Hospitality jobs in Greece explained, with the Greek job titles

How to read a Greek job title

Most seasonal businesses in Greece are split into departments: the dining room, called σάλα (sála); the bar, μπαρ (bar); the kitchen, κουζίνα (kouzína); housekeeping, καθαριότητα δωματίων (kathariótita domatíon); reception, ρεσεψιόν (resepsión) or υποδοχή (ypodochí); and in summer the beach, παραλία (paralía), or the pool, πισίνα (pisína). The title of a listing tells you which department you'd join and how senior the role is.

Three things help when you read Greek job boards. Titles are often written in both genders with a slash, such as Σερβιτόρος / Σερβιτόρα, or in the plural, Σερβιτόροι. The word βοηθός (voithós) means assistant, and it marks the junior version of almost any role. And plenty of titles simply stay in English, because that's what the trade says: bartender, runner, hostess, night auditor.

The same title also means different things in a large resort and in a family taverna with five staff, where everyone does a bit of everything. On the job listings you can filter by role; for how to read the rest of a listing, see the guide to seasonal jobs in hotels, restaurants and beach bars.

Dining room and service (σάλα)

• Assistant waiter, busser or runner — βοηθός σερβιτόρου (voithós servitórou), or simply runner. You set and clear tables, carry plates from the kitchen, refill water and bread. A lot of walking, not much talking to guests. It's the classic first job on the floor.
• Waiter or waitress — σερβιτόρος (servitóros) / σερβιτόρα (servitóra). You take orders, recommend dishes, pace the table and handle the bill. Businesses usually ask for experience, good English and knowledge of the menu.
• Restaurant host — υποδοχή εστιατορίου (ypodochí estiatoríou), often printed as hostess. You greet guests, manage bookings and seat tables. Languages and staying calm when the door gets busy are what count.
• Head waiter — maître, or υπεύθυνος σάλας (ypéfthynos sálas). Runs the shifts and the team. Not a first-season role.

On the floor, languages are part of the job rather than a line on a CV. See which languages Greek businesses ask for and in which roles they matter most.

Bar (μπαρ)

• Barista — μπαρίστα (barísta). Coffee in volume, especially in the morning, and in Greece that means cold coffee too: freddo espresso and freddo cappuccino. Businesses want someone who knows an espresso machine and stays consistent when the queue grows.
• Bartender — μπάρμαν (bárman), or bartender. Cocktails and drinks, often at night. Experience and knowledge of the classics are nearly always required.
• Service-bar attendant — μπουφετζής (boufetzís). A very Greek title with no neat English twin: the person who prepares the drinks and coffees that the floor staff carry out, without serving guests at the bar. In small venues it's merged with another role, as in Μπουφετζής - Σερβιτόρος.
• Barback — βοηθός μπάρμαν (voithós bárman). Ice, glassware, fruit, restocking. The way into a bar for anyone who hasn't worked behind one.

Kitchen (κουζίνα)

• Dishwasher or kitchen porter — λάντζα (lántza). This is the word to search for. Lántza is the dishwashing station itself, and listings name the job either that way or as the person: λαντζιέρης (lantziéris), feminine λαντζιέρα (lantziéra), sometimes spelled λαντζέρης (lantzéris). You wash pots and plates and keep the kitchen clean while it's running. It's hot, fast work on your feet; it needs no experience and very little Greek, and many cooks in Greece started exactly there.
• Kitchen helper — βοηθός κουζίνας (voithós kouzínas). Prep before service: cleaning and cutting ingredients, portioning, keeping the fridges in order. You learn a kitchen from the inside.
• Cook — μάγειρας (mágiras), usually printed with a grade: Μάγειρας Α, Β or Γ. Those are the first three letters of the Greek alphabet, and Α is the most senior. A Γ cook works one station under direction; an Α cook can run a shift. Experience is required, often culinary school too.
• Grill cook — ψήστης (psístis) — and wrapper — τυλιχτής (tylichtís), the person who wraps souvlaki and gyros pita. These are the trades of the Greek grill house, and they often appear in year-round listings as well as seasonal ones.

Housekeeping and reception

Housekeeping is the largest department in many hotels. Greek boards almost always print the title in the feminine — καμαριέρα (kamariéra), plural καμαριέρες (kamariéres) — though the job is open to everyone; you'll also see the neutral καθαριότητα δωματίων (kathariótita domatíon), literally room cleaning. The day starts early and is counted in rooms: beds, bathroom, restocking, a final look. It's physical work with steady morning hours, and most businesses train you in the first days. Alongside it you'll find the linen room and laundry, λινοθήκη (linothíki), and for experienced staff the floor supervisor, υπεύθυνος ορόφου (ypéfthynos orófou).

Receptionist is υπάλληλος υποδοχής (ypállilos ypodochís), or just ρεσεψιόν (resepsión). The day is arrivals and departures, bookings, the phone, email and every question a guest can think of. Businesses ask for strong English, often a second foreign language, confidence with a computer, and usually experience or tourism studies. For a foreigner this is the hardest department to enter without Greek, though large international hotels are the exception. The night shift is printed as night auditor or νυχτερινός υπάλληλος υποδοχής (nychterinós ypállilos ypodochís).

The porter, printed in English as groom or bellboy, carries luggage and shows guests to their rooms. It's the front-office role that asks for the least experience, as long as your English is good.

Beach and pool

• Beach service or runner — printed in English. You take orders at the sunbeds and bring them from the bar, in full sun and on sand. Stamina and basic English are what's asked, and it's one of the roles that regularly takes people in their first season.
• Pool service — the same job at a hotel pool, usually with steadier hours.
• Lifeguard — ναυαγοσώστης (navagosóstis). The one beach role you can't get without papers: it requires a valid lifeguard licence.

Roles blur more at a beach bar than in a hotel: the same person may set up umbrellas in the morning and serve at lunchtime. If that doesn't suit you, ask about it at the start.

Where to start with no experience

In Greek listings, "no experience needed" is χωρίς εμπειρία (chorís embiría), and "previous experience" is προϋπηρεσία (proypiresía). If this is your first season, these are the realistic doors, one per department:

• Dining room: assistant waiter or runner — βοηθός σερβιτόρου.
• Bar: barback — βοηθός μπάρμαν.
• Kitchen: dishwasher or kitchen helper — λάντζα, βοηθός κουζίνας.
• Hotel: housekeeping, linen room, porter — καμαριέρα, λινοθήκη, groom.
• Beach and pool: beach or pool service.

With little or no Greek, the kitchen and housekeeping are the most open, because the work doesn't depend on talking to guests. Guest-facing roles on the islands run largely in English. Experience, studies or a licence are expected for cooks, bartenders, waiters in venues with demanding service, reception, lifeguards and any supervisor role. If that's where you're aiming, a season in the assistant role of the same department is the usual route.

What each role pays isn't something this page can tell you, because it shifts by area and by month. The seasonal pay page shows what open listings state right now, by role and by area, with the number of listings beside every figure.

The video CV is four questions tailored to your role, so pick the role first and record your answers after. For what a first season is actually like, see your first season; for documents, the papers you need to be hired; and for everything else, the FAQ.