Indian Software engineer working as expat in Italy

Posted by nalan_tech@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 6 comments

M 30, working in Italy from 1 year on a permanent contract, It all started in 2023 with me looking for new opportunities in Europe from India, the sector I worked majorly was embedded system majored in Automotive domain.

I carried 4+ years of experience working with MNCs in India, I applied for more than 1000+ jobs on all platforms like Linkedin, Naukri, company portal, cold DMs, reaching out to HRs directly.

2023 was still a good time to get hire before the bubble broke, and I got interview calls from Germay, Czech Republic, and Italy.

I interview with my current company around Nov 2023, Got the offer on Jan 2024, started as an external consultant from Feb 2024. The offer i recived was indeterminato, but due to Visa and bureaucracy, the joining was confirmed for mid June, till then I started as a external consultant.

So my timeline till now is as follows: Nov 2023 -> Interview Jan 2024-> Offer Accepted Feb 2024-> Started as External from India June 2024-> Expected to start full time in Italy

However, June 2024, I could not start, given the paper and slow bureaucratic work, the overall required for me start took almost a year.

Feb 2025 I joined full time. So my entire time from interview to actually joining in person was close to 14 months.

I was patient, and also satisfied as I was working as an external they gave me 90% hike on mt pervious salary for my external role.

Now its been 1 year and the journey has been overwhelming, adventurous, ups and downs, mental breakdowns, and patience filled.

The climate in Italy is amazing, you have the sun sea and mountain. I have not visited much of the country but I have visited Lake Como, Lake Garda, Venice, Milan, Francia Corta, Saravalle.

The much anticipated question, how much salary do I earn, I will give a range I earn around 45k to 55k Euros, this includes base salary, yearly bonus, company performance bonus, and coupon credits.

Am I satisfied with this a big yes cause I am part of the expat tax regime, only 50% of my salary is taxed. It as downsides of 5 year commitment stay but as of now I just want to live and experience.

I will share more deeper insights on my experience stay tuned.

Happy to answer your queries 🙂