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

Written by Taru Medha

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.

Working while studying

Many students choose to take up part-time work while they study to help cover living expenses. It is also a chance to gain some professional experience from the get-go. As a postgraduate student in Italy, you are free to find part-time work, however, there are some restrictions.

How much can you work?

As a postgraduate student, your primary focus has to be your studies, and therefore, there are certain limitations on the number of hours you can work. You can work 20 hours per week not exceeding a total of 1,040 hours in 52 weeks. The cap on working hours is the same for both EU/EEA citizens and other international students. It’s worth noting that any hours spent on an internship will not be counted towards this quota.

What kind of work can you do?

The most popular part-time student jobs are in the service sector like working in restaurants, coffee shops or supermarkets. Sometimes, service sector jobs demand that you know some level of Italian so it a good idea to brush up your language skills before you apply.

Most universities also offer paid jobs on campus and in faculty services. These could include administrative jobs or working as research and teaching assistants. You could also find some university assisted internships offering valuable work experience in your field of study.

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.

Working after studying

If you have recently graduated and are eager to find some full-time work in Italy, industries such as automotive, communications and engineering are popular and growing in the country.

However, depending on where you are from, you might need to convert your existing resident permit for studying to a resident permit for working to be able to stay in Italy.

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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Taru Medha

Taru joined FindAMasters as a Content Writer in 2022. She creates well-researched, thorough content for our guides and blogs, as well as short video content for our social profiles. She has a Bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Bennett University in India and completed a Masters degree in Global Journalism from the University of Sheffield in 2021, giving her personal experience with postgraduate study as an international student.

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

Working while studying

How much can you work?

What kind of work can you do?

How can you search for a job?

Working after studying

If you are an EU/EEA national

If you are a non-EU foreign national

How can you search for a job?

Find a Masters in Italy

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Taru Medha

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