moving to spain
 

I am considering moving to Spain, I don't speak Spanish and although I do write web pages and I have a BA and MA in English I don't know what employment is likely for me.

Any ideas on what is available, or is it pie in the sky to expect to be able to live in a country where I can't speak the language.

Any comments are welcome

Cheers
Harlequeen

Not pie in the sky to expect to live here - but maybe to expect to do the job you spent years qualifying for:(

Depends where in Spain you want to move to. It's a huge place you know! ;)

I've been and gone (from the same area as Xabia chick) but wasn't living there to work, if you know what I mean.

The main jobs out there for expats seem to be bar work or real estate.

Re: moving to spain
 

If you don't speak Spanish probably be better to end down to Costa del sol. There are quite a few web design companies down here. Might be good to come down for a recce and get some English speaking magazines, papers that float around down here and speak to some of the web design companies that are here.

One good thing until you learn spanish you can get by without speaking spanish especially if you go for an expat company. I think we may have more opportunities than on the Costa Blanca coast.

Don't know until you try, so best of luck.
Mercedes.

Re: moving to spain
 

I too design and write web sites. I've been living here for some years and speak basic Spanish. However, there are now a lot of Spanish web site designer companies around, so you're at a definite disadvantage.
My experience tells me that you are unlikely to find employment in website design.
Best bet would be to get a qualification to teach English as a foreign language. There's more demand there - but you do need the qualification.

Re: moving to spain
 

How can you teach English to Spaniards if you cant speak Spanish....:rolleyes: :confused: :confused:

Re: moving to spain
 

English teaching tends to be a very low paid job- you'll be lucky to pull down 800 euros a month in most places in the interior- less in the over-british-populated costa areas would be my guess.

Re: moving to spain
 

A TEFL course, or equivalent, will teach you that. Who taught you to speak English? Just have to have the technique. I've taught English to many different nationalities and I certainly couldn't speak their languages.

The latter poster also has a point. There are jobs in this field on the Costa Blanca but the jobs are not too well paid - 800 euros a month sounds about right unless you get lucky.

Re: moving to spain
 

You mean show them a picture and tell them the word, you may have taught them words related to pictures, but hardly anything else without knowing their langauge....:D :D get real...

Re: moving to spain
 

Hardly. Obviously your qualifications have taught you very little and all you have is a piece of paper to prove you've managed to gain something over 35% in an exam. Getting a degree is easy compared to making a go of something outside academia. I know. I recently graduated with a B Sc and then worked for an M Sc. Did this as a mature student after successfully working in the real world.

There are many people successfully teaching English to foreigners, and no, you've got it all wrong, pictures and nouns don't make a language - go on a TEFL course to find out just how it works before you scoff. You'll find it much more difficult to acquire those skills than you did getting your university degrees.

Think you'd better stay in the UK - you won't make it in any other country with that sort of attitude.

Re: moving to spain
 

Jdr is in Spain, and from all accounts is doing okay.

I agree with some of his comments , I did a Spanish course in Malaga and the teachers did not speak English at all. It reminded me of charades when they demonstrated a word when I didn't understand. . Is he strolling, walking, ambling????? I gave it up as a bad job and got some tapes and a book, learnt alot more and understood it easier. So I personally can't see how someone can teach someone English if they can't speak the language of the students. Well I wouldn't pay anyone if they couldn't. Thats been my experience of it. I learnt far more than the teacher taught me and it was a so called good school. People came from all over the world to attend it. The other good thing about the tapes you could play back a word to hear the pronunation, can't do that with a teacher, lol. (They don't come with a playback switch) On hindsight I would want to know someof the language before I did a course again, than have no knowledge whatsoever.


Harlequeen

With regard to being a web designer, there are some good ones and bad ones here. I would think if you are good, you shouldn't have a problems in working with some of the English speaking ones. This link may be helpful.

http://www.marketingtool.com/channel...5.g.spain.html

. Also if you have got a degree in English you may be able to get work with some of the English speaking Advertising agencies, Media companies, etc etc etc. Translators often need their work checking as sometimes their English isn't that good. There are a couple of Advertisng agencies in the Malaga region and Gib. Copywrite (?) is one. Plus there are magazines, loads of Real Estate Agents. Get on your bicycle and do some door knocking. The guy who does the http://www.andalucia.com Chris whathisname may be a good contact go and have a chat to him, know he occasionally looks for freelancer designers. Met him once and a lovely guy. (I just can't remember his last name)


If you are good, you will get a good reputation and work will follow. Surprising a number of people know each other, That is on the Malaga region.. Join the Spanish Chamber of Commerce as a number of Brits are also members, that may also open some doors and other Business Associations and networks. .I don't know whether you have done multi media as well, but there used to be an orgnasation called the British Institute of Multimedia Authority (BIMA) who may be helpful contact. As the saying goes, it's not what you know but who you know.


Happy hunting and keep exercising those wrinkles with a smile.

Re: moving to spain
 

Mature student.....use your mature brain and veiw my Location,
And also dont give people false hopes.

Ps. do you have shares in these magic courses ???¿¿¿

Thanks
 

thanks everyone for your comments, they have all been helpful in some ways. I have enrolled on a TEFL course and, many years ago, I did do a teachers training course, but never actually taught, other than as a student teacher.

I feel that one of the drawbacks of my personality is that I am not very good at selling myself. I will obviously have to work on this before I go, but I will be following up the ideas put forward.

Once again, thanks

Harlequeen