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Worth it to be in Spain
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Saxif



Joined: 29 Feb 2016
Posts: 5
Location: Sierra Leone

PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 4:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DosEsquisX which city do you live in?

I am looking for a destination in Spain so I can properly learn the language, adding up the pro's and cons of the various places. Climate, how the language is spoken, how close the sea is, or the mountains etc.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All stuff you can easily learn via google, without wasting the time and energy of posters here, troll. Rolling Eyes
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sheikh radlinrol



Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Posts: 1222
Location: Spain

PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2016 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Saxif wrote:
DosEsquisX which city do you live in?

I am looking for a destination in Spain so I can properly learn the language, adding up the pro's and cons of the various places. Climate, how the language is spoken, how close the sea is, or the mountains etc.

What´s Sierra Leone like at this time of year?
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DMcK



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 111
Location: Madrid

PostPosted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For those who say there's not much beyond bars and discos in Madrid, or museums and art galleries, I have to disagree.

Madrid is an amazing place if you have a decent job, but you can survive and live well on a budget too, if you're good at that. The sports facilities there are fantastic, and you can join websites with organised games of soccer or tennis or whatever, so you don't need groups of friends who want to do the same thing. You can play something every day if you like.

There's good hiking, and again a few organised groups who go every couple of weeks. Nowadays you can find all sorts of groups online wherever you are in the world, and Madrid is no exception. If you're into cycling, or even if you aren't, it's a good place to get a bike and use the well planned bike routes around the city.

There's travel as well if you can be bothered. It's right bang in the centre of the peninsula and all roads lead there; it's well connected and travel can be cheap, with a diverse geography to explore all around.

As rude as the locals may be, you'll be (un)lucky to come across any violence and I don't think you get much of the kind of spitefulness that can happen in the UK. It's a pretty peaceful place when it comes to that, although you will get robbed if you live there for any decent length of time and you drink. But it's a clean and pleasant place to live, with plenty to do that doesn't necessarily involve drinking.

Oh yeah, and public transport is both cheap and 24/7 in Madrid. Great city!
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Spelunker



Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392

PostPosted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 8:42 pm    Post subject: re: comparisons Reply with quote

Quote:
you'll be (un)lucky to come across any violence and I don't think you get much of the kind of spitefulness that can happen in the UK. It's a pretty peaceful place when it comes to that, although you will get robbed if you live there for any decent length of time and you drink. But it's a clean and pleasant place to live, with plenty to do that doesn't necessarily involve drinking.


Definitely more so than the UK, where in my hometown a McD's near where I grew up got robbed on a monday night by 6 druggies for the grand total of 2 grand (they think big up north, lol) I'd say that goes for any of the coastal cities as well, not so sure about Benidorm though. But yes, generally, mind your own business, don't go to any bars where people seem drunk and rowdy (hard to judge, I know!), or better still, drink at home, and you won't have any problems.

Care to elaborate on what you mean by robbed if you live there longer and drink?Just curious on. Con artists/scammers, or something more violent, like being followed and roughed up/threatened if you don't hand over your wallet? Rolling Eyes
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Nicky_McG



Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:10 am    Post subject: Re: re: comparisons Reply with quote

Spelunker wrote:
Quote:
you'll be (un)lucky to come across any violence and I don't think you get much of the kind of spitefulness that can happen in the UK. It's a pretty peaceful place when it comes to that, although you will get robbed if you live there for any decent length of time and you drink. But it's a clean and pleasant place to live, with plenty to do that doesn't necessarily involve drinking.


Definitely more so than the UK, where in my hometown a McD's near where I grew up got robbed on a monday night by 6 druggies for the grand total of 2 grand (they think big up north, lol) I'd say that goes for any of the coastal cities as well, not so sure about Benidorm though. But yes, generally, mind your own business, don't go to any bars where people seem drunk and rowdy (hard to judge, I know!), or better still, drink at home, and you won't have any problems.

Care to elaborate on what you mean by robbed if you live there longer and drink?Just curious on. Con artists/scammers, or something more violent, like being followed and roughed up/threatened if you don't hand over your wallet? Rolling Eyes


Robbery always has violence (or the threat of it) and is pretty rare (though does happen even in the centre). Women and people with a far-Eastern appearance tend to be targeted. I never had any problems (though I'm quite big) but neither did my wife. Pickpocketing is far more of a problem than robbery.
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DMcK



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 111
Location: Madrid

PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 2:17 pm    Post subject: Re: re: comparisons Reply with quote

Spelunker wrote:
Quote:
you'll be (un)lucky to come across any violence and I don't think you get much of the kind of spitefulness that can happen in the UK. It's a pretty peaceful place when it comes to that, although you will get robbed if you live there for any decent length of time and you drink. But it's a clean and pleasant place to live, with plenty to do that doesn't necessarily involve drinking.


Definitely more so than the UK, where in my hometown a McD's near where I grew up got robbed on a monday night by 6 druggies for the grand total of 2 grand (they think big up north, lol) I'd say that goes for any of the coastal cities as well, not so sure about Benidorm though. But yes, generally, mind your own business, don't go to any bars where people seem drunk and rowdy (hard to judge, I know!), or better still, drink at home, and you won't have any problems.

Care to elaborate on what you mean by robbed if you live there longer and drink?Just curious on. Con artists/scammers, or something more violent, like being followed and roughed up/threatened if you don't hand over your wallet? Rolling Eyes


Firstly, I'm not going to make a distinction between robbery and pick-pocketing: if someone picks my pockets, I've been robbed.

Plus, I'd say that going out in Madrid is REALLY safe. You need to be some kind of massive c*** to get hassle in Madrid. It is a really peaceful place to do your drinking business. Probably the most risk of violence is around the places like Sol where there are more expats and tourists, but even there, I think I saw 1 fight in 5 years. You're probably aware of the comparison with [insert UK city here]. Just like, yeah, Benidorm might well be more violent, and if it is, it's probably because it has more expats.

Anyway, I suppose it depends a bit on you. Personally I think Spain is a pus*y. They are all talk, in my experience - but that's Spanish natives. If we're talking Latinos, or other non-native groups who live there, I'd urge more caution.

Robbers could be from any of the above, although in my experience unlikely to be Latinos (remember though it's just my experience - I've seen no empirical data on this). A favourite trick of these scumbags is to go on to the metro early in the weekend mornings to catch drunken people who've fallen asleep to rifle their pockets. They sometimes use scissors to cut them open and relieve you of the contents.

Another common trick to look out for is with the Moroccan boys who don't drink but frequent drinking barrios in the early hours of the morning, specifically Malasaña in Madrid as far as I know. They will befriend drunk people and make some moves to pick your pocket, often successfully. Again though it's nothing violent. If you catch them it depends if you are "up for paggers" or if you are a more peaceful being, but I think they'd most likely run away. Just catching them is probably enough to get rid of them. Generally I think these people are cowards although they do operate in at least twos or threes.

I can't remember what that is called, but I had a Moroccan flat mate who found it hilarious and told me what they call it. So this 'thing' that Moroccan neds (if we can call them that - I think it's probably fair) like to do has a name attached to it.

According to Trip Adviser, Madrid and Barcelona are two of the top locations for robbery of personal possessions. It does happen a lot, but as the advice always goes, keep your wits about you to minimise the risk. That's why I specifically mention drinking as part of the problem. One does tend to have fewer wits 'about them' after charging on through the night than at other times.
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lugubregondola



Joined: 01 Sep 2016
Posts: 92

PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 11:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I Looked at working in spain but all the salaries on tefl.com were like 1200 euros a month gross without accommodation so I gave up looking.
I have a Spanish friend who teaches at one of the conservatories in spain and so I asked her how much staff get paid.She said anything between 700 euros and 2000 euros a month. That's not too great for higher education teachers. 2000 is I guess ok to live on but that's the top end. I have never seen any tefl salaries offering 2000 a month in spain. Asta la vista
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Nicky_McG



Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lugubregondola wrote:
I Looked at working in spain but all the salaries on tefl.com were like 1200 euros a month gross without accommodation so I gave up looking.
I have a Spanish friend who teaches at one of the conservatories in spain and so I asked her how much staff get paid.She said anything between 700 euros and 2000 euros a month. That's not too great for higher education teachers. 2000 is I guess ok to live on but that's the top end. I have never seen any tefl salaries offering 2000 a month in spain. Asta la vista


Because positions that allow you to make 2000 a month are paid at an hourly rate. Academies will pay you a monthly salary (for 20-25 hours with lots of admin) but in-company work will depend on how many hours you do. To get 2000, you need to be doing 25 hours plus in company. Most teachers spread it over two or three different employers. I was clearing more than 2000 a month in 2008 and I have friends who get that easily now.
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lugubregondola



Joined: 01 Sep 2016
Posts: 92

PostPosted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 1:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nicky_McG wrote:
lugubregondola wrote:
I Looked at working in spain but all the salaries on tefl.com were like 1200 euros a month gross without accommodation so I gave up looking.
I have a Spanish friend who teaches at one of the conservatories in spain and so I asked her how much staff get paid.She said anything between 700 euros and 2000 euros a month. That's not too great for higher education teachers. 2000 is I guess ok to live on but that's the top end. I have never seen any tefl salaries offering 2000 a month in spain. Asta la vista


Because positions that allow you to make 2000 a month are paid at an hourly rate. Academies will pay you a monthly salary (for 20-25 hours with lots of admin) but in-company work will depend on how many hours you do. To get 2000, you need to be doing 25 hours plus in company. Most teachers spread it over two or three different employers. I was clearing more than 2000 a month in 2008 and I have friends who get that easily now.
How do you get in-company work? And what's the tax rate? At the moment I'm in Korea and earning about 2000 euro amonth but I get free accommodation, free flights and I pay $30 tax and $99 national insurance.
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Nicky_McG



Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are schools that provide in-company classes only. I can't remember what the tax rate is.
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Spelunker



Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 4:24 pm    Post subject: re: a good read.. Reply with quote

Quote:
If we're talking Latinos, or other non-native groups who live there, I'd urge more caution.

Robbers could be from any of the above, although in my experience unlikely to be Latinos (remember though it's just my experience - I've seen no empirical data on this). A favourite trick of these scumbags is to go on to the metro early in the weekend mornings to catch drunken people who've fallen asleep to rifle their pockets. They sometimes use scissors to cut them open and relieve you of the contents.

Another common trick to look out for is with the Moroccan boys who don't drink but frequent drinking barrios in the early hours of the morning, specifically Malasaña in Madrid as far as I know. They will befriend drunk people and make some moves to pick your pocket, often successfully. Again though it's nothing violent. If you catch them it depends if you are "up for paggers" or if you are a more peaceful being, but I think they'd most likely run away. Just catching them is probably enough to get rid of them. Generally I think these people are cowards although they do operate in at least twos or threes.

I can't remember what that is called, but I had a Moroccan flat mate who found it hilarious and told me what they call it. So this 'thing' that Moroccan neds (if we can call them that - I think it's probably fair) like to do has a name attached to it.


A great read, thanks for that.

And yes, with the latinos caution is well advised. A town near where I am staying I just read about in todays local free expat newspaper had a big fight at one of the main roundabouts just a couple of days ago after some fiesta, presumably between local spaniards and colombians....involved some being run over with cars. I would avoid those using drugs or who look high, think this fight involved stealing alcohol.

Cheers,sp
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DMcK



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 111
Location: Madrid

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

haha yeah the Latinos dont f around. I wouldn't specifically say 'avoid those you think are high'. I'd just say don't go where you're not wanted and dont be a dick, although I suppose some people are more aware of these things than others.

Definitely don't bother the chinese fellas selling mahou clasico on the streets. They'll put you to death if you do.
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Spelunker



Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392

PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 12:31 pm    Post subject: re: mahou? Reply with quote

The chinese are selling beer on the streets? Shocked Idea
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