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Jobs in Spain - Working in Spain
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Jobs in Spain. Some advise for would-be job seekers in Spain.
As a Job hunter in Spain myself I have added this page to help people thinking of making the move to work and live in Spain.
Naturally if your reading this then I assume you wouldn’t be Spanish. But be a UK national, American or hold a EU passport of some sorts, being legally able to work in Spain.
Working in Spain - Go where the Jobs are.
First of its not easy to find work here. I know this first hand. If you could find work in Spain before making the move would be your best bet. And if not to base yourself in a Popular (large) city. For example Barcelona or Madrid. Or other areas where English is spoken more (Benidorm, Torrevieja). I live in Denia although this is a tourist area on the Med coast, Spanish is essential as well as English for most work available. It could very hard to find work if you decided to live in inland areas. These places wouldn’t have much work available, Especially for non Spanish - and non Spanish speakers!
There not many Recruitment agencies in Spain either, not like in other countries. I have yet to find any in Javea, Denia, Calpe area etc. Near where I am based. This can make things a lot harder too.
When looking for a job in Spain you may need to lower your expectations of what type of job you can get. If you are moving to Spain and looking for a job then you are immediately at a disadvantage due to the language barrier.
Even if you speak fluent Spanish (Castellano) many regions of Spain have their own dialects - for example in the Costa Brava (Barcelona) area they primarily speak Catalan.
In any case competition for a job in Spain offering a contract which comes with an entitlement to medical care is intense. As a foreigner competing against Spanish nationals for jobs you are immediately at a disadvantage.
Working in Spain - Wages, Pay and Working Hours
If you are lucky in your search for finding a job in Spain you will then find that your wages and take home pay are much lower than equivalent jobs in other countries such as the United Kingdom or America. For example if you have a salary of £30,000 and you find an equivalent job position in Spain you may be paid about 20,000 - and although the cost of living in Spain is lower - it isn’t that much lower!
Not only do jobs in Spain pay less you also tend to work longer hours. Most jobs in Spain start at around 9am some 10am with a long lunch break of two hours before resuming until 7pm or 8pm. While your job in Spain may have a long lunch hour for what is known as siesta time - if you have a young family then that is no consolation as you won’t see them much until the weekends.
It’s an unfortunate fact that many people who come to Spain searching for a job and better life end up finding a job that is low paid and comes with longer working hours than they used to work back home. Many people end up disillusioned and end up leaving Spain for financial reasons.
Working in Spain - Where to Find Jobs
If you are trying to get a job in Spain before you move to Spain then the Internet is your best way of finding a job. Spain does not have as many job recruitment agencies as other countries do so you are limited to searching for jobs on websites, in particular expat websites often have bulletin boards where job vacancies in Spain are posted.
When you are living in Spain you will find getting and searching for a job is much easier - although - we repeat our advice that good jobs in Spain are still thin on the ground. Most job vacancies in Spain are through word of mouth and in local newspapers.
You will find the best possibilities for finding jobs in Spain would be in the coastal areas which have large expat populations and therefore companies catering to the needs of these expats. These areas primarily are the Costa del Sol (Malaga area) and the Costa Blanca (Alicante area).
Working in Spain - What Jobs am I likely to find?
First of all - when looking for a job in Spain you need to be flexible and be willing to change career direction entirely. Your best hope for finding a job in Spain would be at a company that needs people who speak English - for example a computer company who deal internationally or a Spanish property company that market to English buyers.
In fact most job vacancies in Spain for English speakers will be in the property market industry in the areas where expats live. There are many jobs in the Spanish property market - this includes sales positions which are almost always commission based as well as jobs for people in property maintenance companies.
Other typical jobs you are likely to find would be jobs that cater to the large expat population in Spain, these include: cleaning swimming pools, gardening jobs, villa cleaning jobs, bar jobs, hairdressing jobs, shop work in English goods shops, taxi service, driving jobs including removals, restaurant jobs such as chefs, waiters and waitresses, fitness jobs, beautician jobs, pet care jobs, computer services, business services such as graphic design, there are many English newspaper and magazines requiring writers and sales people etc - we hope this list gives you some idea of the types of jobs in Spain that are the most likely possibilities when you are job searching.
Working in Spain - TELF Jobs in Spain. Teaching English in Spain
Many people imagine they can easily get a job in Spain teaching English. Well you can especially if you have a teaching qualification such as TEFL but there are more people wanting teaching jobs than there are job vacancies and pay is very low as a result.
Working in Spain - Construction Jobs in Spain. Work for tradesman in Spain
This is by far one of the very best ways of getting a job in Spain. The boom in the property market has led to an explosion of new housing and renovations on older properties. With the amounts of United Kingdom residents buying property they like to deal with people who can speak English. If you are a builder, electrician, plumber or another construction type tradesman then you are likely to find work. Pay is likely to be in the region of €100-€130 a day.
Working in Spain - Hotel Jobs in Spain. Working in Hotels in Spain
Although this might sound easy, 80% of Hotels would require fluent or near fluent levels of Spanish. If your an English speaker, with a high level of Spanish then are jobs in the Hotel industry.
Hotels with a high level of English speaking tourists would be the best option as English would be needed.
Working in Spain - Tip 1
Have at least six months money as savings to live on while you try finding a job.
Working in Spain - Tip 2
Learn as much Spanish as possible BEFORE you move to Spain.
Working in Spain - Tip 3
Be prepared to turn your hand to anything to get a foothold in Spain.
Working in Spain - Tip 4
Be prepared to work longer hours.
Working in Spain - Tip 5
Be prepared to work for a lot less than you are used to.
Working in Spain - Tip 6
Learn a new skill, especially something practical and use it to get a job or start your own business.
Working in Spain - Tip 7
If you have a skill consider starting your own business instead of looking for a job in Spain, then you are in control.
Working in Spain - Tip 8
Base yourself in (or nearby) a larger Town or City. Increase your chance of finding a job.
Types of Jobs in Spain
Estate agency is now a very competitive market and gone are the easy sales of a decade ago, so employers prefer someone with some sales and marketing experience
Telemarketing requires applicants with good verbal communications skills
Accountancy requires the same qualifications as in the UK
Care workers need experience in this field
Teachers must have a recognised qualification. English teachers can be employed with a TEFL accreditation
Any IT opportunities will ask for candidates who have completed the necessary training and have some practical experience in using the required software
Car hire is big business here and requires candidates with an administrative background who can deal with members of the public
Bar and restaurant work often prefers some experience, but the main prerequisites are that you present yourself in a clean and tidy way and have a polite and courteous manner