tringlarido

Hey all,



I'm french, been living 8 years in ireland, now in an IT support position 10am to 6pm type of job at 41k euros, single with no children. I have just been proposed an interview for IT job in barcelona. It is a network support role, english and french required, with day and night shifts, in an european service centre support 650 employees. I don't know yet the company. It seems that the salary could be up to 35k euros. 

I also would like to settle for good in my next life/job. Last point I don't speak castilian and catalan yet. I'll love to learn either of them.

So before making any decision, I just wanted to see if some people had a similar experience, and could share any thoughts from a job perspective.



In particular I'm wondering :


is there a big turnover in these types of position ?

can you manage a social life with this kind of day and night shift rotation ?


Is there opportunities as an expat to evolve from support in call center to network administration role in barcelona ? how easy is it to do it ? does it require catalan or castilian ? or is there only call centers available for expats ?

is it possible to make a happy career in call centers in barcelona ?


thanks all

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. I am the Concierge for the Spanish section and thought that you might find it helpful to know that the moderators for the Spanish forums are Fred James and Bevs, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

BEVS

Same from me.

Hi and welcome to BE.

Hopefully some folk will be along in the next day or so that may be able to help you with this.

All the best.

Sue

Hi tringlarido,

Sorry I'm about as much use on this subject as a wet paper bag (I live in the US) but I wanted to stop by and welcome you to the forum!!

Moses2013

41K is a really good salary for an IT support role and I doubt that the working conditions will be better in Spain. As always, it depends what you want from life and 35 K is pretty good in Spain, but Barcelona is also very expensive. You have to know where the job is located, to calculate your whole costs (travel, rent). What other benefits will the company offer and what about your state pension in Ireland? As far as I know, with 10 contribution years you'd qualify for the Irish State Pension, so you might be losing some money if you leave now. May I ask how old you are, as you're saying you want to settle for good? The turnover will be high like any call center and maybe you can make a happy career there, but working shifts will be more stressful. Your big bonus is that you are single without children and it's really easy to save in Ireland (if you don't constantly go drinking), so I can imagine you have plenty of savings (I hope).

justlookingforsomesun

I would like to reply to tringliado's post about working in a call centre and being happy.

Being a new member, although a long time reader, I will probably make a mess of it.

Having had some interesting jobs and some very boring ones, I would say it is a question of your state of mind.

It seems a great opportunity for you, with a good salary, as a singleton, it will be easier to uproot.

I wish you luck, and I hope that you wish me luck in finding my feet around this website.

Btw, how do I put a smiley on my postings?

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. I am the Concierge for the Spanish section and thought that you might find it helpful to know that the moderators for the Spanish forums are Fred James and Bevs, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

justlookingforsomesun

Thank you Rosemary.

tringlarido

He moses, thanks for that. I'm 34. Yes I want to change my life. I've got some saving yes, if I'm at 35k money would not be the problem. I miss the sun, miss the food, miss a lot of things right now. I'm in cork, looking for jobs in dublin, also looked at barcelona. Yep I fear the working conditions may be too hard. Also that I will go there at the price of my career. I'm wondering if anybody could share some experience working in this type of positions in barcelona !

tim1963

I know nothing about working in a call center but I can say that Barcelona isn't nearly as expensive a city as it's made out to be. Perhaps compared to more regional parts of Spain it is but compared to the cost of living in Ireland (esp Dublin) you'll make out very well.

tringlarido

cool, thanks tim !