An internship in Greece is an excellent opportunity to combine work and pleasure. The country offers many possibilities, and there’s something for everyone. Greece is a geographically very diverse country, from Macedonia to the islands of the south and east of the country: the country offers a wide range of opportunities for internships abroad, all in sunshine tinged with mythology. When choosing your destination, you need to look beyond the internship and consider the activities on offer in the country, its culture, your budget, etc. Greece is one of the more affordable countries, very affordable in fact, and is a very good spot: it’s full of history and interesting cultural visits, as well as great beaches and hiking trails to discover. Greece isn’t just about Athens, its capital, or its great electro nights on Mikonos: it’s much more than that, and like Italy, you’ll need to travel a lot internally to visit the country as a whole.
Budget for your work placement in Greece
It all depends on the time of year and the city where you do your work placement. However, Greece is an affordable country within the European Union. International Horizons recommends a budget of €750 per month, including accommodation, food and a few ferry trips to visit Rhôdes, Mikonos and the other superb islands. You’re not going to do an internship abroad and stay cooped up all day: you might as well stay in France and binge-watch Netflix. As far as accommodation is concerned, you can either book a long-term youth hostel, a room in a family home or an ERASMUS flat share. As far as I know, however, the latter option only applies to Athens and Thessaloniki, the country’s second largest city in the region of Macedonia. For the record, Greece vetoed North Macedonia’s entry into the European Union for a long time, over a name issue; and it was only by agreeing to call itself NORTHERN Macedonia that Greece agreed to lift its veto. You can also rent a studio apartment, which isn’t very expensive. However, as with all internship destinations abroad, it’s imperative not to book anything online, except on dedicated platforms: every year, there are a lot of scams with fake accommodation. Like, you book, then you arrive in the country and … well, no accommodation. So, if you want to book an apartment, the best thing to do is contact the owners and visit the place before paying. In the meantime, book yourself a week in a youth hostel. When it comes to food, you won’t go hungry during your work placement in Greece: it’s delicious. Lots of fresh produce, seasonal vegetables, fresh cheeses… simple, effective dishes: but that’s the subject of the blog on culinary specialities in Greece. Whether you go to a restaurant or a supermarket, you won’t break the bank when you do your shopping, and prices are generally 50% cheaper than in France: enough to treat yourself and try all the country’s festivities, or the Ouzo if you’re a Pastis/Ricard fan; I’m quoting both to avoid arousing the fury of others. Transport is not expensive either: public transport, taxis, trains … everything is affordable. The most expensive thing is to take the ferries to the big tourist and/or party areas like Rhôdes or Mikonos: that’s when you start to lose a kidney, or an arm, as the case may be. However, International Horizons is against organ trafficking: I’d rather write that just in case someone has the good sense to accuse me of the opposite because of some lame joke ? In Greece, you can get around easily, but you do need to allow a bit of time: after all, the country is quite spread out, and it’s not that quick to make a North-South journey; on the other hand, even if you’re in Northern Greece, you can take the opportunity to visit Northern Macedonia and the town of Ohrid – by the way, we visited the country, and it’s absolutely incredible whether it’s the price, the landscapes, really it’s great, find our feedback on the site! -Or Bulgaria, but that’s the subject of the blog: I’m in Greece, where can I travel during my work placement abroad?
What you need to know
Greece is a thousand-year-old country, the birthplace of democracy. It is one of the countries with the oldest monuments in the world: the temples and its Homeric legends. There’s also one anecdotal but essential point to note: when you cross the road, don’t greet anyone by raising your hand. If you do, you’ll be cursing them for 5 generations: it’s the equivalent of our middle finger! And we agree that waving is not the best way to get people to accept you. Greece is indeed a cultural paradise, like Italy or France, with a well-preserved heritage and a well-developed tourist trade: and that’s all to the good, because there’s a lot to visit in Greece! Between the many temples and statues, or museums, that retrace Greek mythology, you’ve got enough to keep you busy for several weeks. It’s a beautiful place, but it’s very crowded, and really hot. As well as culture, you can also go out into nature: visit the Greek islands and their very typical architecture, the Vikos-Aoos national park and its gorges, the deepest in the world (if you had a dirty joke when you read that: welcome to the team), the Magne region, still very unspoilt by tourists, with stone houses worthy of fortresses, and many more. It’s also a country of sharing, and people are very generous, which shows right through to the plate. Some restaurants preserve this tradition, and when you order a dish, it’s not for you, but for the whole table: the dishes are placed in the middle of the table, each guest has an empty plate in front of them, and everyone helps themselves to all the dishes. It’s convivial, and you get to taste everything. I did it in the old town of Thessaloniki in 2018, when I was there for a few days from Sofia (from Bulgaria, it’s really cheap to go to Greece!), and Nonita, who we work with, took me to a restaurant like this: I found it really nice. I’m sure this kind of concept could be a big hit in France.
Your work placement in Greece
An internship in Greece is an excellent opportunity to learn about: boating, tourism, culture, agri-food, agriculture, aquaculture, renewable energy and sport. But there are many other areas that International Horizons invites you to discover during your international work placement. Depending on the city, you’ll be able to explore more or less possibilities, so don’t hesitate to ask a member of the team if you’re in any doubt. For example, if you want to do an industrial placement, we’re not going to send you to Mikonos: that’s not where you’ll have the best chance of working to improve your skills in that field. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a work placement in the tourism or nightlife sectors, Mikonos is ideal. Ready to head for Greece on your work placement abroad? Then prepare your CV in English. Then International Horizons will call you very quickly to help you build the best international projects and seize the opportunity of a skills-boosting internship. We’re working together to help your career! Don’t forget: to make the most of your work experience abroad, you need to think carefully about your project, and ensure that it combines not only your desires and skills, but also the educational expectations of your school (and your degree, of course), and the reality of the field. Finally, it’s your current level of language skills that will determine the quality and difficulty of the tasks you can be given: a manager can’t give responsibilities to a young person who doesn’t speak enough English. THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO IT. So, you want to do a work placement in Greece? Are you still hesitating about where to go and would you like some top tips? Contact us now! You can also read Quentin and Tanya’s testimonials here. For more general questions, visit the International Horizons Internships Abroad FAQ.