For the first time in a few years, DIO will soon have a member of staff based in Italy, and it could be you.
The primary role of DIO’s Senior Estate Surveyor Italy is to ensure that the housing requirements for the UK military and civilian personnel and their families assigned to the various NATO locations around Italy are met. It's a role I held until 2015.
Writing this now it’s hard to imagine myself when I applied for my first overseas posting to Gibraltar. I applied thinking I had no chance having not worked overseas previously but I applied anyway and hoped for the best. Three overseas postings, including as Senior Estate Surveyor at Gutersloh Garrison in Germany, and a unique breadth of experience later, I’m so glad I did.
The main concentration of MOD-leased housing is in Lago Patria just to the north of Naples but there are other smaller locations including Rome, Ferrara and Varese. DIO leases about 150 properties across Italy including several offices and community centres and the Senior Estate Surveyor is the professional focal point for the customer in all locations.
Living la dolce vita
Once I had got my feet under the desk I started to explore and immerse myself in the Italian lifestyle. I was able to go boating around the Bay of Naples, experience food and wine tasting, explore vineyards and olive picking and visit some of the most beautiful coastline and culturally rich cities in Europe. Occasionally going out with friends for meals embed me into the culture of the country. I really enjoyed the unusual cultural events such as the annual medieval parades and jousting contests as well as more modern sporting events such as the Rugby Six Nations in Rome.
The broadness of experience I gained from working as a Senior Estate Surveyor overseas, including in Italy, was immeasurable. In previous posts my role was very job specific and I was tasked with one functional area to be knowledgeable in, for example planning and development. In Italy I was the single point of contact in all areas for my customer – both a subject matter expert and a jack of all trades if you like - getting a rounded experience. I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to broaden my experience and ability for the future.
I was and remain incredibly proud to be acting on behalf of the Secretary of State. It’s a great responsibility and has built up my network and experience of interactions with senior government officials from the Ministry of Defence and other Government departments as well as our military and civilian customers.
I continue to work on our overseas estates but am now based in RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire. DIO is currently looking for an in-country successor in the post. The trappings of living and working in Italy seem like a distant memory and although my Italian is still questionable, my advice to anyone not sure about taking the plunge is to go for it. In the end, you might just be surprised. Take a look at the job application on Civil Service Jobs and if you have the relevant skills and experience, I urge you to apply.
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