Job Discussion Forums

michelleta · Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 4 Location: Madrid, ES

Advice/help/guidance for people who have sponsorship for a job to work legally here in Spain and are looking for guidance with this process.

tvik · Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 371 Location: here

I am working at a university in Turkey and I want to move to Spain this summer. I'm Canadian and I need to know how I can work there legally.
What is the process?

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

tvik, there isn't a process. A very few rare and lucky people find some way to make it work, but 99.9% of North Americans teaching in Spain are technically illegal.

Ways to make it work include: getting married.

Landing a job at an international school (requires teaching credentials and experience in some core subject in your home country), and then you've got to find an opening.

Getting a job (extremely rare) for NATO or other governmental body (your own government, I mean) which will post you to the country you want to be in - newbies usually get sent to less-desirable locations, obviously.

Getting citizenship in some EU country through ancestry.

Getting a job with a corporation from your home country based in the country where you want to be.

Anything I've overlooked, guys?

MO39 · Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 6:18 pm Post subject:

What about Micheletta's situation? It sounds like she's being sponsored for a job by a Spanish school. From what I've been told, even that process can take months before the work permit is issued.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Please don't consider this post definitive - laws are different from country to country and I don't claim to be a legal expert in Spanish law for 2006/7 (or for any other year).
But there is the overall scoop, as I understand it.

Generally, language schools are not legally eligible to sponsor non-EU teachers. This is because the wording in national law states that non-EU member citizens are only allowed to gain legal employment if there is NO EU member citizen to do the job. Obviously, this is not the case with English teaching in general, as there are UK citizens and experienced non-native speakers qualified to do the work.

There may sometimes be a very small loophole for international corporations or businesses that do significant work with some specific country outside the EU. In this case, the business can try to make a case that they need "American" English specifically because their executives must do extensive negotiation/trade with Americans, for example. In this example, the teacher in question should have a pretty serious resume (experience, qualifications, and probably specific experience in that field of business). The teacher would also, obviously, need good connections within the company - not something gained from abroad or in year one in country.

The business may also very well have to prove that it has advertised within the EU for a person fitting its job description, but with a legal right to work, and no such person has been found after a long period of time.

I think that Micheletta has found a company that likes her work and has discussed the possibility of sponsorship. But this is only half the battle - the legalities are likely to discourage any management who must spend time going through the system, and the law may not allow the exemption in the end.

I know I'm being a wet blanket, but, realistically, chances for this to really happen are slim to none. It is very rare.

Don't bother to slam me for trying to exclude North Americans from Spain. I'm not eligible to work there either, now. If someday my Czech citizenship (which I hope to gain next year after seven years of marraige and a language test - yikes) can get me into Spain, Italy, and France, I'll celebrate. But I'm not going to be holding my breath in the meanwhile.

MO39 · Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 6:09 pm Post subject:

spiral78,

Thanks for your very clear and balanced explanation. When I am finally in Spain, I won't hold my breath either, hoping to be one of those rare non-EU people who is granted permission to work legally.

Marsha

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Marsha, I hope that you'll become one of those rare ones who is able to ultimately land a real place. I know you've done your research and are embarking with realistic expectations.

I know that I appear to be a very wet blanket to those people who are convinced that there must be a loophole just for them, or who don't want any rain on their Great Spanish Party.

Even with real dedication, talent, and energy it's not usually possible to work it out. But it can happen, and if it doesn't, so long as you've gone into the situation with open eyes and realistic expectations, it shouldn't be a disastrous experience.

Best of luck to you.