August is vacation time in Greece.  Everything is closed, everyone is away somewhere letting off steam.  If you've chosen a destination which includes accommodation at a hotel (instead of, lets say, your village), you should know your rights at this hotel, according to the Consumer Rights Organization EKPOIZO:

Being around Greek-Americans, or Greeks that have lived in any western country for many years on end, makes one realize just how torn these poor souls are between their home countries and their host countries.  When they're in the U.S., they miss Greece.  When they're in Greece, they bicker about it and talk about how great the U.S. is.  This is characteristic of the older generations.  Go figure...

Your parents, godfather or aunt know someone who is friends with or related to someone in a position of power.  Greece is a really small country, so this case wouldn't be that unusual.  Do you use your "meson" (or connection) to get a job or do you kiss certainty goodbye?

There are two types of Greeks that live abroad:  those who have settled in their new countries and enjoy visiting Greece during the summer and those who one day dream of returning to Greece.  The latter may include people of all ages and the feeling of nostalgia does not...

If it's your first time coming to Greece, you're probably wondering what kind of clothes to bring, if it's worth visiting some places or not according to the weather.  In general terms, Greece has a mediterranean climate, which means that it's got mild rainy winters and warm dry summers.

When you start driving in this country you realize that you're either going to become a great driver or get into accidents constantly.  And this is because Greeks are a breed of drivers different from the rest:  if you don't adapt, you're lost.

First of all, if you are a citizen of the European Union (meaning you are a citizen of one of its member-states), your driver’s license is valid in any other country of the European Union. Even if you decide to live in a member-state other than the one where your driver’s license was issued, you don’t have to exchange your driver’s license for the local one.

Your Greek Police ID or Taftotita is a necessary form of identification for all Greek citizens from the age of 12. It is issued at the Department of Security (Tmima Asfaleias) or Police Station of your place of residence.

If any of you have ever had to deal with public services here in Greece, then you know that even the most simple task can turn into a complex one.  Good organization and lots of patience, however, can work miracles; this is exactly what you need when setting up a business in Greece.

Citizens of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Norway, Lichtenstein, Iceland, Switzerland) don’t have to get a visa, use a passport or have medical checks to enter another EU country, and they also don’t need to have a work permit. Their identity card allows them to get into the country and remain for 3 months – this is a good time to look for a job. After three months if you wish to stay further, you must apply for a residence permit for a national of an EU Member State. This allows you to stay for five years and is renewed automatically.

When working in Greece, there are laws that protect you as an employee from abuse, yet many employees either are unaware of these laws or they choose not to defend them so they won’t loose their job (although in theory an employer can’t fire you because you defend your rights).

First of all, if you’re looking for a job through classified ads, don’t expect much. In my experience they are usually misleading or published for marketing research purposes. Perhaps the best way to get a job is to take resumes to every company you’re interested in working at. It takes time, but at least they get to see you, meet you etc. Or you can just rely on your connections – that’s the old-fashioned and tested Greek way. Of course, there are also job search engines where you can post your resume, but I never got a job that way. Sign up though, just to get their e-mails on seminars and career days that are organized in your city, and who knows, you may find a job that way, too.

From time to time you may have wanted to bring something more than clothes to Greece when you visit your relatives, but soon realized that taxation at customs would actually be more than the actual price of the product. Although this may be true for things you bring on your vacation, it isn’t true if you want to move to Greece. For Greeks or foreign nationals that want to move to Greece permanently, no taxes are applied at customs for the things they bring. Specifically this applies to Greeks living abroad, foreign nationals married to a Greek citizen, or Greek citizens working abroad for a private company or the Greek government.