Working remotely in Greece: how Dilara ended up on a Greek island

Why did Dilara leave Germany for Greece?

Dilara wanted to swim in the sea, to feel the sun on her skin, and to meet other cultures and other people. What she says about the people here comes back more than once: they are simply a bit more relaxed.

Her expectations were not high. She looked forward to the water and the sun, and her doubts were about the practical side, whether it would all work out and how the flight and the transfer would go. She applied through Yobbers and calls that part easy, fast and uncomplicated. Read more about working and living in Greece. 

Trustpilot

There isn‘t anything bad i can say…

There isn‘t anything bad i can say about Yobbers. They did a Great Job with helping me particular Johanna. She was very Sweet and did really well with finding me a Job in Greece. I definitely would do this again.

Jasmin Otto

How did the move to Greece really go?

There were plenty of challenges, and the last stretch was the biggest one. Dilara and her partner moved with suitcases and equipment from a city onto an island, used every kind of transport they could find, and had to be resourceful about it. They spoke English, and used their hands when English ran out.

Finding accommodation was the part that took the most work. They found an estate agent through social media, which they paid for themselves, and Dilara is clear that you only get somewhere if you can explain what you want. There are enough websites; communication is the bottleneck.

It was exciting, an adventure with my partner. We stood together.

How you land depends on where you settle. Take a job in Athens or Thessaloniki and you can use what the employer has set up: a hotel on arrival, your equipment sent on, and help finding a place. Settle anywhere else, as Dilara did, and the flat is yours to arrange, though the employer's contacts can still get you an agent and a possible discount.

What that costs afterwards depends on the island and on how you live. As a rough guide, our cost overview for Greece puts one person at €800 to €1,050 per month when sharing a flat, with rent taking €400 to €480 of that.

What does a remote workday in Greece look like?

Dilara works from home and takes incoming calls, with her break outside. Get up, get everything done, computer on, do the job, enjoy the break in the sun. There is no commute at all, and being straight at home instead of on the road is one of the things she names as changed.

Her English improved a lot through the work, and she names that herself as one of the things she developed abroad. If you want to see what is possible without moving to an office, the remote jobs currently open give a realistic picture.

What is the hardest part of living in Greece?

The language and the traffic. Reading something you cannot read yet takes time, and the roads work differently from what she knew. You have to integrate and keep learning, she says, before a place starts feeling like you have arrived.

Yes, you miss what you are used to. My partner is here with me, and she is like my home.

Making friends was easier. Open and warm-hearted, in a good mood, and the connections came quickly: neighbours, acquaintances, people on the street. Outside work she swims, lies in the sun for the vitamin D, and goes camping to sleep out in nature.

What would she tell someone who is still doubting?

Her advice is short: you do not know how long you have, or whether there is a tomorrow, so just do it. The lesson she names as most valuable is not about sunshine, though. It is that you have to honour and appreciate every cent, and that people from another culture simply have it differently.

Alongside that, she says she has found more of herself here, has her calm, and knows she can manage anything. She has too many good memories to pick from, but the one she names is the clear night sky, full of stars, with shooting stars in it. ✨

Our vacancies abroad are where a step like hers begins.