Job Discussion Forums

[elliot_spencer]

Hi guys, I've been reading that in Spain you can earn up to �1500 a month net which is good... but I also read that most teachers have to share apartments (flat-share) due to high rental costs... I mean, is it really worth it? Living like a student in flat share in your mid-30s just to be able to live in Spain?

[rafaella]

If you're earning that sort of money, I don't think you'd need to share a flat to make ends meet. You'd have to have a really expensive lifestyle to make that necessary. I've never shared a flat in Spain but maybe I'm just more frugal than I thought!

If you want to get an idea of the cost a renting a place of your own, have a look at enalquiler.com.

[elliot_spencer]

�1500 was an estimations I've been offered �1300 net in first year and �1250 in 2nd year but the 2nd year comes with increased benefits.. Also, it's inSan Sebastian which I hear is not cheap!

[rafaella]

I've just had a look at flats in San Sebastian on enalquiler.com and they certainly aren't cheap. The cheapest was 500 for a tiny studio. I'd still say it's possible for you to rent somewhere alone and live on the salary quoted but it depends on what you are looking for.

[Insubordination]

I found my flat with a sign in the butcher shop window. I looked in the local paper, but found that people didn't want to rent to a foreigner (though I speak fluent Spanish). It was amusing to be discriminated against, as it had never happened to me before. Get your future boss to help you out with the phone calls and visits and arrive a week before you have to start teaching, so you can look for something. If living on your own is important to you, then you've got to pay for it. Sharing isn't that bad if it's with the right people, I just personally prefer my own bathroom. I liked the look of San Seb when I passed through, but it did seem very expensive.

Keep letting us know about your progress. Reading about someone arriving in a new country and getting sorted is very interesting.

[ldragon]

I lived in Spain 2 years ago. Shared a flat w/ a very cool girl that I would now call one of my closest friends. Didnt feel like a college student. In fact, I was really grateful for the company. We made food for each other all the time. And I apprecaited the extra space. So yeah it is worth it. The thing is its so nice and sunny all the time that youre never in your flat anyway. Except during siesta. So who cares if you have to share it with anyone.

[jonniboy]

Another consideration is, is the �1300 paid all year? Very unlikely that it will be. That means you'll get that for 9 months, effectively earning �975 euros a month if you ration it out. Alternatively you have to scratch your head to figure out what to do for the summer, with the unappealing options of monotonous office temp jobs in the UK or teaching kiddies at some summer camp.

[sheikh radlinrol]

[Sublime]

Spain is mainly for lifestyle not money. I've got less money now than I had before I came here, but I've got a nice sun tan

[Jerry A]

Can't you sign on the dole in Spain, or get some form of benefits when you are not working over the summer?

What about unions?

I'm in Finland. Teaching is dead over June, July, August. If work is bad, it can be mid-May - October. We just sign on or get money from the union.

[sheikh radlinrol]

[Sublime]

[naturegirl321]

[Conquense54]

What you are quoting as your salary is really at the top end of the market for Spain! Many posts still don't offer much more than 1000 euros, and, as has been pointed out, you will no doubt be on a 9 month contract, you will get zilch during the summer, so you must budget for that. The last time I rented my own place in Madrid was 1994, and I was paying the equivalent of 800 euros then for a tiny studio apartment! It's impossible to rent your own place in the big cities, it's cheaper the further south you go, but, again, you have to think about the summer months. What's also happened in Spain over the last two or three years is that the law is now much more in the landlords' favour, so they won't give you a contract for more than 11 months at a time (a full 12 months gives you more rights and landlords know it and avoid it!). You will also have to pay at least one month's deposit, sometimes they ask for two, plus your month in advance, and even an "aval", a guarantee from a bank for example, is not unknown. So maybe flat-sharing is the answer, you can always start that way and once you've had a chance to look around you could always move out later. Oh, and don't pay too much attention to the academies who offer help finding you accommodation, some do, and are very good, others just show you a copy of the local paper and leave you to it, whether you speak the language or not. Good luck!

[clarke501]

With regards to accomodation, I've got a pretty good deal in Asturias. I'm sharing a 3 bedroom flat with one other and only paying 210 euros a month. No problems with the landlord either.