Finding work - what's the problem?
 

As we are striving towards moving our young family to the Quesada area in 2 years time, having read various posts regarding the poor employment situation for those relocating, I wanted to gain collective thought / contribution on why this may be.

For background info, my wife is a fully qualified swimming and aqua fit teacher, she also is a trained hairdresser and is currently studying beauty therapy.

My varied background is in promotions / marketing, health & safety, joinery/tiling and have class 2 HGV licence.

Our ideal situation i that we would work part time 2-3 days a week. Our main driving force to move is to have more quality time as a family - therefore, not really wanting to work the full time hours.

Is there a genuine lack of opportunities, and if so for what reason?

Do most people only want part time work?

Is it a case of who you know to gain employment?

Are foreign nationals overlooked?

What is the best way of progressing?

Do British people encounter jealousy / 'green eyed monster' from others when they may arrive with highly sufficient funds, and take work?

I consider myself to have a very wide skill set, be highly adaptable and versatile, and as a result would and could do anything from green keeping, wagon driving, gardening, diy to holiday/excursion rep work?

We would appreciate your comments.

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

I think the first question has to be, 'but do you speak fluent Spanish?'

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

By way of further information, I have taken an albeit brief Spanish language course this year, am studying at home and my wife and I are due to start at college next year for a more intensive course. Suspect that this won't go to the limit of what I would deem to be 'business language' though.

Does speaking the language open up a significant amount more opportunities?

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

I have never been in the position of needing to seek employment since living in Spain but, from what I have read on this and other fora, not being able to speak fluent Spanish severly limits one's options.

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

Even bar work will need a rudimentary level of Spanish I'm afraid and dont expect to earn doing that! I commend your commitment so early on though! Have you thought about joining some form of spanish speaking group as well? There is one in our area where all the members ONLY talk spanish to each other. I know it sounds a bit lame but believe me its the finest way to learn!
You have to remember that you are moving to one of the proudest countries on the planet! They are proud of everything and that includes their language, crack that you will crack Spain. Best of luck.

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

Not being Spanish or knowing Spanish people working for potential employers in the area one is moving to doesn't help either.

Cynical, moi? ;)

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

I think one of the problems in the Spanish labour market, is that it's not very mobile workforce. As a generalisation, people tend to want to live and work in their home town. Even students are incentivised to go to the local university rather than venture further afield.

The upshot is that people will accept lower pay and worse condition just to stay local. That combined with the general nepotism over here and you don't have a job market that is particularly open to outsiders.

By the same token, I don't think the Spanish have a very entreprenurial attitude. Probably due to the prestige given to becoming a civil servant and getting a job for life which tends to smother the instinct in the more employable. Small businesses tend to stay small and family run.

I would say that the best bet for somebody like yourself to make a living is to start your own business with all the pitfalls and risk that it entails.

Speaking the language is a must. Even if it's not a problem for your customers; there are your suppliers, advisors and the people you would generally network with that you are excluding as a tool for growing your business. I'd recommend an intensive 3 month course or similar. The costs may seem prohibitive, but if your plan to be here for the long run, it will be perhaps your best investment and it'll certainly put you ahead of a lot of the competition.
Anyone can learn a foreign language, it's just that it takes time, dedication and patience.

Will the locals be jealous? I've personally never come across that, but then I don't live in an area with many brits and I'm fairly sure that the sale of top end cars in Spain exceeds that in most if not all other European countries. Here, if you've got it, flaunt it and if you don't, borrow it and flaunt it.

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

We are going to run a small business and every one has been more than helpful, and we live in a spanish village with just two and a bit English couples living here full time. No one is jealous, no green eyed monsters here, just ordinary people wanting everyone to be happy.

That is one of the big differences we have found we have more jealousy from family.

We have tried and still are trying to speak Spanish and the people do appreciate it, Infact they applaud us for constantly trying and becoming part of the community.

We were talking about the attitude of the spanish people and how it differs from that of the UK. We lived in a village that I grew up in, in one house for over 8 years and I only knew the immediate neighbours, and then I had been to school with them, We have lived here for 8 months and we know most of the village and every one says hello, good night, do you want a beer :beer: It is totally different and better, I put it down to the weather and having to work so hard in the UK to survive.
Or is it something else ?

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

I assume that the obvious jobs - courier, airport rep, etc. are more than oversubscribed then?

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

Oh yeah!!! Several thousand over! What age are you? They are predominantly younger jobs I'm afraid! And they dont pay a massive amount!
I agree to an extent with one of the posters about starting a business but beware, its one of the easiest ways to go bust in Spain and the paperwork NEEDS Spanish understanding!

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

I am sorry Hizz , but i didnt get the post ?

I was just stating that We are starting a small Business

Was that a problem ?

The jobs you talked about would have been no interest to me.

But if you were being sarcastic then I am sorry because being that way wont get you any where in Spain.

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

I think that their post was a question to be honest.

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

Far from being sarcastic in the slight - I genuinely assure you of this. Nor do I wish to appear in any way derogatory or derisory to anybody's effort and initiative.

I am merely trying to discover how the land genuinely lies not only in terms of employment opportunities but many other aspects and issues. At the end of the day, we are looking to relocate our young family for a better quality of life i.e. more time together and are conscious that others have trodden this path before, only to return.

I titled this thread as a question, mindful that I have read many other posts about the severe lack of work.

I mentioned some jobs - I imagine the most obvious but ones that I do have experience in.

In response to another post, for information, I am 39, my wife 33, children aged 2, 4 and 8.

Thanks

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

I just wanted to wish you good luck. You are very brave to take such a big step with your family, I admire you for it.

Don't let anybody put you off. If you have it in your head that you want to move, and you really want to do it, just go for it, after all we only regret the things that we do not do.

I am a hairdresser myself and I can tell you (your wife will be interested on this) that working in a salon doesn't pay very much but it is a very good business if you have your own salon. Most salons in Spain offer beauty treatments and it looks like your wife can do the lot, which will really help. She might need to validate her qualification in Spain to be able to open her own business (working for somebody else she wouldn't need to do anything)


Best wishes

x

Re: Finding work - what's the problem?
 

Hizz
I was told I was nuts for coming to live in Spain, but you only have one life this is not a rehearsal. In the UK I was a secondary school teacher I had a good job and a decent life style, but we wanted something else.

But I wouldn't go back now if they paid me, I will clean floors if I had to, I was in the "Beginning a Artist" so we are going to open a small art gallery and I am going to run "art holidays".

We didnt have any Spanish when we got here, but 8 months down the line I can now hold a decent conversation, and because we are trying the locals help us, they are excited about me giving art classes and they all want me to teach there children English they want to learn as well, they cant wait for our house to be "Terminal" for me to begin.

Our only wish is that our children had the guts, and it takes guts to leave a life style and "security", and follow us they dont really understand that quality of life is better than quantity,I mean that in financial terms not length.

Good luck with your endeavors, and take it with two hands and fly.

i used to tell the children at school "aim for the stars if you hit the moon you have got a long way"