Spain . Finding work

Many people who come to Spain to live permenantly come either to retire, selling their homes back in Uk, and living off the assets plus their pension on arrival, or have already lined up a job over the internet, often for British companies operating in Spain.

But what about the hundreds of thousands of people, generally youngsters, as well as those unfortunate enough to arrive to find their promised job no longer, or never did exist , who flock to Spain in search of work.

Although these days more and more is done over the Internet, as well as finding accomodation ( practically gone are the days where we walked the streets with are necks cricked up scouring balconies looking for "se alquila" signs,) when looking for employment, especially temporary employment, shoe leather is definitely a good method, just as is word of mouth.

If you have just arrived in Spain, or are planning on it, armed with little more than a rucksack and money for the hostel, then what is your next step?

Hopefully you have chosen an area populated by expatriates and full of tourism, as your chances of finding employment through a job centre, or in a town where no one speaks or needs english speakers, are virtually impossible.

So that leave us with the sunny Costas. If you want only sumer employment, then the choice really is yours, as in the height of season, employment is easily found in all major resorts. The further you move south, to Benidorm, or to the Costa del Sol, then all year round employment becomes more readily available.

Really, as a "Brit abroad," your best bet in finding work is going to your local British bars, and talking to the local british community, and of course enjoying a few beers to clentch your thirst as you walk from place to place where you have been told to go.

A few bars may advertise outside that they are looking for staff, but not many, purely as if they are only looking for employing staff for seasonal work, they will often employ the staff illegaly, as contracting a foreign worker is more expensive than contracting a spaniard, and first of all there is the process of making you legal in Spain, by getting a "NIE" number,( a foreigners identity no.)

In the larger towns, staff can change on a daily basis in local bars, and it really is a case of walking round and round asking and asking. Normal jobs given to first time workers will not be behind the bar, due to lack of contract and will purely be serving a terrace of people, or cleaning tables, or even standing out in the street handing out propaganda.

For the not so young at heart, or the not so young, other employment possibilites include painting and decorating ( for someone British,) babysitting, or possibly delivery driving for British companies.

Delivery driving is contracted work, and offers are often found in the local British newspaper, or advertised in local bars, or "British Supermarkets".

Expect appauling wages as well as working conditions and hours. In the height of season, you will be extremely lucky if you find someone willing to give you a day off, knowing that if you are not prepared to work seven days a week, sometimes up to 12 hours a day, then the person just coming round the corner will.

Pay is ridiculously low, you can expect around 1000€ per month, but don't forget that this is not for a monday to friday, 9 till 5 job. Sometimes it is better not to work out your hourly wage, although perks of the job in bar work are an endless supply of beer, food if you are luck enough to work in an establishment that sells food, and of  course, a plentyful supply of hangovers.

Once you have been working in one place for a while, and your boss can see that you are serious, then you may begin to receive a slightly better rate of pay, a contract ( although almost always a part time contract - the cheapest for your boss,) and even a weekly day off.

I write this from only fond and memorable experiences, from years gone by when I was child free and care free. So what was the attraction? It certainly wasn't the sun as without a day off the beach was the long stretch of sand I could see from my balcony. It was more the experience of living and working abroad and being independant and away from the rat race of the UK. I am one of the many thousands that just never went back home after that first summer working abroad.