If you can swim and attended school until the age of 16, you could be eligible to become one of the world’s most recognisable workers – a gondolier on Venice’s famous waterways.
Why are more gondoliers needed?
The lagoon city currently employs 433 gondoliers who operate the curving black-painted boats that for centuries have been used for transport around the intricate canal network that connects Venice’s neighbourhoods. But a double-edged crisis is looming: vast and increasing tourist numbers that will not abate despite authorities’ best efforts; and the impending retirement of a swathe of its iconic boat operators.
Therefore the city is conducting a recruitment drive to attract new entrants to the profession that not only ferries tourists expertly around the city but provides historical and cultural information, in return for salaries up to €150,000-a-year.
How do I train?
Becoming a gondolier is not simply a matter of choice – or even inheritance, though licences can still be passed on from father-to-child. Candidates must first pass a pre-selection exercise, demonstrating competence on and in the water.
After that applicants must follow a detailed programme of study, covering Venice’s art, culture, and history, and of course, the regulations that govern operations on the lagoon and waterways. This is not free. Taking the required 30 hours of tuition to learn the theory of the job will set you back €400.
And that’s not all. After the theory, comes the practical side of things. Candidates are required to pay a further €400 to complete another 10 hours of training under the watchful eye of existing gondoliers, learning how to make the one-handed manoeuvring of the boat look effortless. A medical examination is carried out to ensure there are no physical reasons why the prospective gondolier should not perform the job, and after all that, the final hurdle is a summative test.
Is it worth it?
The job is physically and mentally demanding and takes an aptitude for being out in the elements and dealing with the public, while maintaining a cool head, but it can be extremely well-paid. While prices are set by the city council, at €90 for a 30-minute ride before 7:00 pm in a gondola which can be shared by up to five passengers. After 7:00 pm, prices rise to €110. It’s easy to see how gondoliers who manage several journeys per day can earn a good living.
Fancy your chances? You’ll need to be a European Citizen, meet the above criteria, and make your move by the 27 August 2024 deadline.
