As your host organisation, Eurotraining welcomes you to Italy and we very much hope that you will enjoy your stay with us. As an introduction to your placement in Italy we have produced this booklet, which provides useful information about us, your accommodation, the language course and your work placement.
Eurotraining is based in Padova, a historical university town located at the centre of the Veneto Region in North East Italy.
Established in 1994, the main aim of Eurotraining is to give those taking part in our programmes the opportunity to learn Italian, and to develop the professional skills needed in a rapidly changing European employment market.
During your stay in Italy Eurotraining staff will be available to assist you with any queries or problems you may have. Making sure that you have a rewarding experience is of prime interest to us. In return, we expect you to inform us as quickly as possible if you experience any difficulties during the programme. By working together, we can ensure that you enjoy your time here, realise you your own expectations and go home having had a positive experience.
Please send us your CV in word formatas soon as possible (or make sure that your sending organisation did for you) so that we can start to search the most suitable work placement for you (please indicate which kind of companies or sectors you would prefer). If we do not receive your CV soon we can not guaranty to satisfy your expectations. Please send your e-mail to:
If you have a mobile phone, please inform us of the number as soon as possible, so that you are contactable once you have arrived in Italy. If during your time here you choose to buy an Italian SIM card for your phone, (see later section about using the telephone in General Advice and Information) please advise us of any new number you may have so that you remain contactable during your time in Italy.
You will arrive in Italy at one of the nearest airports to Padova, either Marco Polo (Venice) or Treviso, or by train at Padova’s central train station. On your arrival you will be met by a representative of Eurotraining and escorted to your accommodation.
If you are attending our language course, you will stay in the accomodation for the duration of the course. Then, depending on the location of your work placement, your accommodation may change afterwards.
Type of accommodation
Your accommodation during the Language Course will be in shared self-catering apartments and can be with other participants (including those from other countries), or an Italian family. It is most likely that you will share a room.
Arranging accommodation for so many people for only a few weeks can be difficult, so we hope that you are willing to be flexible. Some accommodation may be located at a distance from the city centre, or may not have facilities such as a telephone, washing machine, or TV. However, this shouldn’t be a reason for complaint. It is normal for all participants to share bedrooms with another person or two people during the duration of the programme. Most bedrooms are twin or triple rooms.
Looking after the property
You will be responsible for cleaning your rooms, which should be left in the same condition as they were found on arrival. It is important to bear in mind that landlords or landladies view not cleaning their accomodation, or not keeping it clean, in the same way as damaging their property. This is because of the time and money they have to spend to re-clean the property and restore it for future use.
Guests
Unfortunately, you will not be allowed to accommodate any guests in your apartment or room during the programme. They must return to their own apartments, rooms or hotels at the end of the evening.If any external guest is found sleeping at the accomodation, you will be charged a penalty for each night of their stay. Under an arrangement with Eurotraining, the landlady or landlord has the right to enter your accomodation at any time, in order to check that everything is in order.
Some programmes run by Eurotraining include a language course element. Where this is part of your programme, the language course will take place at Eurotraining’s offices in Padova. A map and directions will be included in an information pack which you will be provided withupon your arrival.
On the first day of the course it is your responsibility to be punctual and arrive on time. It may be a good idea to meet with other members of the group and to make your way there together.
It is inevitable that there will be different levels of competency within the group, and that those less familiar with the language will have to be prepared to work harder in order to improve their skills. As the language course is relatively short, you should put as much effort as possible into it in order to get the best out of it, in preparation for your work placement and your time in Italy.
It is compulsory to attend the language course and to be punctual. Absence from the course without good reason for a total of three days will result in exclusion from the course. The exclusion will be noted down in the certificate of the programme.
The professional work placement is an integral part of the Erasmus + Programme. The placements are mostly in the Veneto region of North East Italy; however they can be all over the North of Italy. Not all placements will be in Padova, you should therefore be ready to change city and/or to travel.
Work placements are generously provided by companies, and as you may imagine, there is a lot of responsibility upon the employer to provide a placement that is rewarding. An employer will have set aside time and resources to create the placement.
Eurotraining also has responsibility by arranging the placement in the first instance and ensuring that it is satisfactory for all concerned. However the greatest responsibility falls upon you. You have been offered an ideal opportunity to develop your skills, and to explore a professional sector and country of your preferred choice. What you get from this unique experience is therefore down to you, and it is important to use your time effectively. Like the language course, the more effort you put in to learn and adapt, the more you will take back home with you.
Placement meeting
Shortly after your arrival (usually within your first week), you will be asked to attend a meeting with the manager of your potential work placement. The aim of this meeting is to confirm your ideas and ambitions about the area in which you would like to be placed. It is also an opportunity to meet with the person who may be responsible for you and to discuss the scope of the placement. As with any first meeting with a potential employer, it is important to wear something smart.
Your placement will be confirmed during the final week of the language course (if this is part of your programme). Following this, it will not be possible to change your placement without a valid reason.
Type of work
Be mindful of the fact that because you will be working in Italy, your placement may differ from the level of job and responsibility you were undertaking in your home country. The type of placement will depend on your past experience, skills and linguistic ability. Also, be prepared to be flexible about the work that you are asked to do, especially if you cannot speak Italian, at least until your language improves.
Attendance
You will be expected to work the same hours as permanent staff. A normal working week in Italy is usually 40 hours, and you will not be expected to work over and above the norm.
Dress code
The level of formality does vary from company to company, you will not however, be asked or expected to wear anything as formal as a suit. On your first day it will be wise to wear something fairly smart, you will then see the type of dress code adopted by your company.
Accommodation
The accommodation during the work placement can vary. For example, in some instances it is provided by the placement employer, in which case it will be staff accommodation, otherwise it will be similar to the shared accommodation provided during the language school.
Work placement questionnaires
During your work placement there are three short questionnaires which you must complete. They are to be submitted at the beginning, middle and end of your placement. The questionnaires are your evalaution of the placement and cover details such as your relationship with your colleagues, your usage of Italian and the quality of your placement.
The questionnaires also provide an opportunity for you to express any dissatisfaction you may have with the placement, and this enables Eurotraining to intervene, if necessary.
Intermediate report
In addition to the work placement questionnaires, you will also be askedto complete and submit an intermediate report about the organisation you are working in. The report is usually submitted half way through your placement and should include:
- A description of the company, i.e. the type of organisation it is.
- The activities of the company.
- How it is structured.
- The number and type of departments.
- A detailed description of your work and what you do.
- The company’s brochure or information leaflet, which should be attached to the report.
Like the questionnaires, the intermediate report provides you with an opportunity to express any area of dissatisfaction you may have with the work placement, so again if necessary, Eurotraining can intervene.
Europass Training booklet
The Europass Training booklet is a record for you about your work placement in Italy. Designed by the European Union, it contains details such as the duration of the placement, the type of work carried out and the skills acquired. There may not be a Europass booklet for your programme as not all Sending Organisations require one to be completed.
It is of extreme importance that you conduct yourself in a sensible manner, showing respect for Italy’s customs and beliefs.
Anti-social behaviour of any description, including alcohol and drug abuse, will not be tolerated and will result in the immediate removal of an individual from the programme with the loss of any entitlements and fees.
TheErasmus +programme is a European-funded programme and as such, your participation has financial implications for you, your Sending Organisation (the organisation you liaise with in your home country before coming to Italy) and for Eurotraining. Your funding details will already have been discussed with you by your Sending Organisation. When the participant is in Italy, Eurotraining can only clarify these details through writing a letter to the Sending organisation.
For the costs of your programme you can also refer to Eurotraining’s website:
It is vital to bring a health form with you. This will entitle you to the same cover as nationals of the destination country (in this instance, Italy).
Eurotraining can provide the participants with details of local G.P.’s for general enquiries. In cases where you require the help of a specialist doctor, you may have to wait a long time for an appointment. If this is the case, it is better to just go straight to the “Pronto Soccorso” (Accident and Emergency) at the nearest hospital. You must be prepared to wait for a long time, sometimes for up to five hours, and after being seen to you usually have to pay a fee of around 20 to 30 euros, depending on the circumstances.
An alternative option is to contact Eurotraining, where we can provide you with contact details and advice on seeing a specialist private Doctor. Doctors in Italy usually charge a fee of approximately € 100.
On your arrival in Italy, Eurotraining will need the following documents from you:
At the end of the programme you will receive the following certificates:
- Language course certificate.
- Erasmus + participation certificate from Eurotraining (if requested by your Sending Organisation).
- Europass training (only for EU citizens and where provided by the Sending Organisation).
Throughout the programme, you are expected to:
- Be mature enough to face the difficulties of adapting to life in a foreign country.
- Have an open mind towards new experiences and situations.
- Take an interest in discovering new ways of life in different surroundings.
- Take responsibility and initiative for your own personal and professional development.
The weather is generally much better in Italy than in northern Europe. Spring and Summer can be exceptionally hot but it is the intensity of the light that is most striking. During this period sunglasses become more than a fashion accessory. Naturally, light clothing is preferable to heavy woollens, even when it rains the humidity can be quite stifling. During Autumn and Winter the weather is cooler, with November to January being the coldest months.
It is advisable to bring clothes spanning the seasons and time period for which you will be in the country.
To make an international call it is advisable to buy a phone card. These can be purchased from Tabaccherias. you can also buy them from Cafés which display a sign in the window. Phone cards can also be bought for making national calls within Italy, before inserting this type of card, the perforated corner must be broken.
Many participants bring their mobile phones to Italy. If you choose to do this, bear in mind that whilst living in Italy, not only do you pay for the cost of calls you make, but also for the calls you receive. For this reason people find it is usually cheaper to buy an Italian SIM card for their phone. With the Italian SIM card you will also be given an Italian number.
If you wish buy an Italian SIM card it is important that at least a month before you depart, you ensure that your handset can recieve other SIM cards. Some service providers block mobile phones so that only their SIM card is able to function in it. Also, enusre that you are able to make international calls from your handset.
As it is previously said, it is not mandatory for the families that will host you or the landlords that will rent you the house to provide you with Internet connection. Nevertheless, if you still need it, we suggest you the following options:
1)Go to a shop of one of these providers (Wind, Fastweb, Vodafone, Tim…) to ask for a solution. Generally, the best solution is to buy a dongle (which costs about 50 euro) and a contract whose costs is more or less of 20 euros per month and gives you the possibility to have about 10 GB a month
2)We do not recommend you unlimited connection since you will have to wait 1 month to activate it and maybe you will have to sign a 36 months contract that you will have to keep paying once back in your country
You cannot buy bus tickets from the driver; instead you must purchase your ticket from a bus office, news-stand or Tabaccheria. Once on the bus you must validate your ticket by inserting it into the yellow stamping machine inside the bus. If you do not do this you will be fined, be warned, inpections are regularly carried out.
The same applies for train tickets. They must be validated by using the yellow stamping machines at the station.
Where your accommodation is situated at a distance from your placement (this may happen when there is no accommodation close to your placement, or when you decide to not to move closer to it), we suggest you to buy a bus or train pass as this is cheaper than buying daily tickets. You can get bus and train passes at the bus or train station of the city.
It is important to be realistic about what can be achieved, particularly during the first few weeks as you will be using a foreign language and experiencing new working practices. Therefore, an open mind and a willingness to adapt are paramount in order for the work placement to be successful for both the placement provider and for you.
Mixing with Italians both in and out of work can be extremely rewarding. Above all, making an effort with the language is appreciated. You will find colleagues helpful and encouraging.
We look forward to seeing you and hope your stay is both enjoyable and beneficial to you.
Eurotraining s.r.l.
Padova Office:
Via G.B. Ricci 6/a
35131 Padova, Italia
Tel: + 39 049 8765073 (during office hours 8.30-13.30)Thursday closed
Florence Office:
Via Aretina 167
Scala M / Int 44 /4° Piano
50136 FIRENZE
Fax : 055 6235365
For urgent or important problems you may phone Ms Federica Sguotti on her mobile number:
Mob:+39 335 6101573.
E-mail: Federica Sguotti
Website:
Please sign the accompanying letter (Letter for Participant) to indicate that you have read and understood the contents of this booklet.
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