Written by: Angela

Angela has worked and been involved in Malia for the last 12 years and probably knows all there is to know about working in Malia and other Greek Resorts.

EMAIL: greecemonkey.admin@gmail.com

Working in Malia 2010

The easiest way to get a job in Malia is to be there; bars, clubs, restaurants etc, do advertise their vacancies on websites however they would still expect you to be there in person before offering you a job. www.malia.co.uk/jobs2008

There are many jobs available in Malia not just bar staff or Pr'ing

Transfers:
Once you have booked a flight you will need to get from Heraklion Airport to your hotel, we are now able to offer a taxi service at a reduced rate (a third cheaper than the taxis outside the airport), if you book this service, when you come out of arrivals a driver will be waiting for you with your name on a card and will take you direct to your hotel, they also provide a telephone number should you have any problems ie your flight is delayed.

Recommended Taxi Companies:        MP Taxis            (click below for a quote) 
 

Hotel:
While you are looking for a job and workers accommodation, you will need a roof over your head, you can book the following hotels through us.

Recommended Hotels:                    Pasiphae Hotel     ((click here for a quote)

Visa
You do not need a visa to work in Crete as it is now part of the EU.

Insurance:
We advise everyone to get travel insurance, you never know what will happen.  Please be aware that the majority of insurance policies do not cover you driving Scooters or Quad Bikes, if you are going to to hire a vehicle of any type, you will need to find a policy that will definitely cover any accident that might happen, (even if its not your fault).  Helmets must be worn at all times (even though the locals don't) because any insurance policy will be considered null and void if you do not wear one.  

Recommended Insurance Companies: Essential Travel   (click below for a quote)
                                                      

 Essential Travel

YOU HAVE ARRIVED!!!!

Getting a job:
Start looking straight away for a job, don't have a "couple of days Holiday" first, two days turn into three and then four and you will run out of time, although its not difficult to find a job especially at the beginning of the season, but it does take longer than you think to find a job and accommodation.  You will have plenty of time to "holiday" once you get yourself sorted.

Workers Accommodation:
Now you will need to find workers accommodation, if you have found a job ask the owner if he knows of any (some of them have accommodation above their premises or have relatives that have accommodation). Depending on the type, size and location workers accommodation tends to be between €300 & €400 a month this you can split with 1, 2 or 3 people depending on how many you share with.  Most of the accommodation will ask for a deposit as well, this varies from 1 week to 1 months rent, depending on the owner.  A few of the places charge extra for electricity as well, this tends to be the nicer apartments with air conditioning.

It is possible in a few places to pre-book workers accommodation, however, you are better off getting accommodation once you get here, then you will know the area and where you are working so you can look for something close by, this way you also get to see where you are staying before putting a deposit down.

What to expect.... Workers accommodation varies from really nice apartments with separate bedrooms, kitchen and air conditioning, to rooms with just 2 beds in, it really depends on what you want and how much you want to pay.  The average workers accommodation has a lounge area with a two ring hob or two ring hob and oven and 1 bed, another room with 2 beds in it and a bathroom with a shower, (the showers in Crete - even in the hotels - do not have a holder for the shower head - you have to hold them up).  If you don't have air conditioning (which the majority don't) you can buy fans locally at Spar for about €30.

We cannot give quotations for workers accommodation as the majority of the places that cater for workers will not take any pre-bookings, they are normally on a first come, first serve basis.  If you have any difficulties, come and see us at our office at the top of Beach Road and we will point you in the right direction.

Coming out on your own...  There are very few single apartments, so if you are coming out on your own, come to our office when you get here, and we will put a note in the window saying "Looking for a room mate", or "need to share an apartment", A lot of people come out in twos and they have a third bed in their apartment, this is an easy way to find somebody to share with and to share the rent.

Other Information

What do you need to bring with you... Your travel insurance, (or email it to your self), your driving licence, if you are going to hire a quad or scooter (not recommended), and your clothes... if you are working in the evening you will be expected to look good, but remember you will be standing for anything up to 7 hours, so ensure you shoes are comfortable, otherwise they will stay under your bed for the season, and don't forget its hot, even at 12 o/c at night, so loads of jumpers and jeans wont be needed.  You can buy nearly everything you need, there is a large Spar Supermarket that supplies a lot of UK items, however, its definitely worth trying some of the local makes because they are a lot cheaper.

What if I need some stuff sent out to me... You can get stuff sent out to you via the post office, once you are settled, you can give your workers accommodation address and have it sent there, the post man only has a bike, so it the parcel is too big, they will leave a collection slip and you will have to go to the post office to collect it, the only problem with that is the post office closes at 2pm. Alternatively you can use the Malia.co.uk office address and have it sent there, however, please think about the size of the box you have sent out, we only have a push bike too.

Bank Accounts...  The best bank account to have is a Nationwide Flex Account, this company do not charge to withdraw money in Crete, so all you have to think about is the exchange rate of the day.   However, only use the Banks cash points to withdraw month, the cash machines outside bars, beaches etc, will charge you a high rate to withdraw any money.

What if I need to have money sent out to me or I need to send money back to England... If you need to receive money whilst in Crete, obviously you can have money put into your bank account and draw it out in Crete, again if you have a Nationwide account you will not incur charges, the only other alternative is to use Western Union or Money Gram, someone in England will have to go to a Western Union or Money Gram office (there are loads based all over the UK), they will be asked to complete a form, they need to put your name and Malia Crete as the receiving place, make sure you don't just put Malia, as the money will go astray, they will then be given a reference number which they need to tell you, you then go to the local Western Union or Money Gram office in Malia, with your passport and the reference number and you will be given your money. 

If you need to send money back to England, you will have to use either Western Union or Money Gram, and they charge a fee depending on the amount you are sending. You cannot transfer money through a bank unless you have a Greek bank account, to get one you will need to have a tax number.

Parents:
If your parents are concerned about you going away for the season and you want to put their minds at rest, give them our details:

Your parents can contact us before April and we will try to reassure them and answer any questions that they might have.

Email address:  greecemonkey.admin@gmail.com
Phone number: 01753 547974

You can also give them our Malia details, we will be in Malia from the middle of April until the middle of October, and if for whatever reason they cannot get hold of you, they can either email or call us and we will try and contact you on their behalf.  

You:
We have an office at the top of Beach Road (part of the main strip) if you have any problems or you just want a chat, come in and see us and we will try to help where possible.

Us - GreeceMonkey - Malia.co.uk Office:
Our office is on Beach Road towards the top past Bar 1 and diagonally opposite Wash Express, the office is open from 10am until 8pm, so pop in and see us.

What we do...
We take hotel bookings for workers and tourists.

We can point you in the right direction for workers accommodation, if you have come out on your own, we can advertise in our window for some one to share with you.

We advertise jobs in the office window.

If you are unsure about getting your health book we can advise you.

You can have post sent to us.

We are here to speak to your Parents should they have any questions.

If you have any problems call in and we will help if we can or give you advice on what to do.

If your lonely and missing home we are good listeners too.

We advertise what's going on in Malia, ie. All the events

We also take pictures and build websites for the majority of Bars, Clubs, Restaurants etc in Malia, so if you see our photographers ask them to take your picture, not only will it be put on the website, but you can also get copies of it from as little as €1 for a normal size print.

One Last Thing...
Puppies.... yes they are adorable and most of them are wild, however please be aware, that when you find a puppy, it does have a mother, so please don't take it away from where you found it.  If you do take one, it is not easy to take it back to England with you, when it gets to 3 months old, it will have to have a rabies injection and a blood test, this blood test is then sent to England, if it is clear of rabies, it can be taken to England, however you have to wait for 6 months after the blood test, the puppy will be 9 months old by now (workers normally only stay for 5 months max) so that means quarantine in England for 6 months or leaving it in Crete with a trust worthy person, who wont put it back out on the street the moment you go home.  If a puppy is put back out onto the street after being cared for since it was born it will not survive.

At the end of each season it is a big problem, with workers trying to find homes for their puppies, very few find people to look after them, so please leave the cute puppies where they are, they need to learn how to survive on the streets from their mother.

If you would like to make a donation to the Animal Rescue Centre in Malia, who look after all the sick animals then please come to our office where you can make your donation.

IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE NOT COVERED,
EMAIL ME..  GREECEMONKEY.ADMIN@GMAIL.COM

THE GREECEMONKEY 2009 WORKERS REUNION

All details will be available in Malia