Job Discussion Forums

[NikkiJ]

okay, so I have my ticket to Spain for March of 2006 and I am planning on staying a week or so in a hostal or hotel. What is the best way to find a place to live? I know that it is best to wait until I get to Madrid and then I can apartment hunt, but does anyone have any good places that you can recommend??

[Moore]

It's always a good idea to have a look through recent threads before you post a new identical one! Have a look at this, it was only a month or so ago and still relevant..... http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=29851

[NikkiJ]

Sorry thanks for the link!
I have been reading over these post for a while now, but I guess now that I actually have my ticket, I am impatient to start planning everything!!

[Moore]

Nothing wrong with nerves or wanting to find the lastest information! Like we said on that thread, check out the loquo website to get a good idea of things, but it's only worth ringing when you're here, or people won't take you seriously as a tennant.

First thing to do, on your first day, get a SIM card for your mobile (get your phone unblocked at home to save time), try Vodafone, they're pretty good: go for a pay-as-you-go deal. Then go and get a decent street map of Madrid (one which folds out so you can see the whole thing), take a deep breath, accept you're going to waste a lot of credit speaking to idiots, and dive in...

[BryceA]

Not to be bearer of bad news and everyone has their own experiences but I found finding a place in Madrid really difficult. My Spanish isn't so good and no one spoke English. There were people that had been at my hostel for three weeks trying to find a place. If there was a place it wasn't very nice and ridiculously expensive. It's just a matter of timing and luck I think. Luckily I got hooked up with a school in the north of Spain where rent isn't so expensive and I had nice bosses who found a place for me or I would have just gone home. I kind of gave up on Madrid.

Bryce