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.

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

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.

This thread might be of some value:

25 Year old moving to Spain advice

Steve

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

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.