Learning Greek is key to finding a job in Greece, true or false? This is both true and false.

True

Speaking several languages, including the local one, will make you more attractive to an employer on paper and in person. It is good business sense to hire someone who can speak to everyone, rather than someone who is limited to communicating with only a few. Even employers offering summer jobs in tourist spots prefer people who are bilingual in Greek.

Reading, writing and speaking Greek will undoubtedly increase your chances of finding work, simply because the whole job market is open to you and make you more competitive. It will help you stay in your field and perhaps even get you a position on par with the level you attained back in your homeland, instead of settling for less.

Lastly, although being fluent or proficient in Greek does not guarantee you a higher salary, it gives you the power to negotiate a salary, rather than allowing your employer to use it as leverage to pay you less.

False

While learning Greek, even at a basic level, will help you in everyday activities and make your transition smoother without being dependent on others for help, I and several people I know can attest that it is not necessary in finding some jobs.

There are programmers/technicians at IT companies, secretaries at Greek and multinational companies, editors and proofreaders at publishing houses and ELT schools, tourist industry workers, administrators at universities, some teachers of English, personal assistants to Greek professionals — all of them do not speak Greek at a fluent or even basic level because their company has a UK, German, Spanish, American or otherwise non-Greek speaking clientele or industry focus.

A significant drawback is that the entire job market is not open to you, in fact you won’t even be able to read the majority of newspaper ads/classifieds without knowing some Greek. The good jobs for native speakers of another language without fluency in Greek have almost no turnover and come available once in a blue moon, only to be filled through connections or recommendations by relatives or friends without ever being advertised. See, “Greece, where connections are everything.”

Vacancies that open up more often or continuously advertised in “foreigner” newspapers are usually less than desirable jobs with high turnover. There is a reason. These companies count on the fact there is a continuous supply of non-EU citizens who will work illegally, accept a lower salary, cannot demand IKA (insurance) and bonuses (Easter, summer and Christmas), work unpaid overtime and settle for being treated poorly or exploited in other ways out of fear of being fired or otherwise unemployed.

You may be fine with that as a means to stay here and support yourself, but your life and career will rarely advance beyond these “recycled” jobs into a more professional realm. Those who aren’t picky and enjoy routine and stability may find this just fine; others seeking growth and opportunity should know that your career will top out very quickly without connections.

And if you one day intend to return to your homeland or migrate to another country, a prospective employer may not be sympathetic about your job situation in Greece, and it will be difficult for you to regain the position you once held.

Contrary to popular belief that international experience is looked upon favorably, I’ve found that many multinational companies see you as unstable, unfocused or a flight risk (aka, you’ll leave again), unless the move abroad was for good reason — company transfer, family reasons or accepting a golden job opportunity with a recognized brand, institution or NGO. Many well-known job agencies I consulted in New York, Stockholm, Madrid and Miami say that it’s often better to leave this period off a CV if there is no significant or related experience to contribute, as it will only raise suspicion.

In Life

It is a widely held belief that most Greeks speak English and Greece caters to an English-speaking population. That’s both true and false.

In affluent areas, larger towns and areas frequented by tourists, many know some English, especially younger people. However, the statement, “All Greeks speak English” is greatly exaggerated.” You will still find a lot of ATMs without the option for English even in big cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, 95 percent of bureaucratic forms are in Greek, and government Web sites offer slimmed down versions of their Greek counterpart. Further, public sector offices (dimos, eforia, nomarxeia, IKA, OAED, etc.) are staffed by people who will insist on speaking Greek, except in rare instances.

There are people who live here for years without bothering to learn Greek even at a basic level and do fine. They congregate with people speaking the same language or multilingual Greeks, manage OK at the grocery store and are dependent on a friend, girl/boyfriend, spouse, child or lawyer to do the translating and bureaucratic legwork for them. Greece remains a mysterious stranger to them.*

That’s fine, I suppose, but I’ve found that having even a basic command of Greek does wonders. With some grasp of the language, independence and confidence replace isolation and fear, knowledge chips away at ignorance, and closed doors inch open. You feel like a functioning adult again with a full life instead of a helpless child, and Greece feels more like home than a foreign country.

Learning Greek isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it’s not the most difficult either.

* Getting familiar with Greece using wisdom from this site does not count as knowing something or having your own first-hand experience.

Jump start your job search

If you’re an EU citizen or a non-EU citizen with a work permit for Greece, you can start your job search with the links I’ve provided in the third column by scrolling down to the heading “Jobs, Homes and Auto Ads in Greece” and clicking anything that interests you. Many sites are bilingual with the best jobs usually listed in Greek.

If you’re a non-EU citizen without a work permit, it’s best to read, “How non-EU citizens can get a permit to live and work in Greece.” Why? Because there is little point looking for a job if you cannot get a permit, unless you plan to work illegally.

Related posts

“Myth vs. reality: English speaking jobs for Americans/non-EU citizens in Greece”
“Free Greek language lessons”
“Why don’t you speak Greek fluently?”

Article updated November 7, 2009

Photo from skroutz.gr