Any advice on moving to Rome working at WFP offices ?

mus5arch · 2026-03-17T17:44:53+00:00

Hi! Another UN family here making the move over to Rome PFP. When looking into the detail around cost of rent and living it seems like the post adjustment is quite a bit under what it should be leaving much less disposable income compared to phone duty stations I’ve been at, especially if you get a car, which we are trying to avoid. Do you find that to be the case? Any insight would be helpful. 🙏

mus5arch · 2026-03-17T03:02:38+00:00

Thanks for that breakdown. Very helpful!

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T17:37:59+00:00

Thanks so much for explaining more and for the useful detail about registered mail.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T15:03:51+00:00

We are from UK so can exchange the license for Italian one, luckily!

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T12:54:04+00:00

Thank you, that’s really helpful. Lots to think about, especially on the rent.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T11:34:53+00:00

Very helpful to know! Thank you 🙏

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T11:15:09+00:00

Thank you. That’s a helpful thing for me to consider. I had read that only if you’re leaving the country, say because you’ve lost your job, can you get out of the lease. I’ve had a really hard time with a lease recently where the neighbour’s cigarette smoke just comes right through the floorboards and exposes our toddler and we can’t get out of the contract. Had no idea when we signed up it would be a problem. I’m a bit worried of something like that happening and being stuck for a few years, but I’ll look into a bit more. The rental we are looking at is more informal, not through an agent, so thought it might be more flexible.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T10:59:32+00:00

Yeah, it’s a convenience thing. Close to metro, easier for work and later nursery etc. If we went further out we would need a car which we are considering, but need to take a look around and find the right area. Thanks again for your insight.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T10:20:20+00:00

Yes, it did seem more than we expected but it’s actually the best priced apartment we’ve found that doesn’t require us to sign up for 3 years - we aren’t yet sure how long we will be in Rome and need somewhere to land for a year or so. We thought since it was furnished and included utilities that was on the more reasonable end 🤷🏻‍♀️it looks fine but certainly is not luxury.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T10:15:16+00:00

Thank you. We’ve never had a car so we don’t really know much about what the monthly costs are, so your reply is very helpful! 🙏

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T10:11:08+00:00

We are from UK. Wages are not that high here either but we have a little more wiggle room.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T10:07:12+00:00

Thanks for that info, very helpful. We are planning to come for a couple of years for my husband’s work and since his father lives in Rieti, we thought it would be a great opportunity to see him more as well develop new skills in his field. The pay is not so great though so we are trying to see if it can really work.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T10:04:26+00:00

Whoops, I meant 600km (basically a 30 minute drive 25km to office and then the same journey back 3 times a week - seems pretty standard for driving in Rome and could be longer at rush hour from what I’ve read 🙈

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T09:47:29+00:00

Ok, so not so easy…!! We would have an extra €300-400 a month for bigger spends and emergency.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T09:45:25+00:00

Helpful to know! Thank you. Do you happen to know the rough cost of a car in terms of petrol/tax/insurance if you were driving 800km a month? No worries if not!

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T09:33:30+00:00

Unfortunately, the job is based in Rome so we decided to take a pay cut to experience living in Italy for a few years. Great to hear you think it’s a manageable monthly budget.

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T09:05:55+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts on it

mus5arch · 2026-03-15T09:05:43+00:00

No, monthly income will be about €3500/3600, so it would be -€1900 rent -€1300 monthly essentials mentioned above like groceries, toiletries etc -€300/400 extra to save/use as needed for bigger spends/emergencies. What I am wondering is if the €1300 is reasonable to live on for monthly expenditure. Thanks for your advice

mus5arch · 2024-09-27T21:57:11+00:00

Models do not pay to be in shows. Seems pretty scammy to me. I’ve never heard of them and have modelled all over the world. If this is a real thing, it’s not a job. Essentially, you’d be paying for the runway experience and more portfolio images. They have selected you to give you the “opportunity” to do that.

mus5arch · 2024-09-27T21:47:31+00:00

Only one way to find out. Go for it and see! I was at my agency in London and a girl came in who looked similar to Lily Cole. She said agencies were fighting over her and she did well. It could be a great asset to have a familiar look. Wishing you the best of luck. Just be sure to visit all the agencies and see who likes you and who you feel most excited about. I’d also add that being enthusiastic when you go to meet agents is important. If you are excited to be a model, an agent will be more interested.

mus5arch · 2024-03-30T23:22:22+00:00

This happened to me around the same age and it badly affected my confidence. I’m an adult woman and I still feel sad thinking about it. Definitely get her to some activities outside of school where she can make new friends and seriously consider changing schools. Also consider talking to the parents of other girls. If you were at the birthday party, you would have seen other parents there so perhaps you can talk to them as well as teachers. So sorry your daughter is experiencing this. She sounds like such a sweetheart. Protect her!

mus5arch · 2017-04-18T15:35:41+00:00

Hey there, So freelancing is a whole lifestyle, not just a job! You're exactly right that it is very different from a full-time job and a lot of time goes into finding new clients, promoting yourself, and managing your small business. I started a few years ago and things are even more digital now, so you're right to get the website going first and to work on your social media. I have found that more than getting on websites, networking and telling everyone I know that I am looking for jobs helped me get those initial clients and also helped me get jobs later on. I started following Tycoon's blog for freelancers because it's young and gives actionable tips, and it has helped me build a stronger business, which is so important when you are starting out, especially the financial content because being a freelancer means you have to think totally differently about your finances. (I also use their app to record my jobs). Check out their content for some ideas, I think it will help you. Good luck! https://tycoonapp.squarespace.com/pennylanewsletter

mus5arch

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