Moving to Greece

Hi Alex,
You should try www.metafores.co.uk My friends have used them and they are very happy with the service that they provide. Give them a try and see for yourself.

It's difficult to give someone even basic advice when it's unknown what kind of accommodation and work they are looking for, but I will try nevertheless.

Finding a place to live has become cheaper since the beginning of the economic crisis here. Whether you are thinking of renting an apartment, buying one or even considering a house, the housing market has been hit hard and prices are, in general, the lowest they have been in a long time. My new neighbour is renting a 3-floor luxury house for 450€/month here, in a modest suburb of Thessaloniki.

However, it's a mixed blessing as it's not particularly easy to find work at the moment. Times are tough, a lot of businesses are closing shop and even if one finds work, salaries and benefits are not in great shape as a result of the increased taxation and benefit cuts enforced by the government. It's not a particularly great situation. But it also depends on your qualifications and what kind of work you are looking for so I couldn't really say for sure.

Bear in mind that speaking Greek well is required to be able to work anywhere here (unless you work for a foreign company) and you need to have a certificate proving your knowledge of the Greek language (lessons are available free of charge, my wife is attending them at the moment). Another obstacle is recognition of any foreign university or college degrees you might have. The government has to recognise EU degrees of course, but they are quite slow in doing so, which means that there could be quite a delay if your work requires any kind of formal working permit.

These are my two cents I guess. Hope I helped. Good luck with everything :) And happy new year.

Hi Alex,
first of all thanks for your reply.
I'll give you now some more details about my situation.
Relating to the acomodations I have some places where I can have some help from my wifes family. We have family in Athens, Larissa, Lesvos and Orestiada. For the beginning they already offer us a place we can stay.
Í'm already having some Greek lessons in Internet, just to help me with the basic words. This is my biggest obstacle for the beginning but I already speak five languages and I will aply myself to learn your langage as fast as possible.
I already have experience working abroad, I have worked in Holland for six years.
About the work market, I have a profession that, normally, is well accepted all over the world. I am an Electromechanic with a lot of experience and I also have a lot of knowledges in everything that surrounds my profession. I can weld, read hidraulic maps, good knowledge in computers and extremely good comunication skills.
So, if you can loose a litle bit more of your time it will be very helpfull for me.
Thanks for everything and whenever you need something that I can help you I'll do whatever you need.
Regards
Alex

Hi Alex!I would like to ask you, where I can take greek lessons free of charge in Thessaloniki?
Thanks,
Krisztina