{"id":2092,"date":"2021-05-28T10:55:43","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T10:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocate.me\/blog\/?p=2092"},"modified":"2026-01-28T10:03:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T10:03:11","slug":"moving-to-italy-for-a-tech-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocate.me\/blog\/expat-stories\/moving-to-italy-for-a-tech-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving to Italy for a Tech Job: Michel’s Relocation Story"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 12<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Despite the fact that an average software engineer would rather consider Italy as a travel destination rather than a relocation spot, the fourth-largest economy in the EU performs above the world’s average in income, wealth, work-life balance, and healthcare, according to the <\/span>OECD Better Life Index<\/span><\/a>, and has a promising IT industry. The latter contributes a value-added of <\/span>3.2% of GDP<\/span><\/a> to the Italian economy, and software engineering companies bring a market value of \u20ac50.8 billion, offering many IT jobs for software engineers. Qualified developers are paid 50% higher than other service sector employees in the country, which is good news. The warm and welcoming temper of the Italian nation, tremendous cultural heritage, and delicious cuisine are cherries on the top of the cake, promising smooth integration.<\/span><\/p>\n

We hope that our recent interview with <\/span>Michel<\/span><\/a>, a Lebanese software engineer who relocated to Milan from London, will inspire you to expand your horizons and consider Italy as a relocation destination in your <\/span>international job search<\/span><\/a>. Without further ado, let’s get into it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Michel\u2019s background<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Home country:<\/strong> Lebanon
Time in the industry:<\/strong> A first-year graduate
Current tech stack:<\/strong> Swift, Python, and C++
Passions outside of work:<\/strong> Reading, history, and board games<\/p>\n

What made you choose Milan as a work abroad destination? Was it by accident, or were you actively seeking a Software Engineer job in Italy?<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Initially, I wasn’t looking for Italy specifically. I was looking for developer jobs all over Europe but with a particular focus on the UK<\/a> and France because those are countries where I speak the language. I was actually a bit worried about moving to Italy as I thought the language barrier would be a problem. Bending Spoons assured me that it would be fine, and so I decided to take the plunge. That was mainly because I was excited about the opportunity to work with Bending Spoons and because I had heard good things about how international and welcoming Milan in particular was.<\/span><\/p>\n

NOTE:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Bending Spoons<\/span><\/a> is a fast-growing tech company focused on developing and marketing mobile apps. Since its founding in 2013, the team has built over 20 applications, which in total boast over 390 million downloads and more than 12 million monthly active users worldwide! Contact tracing app <\/span>Immuni<\/span><\/i>, which opposed coronavirus in Italy, video editing suite <\/span>Splice<\/span><\/i>, and <\/span>30 Day Fitness<\/span><\/i>, which delivers home workouts through video workshops, are some of the best known Bending Spoons’ applications. The company is being recognized as the best workplace in Italy, two years in a row.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bending<\/p>\n

You are now working at Bending Spoons as a Software Engineer. How many interview stages did you have to go through to get this job?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The interview process at Bending Spoons was quite thorough and took a very long time; that said, it was also very enjoyable, and I never felt overwhelmed at any step. Here’s a quick overview of the steps I went through, each of which can take between a few days and a couple of weeks:<\/span><\/p>\n