½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

[QUOTE=Duc]Can anyone tell me where I might find information on where/how/what qualifications/proof etc.to enable me to work in Italy.Our move is a long term plan and if it is too difficult for me to work as I do in Britain(where I do everything bar final fix carpentry) then plans will have to be adjusted.Any info would be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Hi Welcome to the forum. Setting up as a self-employed builder (or self employed anything for that matter) is a lot more complicated and potentially expensive than it is here. However, I see that you don't actually say that you would want to be self employed. Nor do you mention what part of Italy you are thinking of going to. My suggestion would be to visit personally all the big building companies in the area and offer your services free for a week so they can see what an asset you would be to the company!!! If the area has quite a few English speaking residents then they may be happy to employ someone who can communicate and possibly bring in expat work. Once you have worked for someone else for a while and learned the different ways of doing things in Italy, you would be in a far better position to start up on your own - if that is what you want to do.
Good luck
Linda

Thanks for the suggestions.My main aim is to be able to work on my own projects legally as I understand that the rules are never going to be the same as the uk.Am I correct in thinking that overall responsibility for a project must be taken by a person who is registered with the authorities as a builder? I realise that the uk "blind eye" turned to small scale development/renovation might seem strange in Italy and logically, if the authorities' aims are to ensure consistent standards, that makes sense.My enquiries so far into the gas fitting side show no equivalent to CORGI in uk,and also on the aircon side no compulsory qualifications there either.

Do you mean working on your own projects in the sense working on your own house? If so then I think it's pretty much the same as the UK - you could do small do it yourself type jobs without assistance as you please but if it's a bigger job such as major renovation, conversion, extension etc you have to have a project and plans that are then passed by the local comune. In this case you would require a geometra to make up the plans and pass them to the comune. I believe that you could then "build" your own house but the geometra would come and check that it was all adhering to the various regulations.

You also do have to be a bona fide plumber or electrician to do things like central heating and wiring a house. The electrical or gas companies may not connect you to the mains unless they see certification that the work was carried out by a certified plumber or electrician.

My partner's a builder here and that's certainly his interpretation of how things work where we are. However as is the case with many things in Italy you may find that things can be quite localised and it may work differently in other areas. Others on the site may have different advice to give.

Good luck! :D

I have been told today by my buider/friend that you can do self build projects as long as you have a geometre and a structural engineer and obviously planning permesso.I think you have to register with your commune and get a certificate to get building materials vat free but a geometre will help you with that. The ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs apparently dont tend to self build so find an enthusiastic geometre who will support your ideas!

Thanks v.much for all your input.It seems that I will have to find a reliable geometra, just like uk!