What brought you to Lithuania?

It was during Covid while I was stuck at home in Italy that I discovered the Erasmus student exchange program and decided to apply. Initially, I was planning on somewhere like the Canary Islands or mainland Spain, but I was assigned a scholarship to Lithuania instead! I had no idea where it was, only that the climate would be nothing like what I’d hoped for. Even so, I decided to embrace this unexpected twist of fate. My introduction to the country was quite unusual compared to other foreigners. All bars, restaurants, and gathering places were closed, and cultural events were cancelled. I couldn’t even visit the city centre during my first month there—it simply wasn’t allowed. 

Instead, I remember taking long walks through forests and discovering beautiful lakes. My introduction to Lithuania was experiencing the natural beauty of the country, everything covered in white snow. This was a complete surprise coming from Naples, where snow appears maybe once every decade! I found it fascinating.

For the first time, I could slow down. Living far from the city centre and close to the forest, I embraced the quietness of nature and absolutely loved it. When my Erasmus exchange ended, I returned to Italy, completed my bachelor’s degree, and realised I wanted to go back to Lithuania—I had found something special there.

I applied for just three jobs through LinkedIn, and Teltonika was the first to respond. After two online interviews while I was still in Italy, they hired me very quickly. It felt like God’s plan! Finding accommodation wasn’t difficult either—I simply called the same place I’d stayed during my Erasmus and said, “Hello, I’m coming back!” That was it. 

How do your working days look in Lithuania? 

My work situation offers a good balance. My company doesn’t have a hybrid work policy, but it does allow quite a lot of flexibility in terms of how you schedule your day. I can start as late as 10:30 AM, which is perfect since I work with Italian companies that are one hour behind Lithuania. I am a Sales Manager for one of the larger companies in the Teltonika group, which involves liaising with a lot of clients and potential clients in Italy. I also have to travel to Italy, maybe three or four times a year, visiting different regions each time. And do you know what’s ironic? I’ve probably seen more of my country working in Lithuania than I had before. For example, I saw Venice for the first time through one of my business trips, which was really cool. 

Working in sales means that I have to collaborate with a lot of other teams. I’m talking about tech support, client contracts, shipping, you name it, which can be challenging but is very rewarding.

Teltonika is really structured, which honestly I wasn’t sure about at first. But now? I totally get why it works. Having a clear process for everything just makes my job so much easier. When you know exactly how things should flow, it takes a lot of the guesswork out of daily work.

What do you enjoy about the work culture here?

What I appreciate about working in Lithuania is the stability of long-term contracts. In Italy, if you don’t have any work experience, you typically get short six-month or one-year contracts, which creates anxiety about constantly having to change jobs. I started at a small company within the Teltonika Group, which made it easier to adjust to the company culture. Later, my team merged with Teltonika Telematics, the largest company in the group. It’s more structured, which I’ve grown to appreciate—there’s a process for everything, making work more organised and efficient.

One thing I love about my workplace is that I didn’t need to learn Lithuanian. I speak English professionally, but honestly, I mostly speak Italian since many of my Lithuanian colleagues have lived in Italy before. Even my manager is Lithuanian but previously lived in Italy, so they speak perfect Italian.

What about life in Lithuania?

Of course, the winters here can be kind of tough, especially if you come from a warmer climate. But I have the perfect solution: I go back to Italy for two weeks at Christmas, and I actually enjoy the snow. I’ve learned to schedule trips strategically—usually to Arab countries in February to get a “huge boost of sun” and vitamin D.

The Lithuanian summers are lovely. My parents and sister visit during the summer because it’s cooler than Naples. I love that the sun doesn’t set until 10 PM, so even when I finish work at 6 PM, I still have plenty of daylight hours to enjoy. And, of course, there’s nature. I live in the city centre, but even there, nature is like only ever 20 minutes away. Like parks, wild forests, and even lakes. Around the city there’s maybe 4-5 lakes, all with these nice patches of shore where you can sunbathe and set up a barbecue. They’re great for swimming as well.

What insights and advice do you have for talents like you that might be considering Lithuania?

Almost everyone under 40 speaks English here, so language won’t be an issue in international companies. Still, learning a bit of Lithuanian shows respect and helps you connect with locals.

Don’t stress about the winters! You can always escape to visit family or catch some sun in warmer countries during February.

The work culture here is healthier. People don’t believe in overtime—it’s just not a thing! If I worked until late evening, most probably I would be seen as a person who lacks time management skills, while in Italy, it is seen as completely normal.

For job seekers: don’t be shy about connecting on LinkedIn. Reach out to other foreigners at companies you’re interested in and ask for referrals or insights. I’m always happy to help when people message me!

_{The interview was conducted in April 2025.}