Hola, my wife and I have been in Murcia Capital for 2 months, in Spain a total of 3. After some difficulty we managed to rent an appartment here. Our savings have run out but we are getting help from her family in Mexico and mine in the UK. I am looking for work of any kind not just for living but I need a contract so my wife can apply for a family card.
My last job was in a recycling facility, I have experience in many different types of work but no formal qualification in any. I have worked in shops, offices, a diving school and a bar. I am a hard worker, quick learner, presentable, personable and honest ( sometimes too honest for my own good), I am currently learning spanish from book and cd, I am able to understand more than speak.
I have signed up with the Oficina de Empleo in Murcia as well as all the Agencies I could find here, to no avail so far.
We came to Spain to make use of a loophole to make it easier for my wife to live with me in the UK. I do not or can not meet the financial requirements of the UK Border Agency, so on (ill)advice from solicitor/friend we came here initially renting a holiday appartment and looking around the Costa Blanca/Calida area for opportunities.
We went to Benidorm because people we have met here in Spain said I would have a better chance of finding work and to check out an appartment but after meeting the perspective landlord he told us that the rent was not 400 but 700 per month and without work contract wanted 6 months-1year in rent in advance. Therefore a non-starter; no address - no NIE - no job.
A local bar/cafe owner in Murcia helped us find where we are, he kindly put himself as Guarantor for us, he can not provide work though but helps us in other ways.
I hope someone can help open doors for us as we were only married last October and want to settle somewhere soon. Thank you for taking the time to read this, God Bless

Best wishes. It's quite hard to be honest in Spain, sadly :-( (see my post)

Now you have to sign on the foreign citizens register to be legal in Spain.
They require proof of healthcare cover, and proof of income of at least 600 euros each.Some require proof of 6000 euros in the bank. Some require both.
I do not see how, in your present situation, you can continue to stay in Spain.
You cannot meet the residency requirements.
Without residency, NIE you cannot do anything and you will be illegal in Spain.
Even if you were legal, you stand virtually no chance of getting a job in the current climate..
Are you not aware that 56% are out of work? Even if you were fluent in Spanish, you still would have little chance of getting a job
Better to go back to the UK, and throw yourself on the mercy of the benefits system. There are no benefits in Spain.
Here you will get nothing, and should you and your wife be ill or have an accident, it will be a nightmare.
I realise this is not what you want to hear.
There is no future for you here.
Go back to the UK where at least you will get some support.

Hi, I do have an NIE. Am very confused over registering, a solicitor my wife called here did not mention about this 3 month rule as well as other people i.e police when enquiring about NIE and others in the Ayuntamiento. Can not return to UK until Oct 27th as wife can not return before then. Thank you for your comment.

Your original post stated you did not have an NIE
It has always been the case that after 90 days in Spain you have to register, and now the rules for residency are stricter.
I think you need to find a solicitor who is better informed.
What I would be worried about in your case, is that you are illegal here if you have no contract and are not registered, and appear to have no health cover.
The EHIC is only valid for 3 months, and you have already been inSpain for 3 months, plus it was only for emergency care on holiday.
Assuming you don't both have private health cover, what will you do in case of accident or illness.
A medical/ surgical bill could be many thousands of euros!

Thank you for some clarification on the residency situation, as I have mentioned my options are very limited. Again thank you for your comments.

Hello mate, my first question to you is why go to Murcia for work? it might have been ok in the 1980s or early 90s , lorry drivers like myself used to p/u all the fruit from that region for London markets then now its all shifted to Almaria and Africa, they could not get enough labour then. I did make a post regarding work in catalunya a couple of months ago.... over 2000 vacancies, but nevertheless I will give you a positive spin to your post....... the first thing I would do is move, go to a place where you can get some work, Tarragona , Barcelona , Zaragoza , use your imagination for work ie, if you see a transport yard offer to wash their trucks, if you see a garage offer to clean and sweep up,
if you see cafes restaurants offer to give out flyers, if you have a driving licence go to one
of the big agencies in town , Adecco, radstat, and sign up, you starting to get my drift...
as for accommodation , get yourself a tent and pitch it in the campo or one of the many empty houses around . You got to think like an immigrant to be an immigrant, best of luck.

I wish you success.

It is not easy to find work and Murcia has few opportunities for those who are not fluent in Spanish. Even fewer where you will be offered a contract of employment.

God bless you and your wife.

Tell that to the 100000 or more Brits who come here every winter for much longer than three months.

I haven't seen the police rounding them up and deporting them.

The law may be the law, but no one seems to enforce it.

Tell me about it.
Just hope they get their just deserts
Perhaps there needs to be just one caught, named and shamed, heavily fined, and held up as an example to the rest
Remember the old saying" all it needs for evil to flourish is for good men to sit back and do nothing?" Or words to that effect!

"evil" Wow! A little strong, I feel. No shades of grey just plain old good or evil? Hang 'em high and run 'em out of town! why don't you?

Oh! sorry just realised the heading of the thread is "Advice and Ideas Please" and it is not even in the Plaza de Toros section.

Guerito18,
When all this is history, do not forget to return some favours to your friend the local bar/cafe owner in Murcia. There are not too many of those types about.

Actually, there is no point in catching them as there is nothing they can do about it and they cannot be fined.

About the only reason they could throw you out is if you are a threat to security or public health.

The EU law exists, but it has no teeth. Complete waste of time!

Have you thought of investigated the Republic of Ireland as a staging post on your way to England. Others have!

Fred I think in reality the problem with the 3 month rule is that to sign on the register one has to comply with residency rules I.e. prove the financial situation and have full medical cover. A non resident may choose to say spend 3 or 4 months in their holiday home or even the whole 182 days in one go. They may well have full travel insurance to cover their stay and therefore not be a burden to Spain. However as far as I am aware the authorities do not accept travel insurance as acceptable for signing the foreigners register. Maybe they would get more signatures on the register if that was not the case? I suppose one could apply to sign the register fail to meet the criteria and as you say I believe in such a case under EU law there is no sanction deportation etc that can be applied, however they would have complied by making the attempt? I suppose easiest way to remain truly legal in such a situation is at 89 day point short trip to Portugal, France or long weekend back to UK.