24 and moving to Spain
 

Hi guys,

I just wondered if there were many people in their 20s who had made the move to Spain?

I have a great opportunity to move out here and I’m just curious to see if many other foreign younger people are also living in the south of Spain?

I suppose there will be people temporarily living here to study, but beyond that, are there many Brits or other nationalities for that matter, who are living here in their younger years?

And if so, how do I find them? 😂

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Try internations?

https://www.internations.org/spain-expats

or university areas ie San Vicente - where the Alicante uni is sited. However, I think there are probably fewer Brits here to study now (post-Brexit)

But typically I would say no, people in their mid-20s don't relocate to Spain...

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Have you got an EU passport? If not you will need a visa which at 24 means you will have to be studying or have a pre arranged job

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Spain also has one of the highest; if not the highest unemployment rate for your age group in the EU

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

There are many, many of all different nationalities in Valencia city though they are a little younger and in University but easy to meet...

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

I did, but that was before Brexit...

As well as the study visa, there's the digital nomad visa if you don't have an EU nationality to open doors for you.

There are reports the UK will try to negotiate a reciprocal youth mobility visa with some EU countries in the press this weekend but that will probably take a while. Should have just stuck with FOM.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

You still need proof of income and health insurance.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

I unfortunately don’t have an EU passport thanks to Brexit, but I’m probably going to be going down the route of the Digital Nomad Visa :)

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

I’m not worried about this as I can remote work and will hopefully be going down the route of the digital nomad visa :)

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

How old were you when you moved if you don’t mind me asking, and did you do it solo?

Yep, the digital nomad visa is the one I’ll be going for :)

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

I think a lot of other EU countries are missing a trick by not having something similar -in France you have to set up a french company , use an umbrella arrangement or persuade your UK employer to register you and them in the French system

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Stuff required for the VIsa....
https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consul...omad-Visa.aspx


Be careful about the word "remote" I know of a few people who have asked their employers about this and Yes while they are allowed to work remotely, they are not allowed out of the Uk due to finance or security issues or logistics with regards to the job.

My nephew wanted to come here but he works on a computer help desk and he is only allowed to work within the Uk due to some of the customers his firm works for...
His Mother (my sister) works in the accounts dept of a multi national and she cant move out of the Uk due to the banking rules since Brexit....
I know these may be special reasons, but you will have to ensure its Ok and in your new contract,
And what about visits back to the office?
Who pays for these? Again my Nephew has to cover the cost of a trip from Bath to London once a month as it was his choice to move away...

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

God knows why, there is a shocking skills shortage in these parts (all trades) and plenty of unfilled hospitality vacancies.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Plenty of young people across the country, especially from other EU countries working for the larger multinational companies, hospitality etc.. I suppose it depends on your skill set and salary expectations. Apart from English, a 2nd language is usually standard requirement these days.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

There have been threads on the Digital Nomad Visa - I suggest you check them out...

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

There are well paid jobs in Spain (and Portugal) for people with English as their second language. Successful businesses are aware that most foreign clients have English as their second language so it's a skill that is in demand.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

The problem with the younger generation is that they don't really have a skill ......
They are clever on their computers as are thousands of other young people, but none want to dirty their hands and be proficient in plumbing or electrical work etc, etc. Office work or "Remote Working" is the ultimate solution to them and wonder why there is so much competition 🤔. No wonder that there are so many of this generation out of work!!!

Steve

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

That's what I mean and you will find jobs that ask for German, Dutch, French, Hebrew etc. and English is standard now so many companies expect people to speak 2 or 3 languages. If English is your only language, that means you need specific skills or are the first one out of the door when there are job cuts.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

This thread might be of some value:

https://britishexpats.com/forum/spai...advice-941886/

Steve

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Great minds think alike, the OP had already found that thread and asked a question but the member has not been on here since Feb 2022.

Rosemary

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

I came in my late 30s so I had the same obstacles as a 24 year old. Firstly, of course, things have changed if you are solely uk nat in terms of free movement. The Digital Nomad Visa however might give you access to Spain but remember it is not residency visa. It is solely a temporary stay visa- meaning you need to renew it and you are not part of the Spanish tax or SS sytem. It is possible to get residency but you will need 5 years of being remote- this means you can not change your job nor will you have access to Spanish health service nor any form of SS benefit. If your salary drops, you lose your job or you are long term ill you will be forced to leave. So it is not a particularly secure or stable basis to be trying to lay down roots. Secondly at 24 - you will need to learn Spanish. This will take around 3 years until you have enough to be able to participate on a day to day basis and then a few more years until you are good enough to be able to be classed as a independent learner. Most people over the age of puberty will not learn to the level of fluency expected to compete work wise with a native speaker. Thirdly- you need to live in a city where you can access Spanish life and avoid the coastal towns where foreigners settle. 24 means you need to be starting life and not preparing for retirement so it is always a big but not impossible challenge.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

:goodpost:

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Since Valencia has already been mentioned I'll throw in my tuppence. The city is heaving with foreigners in their 20's under the various schemes, of course mostly EU. Speaking only English will be a hindrance but not impossible but you should definitely learn it as soon as possible. English is very widely spoken here. I went to see Oppenheimer in English last night. All showing (6 per day in English) were packed.

I moved here in my 40's so I can't quite relate but I left the UK at 30. Obviously this was pre-Brexit but the requirements for people of working age haven't changed that much. I still had to find a job, prove my income, change my license and be at the bottom of the queue for jobs as local jobs were meant for local people. The bottom line is if you want to make it work it will work. Just use the legal routes for everything. Treat your legal work as you would treat any other project in your life, hire professionals. Arrange your visa the correct way from the UK and when you get here use local professionals and hire translators when required. Don't go straight to the English speaking lawyer, they may not be the best at their job just because they speak your language.

Professionals don't advertise through Facebook, Instagram or expat sites. These sites are good for advice and recommendations only. Take that as a positive. If you have an idea, there are many members who can give you the list of reasons why this won't work. As with every situation, there's always a way to get through it.

Good luck.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

A lot of the hospitality positions are filled by young Brits for summer work especially on the south coast and in the Balearics.
Oooops I forgot, they can't do that now, thanks to that Brexit benefit.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

True and not only that, when you get paid a pittance it's no surprise that these positions remain unfilled.
From last year, but the same every year:
https://www.thelocal.es/20220606/explained-why-no-one-in-spain-wants-to-be-a-waiter-anymore there's a shortage of 20,000 camareros (waiters), whereas in the Canary Islands 30,000 hospitality workers are unemployed but thousands of positions are not being filled ahead of the summer. Benidorm alone is 3,500 workers short for the high season.

The same situation has been reported in the southern region of Murcia and in towns across Galicia. In fact, all over the country, businesses are facing shortages of wait and kitchen staff.



So why does no one in Spain want to be a waiter anymore?

Están hartos as they say in Spanish, they're fed up. Spain's hospitality workers have for years been complaining about long hours, night shifts that go unpaid, wage cuts, job instability, unpaid holidays and employers paying them under the table to avoid having to pay tax and social security.

“There isn't a lack of workers, there is a lack of slaves. People want to work, but with decent conditions”, tweeted Gonzalo Fuentes, from the Hospitality Federation of Workers' Commissions.

The unionist spoke specifically of the poor work conditions that exist for waiters across Spain, explaining how employers don’t always comply with collective agreements, they register employees for fewer hours than they actually work, they do not pay overtime or they pay part of the salary 'in black'.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

26, I moved first into a hostel for about month then a houseshare and looked for an IT job while doing that.

Less paperwork with freedom of movement though, I'm not sure if the Spanish government would be willing to accept a hostel addresses for a DNV application.

Going to disagree here. You do have to do a tax return every year but it will be less than other residents (including Spanish people) pay.

The "must have been working for at least three years with your current company" requirement may only be for the initial application, not the renewal.

I read in that link that if you apply as a tourist from within Spain then you get three years' temporary residency, not just one, meaning after that you just need two renewals for the DNV, then one application for permanent residency.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

True, in fact many of the hospitality jobs are filled by relatives of the owners and, as you say, poorly paid. When I lived in Spain a friend took a job in a local restaurant, she was told her wages would be 9€, she tough this was an hour, turned out it was for the 4 hour shift, paid in cash. She didn't go back the next night.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

The OP isn't looking to be a waiter, he will work remotely. Can't we just answer his questions and share relevant experience instead or derailing the thread?

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

The skill isn't office work or remote work, the skill is something else which happens to he done in an office or remotely. If someone's good at IT, project management, customer support, translation, graphic work, etc... then they should be able to find a job and if their company allows them to work remotely in Spain then this visa may suit them.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Just a reply why these positions remain unfilled. As far as I can see, there are no open questions from OP that haven't been answered.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Yes, we have gone off topic somewhat. For what it's worth, with the loss of freedom of movement, I think the OP's best and probably only option is to try for the digital nomad scheme. It's not easy and my British neighbours (in Spain) have come unstuck with it but it's definitely worth a try. It would be worth enlisting the help of a professional relocation company who will be aware of the pitfalls.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Good point and none of us here have gone through the process. There is an interesting article on the Local about it and doesn't seem to be straight forward. https://www.thelocal.es/20230503/it-...pplicants-face

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Thanks, that was an interesting read and it explains why my neighbours (and so many other people) have hit the buffers with it.

​​​​​​It 's also a stark reminder of just how brilliant EU freedom of movement is and how there is no substitute for it.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Only for those in the club... For the rest of the 167 its jumping through hoops...
Would it be better for the WHOLE world if there were some form of onward freedom of movement, not just a small block of internalised, keep it in house, countries???

Why is FOM that good anyway? Its nothing like the USA where there is at least a common language.
FOM only benefits the rich countries who want poor people doing menial jobs their own citizens wont.
Even before FOM Uk citizens rarely worked in the fields, factories and did waiting and low paid jobs.

Anyway... For the OP, Digital nomad Visa is a way, but all your Ducks must be in a row.

Had you thought of Study? That way you could come and do a course that would both give proven qualifications and also give you language skills, after that you will be in a position to then diversify after all at 24 the world is still your bivalve.
And why restrict yourself to the EU, there are as I said some 167 other countries in this world and a lot of them dont have a language barrier you have to overcome before working...My daughter and lots of her friends went to Australia and she earns approx three times what the same job would in the Uk and most of the EU. She is only an accounts clerk but her command of English (well common west londerer aint she) gave her an advantage over some of the other nationalities who went for the job.

And finally from me, Spain and Spanish will allow you to communicate here and South America but it wont be much help in France or Germany, Portugal or Poland. (or the other 100 plus)
Which is why I think trying to carve a living here actually narrows your options. I have the same view about someone wanting to move to Germany etc...
My 2c etc......Im retired so what do I know?

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Freedom of movement certainly doesn't only benefit low paid workers and it's also in relation to healthcare access, studies, retirement, travelling etc.
While Australia might have worked out for your daughter, have you seen the cost of everything over there recently? It might seem cheap for someone from London, but I would need 4 x my Irish salary to afford a decent house in Melbourne (as an example). Speaking about language, I work in Ireland because I speak German and most of my colleagues either speak Spanish, Italian, French. They only need basic English and it's more important to speak a foreign language.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Absolutely. EU freedom of movement is about the free movement of goods, capital, services and people. It would have been rather helpful if people in the UK had fully understood what it meant prior to 2016. Even half the UK cabinet had to have the workings of the single market and the customs union explained to them immediately after the referendum.

I would imagine the OP is attracted to Spain for the same reason as millions of other foreign nationals. It's the second most visited country in the world, it's easy going, it's affordable, it's safe, it's friendly, it's easy to travel to, it's not on the other side of the world and the quality of life is right up there with the best of them. Portugal is very similar and also attracts millions of people.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Disagree with you there:

Britons living in rest of EU are mainly working age, not over-65s (from 2018)

So there's no point in moving anywhere?

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

True and distance alone makes it an attractive option. You can even drive down with your own car and if something does go wrong in the first 6 months, you can just drive back to the UK without losing thousands of €.

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

Yes FOM did give all these things and thats why the UK GOV at the time decided to exploit it by inviting (actually sending coaches to Latvia etc) and that was the main reason for Bday... Although my cousin stated he voted Brexit because there were too many Chinese where he lives (he comes from the inbred side of the family)...:)
As to it just working for my daughter, well 1.2 million brits cant all be wrong. Yep stuff is dearer, but it all relevant and as I said she earns way more as an accounts clerk than I did as an experienced service engineer with 30 years behind me in the UK..

​​​​​​https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-b2367081.html
She originally went on a travel/work visa in 2015 and the above has opened that up further...this is a try before you buy and a lot cheaper than the digital visa from Spain..

Still think staying close to home is the main reason people moved from the UK to the EU, workers and retired so if anything goes wrong they have a bolt hole..
And Im glad your colleagues only have basic English and they have FOM which is not what Brits have now. And it gets them by as its needed as English is Irelands language (ok I know) but thats one of my points, what language does a BRIT choose when thinking of moving to the EU??? There are 26 to choose from and therefore you are automatically closing off options by choosing one over the other.
German where apart from Germany does that allow to to settle easily?
French OK some of Africa and a couple of Caribbean island
You see my point!!!...

You and others have good points but the EU (and I know this page is all about Spain) aint the be all and end all.......
I just think there is more to life than FOM and if we had never had it these conversations would not even be happening..Brits are still being given special treatment over the other 3rd countries. Yet people are still not happy...

We need to stop mourning for the things we have lost and start thinking about how we all go forwards.

Ive already posted a link for the OP to see whats needed for the visa they asked about, so no more from me... Ive got some cassettes to record...

Re: 24 and moving to Spain
 

That was exactly our thought process when we decided to buy a retirement property in Spain. Initially we thought about Cyprus as we had lived there when first married in the military. However distance in case of issues either for us or family made Spain a better choice. Worst comes to the worst and you need to get back to UK plenty of flights or as you say drive back. Mind we also thought EU country best for medical care pensions etc. Never thinking that could become an issue. Luckily we are protected by the withdrawal agreement so our plan wasn't affected.