jamiereid92

Hi everyone,

I have no idea about moving countries, just want some advice or information, it's just an idea at the moment so any comments are welcome

I am 22 years old a level 2 qualified hairdresser, and have worked in various salons, had 4 years of training and 2 years on experience working on salon floor. I am confident in all areas of hairdressing.

I want to see some of the world and have Spanish heritage and I want to explore that.

I just wanted to know what anyone's experience is with moving to another country, particularly from UK to Spain and how easy it is to get a job.

I haven't thought about it too much yet so just wanted some more info, but I am learning Spanish atm as well

Thanks for reading x

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

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 about 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

jamiereid92

Thanks for your reply rosemary,

Have you moved from the UK to Spain? X

Rosemary

Yes, I moved with my husband in 2006 and love living here but I am retired so luckily do not have the problem of finding work.

There is very high unemployment in Spain so finding work is very difficult.

What areas are you favouring?

Rosemary

jamiereid92

I've been thinking about Barcelona. I'm spending a week there in March to have a look around and experience it. I probably sound really naive but I love Spanish culture, the food and would love to start a life over there x

amideislas

It's good to see enthusiasm from young people, and I agree with your sentiments.

But if you are familiar with Spanish culture, you may also realise that passion and enthusiasm for your work is begging for disappointment, and for those lucky enough to be 'employed', that attitude is often regarded as 'naive'. You aren't supposed to enjoy your work; it's a necessary evil. And showing enthusiasm is only begging to be exploited. --at least that's what many people 'naively' seem to believe.

Nonetheless, the most successful are always passionate about their work. Humans subconsciously find passion and enthusiasm attractive, even if they wouldn't subscribe to it themselves. So that (along with talent), are perhaps the strongest cards in your hand, regardless of how it may seem at times.

No doubt there are more than enough hairdressers to serve the market in Barcelona, and so you have a bit of a mountain to climb, but it's a rather 'word of mouth' business, so if you're talented and a people-person, are tenacious and ready to work hard for it, can build your niche in that neighbourhood, and perhaps most importantly, have a bit of money to live on while you build your customer base (and it goes without saying that mastering the local language can't be understated) ultimately, you should do well.

Good luck. Don't let 'em put out the fire. It's what distinguishes you from the rest.

Horlics

It's cheap and easy to get to Spain, which means you can investigate without spending too much.

You're 22 and therefore not likely to have a herd of dependants and all the bills that come with them.

You're in a business in which it's relatively easy to find work in the UK, so probably have no fear about giving up any job you do have because you can always find another.

So ignore anything negative that comes up here and get over to Spain for a short break. Meet people, talk to them about work, and knock on some doors.

And if it doesn't work out, nothing lost eh.

Good luck.

stuboy

I know nothing of the work ethic of Spaniards but this surprises me. You often see a negative attitude portrayed and satirised with regard to local officials but I thought that it was just that. Satirical.

Is it more endemic than I thought?

amideislas

No, it's historical and culturally-embedded. Some of it is just lingering sentiments of the Franco era, when a job was nothing more than a necessary evil. Many were assigned jobs by local bureaucrats. Nothing to be enthused about.

Having said that, I've seen a lot of improvement in the past decade. Before that, worker attitudes here were pathetic. "Do as little as possible for as much as you can extort out of them". It used to require 3 people to do the work of one. Two of them just hanging around (the more senior), while the one doing the work would be the relative 'junior'. Many agencies of the government are still that way in many respects.

But... back then, the law was clearly on their side. They couldn't be let go for any reason, and if they were, got a generous lump sum as a parting gift. So, no reason to be enthusiastic, and in fact, for some, it was a mission to try to get fired. Besides, being more enthusiastic or more productive only pissed off your colleagues, so ...none of that nonsense.

But again, it's improved a lot in the past few years. Compared to a decade ago, it's blatantly evident in terms of customer services and generally, the overall helpfulness you experience in everyday establishments. A noticeable change from the old stereotypes.

Also, the concept of competition is far more embraced nowadays... ...also something the previous generation didn't really understand.

But it's still regarded as a bit 'cheeky' to be visibly enthusiastic about your job, even if it's a highly desirable character to exhibit. Old habits die hard.

Carmen14

I wish you every success if you are brave enough to make the move. You need to show a real flair, maybe have an image ,be innovative and make yourself different from some of the mediocre hairdressers out here. I am on my 10th hairdresser this week. The ones I have been to up to now just do not do a good job. I never used a city salon in the UK, as I lived in a small town, but I could get a good cut that lasted 6 weeks. That is the one thing I do miss, but I will keep trying different hairdressers until I find one I am happy with. Perhaps I should try a spanish salon instead of english!! Maybe that's where I am going wrong. Good luck and follow your dream.

jamiereid92

Thank you so much for all your replies

I didnt know it was seen as cheeky, that could work in my favour though as a hairdresser you need to have passion to shine through.

I'm deffinately going to give it another visit, because I'm never gonna be fluent in Spanish unless I'm talking it everyday!

I just want to start my life somewhere new, completely independently, but not so far away far away from my mum haha. Spain seems the perfect option, I love the language, the style, the food, the weather and the people are beautiful (i am a quarter Spanish )

Horlics

My brother-in-law was telling me about the speech a colleague of his made when he retired last year.

He said, "when I started here we had 4000 doing the work of 400, now we have 400 doing the work of 4000".

What he said about when he started was true, I know because I worked there too. It was in the UK Civil Service.

A fat and lazy Public Sector was/is not only to be found in Spain.

jamiereid92

To be honest when I read about the work ethic it did sound very much like Britain haha