Moving to Spain Forums

Spain Information · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 19 Home Country: spain

EMPLOYMENT IN SPAIN (Getting a Job)

JOB MARKET

With unemployment at 8-9% in Spain, there is high competition for jobs. Many Spanish people find looking for work a frustrating and difficult task. A typical job search could easily last up to 6 months.

In addition, many hires are made through connections (enchufe) and it us common to hear comments like, “She/he only got the job because her/his dad knows someone on the board. Salary distributions in companies are more unequal that in the most European countries or the US, with the bosses pay being relatively high, while the average worker gets less.

Being a foreigner is potentially a disadvantage in some industries and with some employers. There are also restrictive regulations regarding employing foreigners. If you do not have a working knowledge of Spanish, your employment possibilities are limited. If you are looking for work in retail, restaurants/bars or teaching foreign languages (particularly English), things are a bit easier.

A structurally high unemployment rate and currently difficult economic conditions mean that it is not easy for a foreigner to get a job in Spain.

GETTING STARTED

The traditional routes of newspapers, Internet and employment agencies are used less frequently in Spain than other countries. Many jobs are filled on the basis of relationships and contacts.

Quite often vacant positions not being advertised publicly, but are instead filled by people who have contacts within the company. Our advice is to take advantage of every possible contact that you have, from friends, colleague, classmates to even your landlord. Even the most casual acquaintances can sometimes point you towards a potential job lead. Persistence and confidence are vital ingredients to a successful job search.

As always, a solid, well-formatted CV (curriculum vitae/résumé) is essential. Be careful though as the typical format of a Spanish CV may differ dramatically from your country. For instance, education tends to be emphasised first and this includes lists of additional work-related classes/seminars. CV cover letters in Spain have their own particular format; they are generally short, to the point and the written in a very formal language.

Once you start sending out CVs to companies, don’t sit back and wait for companies to call you. Spanish companies are notorious for not responding to letters. Be proactive and follow up with phone calls. If somebody at the company promises to call you back and fails to do so, do not be afraid to call him/her again. It is important to be persistent.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Salaries and working hours

The cost of living in Spain is well below the European average, in particular outside of Madrid and Barcelona. However, salaries are also quite low in comparison to their EU equivalents.

Average salaries for workers range from €12,000-€18,000/year. While a salary of €30,000-€35,000 a year is subsistence level in cities like London, it would be well considered in Spain. If you come from Northern Europe or North America, be prepared for serious salary shock.

People normally discuss salaries as a monthly figure. This makes things complicated as the majority of companies compensate their employees on a yearly 14-payment system. This system means the normal monthly salary is doubled twice a year (by what are called extras) usually before summer and Christmas.

Working hours and holidays

Traditional working hours in Spain are Monday to Friday from 9:00-9:30 until 13:30-14:00. After a few hours for lunch and a siesta, people return to work from 16:30-17:00 until 19:30-20:00. Today, there is a trend towards shortening the lunch break and finishing earlier. Working hours vary massively between organisations. During the summer months, many organizations adopt an abridged work schedule called horario intensivo whereby employees work non-stop from 8:00-9:00 until 15:00.

When it comes to holidays and vacations time, Spain is a wonderful place to work. By law, any employee under contract is entitled to a full month of vacation each year (usually taken in August) along with numerous national and regional holidays. When those holidays fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, employees are commonly allowed to take Monday or Friday off and make it into a long weekend called a puente.