Job Discussion Forums

[gsbcn08080]

Are many of you actually living in Spain? If so what do you like the best and what does really get on your nerves?. I love the food, weather and the relaxed way of living and working, no stress, everything is "ma�ana". Now what I hate is bad services, and being ignored if you complain about anything, they won't even listen to you, you feel you have no rights, stupid bureaucracy( filling endless forms about that may include father's, mother's and past ancestors names and occupations etc), low pay but expensive rents, and womens discrimination ( not in the teaching field but in most other jobs). Ah! and I hate having to watch all the films in Spanish with the same voice ( same person seems to do all the really bad doubling).

[naturegirl321]

When I was there I liked the tranquilo attitude, walking everywhere, always seeing people on the streets, the architecture, the gusto for life.
I hated the gitano beggars, the sexed up life, high unemployment for Spaniards

[grahamb]

For me the worst was people coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths. Absolutely disgusting, particularly on a crowded Metro train.

[Kitegirl]

Really? I don't remember that at all but it could be overshadowed by my experiences now in China. Try this for size.
You're on a crowded bus standing armpit to head (I'm tall), squished up against everybody and you hear this major hoick and throat-clearing session behind you. Just when you think, no wa-a-a-ay, it somes flying past your ear, misses you by millimeters and goes out the window.
I agree with Naturegirl - I certainly don't miss the Oscar-deserving drama queens of the Gitano areas. There was this one mother and daughter team - the girl probably never saw the inside of a classroom - and the little girl, limping through the bus, would beg in the most piteous I'm-about-to-die-of-hunger voice, and then she'd get off the bus and smilingly skip towards her waiting mother.

Really, I miss going for a tostada and cortado in one of my favourite haunts on the prettiest plaza in Cadiz. What a way to start the day.

[Kitegirl]

Just remembered! I can't stand the way they all chew gum with their mouths open. BLEURGH!!!

[Mouse]

Um, I'm not really hoping to put too much of a downer on this thread, but I have to say that I personally feel that Spain is over-rated.

The weather, for example, (I live in Catalonia, mind you) is cold and wet for much of the year, and then humid and hot in the remainder, and for some reason, the roads aren't properly designed for wet weather, making them really greasy whenever it rains (a lot of the time).

The food here isn't bad, by and large, but it isn't special either, regardless of what my students assure me: "bread with tomato, various sausages and sea-food..." doesn't constitute haute cuisine (is it possible to use that phrase, or just haute couture?). The pastries, however, are delicious, and I adore the hot chocolate (for breakfast, with a croissant, thank you god).

The people (up here, anyway) certainly aren't especially warm and welcoming, which is not to say that some of them aren't, and are often casually rude (pushing, staring, making "giri" comments etc). In particular, I abhor the casual cruelty to animals (by no means limited to Spain): there are dogs living on balconies in my street, spending most of their day trapped on an area the size of my kitchen table, barking continually (out of boredom, I suspect).

The work isn't that hot for teachers, either (and my situation is quite good): I hate split shifts and Saturday work (agreed to help my school out in that respect), neither of which were necessary teaching in any country where English is the first language.

Hmmm... Doesn't sound like I like Spain, does it? (Actually I do, though have no plans to be here for the long term.)

[gsbcn08080]

I disagree with you about the weather I find the weather ( at least in Barcelona) very good in general.
I completely agree with you that they treat animals really badly, leaving them in balconies is nothing compared with what I have seen. Did you read in the papers last year about the people that broke into some place where they kept abandoned dogs and cut their legs for fun? I love animals and had a lovely cocker for 12 years ( unfortunately she died last week) and you would not believe the insults I had to put up with when I brought her out, people looking at me badly, making comments about how disgusting it is for people to have pets in cities, how much they hate dogs, etc. It is one of the reasons I will be really happy to leave this country, hofefully soon.
Spain has the highest road accidents in Europe and not only the roads are bad but the signs are impossible to understand, that is when they exists at all.
I woudn't call Catalan people unfriendly but very very reserved and it is very hard to make friends here. I know people who have been here for many many years ( myself for 13 years ) and they have friends but not Catalan. But I think Madrid is completely different and it is easy to meet people.
I do love the food though.

[Mouse]

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experiences with your pet (whatever it was has been censored out), but not particularly surprised. As for your disagreement about the weather, that's fair enough and all a matter of taste. I live further inland than Barcelona, mind you, and the weather here is almost always colder than the city... As for the roads, they just haven't been well-designed, nor especially well-maintained (in my town they fill in pot-holes with dirt and stones, for crying out loud).

[gsbcn08080]

My dog was a C-O-K-E-R Spaniel that's what was censored.

[reality]

On and off I have worked as a Teacher in Spain, for the past three years, but in the Malaga area.

This is the worst area of Spain to teach in. Work is scarce, and the cost of living is very high. TEFL teachers working for a a School, earn less than someone working for MacDonalds.