How to find a summer job in Greece: the hiring calendar

When businesses start looking

The season doesn't start the day the first hotel opens its doors. Most businesses begin organising their team months earlier, over winter, starting with the roles they want settled first: management, reception, the head chef. Everyone else is hired gradually as the opening date gets closer.

That's part of why new listings don't all appear at once: by the end of January, many hotels have already committed to part of their team, and whatever's left open after that is what you'll actually see in a listing. In many popular destinations, the season now starts earlier and finishes later than it used to, so the window for finding a role isn't just the middle of summer.

For where the work actually is and how to read a listing, see the guide to seasonal jobs in hotels, restaurants and beach bars.

Why roles with housing go first

When a listing offers accommodation, the staff house behind it has a fixed number of rooms, not unlimited space. Once those rooms are full, the business can't offer housing to one more candidate, even if the role itself is still open.

That's why roles with accommodation tend to fill long before the season opens: the business wants to know well in advance exactly who's coming and where they'll stay, so it can sort out transport, rooms and any repairs before the first guest arrives.

If housing matters to you, don't wait for the season to officially open before applying. Check the job listings and filter for "With accommodation only" whenever you want an early look, even months out.

What changes once the season opens

As spring approaches, the number of open listings grows: most businesses have already locked in their core team and are now filling out the rest — the dining room, the kitchen, housekeeping.

Once a business is actually open, its priorities shift. Before opening, it can take its time comparing candidates; once things are running day to day, it needs someone fast, and an application with a ready video CV stands out from one that arrives with nothing.

This is also when short, day-paid listings start to appear, for 1, 2 or 3 days or a week, covering a gap without asking for a commitment to the whole season. Check "1-day gigs" if that pace suits you.

Late-season and last-minute hiring

Summer isn't one solid block. Someone quits partway through, someone leaves earlier than agreed, a business opens a new venue — and roles appear that didn't exist back in spring.

In autumn, as more destinations stretch their season into October or November, there's still work out there: usually short listings or day work, less often roles with housing, since those rooms were already claimed early on.

If you're searching late, don't overlook the short listings: they're the most realistic way into a team once the season is already under way.

Year-round roles in the cities

Not every listing follows an island's calendar. In Athens and Thessaloniki, plenty of hotels, restaurants and cafés run all year, and their roles are labelled "full-time" or "part-time" rather than "seasonal".

If the island itself doesn't matter to you, or you're job-hunting outside summer, search by area rather than by season: the hiring rhythm there isn't tied to one particular window of months.

What to have ready before you apply

Whenever you decide to apply, a little preparation matters more than being first in line:

• A profile with the basics filled in: where you've worked, how many seasons, which languages you speak. A business reading dozens of applications looks first at the ones that already look ready.
• A video CV. The business isn't just reading a name on a list — it hears you talk about the job in your own words, from the moment you apply. Since you're speaking on camera, it's also the clearest way to show how you communicate in English or Greek. See how to record your four answers well.
• A PDF CV, if you don't already have one — Recruvo's free AI tool builds one from a few written answers.

Every listing states its own pay, monthly or daily, and pay varies a lot by role, area and employment type — there's no single number that applies everywhere. Compare a few listings before you decide, not just one. The seasonal pay page shows what open listings state right now, by role and by area, with the number of listings beside every figure.

One more thing worth sorting out early: if you're not an EU/EEA citizen, the work-permit and visa steps that apply to you depend on your nationality. A job listing can't answer that for you — gov.gr or the Greek consulate in your country can.