# Seeking advice to move to Spain



## chelsea27 (Aug 8, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I have just come back from a study holiday in Spain and am in love. I would love to move there next year after completing my teaching studies in Australia. I have a European passport as my mother is Spanish and have been studying Spanish all my life. 

I am 26 years old, have family all over Spain, and have working experience in administrative duties, hospitality, teaching and health.

I am seeking advice regarding where to live, what jobs I could apply for (I have heard teaching English but am unsure whether to get TESOL or TEFOL qualification?) and how feasible my dream is!

Thanking you greatly!


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Hi and welcome to the forum!! You probably know that there is massive unemployment in Spain right now and very few jobs, most of which go to Spanish nationals although with your Mother being Spanish that might help!! Speaking Spanish is also a huge asset but there are very few jobs around at the moment. Teaching is probably your best bet but it doesn't pay well unless you teach privately. On the practical side, in order to live here you have to apply for residency and for that you have to prove an income of around €600 per month (this varies by region) and also show that you have healthcare in place (private until you start paying into the system). I would recommend you try and get a work contract before you come here unless you can stay with family first. You will get a lot of advice on here and much of it will sound negative but people will only be trying to tell you the truth about what Spain is like just now. I am an optimist and for me if you love the country as much as you say then give it a try. If you don't then you will always be left with the 'what if' questions later in life. You ask about where to live but we need far more info from you as that is a very difficult question to answer. Everyone is different and have different ideals and desires etc. Would you prefer coastal living or inland? City or rural?? Do you have any savings? Could you stay with family first?

But the very best of luck with your dreams!!!!


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

If you are qualified to teach in international schools (e.g. with a PGCE, and trained with the UK curriculum) then I think you should have a good chance of finding work around Madrid. Maybe elsewhere as well. I know a few teachers who have no trouble finding work in such schools. If you want to teach English then there is work around Madrid, but it's not so steady - your income will fluctuate and will generally be lower. But people do get by on it.


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## oronero (Aug 24, 2012)

thrax said:


> ... although with your Mother being Spanish that might help!! Speaking Spanish is also a huge asset but there are very few jobs around at the moment. Teaching is probably your best bet...
> 
> ... in order to live here you have to apply for residency and for that you have to prove an income of around €600 per month (this varies by region) and also show that you have healthcare in place (private until you start paying into the system). I would recommend you try and get a work contract before you come here unless you can stay with family first.
> 
> But the very best of luck with your dreams!!!!



Some of the above may well be true but it is wort exploring the fact as to whether your mother is still a Spanish Citizen and due to the fact that your mother was, does this give you the right to apply to become a Spanish citizen yourself? Having this citizenship opens all of Europe to you which may not be the case for other Australian born nationals. You may have to register your birth with the Spanish consulate in Australia. You state that you have a European passport but do not say whether it is from Spain, if not it might be worth applying for it or Spanish ID documents.

If this is perhaps the case and that you are entitled to be classed as a Spanish Citizen then perhaps all or some of the hoops that other foreign born people have to jump through are not applicable to you...such as having to prove an income so as to live there. As a citizen of a country you should be entitled to live there, though perhaps because you have not contributed towards the social security 'pot' you may not be entitled to claim and may have to get additional private healthcare.

I am in a similar position to you, having Portuguese citizenship due to parentage, though I was born in the UK and lived permanently there. I registered my citizenship with the Portuguese consulate in London as an adult, therefore they have a record of my birth on their records and I am now entitled to get a Portuguese identity card as all Portuguese born nationals. It's worth investigating this angle...ask family members who may have migrated from Spain but are now resident in other countries, see if they can simply just move back after years away.


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## chelsea27 (Aug 8, 2013)

WOW, am overwhelmed with such great advice!! So many things I never thought of, or considered. 

The job situation is really what is holding me back; I was born in Ireland so have an Irish passport (my father is Irish) and I checked out the citizenship and that is definitely where it gets complicated because of the years my mum has been out of Spain.. So i'm so grateful that that was pointed out for me!! I'll have to do my research asap on that note. Also in terms of where I want to live... Also need to do research! I guess where ever I can find a job!

I'll make sure also to try and get as many additional qualifications in teaching as that seems to be my best bet judging from your advice.

Thank you so much everyone! Hopefully this time next year I'll be in Spain seeking work (successfully!).


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

If you have an Irish passport you don't need to bother with Spanish citizenship. You can work anywhere in the EU (in theory at least, Spain ain't handing out residencies so freely these days)


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## oronero (Aug 24, 2012)

Chopera said:


> If you have an Irish passport you don't need to bother with Spanish citizenship. You can work anywhere in the EU (in theory at least, Spain ain't handing out residencies so freely these days)


However if you are a Spanish citizen they are not likely to turn you away for not having a certain monthly income are they? 

Where as if you are European with entry entitlement through the EU they can if you don't meet their criteria! 

That's why I mentioned applying for Spanish citizenship if she can through her mother, it cuts through a lot of red-tape, with this they cannot refuse residency!

Can you imagine the UK telling you that you could not move back to the UK because you had no job or savings, you'd be pretty peeved if they ever did that to you as a UK citizen.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

I think if a parent was Spanish you have to be resident in Spain for a year before applying for Spanish nationality (a bit of a chicken and egg situation). Also one of the complications with Spanish citizenship is Spain does not recognise dual nationality with a lot of countries (which might include Ireland and Australia). So part of the nationalization process might involve renouncing your other nationality/nationalities to the Spanish crown/government (I don't remember the details). Of course in many cases that means sod all - I can renounce my UK nationality to the Spanish government but the UK government will still consider me to be a UK citizen. However the process itself is not without red tape and may not be that straight forward.


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## oronero (Aug 24, 2012)

Chopera said:


> I think if a parent was Spanish you have to be resident in Spain for a year before applying for Spanish nationality (a bit of a chicken and egg situation). Also one of the complications with Spanish citizenship is Spain does not recognise dual nationality with a lot of countries (which might include Ireland and Australia). So part of the nationalization process might involve renouncing your other nationality/nationalities to the Spanish crown/government (I don't remember the details). Of course in many cases that means sod all - I can renounce my UK nationality to the Spanish government but the UK government will still consider me to be a UK citizen. However the process itself is not without red tape and may not be that straight forward.


I do not know the intricacy of applying for the Spanish Citizenship, I am only making the OP aware of the possibility, as I did it for my Portuguese citizenship.

On another note I have a friend who has citizenship of three nations, Australia, Germany and the UK...all obtained legally through parents and grandparents, very handy when he wants to locate around the world every few years.

In my opinion nations only care about the citizens of their nation as a means of having first shout on any taxes due from income...perhaps I am just a cynic.


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