is a local problem and certainly not applicable to the rest of Italy where the vast majority of workers are covered by these national contracts,. There are a whole series of "minimum" wages. In Italy there are CCNLs (Contratti Colletivi Nazionale del Lavoro) National Collective Labour Contracts for the various sectors like Industry, Commerce, Tourism etc. There are basically four labour categories in ascending order operai/e, (blue collar), impiegati/e, (white collar), quadri (managers) and dirigenti (executives). Within the blue collar and white collar categories there are various levels. Last time I had anything to do with hiring there were 8 white collar levels. All of these levels have legally binding minimum entry wage levels, as well as agreed seniority increments, holiday and leave entitlement etc. In fact when I first came here from the UK I was being employed there but after I learned what the benefits of being employed under an Italian labour contract were I soon changed that, One of the reasons for high youth unemployment is also that if properly hired and the "periodo di prova" (proving period) has expired it is quite difficult to fire people so a company really does think twice before hiring. I read somewhere recently that migration from South to North is running at about 200,000 per year. The strange thing is that most of the Southerners who move here very quickly adopt the northern work ethic and really make a go of it. So the lethargic acceptance of the status quo seems, as you said, to be environmental rather than intrinsic to the population.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences. There are indeed collective agreements depending on sector - known as NCBAs but these don't cover all sectors and there are around 20% of Italian employees who aren't covered by them. In fact, I read a news story the other day of an Italian security guard being paid less than €4 an hour in Padua.
www.thelocal.it/20230803/why-is-italys-government-opposed-to-the-minimum-wage
There isn't a minimum wage by law, here in Italy. In the Autumn of last year - this was under discussion by the Italian Government - Bill C.1275 - to propose a minimum wage of €9 per hour but it appears to have been opposed.
www.barrons.com/news/italy-s-ruling-parties-kill-minimum-wage-bill-ef6fe427
Private agreements are surely the fundamental signs of a free society. Why should the government dictate what sort of contract should be made? The minimum wage will destroy the western capitalist economy. To win an election, a party merely has to offer a pay-rise of 10%. Then businees has to pay for it. Without profitable businesses there is no economy.
Great video! For me the hard part is not to be affected by the "poor and victim" mentality. It easily passes in your system without even realizing it.
Yes - you have to be so aware of this!
To be fair to Sicily from the north of the Uk - HS2 has been an unmitigated and extremely expensive disaster! I hope the 1.5 km didn’t cost the Sicilian people as much! 😊 excellent video thanks!!
Italy has one of the most advanced High Speed Rail networks in Europe. Siciy is the Regione Siciliana with autonomous regional status. Italian central government has very little to do with how they run things locally. It only provides the money, How it is misused is a local affair. A totally different world from even the central peninsular regions much less those of the north like Liguria, Piemonte, Lombaery and the Veneto.
Yes, the complicated reality of life in Italy!
sounds like Toronto 14 years and no subway expansion still.
You outlined why so many young people are leaving Italy today. Great video. Much of what you said can be applied to Spain where I live.
Thank you 🙏🏻
I like German efficiency, but I would never live in Germany because I value the warmth and open-hearted nature of southern european cultures more. My country (Portugal) has a lot of the same problems as the South of Italy, but I would rather have these problems than the tradeoffs of nothern cultures.
There are no perfect countries and no perfect cultures, I think the secret is finding somewhere that fits what we value in life and we can live with the drawbacks of that place too 😊
Absolutely and I think that's what keeps me here in the South.
Thanks so much!💟
I have been following you since november 2021 when the number of your followers was less then 2000.I must admit that your videos
during these years have improved a lot in both the technical quality and in terms of the contents.I have found the last videos more mature, informative and ,above all, they portray what life is really like in the south of Italy.This one is the best my compliments. After the discovery of the real life in Italy(family,work,beurocracy,relationship etc) ONLY NOW you can
say Knowingly: I have decided to live in this country..this is my second homeland.
Yet,believe me, there is something else that you still don't know..in the video you said "it took me time to realise that...." and the same thig has happened to me(and I am an Italian)..but I don't tell you nothing else you have to discover by yourself.As the Italian singer songwriter,Lucio Battisti, said "lo scopriremo soltanto vivendo"(more or less we are going to discover it just living)...I wish you well
Thank you so much both for your support and your kind words. I do think life is to be experienced and that experience has to be felt by the person and not simply told to them - so I couldn't agree more!
Sicily has Autonomous Region status, i.e. to all intents and purposes it runs most of its own show with minimal central government interference apart from providing funding. The EU has been allocating funding for years to Sicily, Calabria etc but a lot of it does not get taken up because northern industrial corporations find it too difficult to work there. Does the word "pizzo" come to mind?
Yes - it is complicated for sure.
Enjoying your vids. 👌🏻
Thanks!
You hit the nail on the head! Well said Ms Britaly! If you don't have a hammer, improvise, but don't keep fighting to find the "proper tool". It can be done with a drive toward the end result. Not in all cases regarding red tape, but many.
Yes!
Hi Ms Britaly, the reason that I left London was because I didn’t want to live that life of commuting and constantly running. The Tube….. I hate the Tube…….. please, I don’t what that kind of life……. Ok I have spent so much time in Paris, Hong Kong, Turkey, London, Canada, Australia, China and other places with undergrounds but for a limited time. That is ok. I got fed up with Paris ( 4 trips per year ) but not Hong Kong. But I would have definitely got fed up with the Tube in London. I can’t even use a tube nor a bus now because of a disability so I have no idea how I would have managed in London now…… I prefered a calmer life in my home environment when I wasn’t in Beijing or Singapore…….
To conclude: you can make your life anywhere if you believe in what you are doing.
I love your conclusion!
Keep up the great work !... Re: construction projects... NYC is VERY similar to Italy- see our 2nd Ave subway line - originally approved in 1971... work did not actually start until the 2000's with only a 2.9km stretch being completed over the course of 9 years - and not in the areas where poor people live...
The United States also has similar problems with bureaucracies- as the right-wing has been committed to gutting the government and agencies that help with bureaucratic issues for decades...
The Veterans Administration still keeps many of its records in an old building - where each floor is piled floor to ceiling with so many documents that there is danger of the floor collapsing... not to mention all the court and medical documents lost after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans...
In NYC-- When we had to give power of attorney to our Italian lawyer- we received the documents efficiently from Italy, then we had to get our signatures notarized bya NYC lawyer, then take that notary's signature to the court to be stamped approved, and then send all of that off in regular (non-trackable) mail to the NY state capital in Albany for the final approval by the state for the apostille- without knowing when we would receive it back from the state and no way to track the official document and this was in 2023....!!!!....
Here in Southern Puglia there seems to be a lot of EU money being spent on public works for new community centers and they are also getting committed to putting official things online- which is great, because they are also offering free computers and computer-helpers for the older generation at the local comunes and libraries... So I think that there are big differences between the operations of big cities (I can imagine that Bari would be similar to Palermo in all you describe).
Again- keep up the great work and push forward-- dont let old ways slow you down, things CAN get done- it just takes a different type of effort... Which you are all over & doing a great job with!!!!
Thank you and yes, inefficiency can indeed exist anywhere although I feel sometimes it is exacerbated here.
To be Frank and to the point, I have never listened to my entourage’s general ideas about how things are. Nor have I ever listened to negative comments when I ventured on my own business projects. I decided and I got on with it. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of my friends are English in Italy. Some are like I am and some are not. You can listen to them but if you have a project don’t listen to their words so much. Just come out with it and say that you are going ahead with your idea. I worked as a teacher and in logistics but for 2 years. The rest of the time I had my own business. Whatever happens something will be done in the way of business which is better than waiting for a job to come to you. That is a hard job in itself with cv’s and contacts, interviews, Job offers etc that can even be far away from your home. I decided to: “ Tagliare la testa al toro “ and get on with it…….
Well done Ms Britaly for your hard work on your you tube channels
Ah thank you!
It's a shame things are very slow to progress for a city that has so much potential. In fact, for Scicily on the whole.Thank you. You are always on point 👍
Thank you - yes it is indeed!
I did not know Italy had a homeless problem. I did see this in Paris which was quite sad and it’s a huge issue in the US. No minimum wage? Now that doesn’t sound like a very good policy.
Yes, homelessness is a problem here. As for the minimum wage, whilst there are collective agreements for different sectors regarding pay, there isn't a Government backed minimum wage which means that some sectors, outside of the collective agreements, can pay employees what they want.
@@MsBritaly not a good policy
I have employed people in my business and there is a minimum wage that is not official but I could never employ anyone under a certain salary x 13 months per year. And their salary increased every year automatically and if I changed their position, it increased again. I made a point to promote employees and keep a good relationship with them. I wish I had had that luxury for my career that I had to create myself. She. You are in business not every year is the same. Earthquakes in Japan, Taiwan and Turkey pushed my turnover down badly. The war in Iraq ( a fantastic market ) lost me my market. More concerned with the loss of life in those events to be honest. With big downfalls in the business.
As to salaries, we had a consortium of fellow employers in my field and we played a very secure game for our employees. They had union support as well. And long paid holidays + days off. Secure pensions guaranteed and unemployment benefits in case of closure. All my employees were employees with “ contratto indeterminato “. This is the norm in my field.
Not now because I am near retirement.
Darling im british living in UK but i lived in italy north for my 34 ys of my life cause originally im from there...im so grateful to UK it gave me everything to live comfortably a roof a decent wage and above all freedom the most important thing in life freedom and peace id say.
The UK offers a lot of opportunities for sure but still it too isn't without problems.
What place hasn't got problems?
I hate to be a dog in the manger but I'm afraid that when you say "Italy" you really mean Sicily. If "Italy" was to be as disfunctional as you describe how could it possibly be the third largest economy in the EU for GDP after Germany and France, with the second largest industrial output after Germany and also a member of of the G7?
I appreciate the points you have made, yet despite this there is still so much inequality throughout Italy.
@@MsBritaly Basically the inequality is between the rest if the country and the South. Italy has been been pouring money into the Meridione for decades but it seems that the only solution to inequality so far has been South North migration. Historically it has been difficult to persuade entrepreneurs and industry to move south because of organised and seemingly endemic criminality with the Camorra in Campania, the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, the Sacra Corona Unita in Puglia and the Mafia in Sicily. Things may have changed recently with the death in prison of Toto Riina etc but you have to remember that things like the assassinations of Della Chiesa, Falcone and Borsellino to mention only the most prominent ones are not easily forgotten. Ask around if the "pizzo" is still prevalent. Sorry to be so negative but that is a very important factor in explaining why large scale industrialisation has remained in the north and centre.
I’m m just wondering if there is a strong expat population in Italy where you. Can meet English speaking people to do activities with ?
Yes there is an Expat community here - it's just a matter of finding the time to go
Why is a metro needed for Palermo? Is it just a status symbol? It will be a huge liability in terms of maintenance
In order to improve the infrastructure I guess
Hi, thanks for this. May I please ask what’s your experience in terms on racism towards blacks. Are they welcoming?
I have never witnessed racism in the two cities I have lived in - Salerno and Palermo. I would say Palermo is more culturally diverse compared to Salerno though. That said, I do know having watched other fellow content creators on RUclips that sadly racism does exist in Italy. I think as well that the smaller the town, the more closed the minds of the people are.
The biggest problem of Sicily is the traffic (cit)
Yes in many parts of Italy!
Ps: I wish there was You Tube when I came here. You would have been a great help…… well done……!
Ah thanks!
If there was enough money I’m sure that families wouldn’t have developed such survival skills as sticking together including under one roof. Also if there were enough money maybe people would have jobs and the railway would be done. Also the “honorable society” if you catch my drift is a large factor. This island has been torn down and rebuilt so many times. There are reasons it is the way that it is and for the survival habits of its people. If you find it difficult I would not stay. I understand how strange it can be but there are reasons why it’s people appreciate the way some things are. It helped the survive. It will not change in this lifetime.
There are indeed many underlying factors but it seems such a shame that the past struggles have to continue to impact the present and the future.
As an Italian I think it would have been better for you to move to Milan
Yes. It's a different world. As we say here "Chi va piano non è di Milano."😀😀
In some respects maybe, but I don’t think I would have learnt quite so many lessons living there
Is this video sounds like life in morocco
There’s a lot of shared similarities with many countries around the world
Move to NYC.
Ah noooo thank you. I’m happy here.
Italy is somewhere I avoid as I find the chaos soo annoying. The people are lovely but it's totally outweighed by the nonsense. I hear you about the 1.5 kms tunnel. The M20 in Kent has been an unfinished project for decades so maybe better than Italy but not by much. In Japan or China, it would have done and dusted in a year!
Yes - it’s baffling how things can take so long!
It sounds just like in Brazil 😅
Goodness!
taxes and Government bureaucracy
Oh yes!
The background music is a bit irritating and distracting!
Thanks for the feedback. You’re the only person to have said
I appreciate the realness, I didn't realize that Italy didn't have a minimum wage! It sounds like employees are so desperate to have a job and keep a job that they don't want to rock the boat, whereas their neighbors in France are totally comfortable striking if it's needed to make sure their rights are respected.
Have a look at my comment above on labour contracts and minimum wage. I've lived and worked here for almost 50 years 25 of which as a "dirigente" and having had to hire people and although assisted by HR departments I did have to learn a bit about Italian labour legislation. I'm afraid the video regarding these items is very specific to Sicily.
This video isn't specific to Sicily. There isn't a minimum wage enforced by the Government for all of Italy. There are collective agreements with wages set in sectors but this doesn't cover all Italian employees. It is a real problem.
@@MsBritaly If you are hired by a company in Italy it is legally obliged to apply the national labour contract of the sector to which it is inscribed in the chamber of commerce, Unless the area in which you work depends on what is basically free lance labour and "private agreements" between the employer and the employee. People everywhere will always try to find a loophole. How many people are on zero hour contracts in the UK? You really have to take a trip up north. It's a different world. A lot of what happens in these autonomous southern regions depends upon the local politicians who run the show and probably benefit from the precariousness of the employment situation in their region both because of their financial interests and the ability to "buy" votes. What can central government do? Send in the army? After all Italy is only just over 150 years old as a unified nation and the local politicos are extremely possesive of their autonomy and privileges but also the political parties in Rome depend on these guys to bring in the votes for them at election time..
It is puzzling to me as to why Italian citizens aren't demanding gender equality, modern burocracy, garbage pickup, etc. as citizens of other countries take for granted in 2024.
Domanda del secolo mr Panetta
Ms. Britaly is talking about Sicily and the disfunctionality there does not apply to the whole of Italy. If it did how could Italy be the third largest economy in the EU and a member of the G7, i.e. the richest developed countries in the world. Have a look at my comment on Italian minimum wage levels and labour contracts.
@maxharbig1167 As per my reply to your other comments - unfortunately and rather paradoxically there is a sense of dysfunctionality across all of Italy. The problems may be exacerbated in the South but the lack of a national Government enforced minimum wage, gives rise to a lot of these problems.
@@MsBritaly Here in the Lombardy and Veneto regions and particularly in the last couple of decades I have never found that things didn't function . The latest bureaucratic thing was to get my biometric permanent residence card after Brexit. Up here everything is computerised now. From application to receipt took about 4 weeks and that included waiting to have the electronic finger printing appointment in the questura. Now if you were to ask me how things were when I arrived 50 years ago disfunctional didn't even begin to describe the chaos even in banks, not to mention government offices.
@@MsBritaly I have never met anybody, unless they were a contractor or consultant, i.e. self employed, who was not covered by a national labour contract,
The biggest disappointment in living in italy is the lack of security. There are no consequences for crimes commited and if they brake into your house you might as well make them a cup of coffee and make them comfortable 😢
It can be difficult to effect justice here sometimes.