Ford-Prefect

Hi all... Hope you can help, here is my dilemma.
(with a bit of background story)
I've always been a bit of a vagabon, never really staying in one spot too long, going from place to place and job to job (usually call center work, fruit picking, a little bar work and waitering as an extra, working in supermarkets an fatories, etc. That kind of work) and that's never been a problem (be it England, France, Irland, Belgium or Swiss) but then I've always spoken the language.
Anyway... At the end of my last contract, working in bar in bareges (a ski resort in southern France) for the winter, i thought to myself (having delt with several spanish customers with great difficulty) well it's about time i learnt a third tongue 'spanish'.
And so, on a whim, i decided to come and work in spain in order to do this! Thus, with minimal savings, i made my way to Motril just south of Granada. I came here having done about as much research as Ford Prefect - none at all (hence the alias - see 'the hitchhicker's guide to the galaxy) - and having made outrageous assumptions the turned out to be wildly inaccurate! Assumptions such as... Oh, it'll be easy finding work along the southern coast of spain in summer, plenty of britts down there, i wont even need to speak spanish so i'll just learn in my spare time!
Well, here i am, two months later! Young, naïve and learning the hard way that not speaking the local language is actually a rather substantial hindrance when trying to get a job!
I now find myself quickly running out of money and with m'y spanish still in it' teething stage and not even potty trained! LOL because ofcourse of the old vicious cycle of no work = no mingling, no mingling = no learning, no learning = no work! And if i don't find somerhing soon i may find myself having to hitchhicke back to England, which i've done many times just never from this far away.

So... first of all, i appologies for the essay!
And secondly... Well, if anyone has any info or tips for me on how or where to find work here i'd be most greatfull.
For example... Does anyone know when thé fruit picking season is here (en england i would have started a couple of weeks ago but nobody seemed to know anything about it here, have i lisses it?)
also, how can i get a hold of the yellow pages (or equivalent), i'd like to browse through them to identify local companies suceptible to employing a fluent french and english speaker!

But any info or tips will surely help and would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your time, and i hope to hear from some of you soon!
:-)

ps: i'm young, fit, energetic and more then willing to learn! (for anyone who might actually know of any jobs going - if you don't try, you don't ger! LOL)

goaty

difficult one.
Probably best to get out of where you are and head for the coast.

Fruit picking no idea of the season, Yellow pages you can sometimes find in bars, ask for Paginas amarillas, find the companies and go and visit them in the morning. Try and find someone in the area who actually speaks English so you can ask them for advice. Try tourism office, hotels, and summer schools that may be running.

http://granada.guia.paginasamarillas.hispavista.com/
yellow pages is alsom on line. here is a link to granada yellow pages


another good expresion "busco trabajo" I´m looking for work!

twistedmelon

Seems you've forgotten your towel.
If you are in Motril you could try there or move up the coast towards Almeria working in the plastic greenhouses. It's hard work, especially in this heat and I'm not sure of the wages. Language should not be a problem as a lot of the workers are non spanish (tells you something).
Woofers are the big thing round here, there are web sites you can visit to join. It's not ideal but a cheap way to travel and get by....just.

All the best

rugbymatt

Hope this helps, Langmeads are the main company in Almeria, they are a UK company and were recently advertising for staff in the UK, somewhere I have the farm managers email addy but god knows where!

http://www.langmeadfarms.co.uk/about_us/


email them and tell them you are in Spain and looking for work, I bet they offer you something.

Ford-Prefect

Thanks everyone!! It so happens that i came across someone yesterday who sugested almeria (And marbella - In the opposite direction) so will try almeria first, going there on monday.
And just for the record... I did bring my towel, I always know where my towel is! But that's probably the only thing i did right LOL.
Thanks angain, will follow those leads!