Job Discussion Forums

MoonMonkey · Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 33

Hello,

I have been thinking about moving to Spain this year, and I was wondering what the job prospects might be like in 2011 (September) from people who are knowledgeable or are currently in Spain.

Has the unemployment level and state of economy affected the job prospects much? (i.e. more competition for jobs). And have rental prices fallen at all in recent times? (with all the excessive building and low occupancy of homes).

Finally, can anyone recommend any other good cities to try except Madrid and Barcelona, as these cities have been covered a lot on other threads.

Many thanks Very Happy

rafaella · Joined: 22 Feb 2011 Posts: 122

I would say that the financial crisis has had an impact on jobs for English teachers. People are cutting back and, for some, English classes are a luxury they can no longer afford. There are still jobs to be had, though. Can I ask what qualifications and experience you have and where you are from? The answers to those questions could change things significantly.

Rental prices have gone down in some cases but not as significantly as you might expect.

If you want to be in a city, you might consider Valencia, Bilbao or Seville. Be prepared for the fact that the latter is searingly hot in summer!

If you can provide some more info about your situation, I might be able to be more specific re job prospects.

MoonMonkey · Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 33

Hi again,

Thanks for the reply and that confirms some of my thoughts (more competition but no significant lowering of the cost of living), my main focus is related to financial and money issues.

To be honest I am not happy 'just getting by' and I would like to have a surplus of money each month to either save or spend on travelling.

As for my qualifications and experience, I am a British citizen with MA TESOL, CELTA and 6 years experience.

Does anyone have any recommendations which city might be the best in terms of these three factors?

(Monthly salary / Cost of living / Interesting or fun place to live)

Finally, does anyone know for sure what the typical total monthly deductions from the salary would be as a percentage? (Income tax and social security etc). Would that be a deduction of about 20% of the salary, or would it be more?

Many thanks Very Happy

rafaella · Joined: 22 Feb 2011 Posts: 122

The fact you're British means the first hurdle is out of the way. With your qualifications and experience, you stand a pretty good chance of getting a job.

The financial side is tricky. How much is 'enough' money? It depends on a number of factors. Do you want to rent your own place or would you be happy to share a flat? Do you like to eat out regularly or go out socialising and drinking several times a week? Those things quickly eat into your salary.

Rent is, as you would imagine, higher in the big cities. The website enalquiler.com has properties for rent all over Spain. You simply put in the city you're interested in and a list of available flats comes up. It's a good way to get a feel for the cost of renting in different cities. If you'd prefer to share a flat, loquo.com carries classified adverts which, again, gives you a chance to see what the costs would be like.

On tefl.com, you can sign up for a 'city cost guide' which gives typical prices for everyday items. Generally speaking, the cost of living in the south tends to be lower than in the north.

So can you do more than just get by? If you get a reasonably paid job (I would imagine you could apply for senior teacher/DoS jobs with your experience), share a flat and are not overly extravagant, then I would say yes.

In terms of fun places to live, that again depends on what you like. Are you looking for a university town with lots of students and bars? Cultural attractions? Is the climate important to you? You mentioned travel so proximity to an airport might be a consideration. Travel websites can often be useful for giving you a feel for a place.

Hope some of this will be helpful!

rafaella · Joined: 22 Feb 2011 Posts: 122

Just to clarify something I said above. I believe you can do more than get by but I doubt anyone ever managed to get substantial savings together by being an English teacher in Spain. Very Happy

Perilla · Joined: 09 Jul 2010 Posts: 792 Location: Hong Kong

rafaella · Joined: 22 Feb 2011 Posts: 122

Well I'm not a newbie or a retiree so I must be a romantic. Now I know where I've been going wrong all these years... Confused

Perilla is right, though. You come to Spain for the lifestyle, not to make lots of money.

MoonMonkey · Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 33

I agree with what you have both been saying, and I actually have been working in Asia for a while now. The money situation has been good but the travel opportunities and culture/lifestyle can be a bit limited. I was hoping to continue this run of having a disposable income, but that might be more difficult if I come to Spain, I think as long as there is enough surplus cash each month to travel regularly that would be the kind of situation I am hoping for.

I had a look at enalquiler.com and that looks like the best and most legitimate website I have seen for renting apartments. I am pretty familiar with the other websites mentioned like TEFL.com, Loquo and Idealista, but those other two Spanish websites I found to have quite a few scam advertisements for flats, and also the rental prices seem pretty expensive. The enalquiler.com prices seemed much more reasonable, and it seems to focus more on single apartments rather than sharing so I'll keep looking through that website.

Another good idea was to check travel websites and gain a better understanding of the pro's and con's of each city, so that's something I'll do in order to narrow my search down a little more.

I have seen so many cheap houses TO BUY in Spain on websites like idealista and a couple of other websites, in the price range of 40/50/60 thousand Euro�s (sometimes even less). So if houses or flats are so cheap to buy, why does the rental price stay so stubbornly expensive? Like in my first question, if there is an oversupply of homes and cheap houses for sale, why hasn't rental prices followed suit by dropping?

Finally... would either of you ever consider buying a house/flat in Spain?

rafaella · Joined: 22 Feb 2011 Posts: 122

[quote="MoonMonkey"]So if houses or flats are so cheap to buy, why does the rental price stay so stubbornly expensive? Like in my first question, if there is an oversupply of homes and cheap houses for sale, why hasn't rental prices followed suit by dropping?

Finally... would either of you ever consider buying a house/flat in Spain?[/quote]

Good questions. I can only speculate that there are a lot of people who can't afford a mortgage and so have no choice but to rent. Therefore, landlords remain in a fairly strong position.

As for buying in Spain, possibly, BUT there are many illegally built properties and, in addition, the laws relating to property and taxes are very different to those in the UK. I would say tread carefully, do your homework so you know exactly what you're getting into and engage a solicitor/notary who you really trust. Remember as well that you need to be sure you want to stay in Spain as you might find selling again to be a hard task.