KieranUK

Hi Everyone,

I have been lurking around the site for a few weeks and I am hoping there will be a few "experts" on the forum that may be able to help me.

Basically, my Fiancee and I are looking to move to Spain in around 18 months to two years time and we think Madrid is the likely destination.

We are not set on Madrid and we are planning to come over to Spain to explore any places we have on our list.(Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona and possibly Seville)

I suppose my initial questions are about Madrid and what type of city it is, positives & negatives etc?

Would anyone happen to know about the rental market there and the average rental price for one/two bedroom flat?

Is the public transprt any good or do you need to be able to drive everywhere?

We have just started learning Spanish and I think we will be going to Madrid to study Spanish for a couple of weeks in the coming months.

In regards to jobs, I work in sport(football) but have a backround in sales and my fiancee is studying nutrician atm. Now we are learning the language as I mentioned but are there also english speaking jobs in a city like Madrid?

If my fiancee wants to work in a hospital as a nuticianist, would she require anything other than her degree and experience to work in Spain?

I know I have a lot of questions guys but any help would be massively appreciated, especailly along with anything else you think we should be thinking about before making the move over to Spain.

Hope to speak soon

Kieran

KieranUK

C'mon guys!

My thread is the only one on the first page without a reply

I am sure some people on here must be able to help out or point me in the right direction.

lynnxa

we're not ignoring you - we're all having a siesta

I'm afraid I don't know much about Madrid - but there are a few posters here who do - try putting Madrid into the search at the top of the page - there have been discussions before

the work situation here is pretty bad as I'm sure you realise - but who knows what it will be like in 18 months?

as far as working in sports or nutrition is concerned I also don't know - but Spanish companies often/usually want degrees 'homolgated' - sort of accredited

learning Spanish is the most important thing - & you're already working on that

with the amount of time you have in hand it would be best to try to get jobs before you come

Rotor

I dont know much about Madrid but I know unemplyment is very bad at the minute ,even if you speak perfect Spanish it wont be easy finding work,even unskilled ,I would treat it as a long holiday and if you find work it will be a bonus! Bring plenty of money!!!

On the Costas the only non Spanish speaking working foriegners who seem to survive are people with practical skills ie mechanics ,eletricians, plumbers , builders etc ,saying that many builders are struggling.

Hopefully things will be better by the time you are ready but I doubt it, more like 3 to 5 years.

KieranUK

Thanks for your comments guys.

Lynnxa, I think we would always try to get jobs before we came over tbh. Just to make sure we were earning something when we first moved over.

I haven't heard of homolgated?, I will have to look into that.

I have the qualifications I need to work in Sport in Spain, but it's a competitive industry and that is why I was asking about other English speaking jobs.

We rent here and we would rent over there so we have no property chain or kids to think about. It should mean that, in theory, it could be easier to move over than the situations others find themselves in.

Thaks again for your comments guys.

lynnxa

I missed a letter out

should be homologated

steviedeluxe

Hi - surprised at your impatience - we're not all here 24 hours every day (although it may seem like it)

Quick answers first - Public transport is very good, and for a fraction of the cost in a UK city. Loads of positives about Madrid (including being the best place to get jobs), but here are a couple of negatives i) central Madrid gets too packed at times, and prices there are thus a little high ii) petty crime like pickpocketing and bag snatching are common in the centre and major train stations.

You mentioned taking a Spanish course. Good news is there are plenty of language schools in the city offering Espanol para estranjeros (Spanish for foreigners). If you're adventurous and want to save money you could try the following school:

http://www.williams-school.com/

The schooling will be just as good as those that spend a fortune on marketing and decorating. You'll find the teachers are just as qualified, and indeed it's quite possible that a teacher works in both type of establishment. It's more likely I agree that a teacher with experience will work for the more glamorous establishment (as they pay more) but if you're determined to learn then you will. There are also plenty of intercambios (language interchanges) and sub-titled films in VO cinemas in Madrid to help you.

[more to follow in next post]

steviedeluxe

Jobs - I would strongly recommend that one of you takes the relevant course in teaching English to adult learners - demand for teachers of English has been high for years in Madrid. It's possible (with decent Spanish) and 2/3 years experience to charge 25/35 Euros a hour for business or private classes in Madrid. If you search on Tefl forums, or ask anyone who's worked as an English teacher in Madrid they'll confirm this (I have to put this as a certain poster chooses to cast doubt on this).
I advise one of you to try the teaching route as I suspect you'll find things difficult in your other areas. In fact, I initially thought you'd stand no chance in a Sales type job, as you need exceptiionally strong Spanish. However I did quickly look on the following site using the keyword "sales" and 100s of possibilities turned up, mainly in Madrid and Barcelona:
http://www.infojobs.net/
Of course a majority of these are probably intended for locals who also speak English, but that's for you to investigate.
You could of course look into the possibility of becoming a middle man for certain enterprises, selling to Brits/Americans etc. I know that the language schools would bite your hand off if you could demonstrate you could bring them x number of new language learners - but I wonder if that's being feasible! Also, you could look around for new enterprises, and see if you can help out on a freelance basis. There do seem to be more and more folk earning their living via the internet, so perhaps this is one way to go. \Seems incredibly difficult to get into, but it may be your answer to living in Spain.
There was a thread a couple of weeks ago about some chap selling pies and scotch eggs in Madrid. The owner went off in a huff because of the negativity here, but maybe you could offer him your sales skills? In fact while you're taking a language course, it may be a good opportunity to look and ask around. Make sure to go along to intercambios as you'll then be able to gain local knowledge from Spanish speakers. Lastly don't rule out popping in an Irish pub for a drink - you'll pick up English language newspapers/magazines there, and maybe get to chat to other expats there who will know the current job situation.

Lastly good luck, and let us know how you get on!

KieranUK

Hi Stevie,

Thanks a LOT for your help. You have given me some great info.

Hopefully I don't have to look for sales work but working in football is not the most dependable career lol.

Would you know of any decent Spanish property sites, so that I could keep an eye on rental prices and what our money would get us?

Thanks again.

pwwm

Look at this, I think it is pretty good

http://www.kyero.com/