All the 'school' jobs in my area are for 'Native speakers of English'.
Do you fall into that category?
And the schools are all the private ones, and from memory we have a few people on here that have done that job, and it don't pay €25,000 a year, from what I recall. Somewhat less, the average wage is around €1,200 a month

There you go, this is from the local website.
​​​​​​The average wage for an ESL English teacher on the Costa Blanca (Alicante region) in 2026 typically ranges between €1,000 and €1,500 per month for full-time academy contracts, with hourly rates usually falling between €11 and €17 per hour

NOPE, most of the bars HAVE to be open some 16 hours a day, seven days a week, from early April to mid-October, and I would seriously doubt they make much money.
That's why bars are opening and closing daily in and around Benidorm and the other popular places.
Just because there are many doesn't mean they are all making money.
Most are at best covering costs and allowing the owners to exist.
You really need to do some research and not just think like most people that it can't be hard, as everyone seems to be doing it.

I was talking about International schools in Spain where you have to be a qualified teacher with a PGCE. These jobs pay around 25000 I believe. You are correct that ESL jobs in Spain are 1200 euros per month.

Right, so if you are looking at a new property with no business currently operating in it then you still have to pay the owner ("freeholder") both a multi-year lease as well as monthly rental fees? Plus associated costs of course (utilities, insurance, etc.).

Yeah, that's what it feels like. Especially nowadays when retain in general is in decline and most storefronts seem to be vape stores or barber shops.

Have you looked at sherpa-online.com by any chance? People are earning quite good money offering online lessons in their free time, with some even doing it on a full time basis. You could even look at music as you have past experience/credentials to back this up.

The number of bars in the large town I live in (not a holiday resort) is far smaller than it was when we arrived 20 years ago, and many of the premises they occupied have remained empty since they closed. Others start up, remain in business for maybe a year or two then close, and eventually the process is repeated with new owners. One such has had six new lots of people trying to make a go of it that we know of.

Oh I see. Thanks for the info. I think I won't try in that case anymore now then.

I agree with much of what you say. however I do quibble with the idea that paperwork and bureaucracy is somehow on a different scale in Spain which I feel is an urban myth. Hire a decent gestor (the same way you'd hire an accountant in Blighty) and if anything paperwork is far less cumbersome than in the UK which can be complicated once you start talking about UC/tax credits if business is struggling. The other side of the coin however is that help/relief can be more generous in the UK, see covid relief and/or business rates exemptions for smaller retail businesses.

I like the word 'quibble'
So our neighbour, who has run a business in this area for twenty years and has local government contracts, decided he wanted to open a retail office and small showroom.
He purchased outright (freehold) a unit in the area, spent many thousands of euros on refitting it (using local trade) and then went to see the town hall about the permits to open.
Eighteen months later and no answer as to why he still can't have a licence. He still has had to pay the IBI, etc., on the shop.
And he is Spanish, and his wife, while British, came here when she was 2. They speak perfect Spanish, and even they despair over the way things happen here.

His comment was that Spain is now trying way too hard to shake off the shackles of previously being corrupt, and so they have done the only thing possible and have decided that everyone must be crooked now because it's easier to start that way.

All that waiting is just for paperwork. I and many others will attest to the fact that beaurocracy here is a joke. There may be a law, a rule and a set of guidelines. But even today it still comes down to what mood the functionary is in when you hand over the paperwork, even if you use a gestor (which we do, and she speaks very little English).

I have issues where it's costing me three or four times the actual tax on my inheritance from my father in the UK because the tax office here doesn't believe the figures we gave.
Even though they are on an apostilled document from the UK, which was translated and notorised here.
And while I wait for them to make a decision, they have the nerve to charge me fines for not getting the paperwork in on time.
Explain that?

At least in the UK it's in B&W, and it's your fault if you haven't crossed the T and dotted the I.

Don't get me wrong, I like it here (for now), and life is better than it was in the UK, but it ain't all perfect like lots of people say.
We have had a couple of instances lately that have taken the shine off this country for us.

Having ran a Casa Rural totally disagree with you.
The house was purchased as a ruin and then renovated (rebuilt ) to be a business by a Spanish couple. They left us the paperwork to prove the licences and permissions they had to obtain. There are in short form and not in order other than how I can remember them.

• Undertake a project with an architect submitted plans and descriptions. The building design has to fit what is set out by local tourism laws.
• Obtain permission from Tourism from the Xunta de Galicia.
• Obtain permissions from the Ayuntamiento
• Obtain permissions from the local neighbours ( Cannot remember how many), including he Bishop of the diocese because we are located near a church.
• Obtain licences for drink water well, propane gas tank and septic tank. Plus a one that allows us to make noise.
• Get all the work inspected and submitted receipts for the building work.
• Start a company(SL)
• Be inspected for health and safety at work plus another one for the guests. These regular basis and can happen at any time.
• Also had to personally gain two certificates one for Manipulador de Alimentos and risco laboral.

This is a summery. The above may seem easy but having read through all the paperwork I can assure you that it is far from simple. It took two years to get the project off the ground before renovations could begin.
I am just glad I never purchased a ruin to turn into a casa rural.

Ah, I was talking about urban retail shops/cafes and other small businesses, as I and friends have been involved in those areas. I can well believe the rural restrictions are a lot more troublesome. Even back in the UK, as anyone who's watched Clarkson's Farm can testify. Scary to see plans totally rejected by councils for what can only be vested interests.

Don't worry about the bureaucracy- You will never get an appointment to even start the process!!

That point was totally missing from your post.
I stand by what I said Spain is very bureaucratic.

LOL Fred, spot of as usual.

Heh. This is why I never understand why people don't hire a good gestor - they'll handle most of the hurdles/appointments etc even though you'll still need to attend the odd one. Plus they can help with the taxes and autonomo fees (which are an expense you can set against tax, unless the law has changed since I last operated here). I wouldn't operate a business in Blighty without using an accountant, and same goes for a gestor in Spain.
The real pain (which surprisingly rarely gets mentioned enough) is the electricity supply/payments. Nothing is more "shocking" than the 2.000 euro bill taken directly from your bank account in a winter month, because you do need heating in winter.

In a month? Wow, that's unsustainable in terms of an electricity bill in any month. A lot of people also forget to check the rates they're paying vs what the current offer is per kWh, and a simple visit/call to the local customer service point can get that sorted in no time.

I guess that makes it even cheaper to stay in the Canary Islands since up north in the capital you can easily do without heating or aircon (you might need the latter in the south though!).