Well, for starters, you need to get that romanticized image of Greece out of your head. There is no simple life.

Greece is an industrialized nation with a per capita GDP/PPP of $20,000 (similar to New Zealand and higher than South Korea), a very urbanized population, and normal modern-day problems like inflation, rising cost of living, a very tight job market, and demands to reform various areas of the state and public sector. In addition, Greece’s economy is highly dependent on interactions and transactions with the outside world; any dip in international tourism activity, international shipping (Greece has a huge merchant marine), olive oil exports, or foreign direct investment, as well as crude oil price swings, will adversly affect the economy. Greece also has one of the EU’s longest work weeks (only Britain, Poland, and Czech Republic have longer work weeks. Spain is the same as Greece). The tax system is incredibly complicated and sales tax is high; the cost of living is rising faster than wages; the university system is extremely competitive; and there’s complicated social matters between natives, tourists, and immigrants (over 1 million foreigners live in Greece, most of them are in the country illegally, and rising crime has been blamed on them); and foreign policy issues are far more complicated than most other EU countries could ever hope for.

As long as you understand that Greece is not some paradise where everyone has a "simple" life and tends to their chickens (it’s actually believe it or not not that different from Britain), then I highly suport your dream, but you seem to have the wrong impression of Greece. Yes, people take siestas; they drink wine, they dine late under the stars, and go to the beach often, but they still work hard in order to survive and run their country. Siesta time does not mean that people work less. It means that businesses close later in the day, or open earlier in the morning, or both. Just becuase you are on holiday when you visit Greece, it doesn’t mean the locals are; nor does it mean that Greece is the same in February as it is in August.

As an EU national, you are legally entitled to work in Greece without a work permit. Contact a Greek consulate for further details, or visit this website: http://www.greekemba…

There are 100,000 Britons living in Greece; many have found work teaching English (there is a solid demand) or in the tourism industry. Those are really the best bets for a Briton who doesn’t speak Greek. A foreigner can also try loking for a good job in construction; the country is currently experiencing a construction boom, yes even post-Olympics. You can also try working as a farmhand somewhere, but the pay will not support a family of 4.

Yes, it can be done. We did it and many others have as well.

Try www.greeceishome.co…. for a more specialised idea of what can happen.

If you don’t know much about Greece (and even if you do) you will find the Greek-o-file books useful: http://www.amazon.co…

quote:As an EU national, you are legally entitled to work in Greece without a work permit. Contact a Greek consulate for further details, or visit this website: http://www.greekembassy.org.uk/

Actually, I don’t think this is entirely true. You still need a work permit, or a residency permit from the police (or something like that), but it’s easy to obtain.

Right you are. Every country in the EU has its own rules regarding how citisens from other member countries can seek work and reside and work legally. Having said that, the biggest barrier to living in Greece if you aren’t financially independant is the language and hiring practices that favour natives.

It has been a while since this post went up and I wonder if the OP took the leap of faith and actually moved to Greece.

Mark

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