Job Discussion Forums

[MO39]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a US citizen who is thinking of coming to Madrid to look for work in January - I have lots of teaching experience but no TEFL certificate. I know it will take me a while to get enough work to cover expenses, including health insurance. How much of a nest egg should I bring with me?

Mil gracias,

Marsha

[Moore]

Bring as much as you can! A bit obvious really: you don�t need to change all your money into euros at the cr*ppy exchange rate you�ll get from US dollars - you can get money out of an ATM, but don�t forget to up your weekly withdrawal limit temporarily so you can fork out for big stuff like flat deposits (and then be really really careful not to go out with your card on you - pickpockets / bag-thieves here are VERY good at working out your PIN number!). You can live economically here for about 1000 euros a month (less maybe, but being new anywhere is always a little more expensive until you know the tricks). You may only get ten or so hours a week when you arrive, so you�ll have to supplement your income for a month or so. You�ll need one, possibly two months deposit on a flat plus the month up front, so count on up to three times 370 euros (for a room in a shared flat). Don�t forget, there are loads of public holidays here (mostly unpaid for entry-level type jobs) with two months off (earning) from mid-July until mid-September. I�d say the ABSOLUTE minimum you should come with (in light of the fact that you�ll be illegal) is 2000 euros, but frankly that may be cutting it a bit fine. This is possibly not what you want to hear, but this place can be very tough financially to begin with, even though, to be fair, it can also be one of the cheapest places in Europe to live once you know where to live / eat / drink etc. This topic is extensively discussed on the Multimadrid chatroom (highly recommended for up to date info) - http://www.multimadrid.com - hope this helps: best of luck!

[MO39]

Thanks, Moore, for the honest answer. I was thinking I would need about that much on my own. I don't want to find myself in a financial pickle in the midst of making a new life for myself in Madrid. I do have a couple of friends there who would help me out if necessary, but I'd rather not have to ask them for that kind of help. Thanks for taking the time to give me such a detailed response.

Marsha

[Jetgirly]

I can't speak from experience as I'm still home in Canada, but I can say that I've budgeted about 3200 euros for the period between mid-November and when I (hopefully) start work in early January. I will be keeping about 2500 euros in a bank account back in Canada to cover the costs of returning home when I decide to leave (or if I have to leave because I can't find work).