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Looking for ideas.
Just qualified as Personal Trainer, and was planning to be a freelancer. While I've been doing that (sorting out insurance, equipment, paperwork etc), husband's job suddenly went pearshaped, a promised contract was not forthcoming (he's an airline pilot) and his jobhunt has turned up an offer to be based at Milan airport. While I quite like the idea of moving to Italy and our research into it is all positive, I'm not sure what I'm going to do career-wise.
I have a smattering of Italian but I think it'll take me a while to develop any fluency, so my options are a bit limited. I'm studying psychology with the Open University, which I can carry on with when abroad (hikes the fees up unfortunately) and had considered going for an academic career long term.
Have thought of doing TEFL, but it's not something I'd be passionate about (unlike fitness and psychology).
Overall, the move has the potential for fab lifestyle etc (pretty running routes!), but don't want to be stuck at home with no purpose in life while hubby jets around the world. I think the biggest limiting factor is language: I'm reasonable at picking up languages, but how long would it take me to get my Italian good enough to use in my job?
Anybody been in this sort of position? What did you do? We don't have kids, so childcare isn't an issue, although cat care is. Also, if I'm likely to emigrate in the new year, should I really be pouring my efforts into building PT in the UK? I don't have any clients yet: I've just shelled out for my insurance and the insurance certificate is on its way (held up in the strike) so I'm just about ready to start promoting myself and getting some clients.
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Comments
Rachel,
You can reasonably pick a language quickly. In about 3 months, you should be ok but it also depends how much effort you put in.
You probably need to be really sure that is what you want to do as it can be hard at times and it depends what your everyday life is with your friends etc...
No matter where you are , you will need to work , pay taxes etc... unless you have won the lottery.
Go ahead as normal with your activty as you dont know ifyou will move or not.
But this could be a great opportunity so it might worthwhile trying and see what comes out of it. If you dont like at least you have tried it.
I know I dont regret it.
i would say go for it if you can - lets face it most folk have too many committments to do something like that.
personally tho i would miss here and i HATE italian food. well - i like garlic bread but you couldnt survive on that could you!?
I hear the postal system is better in Italy eh Ballini
Rachel - if David Beckham can learn another language, then I'm sure you can. (Apparently Victoria only wanted to go to America so she could learn a new language...............)
Thanks for the tips - relieved that I'll probably be able to pick up the language so quickly (I was thinking years rather than months). I'm not a fussy eater, as long as it's veggie, so pizza, pasta, garlic bread, cheese, beans, icecream - yum! - and I normally cook from scratch (used to make my own pasta until the pasta maker bust) which I think is 'the way' over there. I've never lived abroad before, and it's a bit out of the comfort zone, but going outside the comfort zone is a good thing now and again. There's really not a lot of choice unless another job offer is forthcoming: airline captains earn lots more than personal trainers. I think a bit of thinking and preparation could make the difference between loving Italy and being fed up and homesick. I will try and track down G-Sport...
You will probably get more business in Italy anyway than you will have in the UK.
The ingredients are better, the weather nicer - although Milan gets cold in the winter -
If you really want to make it work you will be fine.
naughty coops!!!
the talent is probably better
also the accent
I have amate used to work just outside Rome.
He said it was spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti all the time. he got sick of the sight of it. But then he got used to it. In teh end he was clearing great big bowls of it, just like a native.
Couldn't live abroad permanently, |I'd miss fish and chips and all teh rest of it.
I disagree with people's comments about language learning. Yes, you can get by in a few months but to get to the standard where you can really fit in, enjoy meaningful friendships etc etc does take much longer. I have lived abroad before and while it's fun and exciting, you do need to go in with your eyes open.
It will be hard. Isolation and loneliness are all likely, even with your OH being there and while the highs will probably be higher, any lows you have will probably be lower due to being in a foreign country and unable to communicate properly.
I am not saying don't do it - in fact I think you should. (if you don't like it you can always come home again and pick up PT where you left off) just be prepared.
Rachel, I'm also a PT and planning on moving to another country next year. I have the same fears as you, plus 2 children to deal with.
Your insurance should cover you for appx 6 months if you get a contract somewhere. You could aim to work within the ex-pat community?
I think it would be a great opportunity, personaly I cant wait to get out of here and give my children an experience of living somewhere else. I'm going give it my all, set realistic targets, learn the language en route and enjoy every min of it.
The great thing about being a PT, you can take it anywhere. But as petite pomme says it will be hard, but if it's what you want it'l work.
Rachel
If you go abroad and want to carry on the PT line, check the insurance isn't geographically limited.
You will probably be able to pick up the basics of the language reasonably quickly and then if you can get a short term job in a gym or similar you'll pick up the specialist (ie technical) stuff soon after.
Training plans etc are uniform the world over, so you do truly have a universal skill there, plus you could market yourself as an English speaking PT and aim at well off educated Italians who want to improve their linguistics at the same time as their fitness!!
I've just come back from Italy, we stayed in Verbania on Lake Maggiore, it was beautiful.
Language wise even after a few days you begin to get an ear for it, also talking to europeans there who had all learned other languages, there are intensive courses when you go to a class every day for 3 hours.
I lived in America for 2 years and joking aside, it is a different language and culture, I found the adjustment hard.
As has been said if you don't go and try you will never know.
Rachel-
I think you will find that once you are surrounded by people speaking Italian, you will pick up things very quickly, quite simply because you will have to. You can already start listening to Italian internet radio. What always helped me was watching TV to hear how things are pronounced "properly".
There is a British Consulate in Milan which should be handy for information for example on business matters, and probably be able to give you info should you want to get in touch with British people there who have been in the same boat who could advise you. See also the Italian Embassy website.
I have lived in 8 different countries, so it gets to be pretty routine. You will find that people are generally very helpful. Good luck with finding a plumber, though, once you're there!
Rachel,
This will be great experience and you will learn a lot about yourself and your life in general so I hope it will be positive for you.
It was for me. Italy is only 90 minutes away from the UK anyway but there will be a good english base in Milan for your portfolio of customers.
Buona Sera Rachael,
Most Milanese will speak good English anyway and Italian isn't too difficult to learn, you will learn to get by very quickly. The best way to learn a language is to surround yourself with native speakers and Italians will embrace you for trying to speak Italian and there will be lots of language classes. As you mention you could always TEFL at some point. If in doubt add an i, o, or a to the end of the english word and you will get it right 50% of the time
The Italians like to look good so sure there will be plenty of opporunities for you to do PT and they will love to practice English with you, 2 for the price of 1!!!
I would love to be living in Italy just now, good food, good weather, great scenery and you will be so close to Lake Como and sure you will find plenty to keep you busy even if it's just shopping! Milan has some fabulous shops... there will be things that drive you mad too, but then I bet you feel like that here sometimes?
Embrace this experience and go with the flow, accept what comes your way, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy and keep us posted.
Ciao for now...
Do it! Even if you can't manage Italian - and I bet you will be able to -- we lived in Germany for years and by the time we left we must have "known" about 400 local English speakers. I had a degree in German when I started there and my wife knew nothing, but at the end she was able to communicate anything she wanted in any circles. Watching TV is a great way of learning a language if you can stand the low quality.
I'd agree with all the positives people have written here.
I just emailed you Rachel, any qusestions about being a Brit in Italy. I'll try and help, or my wife might have a different perspective too.
G-s
Buon giorno
Move looking fairly definite: OH goes out first week in November, and if his 6 month contract gets extended, I head out in Spring with the cats. Looks like my first ever marathon might be Turin, which I hear is quite a fast course (unlike my Nuneaton training runs which are a bit hilly). Work is quite an interesting issue: to be self-employed, you need all kinds of certification that you're qualified. I am assured that the Italian approach is that rules are meant to be broken, but don't really fancy the big fines mentioned in our Handy Guide to Italian Bureaucracy. Something Tefl-y might be more practical, ideally through doing CELTA, but I'll probably do that once I'm out there as the course options are a bit limited here (I've missed start dates for the less intensive courses, and the more intensive ones are 4 weeks and supposed to be pretty exhausting, which won't work very well with my Open Uni courses). The finances mean I don't have to work, which sounds very jammy, but I have tried the Lady of Leisure thing and last about 3 weeks before I go mad. Tefl-y things are apparently a good way to meet ex-pats. Anybody got tips on Tefl-y stuff?
Well, if anybody sees this post and is looking for books on living and working in Italy, maps, guidebooks etc, we've lots on offer! We have a sneaking suspicion that a previous employer who has a connection with the current (or just ex) employer may have something to do with it. Can't really say much more (due legal processes currently going on) other than Mr Raich is completely in the right and there are some very nasty people around, and we did wonder whether something like this might happen but we weren't expecting it quite so quickly. We are lucky in lots of ways though - we won't starve, we don't have any children hoping for lots of Christmas presents, and so it's much less of a worry than it might be for some people, and I think it might even be a bit of a blessing in disguise given the difficulty in trying to be married when you are living in different countries.
ever so glad that you are looking on the optamistic side though and sound like you will be fine! good luck with the legal battle and for the future in general!