audi123

I have previously been looking at a gap year jobs in france, but have not found many opportunities there but when i was researching for gap year jobs in france, i found numerous opportunties for jobs in spain and only just recently started i've been having a look and its all restaurant and hotel work which is the sort of thing i'm looking for and i was just wondering i havent really been to spain only been there for a day when i was staying in the far south of france and i visited san sebastian and i was just wondering would it be wise choosing it for a gap year because im looking to work from this august to next august. I only speak a little bit of spanish, but i speak very good french and german. I know this is a very stupid question haha but some advice or something would help haha

many thanks!

twistedmelon

Depends what sort of life style/income you want.
First off,Aug to Aug is not the best time to find work and especially not in the off peak season, many workers are laid off then. Also it's usually long hours for not much money.
Other options are maybe woofing or overseas aid work, no money but great experience.

marqueemoon

I think with your language skills you are in a better position than many. I saw an ad in a restaurant here in Nerja yesterday asking for a waiter/waitress who spoke English, French and German, not even a mention of Spanish and the ad was in English. In fact I have seen a few like this, but the businesses are geared to visitors, not residents.

Of course the work is almost guaranteed to be seasonal.

twistedmelon

Yes, maybe a TEAFL or similar may be a good option.

audi123

thanks for all the advice , if i did go to spain i would teach myself loads of spanish before i went and plus my job their might get spanish lessons as well just so i could fit in and language wouldnt be a huge issue what i was wondering was is there work all year round in spain because i understand maybe moving around a bit for different jobs depending on time of year

steviedeluxe

Firstly, judging by your lack of punctuation, I'm guessing that language teaching won't really be an option (apologies if that is harsh or incorrect). A shame really, as there is always call for English teachers, especially in cities like Madrid.
If you are into IT, there is a lot of opportunity out there. There is a big interest in startups, more info here http://www.todostartups.com/startupconnect2 For standard IT type work (especially SAP) you can look here http://www.infojobs.net/ But in both cases you will need the necessary skills/experience already. Note: This bit was put in for other potential migrants, don't worry if you're not a geek!
If you're looking at hotel/hospitality work then it's a different game. I don't pretend to know how many Brits manage to get work here - I suspect it's quite low as there are plenty of locals with the relevant language/hospitality skills. However, I remember seeing a tourist hostal (similar to a B&B) in Madrid advertising for a native English speaker to work there - the idea being they could bring in extra customers by advertising on gumtree etc. Hotel occupancy rates are up in Spain this year, so if you can get a niche you may find an opening. I'm not saying everyone could do this, but if (for example) you went around Madrid B&Bs explaining how you could bring in extra trade as well as doing reception or bar work, you could well find an opening. But good Spanish would be essential, as many of their customers would be spanish speakers. You would also need to sell yourself and be prepared to deal with knockbacks.
There is other work in a place like Madrid - leaflet distribution for language schools is big in Autumn, Jan/Feb and again in Spring. As an English speaker you may well be able to blag work like this - remember quite a few academies/schools are run by native English speakers.

I don't think these ideas would work on the coast though, and as mentioned previously winter is quiet or totally dead there. The big cities in the main are the opposite, they close for August but are busy the rest of the year.
If I were you I'd book a month (or two) in Madrid in a cheap language school eg http://www.williams-school.com/horarios+precios.html and get accommodation for the month somewhere like this http://www.madridrooms.co.uk/ You then spend time improving your Spanish, but then also looking around for opportunities and asking questions. There are English language publications like In-madrid you can also study.
I realise that your heart may be set on the coast or a quaint historic town. I tend to push Madrid here because I believe it's the best place to find work, and it's so different to the life most expats live (whether on the coast or in the campo). Twice in the last decade I went to Madrid and got work, when I couldn't find any in the UK. Indeed, I've never met anyone who's gone to Madrid and failed to find something within weeks. However, I accept things may be different under the current crisis. It'd be sobering to hear from one person who has experience of going to Madrid and not finding work. I can't blame you if you don't fancy the idea of Madrid - it's a big city and has problems like pollution, pickpocketing etc.
One other option - try and get a job with the likes of Ryanair! I'm sure you won't get paid a lot (same thing applies to hotel work) and I don't know if you can specify your routes/location.
Anyway, I've warbled on enough now, good luck in whatever you decide.

Edit: Just looked at the In-madrid jobs page (you have to click on the mag image to display the relevant page) http://www.in-madrid.com/jobs.html Apart from the normal teaching and teacher-trainer type jobs, there's an ad there for tele-sales. Not an option for most of us, but tele-sales jobs always seem to be around.