Announcement · Municipality of Apokoronas

ELSTAT recruiting freelance survey interviewers for May–December 2026

May 4, 2026 Original source ↗

Summary

Greece's national statistics authority, ELSTAT, is recruiting freelance field workers to conduct household and business surveys from May to December 2026. Applicants must be between 18 and 67 years old and hold at least a high-school diploma; civil servants and active military personnel are not eligible. Applications are accepted exclusively online between May 7 and May 20, 2026.

ELSTAT hiring freelance interviewers for 2026 survey programme

Greece's national statistics authority, ELSTAT, is looking for freelance field workers to carry out statistical surveys in households and businesses across the country from May to December 2026. Residents of Apokoronas and the wider Crete region are eligible to apply.

What does the job involve?

Freelance interviewers — known officially as Private Collaborators (IS) — visit households and businesses in person, conduct structured interviews, collect data and submit results to ELSTAT. The work requires physical mobility and a willingness to make repeated visits to different addresses. Good command of Greek, strong communication skills and professional conduct are required throughout.

For surveys conducted on tablets or computers, applicants must also demonstrate basic digital literacy — including familiarity with office software (such as Microsoft Office or OpenOffice), internet browsing and email.

Before taking on any survey assignments, all selected interviewers must attend an unpaid training seminar. On Crete this takes place at the relevant regional statistics office (PYS); in Athens it is held at ELSTAT's central offices.

Selected interviewers sign a service contract with ELSTAT. This is explicitly not an employment contract — it does not create any employment rights or social security entitlements.

Who can apply?

Applications are open to private individuals who meet all of the following:

Age: 18 to 67 years old
Education: At least a high-school diploma (Lykeio or six-year Gymnasio), or a Greek Language Certificate at B2 level
Language: Good command of Greek is required

The following are not eligible to apply:

Anyone employed in the public sector — including state agencies, public-law bodies, local government and other public organisations — regardless of the type of contract
Anyone currently serving in the military
Anyone previously excluded from an ELSTAT interviewer register

Important warnings

People receiving unemployment benefits should check with their local employment office (DYPA) before applying, as participation may affect their benefit entitlement.

Pensioners should check with their pension provider before applying, as additional income from this work may affect pension payments. Any required steps should be completed before submitting an application.

Anyone who takes up a public-sector post during the period covered by the register must notify ELSTAT in writing immediately and will be removed from the register.

How and when to apply

Application window: May 7, 2026 (from noon) to May 20, 2026 (until midnight)
Via ELSTAT's website: https://www.statistics.gr/el/statistical-interviewers
Via gov.gr: Home → Work and Insurance → Public Sector Employment → Register of Private Collaborators at ELSTAT

The application also serves as a statutory declaration — all information submitted is treated as legally binding.

Contact

For questions not covered by the official call for interest, the External Collaborators department can be reached:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 213 135 3035, 3068, 3050, 2182 or 2192 (weekdays, during office hours)

The full call for interest, including scoring criteria and selection rules, is available on the ELSTAT website and as a downloadable PDF.

Official source

Source translation

Machine-translated from the official source document.

HELLENIC REPUBLIC

Piraeus, 4 May 2026

HELLENIC STATISTICAL AUTHORITY (ELSTAT)

ANNOUNCEMENT

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

FOR PARTICIPATION IN SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THE HELLENIC STATISTICAL AUTHORITY

ELSTAT invites interested parties to submit an electronic application for inclusion in the Register of Private Collaborators (IS) for the period May – December 2026. Applications for registration in the new IS Register shall be submitted by interested parties exclusively electronically. The application simultaneously constitutes a statutory declaration for all information stated therein.

The application may be submitted from 12:00 on 7 May 2026 until 24:00 on 20 May 2026, either on the ELSTAT website via the electronic link Applications of Private Collaborators https://www.statistics.gr/el/statistical-interviewers or via gov.gr at the path Home/Work and Insurance/Employment in the Public Sector/Register of Private Collaborators at the Hellenic Statistical Authority.

Only natural persons who are at least graduates of a Lykeio or a six-year Gymnasio, or hold a Greek Language Certificate of the corresponding level (B2), aged between 18 and 67 years, have the right to submit an application for inclusion in the IS Register.

The following do not have the right to submit an application for inclusion in the IS Register:

a. Employees of ELSTAT and employees in general of public services, legal entities governed by public law, local government organisations and other public bodies, in any employment relationship, as well as persons currently serving their military service,

b. Those who have been excluded from the next IS Register (see Section IB.1, cases γ. & δ.) during their collaboration with ELSTAT in the Register of September 2025 – April 2026, and those who have been excluded from the possibility of participating in any IS Register (see Section IB.2).

Notes

Unemployed persons: Inclusion in the IS Register may result in changes to the status of registered unemployment or to benefits and advantages arising from it. For this reason, unemployed persons interested in joining the Register should seek the relevant information from the Public Employment Service (DYPA) to which they belong before submitting their application.
Pensioners: Inclusion in the IS Register may result in changes to pensions. For this reason, pensioners interested in joining the Register should seek the relevant information from their competent insurance body before submitting their application and take all necessary steps that the body will advise.
Public Employees: An IS who, during the period of validity of the Register in which they have been included, acquires the status of an employee of public services, legal entities governed by public law, local government organisations or other public bodies, in any employment relationship, must notify ELSTAT in writing so that their removal from the Register, their replacement by the next candidate and the termination of any contract they have signed can be carried out.
Computer/tablet knowledge for the right to participate in surveys and for additional points: good knowledge of the use of office software applications (indicatively Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, etc.), the ability to browse the internet and proficiency in the use of electronic mail.

Work of Private Collaborators

IS undertake the task of collecting data for statistical surveys. Specifically, the work of IS includes the timely, complete and correct collection of data from businesses and households on behalf of ELSTAT, the collection of administrative data, their delivery to ELSTAT and the electronic entry of data where required, within the timeframes set by ELSTAT and in accordance with its specific instructions. The data are collected at times determined by the IS, primarily through personal interviews at the premises of households or businesses, and recorded in questionnaires.

IS are not employees of ELSTAT. They conclude a contract for services, to the completion of which they are bound (Article 8 of the Regulation of Operation and Management of ELSTAT, Government Gazette 2390 B), and their relationship with ELSTAT does not constitute a relationship of dependent employment, as also follows from certificate No. 1150/04.02.2026 of the Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection (ASEP), nor does it create any right/benefit that would arise from such an employment relationship.

Obligations of Private Collaborators

IS must be able to meet the physical and mental demands for the completion of their work, that is, they must be able to carry out multiple visits to households and businesses and conduct personal interviews with those responsible.

They must have a good command of the Greek language, communication skills, and during the performance of their work must have a presentable appearance and polite behaviour.

IS, before taking on the survey units for the survey for which they have been selected, are obliged to attend the relevant unpaid training seminar on the survey, which is held at the Central Service of ELSTAT for Attica and at the local Regional Statistical Services (PYS) for the rest of Greece.

Before submitting their application, all interested parties are invited to read the detailed relevant Call for Expressions of Interest on the ELSTAT website (at the link: https://www.statistics.gr/el/statistical-interviewers), which contains important and up-to-date information, notes, and instructions for the correct completion of the application.

For any clarification not covered by this text or the Call for Expressions of Interest, candidate Private Collaborators may contact the Department of External Collaborators-Researchers, preferably at the email address [email protected] or at telephone numbers 213 135 3035 or 3068 or 3050 or 2182 or 2192 (on working days and hours).

The Acting President of ELSTAT

Nikolaos Stromblos

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST for inclusion in the Register of Private Collaborators (IS) and IS Escorts, period May – December 2026 and Rules of Selection, Placement and Assignment of Survey Units

4 May 2026, 2:10 PM

PRESS RELEASE MAY-DECEMBER 2026_040526_FINAL Download