Priest-waiter, a career with a future

"I am a teacher by training, but I wait on tables for a living." Seven months after young Greeks rioted to protest, among other things, against unemployment, Greek daily Ta Neaheadlines that four out of ten college graduates ply a trade other than the one they learned at school. Although Greece has the highest rate of young college graduates in the EU, Ta Nea explains it also has the highest rate of youth unemployment. As a result, most young people must accept unskilled jobs. For example, 90% of graduates in theology are not employed by churches. In fact, some of them are nicknamed "priest-waiters". Sociology graduates are next, with 70% employed in other fields; archeologists third, with 42%; and gymnastics teachers fourth, on 35%. There is also a glut of doctors, pharmacists and lawyers, with 17,000 seeking jobs. The phenomenon has grown in recent years with the rise of the "600-euro generation" (named for the miserable entry-level salary Greek companies pay).