Informative Materials – Italy
Education paths leading to professional caregiving in Italy
In Italy, the professional role of formal caregiver is called, generally, Operatore Socio Sanitario (with the commonly used acronym of OSS).
To become professional, certified and formal caregivers, aka OSS, interested people in this career should attend private professional courses (that sometimes can be funded by local/regional grants.)
Generally, these courses are attended after finishing the high school cycle studies (EQF level 4) but, in some cases, a lower secondary school diploma (EQF level 3) is also allowed to access these professional courses.
Find here an example of a professional course structure.
Recognition of skills and qualifications acquired through non-formal and informal learning
Those courses are often delivered by private training centres (sometimes in collaboration with public bodies, hospitals and/or universities).
Therefore, the recognition of skills and qualifications acquired through non-formal and informal learning is something that the board of the professional courses is responsible for.
The approval of an application for recognition of skills is also related to some practical and theoretical tests (this recognition can also be an exemption, expressed in percentage, from the mandatory hours of the training course)
Information for foreigners who want to become or work as formal caregivers in Germany
Recognition of education obtained in home country; Recognition of skills and qualifications acquired through non-formal and informal learning
Foreigners who want to become professional caregivers in Italy should ask for the legal recognition of their level of studies; this procedure is known also as Equivalence for professional purposes and is in charge of the Ministero dell’istruzione e del merito.
Here is the link with more detailed information concerning the steps to follow to submit the application for the recognition of the official Equivalence.
Employment conditions in Germany; recognition procedures for the purpose of work; language requirements; employment regulations
For general employment conditions information regarding EU citizens in Italy, you can see the following official page of the European Commission.
For general employment conditions information regarding non-EU citizens in Italy, you can see the following official page of the Italian Ministry of Labor and social policy, Ministero del lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali, and this interesting practical guide.
If foreigners want to work in Italy and already have an official diploma of caregiver, in Italy as known as OSS, officially issued by their country of origin, they should submit an application for the recognition of the diploma to the Italian Department of Health, called Ministero della Salute.
Here, you will find the link with all the information concerning this procedure.
Language requirements: to perform their tasks correctly and cooperate with employers, families, other professionals and, of course, seniors, aspirant foreigners caregivers need to have an adequate command of the Italian language.
You have many options to learn Italian in Italy or online from your country. In the link below, you will find many options with accredited schools and many locations: Scuole di Italiano per stranieri Società Dante Alighieri
Specific training for people who come from specific countries to Italy (as low-skilled foreigners)
There are no specific trainings for low-skilled foreigners who come to Italy
Information on earning
The salary of a caregiver, or OSS, depends on the region, the employer and the workplace.
In a public place such as a hospital, the salary of the OSS depends strictly on the profile of the operator. The levels of this figure range from BS (entry level), who can earn up to EUR 1,500 gross per month, to BS5 OSS (advanced level), who can receive a pay packet of EUR 1,850 gross per month.
Type of employment and caregivers/Oss salary net
- OSS in private clinic : average salary 1,500€/month
- OSS at home: average salary 1.440€/month
- OSS in nursing home: average salary 1.300€/month
- OSS in hospital: average salary 1.220€/month
- OSS in Social Cooperative: average salary 960€/month
- OSS Part Timer: average salary 720€/month
If you want to go deeper into this topic, you can read the following article
Job offers
Links to some job offers agencies:
Some statistic data
In general, there is a big need for caregivers in Italy as this country has one of the oldest populations with the highest life expectancy at birth and at 65 for both men and women. So, there is a high demand for this professional role in different care contexts.
It is not easy to have official data concerning caregivers working officially in Italy because many caregivers can work outside the official framework.
The Eurocarers website indicates, in fact, that in Italy 16.119.000 are having informal or formal caring responsibilities, that is 26,5 % of the population.
The Italian trade association of caregivers called Migep says in their last report that in Italy there are 333.000 caregivers/OSS officially working with contracts.
The same trade association confirms that, to cover the country’s global needs, Italy should need 30.000 more caregivers in the next years.
Link to relevant websites in country
Useful materials
Moving to Italy: An Expat’s Complete Guide
References
- Badacare, 2023. Quanto guadagna un Oss? Uno sguardo agli stipendi.
- 2023. Living and working conditions: Italy
- I.G.E.P, 2023. Federazione nazionale delle professioni sanitarie, M.I.G.E.P.
- Ministero del lavoro, 2023. Integrazione dei migranti, Recruitment of foreign workers already resident in Italy
- Ministero della salute, 2023. Recognition of the professional qualification of health care technician obtained in EU Member States, in the Swiss Confederation or in the European Economic Area – EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) by citizens from the EU, the Swiss Confederation or the EEA. – Recognition of the professional qualification of health care technician obtained in EU Member States, in the Swiss Confederation or in the European Economic Area
- MIUR, Ministero dell’università e della ricerca, 2023. Riconoscimento dei titoli esteri, Titoli accademici esteri | Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca