Working in Spain

BabyE

Everyone talks about the 'youth unemployment' but I've heard that reason it is so high is because there is a real problem in Spain of young people just not wanting to work and that getting a job there as an English speaker is not that hard? Anybody shed any light.

I speak Spanish reasonably well(C1 level), but of course I need to improve. To do this I'm in the midst of looking to head to Spain to live and work. Just trying to see how realistic it is. I graduated with a degree in economics(no actual skills acquired except for rudimentary Stats course which I struggled with) and Spanish. I'm going to do a masters but I think I will take a year out and master Spanish and then do a masters there.

Surely there has to be possibilities for EU citzens with native English and a good grasp of Spanish. I don't really want to work as a camarero or something.

Considering the low cost of living in Spain, English teaching is still a relatively okay option. You won't make a huge amount but it would pay your basic costs... at least until you find other work. Spain is still one of those places where word of mouth is often used for decent jobs.

BabyE

Cheers yeah, and most realistic. Probably better to build up awareness of the culture and ways of doing things first.

jamesbondings

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Considering the low cost of living in Spain, English teaching is still a relatively okay option. You won't make a huge amount but it would pay your basic costs... at least until you find other work. Spain is still one of those places where word of mouth is often used for decent jobs.

This. However you will walk into any efl job handy

BabyE

jamesbondings wrote: »

This. However you will walk into any efl job handy

Fill me in

BabyE

BabyE wrote: »

Cheers yeah, and most realistic. Probably better to build up awareness of the culture and ways of doing things first.

Check your local language... little point having only Spanish if you're in Barcelona.

jamesbondings

jamesbondings wrote: »

This. However you will walk into any efl job handy

Yeah... but efl is pretty dull after a while... especially once you make friends with better jobs.. And there's little respect for esl teachers.. so, I'd use it as a starting point, but aim to be definitely gone on to better things within a few months.

jamesbondings

BabyE wrote: »

Fill me in

Litterally walk into any language school offering your services tou will be anapped up. The gob****es from here i knew educating kids over there means any aul eedjit with english can work. I was asked many times to take a job teaching (and that was just from socializing). My tip is pick a city tou would like to live in.go there and look for a job.

Canis Lupus

I've an ex who did well enough in Spain (Valencia) teaching English. If you haven't it'll be probably worth your while doing a TEFL or whatever it's called and I'd be surprised if you didn't get a job easily enough. She pretty much got/switched jobs whenever she wanted although as with all of these things some schools are better than others.

BabyE

Deleted User wrote: »

Check your local language... little point having only Spanish if you're in Barcelona.

Gunning for Andalucia, I just like the ways and the culture down there.

BabyE

BabyE wrote: »

Fill me in

Just do a google search, or check the local website for the area you want and email some schools. Just be careful... esl/efl is full of scams.. it's the price you pay for easy work..

If you're thinking of esl, do some proper research. I'd recommend looking at Daves' esl cafe forums. Dunno how active the spain forum is but it'll still give you an idea of the kind of scams popular in Europe/Asia.

Keep an eye out for corporate training companies.. typically better pay, and your degree is more useful then. However, you'll have to accept whatever the market is offering until you get the experience. And a tefl cert is definitely worth getting... I have an online one. It got me work but it's pretty useless for preparing you to teach (I got a DELTA later, but that's useless here). You can get some better ones that have weekend workshops. I'd recommend one of those if you plan on teaching for longer than 6 months. Gives you more flexibility.

sibersha

What about Gibraltar? Plenty of Englsih speaking jobs with betting firms.

Many live in nearby Spanish towns and commute to Gibraltar, only issue is Brexit is probably going to affect the border.

EagererBeaver

I live in Spain and work for a global financial services company in Barcelona. I have a significantly higher level of Spanish than yours and moved within my company from a Spanish speaking role to an English one about 4 months ago as the technical Spanish was too much. You'll not be able to get a Spanish-speaking job but if you do, you'll struggle. Catalan is not necessary, unlike as suggested above. It will be the language of choice in an office over here though, so it's easy to feel left out.

There are plenty of English speaking roles but these are largely confined to tourist areas and big cities. Depending on where you want to go in Andalucia and what you want to do, you might struggle for work.

Plenty of EFL work around as mentioned. Pay can actually be decent though.

Moving over here was the best thing I've ever done. Don't regret it for a second. If your heart is really set on it, do it. Jump right in. Get over and start working in bars, restaurants, whatever. Just get over here, build up language asap and start applying for jobs left right and centre.

Good luck.

BabyE

I'm surprised to hear that the Spanish was too much for you, I would have thought after a while it just becomes an organic process and you begin to absorb it much more easily than to when we first began speaking the language. Kinda humbling but the reality of learning another language I guess.

I'm 100 per cent moving over, I'll probably be doing my Masters there so will look to move over in the next couple of months.

EagererBeaver

Using the language for getting by in everyday life is absolutely fine. I can understand kettle talking to me and can make myself understood. Using it in an office is a completely different kettle of fish where a much higher level of proficiency is required.

BabyE

EagererBeaver wrote: »

Using the language for getting by in everyday life is absolutely fine. I can understand kettle talking to me and can make myself understood. Using it in an office is a completely different kettle of fish where a much higher level of proficiency is required.

How long you been living there for and how is your level? Did you do exams in it? Very humbling I have to say but you can't knock yourself, like you say in an office environment it is a different ballgame. Maybe after a decade or so you will be able to adapt easier.

At the moment I'm at the stage where I can understand films pretty well, I can enjoy them and think I have entered a new stage of the language journey after plateauing for a few years(and losing an interest in the language)

endacl

EagererBeaver wrote: »

I can understand kettle talking to me and can make myself understood.

Appliances talk to you?

:eek:

*backs away slowly avoiding eye contact*

EagererBeaver

endacl wrote: »

Appliances talk to you?

:eek:

*backs away slowly avoiding eye contact*

Ha, no idea how that happened.

I've been here coming up a year. No exams since my A Levels but I do weekly lessons as it was part of my relocation package. I have Spanish family as well.

Watching films is a great way to improve it, so I'd definitely keep that up. Take a look at apps like Duolingo too as they've some good stuff for learning idioms etc.

BabyE

EagererBeaver wrote: »

Ha, no idea how that happened.

I've been here coming up a year. No exams since my A Levels but I do weekly lessons as it was part of my relocation package. I have Spanish family as well.

Watching films is a great way to improve it, so I'd definitely keep that up. Take a look at apps like Duolingo too as they've some good stuff for learning idioms etc.

That's awesome, that's fine though you are only there a year, I thought you might be there much longer. Just to clarify and your level is no doubt much better than mine after a year but C1 level I referred to is based on the European framework which they define as Effective operational proficiency or advanced. TBH I don't know how much weight I put into their framework it has flaws imo, writing and reading is a hell a lot easier than speaking especially in high pressure environments like a job.

I reckon I could do an interview through Spanish but unless they were really sound and wanted me to get the job, I'd struggle to cope with the atmosphere.

EagererBeaver

Yeah, you've worked it out already but you can throw that out the window. "Proficiency" means sweet fa when it comes to real work, especially if you plan to work in a professional office. You'll see loads of people will sit an exam so they can put "full working proficiency" on their CV and LinkedIn profile but it's nowhere near enough. Until you're living and breathing the language every day through interactions with natives, you'll not be proficient enough for an office.

The good news is that if you plan to do your Masters (in English or Spanish?) you'll have lots of time to work with

BabyE

60 per cent in Spanish and 40 in English.

Really do need to move over and immerse myself completely in Spanish to prepare myself.

HalloweenJack

Best and easiest choice would be teaching English. A plethora of jobs (it's a massive industry at the moment) and money can be very good depending where you end up. In the big cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville, it can be a nightmare as the market is very competitive and the money isn't as great, plus there's a higher cost of living.

If you want to settle into the job and also experience a more genuine Spanish experience (last time I was in Madrid it seemed like one in every two people was speaking English everywhere I went), go for smaller cities, like Cordoba, Huelva, Murcia et al. They are far from the most exciting places in the world but the quality of life is brilliant, especially with a teacher's salary (vast majority of legitimate jobs start at €1000 after tax, renting (bills included) in smaller cities can easily be done for €300). It's a handy thing to do for a few years while you find your feet.

Generally, a teaching qualification (like TEFL, TESOL or CELTA) is required as a minimum. There's also a "language assistant" scheme that schools and colleges run, you're not really a teacher, usually a "conversation assistant". Not as glamourous but easier to get into.

Be careful though because there are lots of chancers about. The best schools are registered with FECEI, the national language teaching association. All these schools are above board and do things correctly (like paying social security, taxes). If you go with a school that's not part of the association, there's less regulation. I've heard lots of horror stories from that side.

Honestly, outside of call centre work or waitering/barwork in the touristy zones, teaching English is the big employer for foreigners. I've met very few foreigners here over the years who have found jobs here in something they hadn't studied for. Off the top of my head, the foreigners I know of here are probably 90% English teachers, the rest work as waiters or barmen or in hotels or shops and would earn half what teachers do.

Personally, I wouldn't go near Gibraltar. It's a very bizarre situation where there's lots of people from all over the world working there in the betting companies, a massive expat community but this will be under threat with the Brexit (despite them resoundingly wanting to stay). It attracts a ridiculous amount of money-chasing smug ****. The foreigners that live there do not integrate well and I found tend to look down on the locals.

I've been teaching English here for four years now and know plenty about the sector so if you're interested, send me a PM and I can give you some more info.

uli84

Any tips anyone how to get IT kinda job with no Spanish?

arccosh

bump of above question...

Always wanted to make the jump to Spain, I have a telecoms background with some IT, but I don't know where to start

Fysh

If you're already living there and have no Spanish, do yourself a favour and start learning. Whether in Spain or elsewhere, someone on an interview seeing that you've lived there for more than a few months and made no significant effort to learn the language is not going to take that as a positive sign, even if you're otherwise well-qualified for the job, as it arguably speaks volumes about how you approach integrating yourself into new environments.

If you've got some Spanish but not enough to be proficient in a technical role, look for multinational companies with contact centres in Spain.

St1mpMeister

Are jobs in IT in Barcelona largely going to expect a competency in Spanish, or are there many jobs that use English as the main working language?

I have a "tourist-level" competency in Spanish, but I wouldn't feel confident to write emails to company clients etc. Would this likely be a problem initially?

seachto7

St1mpMeister wrote: »

Are jobs in IT in Barcelona largely going to expect a competency in Spanish, or are there many jobs that use English as the main working language?

I have a "tourist-level" competency in Spanish, but I wouldn't feel confident to write emails to company clients etc. Would this likely be a problem initially?

Check Linkedin. There seems to be a good few jobs where English is the working language,but I'd say it would be an advantage having any Spanish as well.