travelot23

This is my first post here and I would like to say hello to everybody!

My son and I are discussing moving to Spain. He is finishing his degree in Optometry in May, I am looking at Spain as a country to retire to, so two very different starting points.

We have been looking at places where there is a large percentage of expats. Brits, Germans etc. We both speak English, German, Portuguese and Spanish. For my son it would be the best to go to a place where he can work with or for people who speak the above languages. We have already talked to people running Specsaver shops, but we are reluctant to invest in one of their shops at the present moment, because of the situation in Spain and another reason being that my son should have some practical experience. So he would be looking for a long term job.

Do you think there would be a future in Spain for my son and what area would do you suggest? We would be grateful for any input. Thanks.

Domino

the biggest problem your son will have is you do not indicate his degree is being taken in Spain, therefore he wouldn't be able to practice in Optometry unless he spent another year or two doing a conversion course.
The EU says degrees etc should be "transferable" but additionally insist on in depth knowledge of the subject in Spanish.

I am sure you will hear from one or two people who have more direct knowledge in this than I do

regards

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

travelot23

Hi Domino,

Thank you.

He is studying in Glasgow and the course is superior to the Spanish courses, in fact they have lots of Spanish students that are in his year that come here to further their education on pharmacological aspects of the profession. As far as Spanish is concerned he will just have to learn the expressions. We have looked into that side already. We are aware that a move to Spain will mean a lot of bureaucracy.

My question really is, should he take a gamble on Spain and a (from my point of view) better quality of life or join the rat race in the UK?

travelot23

Thank you, Rosemary

Judequinn

I am not sure how old you son is, but I guess he's around my age -- give or take -- if he just finished university (I'm 24)?

Anyways, I'd say: go for Spain!

I finished university one year ago, in petroleum engineering, and ditched a very stable life in Norway (where I'm from), for living the life in Barcelona.

I am lucky enough that I could keep my job in Norway though, so in some way I won't have to face the recession and high unemployment rates in Spain. Either way, I think I would chose Spain over Norway, even if I had to find a new job down here.

billgates

I think you've got it almost spot on there.
You are retiring so will probably enjoy a better quality of life in Spain.
Now take off the glasses.

Your son, will he really enjoy a better quality of life in Spain or will he simply swap the rat race of the UK for the rat race of Spain?
He may be coming over here all qualified-up but don't forget the 60 odd percent youth unemployment over here.

All those Spanish students in Glasgow - are they planning on returning to Spain to build their careers or are they looking to start out in the UK?

cricketman

And of course he will need to be fluent in Spanish, even in an area with a lot of expats

Rosemary

Read the OP´s first post, it clearly says that they are fluent in 4 languages which includes Spanish.

Rosemary

cricketman

Then I would say they should check out some information in Spanish about what the son needs to do to get some opthomologist training in Spain

That it the critical information

Domino

I am a fine one to ask, I left school on a Friday at end of Nov, joined the RN on the following Monday. A year later I was on a plane to Singapore.
The only way to become "rounded" is to travel, not just the UK but the EU and the World. See the people who drink out their water out of Heinz bean cans, cook their meals on wood fires using catering size coffee cans, live in the recycled wooden crates that a diesel engine came in.
Not just in my time, but relevent to today, this moment in this rich rich world of ours.

As to degrees, many Spanish go to the UK because their degree courses are a year or even two longer than those in the UK, and costs less.
That may not mean they are worth less, but Spain sticks to it's standards and looks on UK degrees as almost part time training.

It is a subject that requires careful thought, the future can be long and trying.
HTH

travelot23

Thank you everybody for the replies.

I think I should explain, as far as optometry is concerned Glasgow is in the front and lots of foreigners come to do their masters or just the bachelor, the UK optometrist is allowed to use certain medicines the rest of Europe isn't, so they actually have a longer training.. 3 years in Spain to 4 years in Glasgow, my son's Spanish friends studied the 3 years in Spain and had to do 18 months to catch up. As far as for the Spanish going back, their standard answer is, a Spaniard can't stay away from Spain for ever....heard them saying that about their home town in Spain too. We don't have a lot of them remaining in Scotland. The ones that we know are all going back, probably because they will have a better chance to find work with the UK degree!

My son is not expecting to fall into an easy job, we both have lived in various countries: Portugal, Canada, Germany and out of experience it always is a struggle until you can slot into place! BUT is your free time not more enjoyable in Spain?

travelot23

We have sent a request for information already to the National College of Optometrists in Spain. According to the information we got from a Spanish optometrist, he can start working before the official translation has been returned to him. But we just want to make sure.

Thanks.

IamStu

Hi travelot
This is my field.
When looking at Spanish qualified optoms, think UK dispensing optician with refraction skills. All clinical work is carried out here by Ophthalmologists.
Hence, a spanish opticians "eye examination" here is seriously limited by comparison to that of a UK eye examination.
So, a spanish optom can´t work in the uk without doing the appropriate conversion courses but a UK qualified can come here and work without any issue.
Something I feel your son must consider as a newly qualified Optometrist. If he plans on moving back to the UK, there is a lot of clinical development he will need to undergo in order to become a good clinician. Something which can only be done in practice. That development won´t come to fruition working here for the reasons above.
Also, a good option would be for him to locum some months of the year in the uk, and live here in between. I don´t know what locum fee´s are these days but my wife used to work 6months locum in the uk, and live work free here for the other 6 months??
Bare in mind a salaried optom here will earn a small fraction of what he would earn as a locum back home.
As for his registration, I believe I´m correct in thinking that in Spain, only one optom needs to be registered per practice. The others work under the registered optoms name. Not a worry as the clinical aspect of the job isn´t an issue.
If you need any more information, please feel free to message me.
I hope this has helped.

travelot23

Hi IamStu,

It has helped a lot. It is confirming the info that we have. Unfortunately and I don't know if you are aware of this, but they have churned out so many optoms here that the salaries have gone down by a third anyway and it is difficult to find a job now. They are going to open another uni down in England to teach optom and the rest of the unis are trying to stop that.

Thanks, I will message you!