# To all Spain expats.... Help!!!



## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Hi Everyone,

I am currently living in Sicily with my Sicilian wife. Sound romantic?? Well it is with the exception of one thing… No Work!!

I know Spain (Menorca) quite well although I do not know Spanish. I Know things are difficult in Spain right now but Sicily is sooooooooo bad it is actually laughable. Start of the season and an English man who speaks Italian and an Italian fluent in English cannot find work. We are 25 and 22 respectively. I find this to be absolute madness and although I accept nobody owes me a job I just can't believe there is no work here for either of us!

If anyone could have any recommendations on coming to Spain or is in need of Italian/English speakers could you let us know!!

Or if any other general advice is available that would be great. We really do not want to return to England!!!

Many thanks

KenzoXIV


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

KenzoXIV said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I am currently living in Sicily with my Sicilian wife. Sound romantic?? Well it is with the exception of one thing… No Work!!
> 
> ...


well..... unemployment is about twice as bad in Spain as in Italy overall - around 25% compared to 12.7% 

and in your age group it's more like 50% 

if you can afford it, why not come over to a holiday resort & pound the streets to see if can get something for the summer season - you might be lucky, though you'd be up against a lot of other multilingual young people doing the same, who do speak Spanish

sorry


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

2 recommendations: 

1. Try cities rather than picturesque islands with no significant industry apart from tourism and whatever the locals get up to.

2. It helps if you mention what skills you have and what kind of work you are looking for. If you have Italian and English then you might want to teach. In which case you'd need to look at places where there is a demand for teachers.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

What's that saying - out of the frying pan and into the fire???

You really need to think long and hard before you make the jump from Italy to Spain. Xabiachica has given you the bare figures that you need to know, but if you really want to research it (and you should before you make any moves) Google Spain economy, unemployment Spain 2014 , crisis Spain etc and them do the same on this forum you'll get a bellyful of info. To start look at this recent thread
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/441762-tide-turning.html


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Chopera said:


> 2 recommendations:
> 
> 1. Try cities rather than picturesque islands with no significant industry apart from tourism and whatever the locals get up to.
> 
> 2. It helps if you mention what skills you have and what kind of work you are looking for. If you have Italian and English then you might want to teach. In which case you'd need to look at places where there is a demand for teachers.


If you are trained you can start to look for work in those skills before you come over. Then you can concentrate on those areas instead of going to an area and hoping that there's work there. 
Sorry sounds a bit garbled, but hope you can see what I mean.


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Yeah out of the frying pan and into the fire was what I was thinking before I posted, it was more of a confirmation exercise! I was hoping that because Spain is more English tourist friendly compared to Italy it might have more options but it is looking more and more like in these sort of countries if you don't start a business and make it a success you won't get anywhere!

I mean one of the factors I thought was at the time of posting there were 226 people viewing the Spain forum and 11 viewing Italy's. We are moving back in with the wife's parents but it is a very hostile relationship we have with them despite our gratitude for their help. It's not an arrangement that will be able to survive long term. 

We think we have a good business idea for the area we are in now but no one is willing to invest in a young couple here, despite being a married couple we are still considered "ragazzi" (young people). Also despite being a business sales manager in England!

Sadly it looks like returning to blighty is our only option :-(


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> If you are trained you can start to look for work in those skills before you come over. Then you can concentrate on those areas instead of going to an area and hoping that there's work there.
> Sorry sounds a bit garbled, but hope you can see what I mean.


Yes I do unfortunately we have no real trades, I have a levels in business studies and sport and management experience but can't really do a lot with them, my wife only has experience as a waitress with no other qualifications.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

KenzoXIV said:


> Yeah out of the frying pan and into the fire was what I was thinking before I posted, it was more of a confirmation exercise! I was hoping that because Spain is more English tourist friendly compared to Italy it might have more options but it is looking more and more like in these sort of countries if you don't start a business and make it a success you won't get anywhere!
> 
> I mean one of the factors I thought was at the time of posting there were 226 people viewing the Spain forum and 11 viewing Italy's. We are moving back in with the wife's parents but it is a very hostile relationship we have with them despite our gratitude for their help. It's not an arrangement that will be able to survive long term.
> 
> ...


Well, that's a shame, but at least you've given it a try in Italy and I'm sure you've learnt a little more about Europe and the UK's position within it economically ie it's better off than Spain, Italy and quite a few more countries!
Maybe Spain's just not ready for you. If you could get more (relevant) experience and more money behind you, you could give it another try in a couple of years.


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hola

Why do you think the UK is the "country of choice" for so many? And why is there an "immigration problem" in the UK - the land of milk & honey has a benefits system - abused maybe but could mean you get to eat and find work. 

So maybe return to the UK until things pick up abroad 

Davexf


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

I read your first post and what jumped out at me straight away was that you mentioned only your language skills and no other skills, trades, interests, etc. I know that an Englishman regards a second language as a big thing, but travelling the world one finds that there are many many bilingual people. It's nothing special, what you need are some skills.

I'll be brutally honest. In a conversation with a family member recently there was a discussion about how tough a recent uni graduate was finding the job hunting exercise. Two years out of uni and still doesn't have a good permanent job. When I heard that she'd done a degree in business studies, I responded, "well what did she expect".

I'm a lot older than you and whilst I envy your age, I wouldn't like to be trying to start a career at this moment in time. Find something you are passionate about or at least interested in and try to get into work in that field. And go where that takes you, not to sunny tourist spots. Plenty of time for that later.



KenzoXIV said:


> Yes I do unfortunately we have no real trades, I have a levels in business studies and sport and management experience but can't really do a lot with them, my wife only has experience as a waitress with no other qualifications.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Tourism in the larger of the Canary islands is increasing, and because of our climate we do not have a holiday season. Maybe when you have sorted yourself out in England you should consider a break, fact finding mission here, you never know you might like our islands.


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Yeah I think you are all right, it's a real shame how some of the most beautiful places in the world are the worst economically and with no real opportunity. I don't think we can do much else but return to UK as much of a shame as it is. I do feel a bit disgruntled though that as a country we are able to be so welcoming to foreigners but that same gratitude can't be returned when we are abroad... Bit of a chip on my shoulder!! I always dreamed of coming to live in bella italia but it's just been such a depressing experience, and although I value all that I have learned from it I just wish it could of gone better. Guess I need to start looking on Ryanair for return flights


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Hepa said:


> Tourism in the larger of the Canary islands is increasing, and because of our climate we do not have a holiday season. Maybe when you have sorted yourself out in England you should consider a break, fact finding mission here, you never know you might like our islands.


Yes I have been to Gran Canaria to Maspalomas and I did really enjoy myself(but I was about 13 at the time). It is something we could consider but it's a bit riskier considering how much further away from our families it is, at least with Sicily we could rely on her family to be able to catch us if we fell, (all be it catching with a very loose grip lol!)

Are there any particular industries or areas anyone would recommend?

Thanks 😊


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## angil (Sep 24, 2012)

Have you looked at Malta??


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

angil said:


> Have you looked at Malta??


No I actually have no knowledge of Malta what so ever, does anyone here have any clue?


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## angil (Sep 24, 2012)

timesofmalta.com - General, sporting, and business news for Malta and the surrounding region

I have no first hand knowledge but have been considering it for our next move. I wouldn't be looking for employment so my situation is different from yours.

But coincidentally I met a woman (Brit) at my local vets who had been here for 14 years and her words were "this place is going down the pan" and they were off to Malta. She would be seeking employment and seemed optimistic on that score.

English & Maltese are the official languages and that's about as far as my knowledge goes!

I think its worth a look before you decide on a move to the UK.


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

Do you like IT? It's a profession in which many people are able to work from a place of their choice once they've established themselves. It's also surprisingly easy to get into for those who have an aptitude for it. There are technologies that you can self-teach using an amazing amount of free resources, all you have to do is put the time in.

But as I said before, choose something you're passionate about or at least interested in.




KenzoXIV said:


> Yes I have been to Gran Canaria to Maspalomas and I did really enjoy myself(but I was about 13 at the time). It is something we could consider but it's a bit riskier considering how much further away from our families it is, at least with Sicily we could rely on her family to be able to catch us if we fell, (all be it catching with a very loose grip lol!)
> 
> Are there any particular industries or areas anyone would recommend?
> 
> Thanks 😊


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## ExpatWannabee (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm not an economist (thank goodness) but even I can figure out that if you can't find work in the country you're in, you should move to a country with a better economy, not a worse one. Right now the unemployment rate in your age group is around 40 percent in Italy and 56 percent in Spain. If I were in your shoes, Spain would be about the last country I'd consider.


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

ExpatWannabee said:


> I'm not an economist (thank goodness) but even I can figure out that if you can't find work in the country you're in, you should move to a country with a better economy, not a worse one. Right now the unemployment rate in your age group is around 40 percent in Italy and 56 percent in Spain. If I were in your shoes, Spain would be about the last country I'd consider.


Yeah I appreciate that, the only thing is like I said I have a knowledge of Spain and some contacts, which may or may not help!

Percentages in Italy are true but if you take Sicily as a standalone I believe it is much higher  (The things we do for love...)

I like the Malta theory as it is close anyway so will fire off some emails to hotels tonight to gauge interest. 

Thank you everyone for your advice and posts so far, they have all been very useful


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Horlics,

I have thought about IT and my brother is already doing SEO etc. The only thing he says is it is very saturated and there is very little money in it. I like the idea of building websites and have limited HTML knowledge (just about can do an eBay listing)!


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

Java developers earn an average of 50k in London, not much less in the Midlands or South West. Choose a niche like Salesforce development and contract at 650 UKP a day.

Your brother needs a career coach if he can't make good money in IT.





KenzoXIV said:


> Horlics,
> 
> I have thought about IT and my brother is already doing SEO etc. The only thing he says is it is very saturated and there is very little money in it. I like the idea of building websites and have limited HTML knowledge (just about can do an eBay listing)!


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Horlics said:


> Java developers earn an average of 50k in London, not much less in the Midlands or South West. Choose a niche like Salesforce development and contract at 650 UKP a day.
> 
> Your brother needs a career coach if he can't make good money in IT.


That is definitely something I agree with! Any idea where I can find more info?


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

I'll PM you later today when I have a bit of free time. Happy to help.



KenzoXIV said:


> That is definitely something I agree with! Any idea where I can find more info?


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Horlics said:


> I'll PM you later today when I have a bit of free time. Happy to help.


Thanks, I really appreciate it, thank you everyone and if anyone else has input feel free, really want to try and get a pool of ideas from the people who know


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## Delbut (Apr 21, 2014)

The number of young ( and some older) Spanish people working in Britain right now, should give you a pointer as to there being more work in Britain than Spain, right now. There seems to have been a steady growth in Spanish workers here. Great for practicing my language skills when ordering a coffee from Costas on the M5.


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