← Italian for farm and harvest workStep 1 of 6

Finding seasonal work legally

Spot an illegal offer and know where real harvest jobs are found.

In practice

Caporalato is the illegal recruitment of farm workers by a middleman, the caporale, who takes a cut of their pay and often charges for transport. In Italy it is a crime, for the caporale and for the employer who uses one.

A legal job means your hiring is registered before your first day, you get a payslip, and you are paid by a traceable method such as bank transfer, not cash. Job centres (centri per l'impiego), trade unions and patronati can point you to real employers, and the Ispettorato del Lavoro investigates reports of exploitation.

Last checked 7 November 2026. This is language practice, not legal advice: rules change and vary from office to office, so always confirm with the official sources.

Key words

Read these before you listen: you will hear most of them.

stagionaleseasonal / seasonal worker
D'estate cercano lavoratori stagionali per la raccolta.
One form for masculine and feminine, plural stagionali. As a noun, uno stagionale or una stagionale is a seasonal worker.
la raccoltathe harvest / picking
La raccolta delle mele comincia a settembre.
Feminine, from raccogliere. It also means collection: la raccolta differenziata is separated rubbish collection.
il campothe field
Oggi lavoriamo nel campo dietro la casa.
Masculine, plural i campi. Also a sports pitch (campo da calcio) and phone signal: non c'è campo, there's no signal.
il caporalethe illegal gangmaster
Il caporale prende una parte della paga dei lavoratori.
Masculine. In the army it is a corporal; on farms it is someone who recruits workers illegally and takes a cut. Il caporalato is the crime itself.
lo sfruttamentoexploitation
Lavorare dodici ore per pochi euro è sfruttamento.
Masculine, with lo because of the s + consonant. From sfruttare, to exploit — which can also mean to make good use of: sfruttare un'occasione.
il centro per l'impiegothe public job centre
Al centro per l'impiego hanno un elenco di aziende che cercano personale.
Masculine, often shortened to CPI. Public and free; l'impiego is a formal word for employment.
il sindacatothe trade union
Il sindacato mi ha aiutato a controllare il contratto.
Masculine, plural i sindacati. A union representative is il / la sindacalista. The three largest union federations are CGIL, CISL and UIL.
in regolalegally in order / compliant
Con la ricevuta della posta lei è in regola.
Invariable phrase. Essere in regola con i documenti, con i pagamenti: everything is as the rules require.

Listen: Un lavoro stagionale in regola

Two friends talk about a harvest job offer that sounds too easy. 5 questions; finishing them completes this step.

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