How much does a Greek season pay? What to check on a listing

How to read the pay line

Every listing on Recruvo states its pay one of two ways: per month or per day. The first thing to check isn't the figure, it's the period — a monthly rate and a daily rate don't compare directly, because one counts a month of shifts and the other a single day.

Some listings state a single figure, others a range — from what to what the pay can reach, usually depending on your experience. The top of a range isn't a promise: it's what the business is willing to say before it has met you.

Short listings, for one, two or three days or for a week, are paid per day, the same way as any daily-pay listing. Browse the "1-day gigs", or every seasonal job listing, and tap "Filters" to narrow the list to the pay range you're after.

To see what active listings are actually stating in pay right now, without opening them one by one, check the seasonal pay page.

Accommodation and meals change the offer

Two listings with the same pay aren't the same offer if one comes with accommodation and meals and the other doesn't. Recruvo says as much to people who are just starting out: "Accommodation, meals, season dates — the details decide the summer."

When a listing offers accommodation, it opens a photo and video gallery of the staff house, where the team lives — you'll find it under "See the staff house" inside the listing. Go through it carefully: how many people share the room, whether there's a kitchen, how far it is from where you'd actually work.

Meals are a separate detail from accommodation — a listing can have one without the other. Together, they cut down what you'd otherwise spend on rent and food yourself, and that never shows up in the pay figure alone.

A listing with lower pay but accommodation and meals included can leave you with more at the end of the season than one with higher pay and neither. Work out the total, not just the number on the listing. If you're looking for a home or a room separately from a job, the seasonal housing guide covers that.

Tips are separate from pay

Tips are a separate detail from the pay a listing states, not part of it. A listing can say how tips work at that particular place: "You keep your tips" when you keep your own, "Tips shared among staff" when they're pooled across the team, or "No tips" when there are none in that role.

How much you actually see in tips depends on the venue, the role and how busy the season is — it isn't something either a listing or this guide can promise up front. Treat tips as the part you can't count on in advance, and pay as the part you can.

If a listing says nothing about tips, that doesn't necessarily mean there are none — ask directly, and how they're split, before you say yes.

The length of the season matters as much as the rate

Every seasonal listing shows when the season starts and ends. A longer season means more total working days, even if the pay per month or per day looks the same as a shorter listing — and what you actually earn over the whole season is what counts, not just the rate.

Ask how the hours are structured too: a listing can run "Continuous hours", "Split shifts" with a break in the middle of the day, or "Rotating shifts" that change week to week. Two listings with the same daily rate can feel very different in practice depending on how that time is split.

The start and end of the season may also not be as demanding as the middle. Ask whether the pay stays the same throughout or changes, especially if the listing starts early in spring or runs late into autumn.

Your role and experience

Two listings at the same place, for different roles, rarely pay the same — a role with more responsibility, or a more specialised one, like a chef compared with a kitchen assistant, usually differs from an entry-level one. Search by role in the Jobs section, not only by area.

Some listings ask for a minimum amount of prior experience. If you don't have it, that doesn't necessarily rule you out. Apply where you're genuinely a fit, and let your video CV show what you've actually done, not just how long you've done it.

If you already have experience from a past season, name it specifically in your video CV; a business looking for someone with experience sees it straight away, without having to ask. For how to build a good answer, read the video CV guide.

Island or mainland: the cost of living changes

The most popular destinations usually have the highest demand for seasonal staff — but also the highest cost of living, especially housing. Pay that looks attractive on a popular island can disappear quickly into rent, getting around and food, if it doesn't come with accommodation.

On the mainland, or in less touristy destinations, the cost of living is usually lower, even when the pay looks more modest on paper. Weigh both sides before you decide where to work.

For a specific area, like Santorini, browse the job listings there.

If you're moving somewhere far for the season, factor the cost of getting there and back into your decision too, especially if the listing doesn't include accommodation.

What to ask before you say yes

The pay a listing states is where you start, not the whole picture. Before you agree to anything, get clear answers to these:

1. Is the stated pay net, or before deductions?
2. Are you paid by the month or by the day, and how often?
3. If there are tips, are they kept individually or pooled?
4. Are accommodation and meals included in the pay, or separate?
5. Does the pay change between the start, middle and end of the season?

Keep every answer in writing, even if it's just a message, so it's clear what was agreed if you need to look back at it later.

Where to start

The best source for how a season actually pays is the listings themselves, not a general estimate. Check the seasonal pay page to see what active listings on Recruvo are stating in pay right now, per month or per day.

Then open the seasonal job listings and compare the ones you're genuinely interested in: pay, accommodation, meals, tips and season length, all together, not one at a time.

If you have more questions, read the FAQ.