# Employment in Madrid



## Trevmo (Nov 23, 2010)

Hi everyone

I am a 24 year old Kiwi and I will be moving to Madrid in the next few months. I was wondering what the employment situation was like in Madrid currently (anecdotal stories are fine!). I am hoping to pick up some bar work and teach some English to get by (I am not qualified but I have a First Class Honors degree in Political Science which I am hoping would count for something - in terms of some ad-hoc teaching).

I wont be able to get a worthwhile Visa (the working visa does not seem to be worth the hassle for Kiwis) and I have an intermediate level of Spanish (my girlfriend is Argentinian) so it will limit what I can do, but I would like to get an idea what to expect in a country with 20% unemployment. 

Thanks in advance!


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## Sonrisa (Sep 2, 2010)

Amazingly enough there is plenty of work to be found in Madrid. That's the impression I've got from talking to my friends and family, anyways.

Although I'm not so sure about teaching oportunities or bar work. I imagine you will need a visa if you intend to stay and work in Madrid? Probably better to sort that out beforehand.


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

Sonrisa said:


> Amazingly enough there is plenty of work to be found in Madrid. That's the impression I've got from talking to my friends and family, anyways.
> 
> Although I'm not so sure about teaching oportunities or bar work. I imagine you will need a visa if you intend to stay and work in Madrid? Probably better to sort that out beforehand.


Just to balance this view Trevmo my spanish family are in Madrid. They are either unemployed or having their pay reduced and hours increased. The situation from their view point is that employment is very very hard to find and working conditions are deteriorating. 

Sure these people would like a job  

There are lots of spaniards trying to learn English but the market is very competitive and of course there are many free resources (english chat groups, internet chat, etc.). If you did it on the black you might earn beer money. You could try the language schools before you come but I think they would want qualifications.

Of course nothing is impossible and you only need one job


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

nigele2 said:


> Just to balance this view Trevmo my spanish family are in Madrid. They are either unemployed or having their pay reduced and hours increased. The situation from their view point is that employment is very very hard to find and working conditions are deteriorating.
> 
> Sure these people would like a job
> 
> ...


........and is Trevmo an EU citizen????? Which will make a huge difference

Jo xxx


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

I was chatting with a Spanish lad & an older Morrocan chap on monday in a bar & although both were still working the spanish lad said loads of his friends & aquaintances had left the country to look for work in other european countries & the other bloke said that many of his countrymen had gone to France Belgium & Holland & a lot had returned home . This brings me on to what my daughter ( who lived here with us for the 1st 3,1/2 years ) said when she was over for new year. From only occasionally seeing a Spaniard , who was normally a patient , now she says that there are Spanish everywhere. Not just working in the hospital but when she's out & about she's seeing far more who obviously live & work in London. 
Before I moved here in 2002 , I lived & worked in Devon & did large amounts of work in an abbatoir & food processing plant that supplied all the major supermarkets. From 1995 until I emigrated all the veterinarians supplied to the abbatoir from a practise in Exeter were young spanish women ! The senior one who was only around 30 was eventually headhunted by Defra. When I asked why they all came to the UK they all said the same , The lack of jobs for them in spain. Shortly before I left there were 7 or 8 teenage spanish girls working in the production plant!! 
I even bumped in to one of the vets who used to work in Devon at my local vets; where she was helping out whilst her husband , also a vet ; did a work experience course at an abbatoir in Lorca.
So there's always been a lack of jobs even in the so called 'good times'.


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

Gus very true. I think quite often the reference to the good times often relates to the expat view and the rapid expansion of tourism and expati-ism that foreigners and some spaniards could exploit. But it was never that good for the masses.

It's true my spanish family's lot over the years has got better. In the 70s life was hard with a lot of poverty. Eventually my late father-in-law ended up with a flat and a car, and he only needed one job. His three daughters have actually enjoyed years when all three were working. 

But I remember a BBC spanish course back in the early 80s. The interviews referred to many people needing two jobs to survive. I remember a guy - Manual Roca I think / wish I could have remembered the spanish as easily as his name  - working in the Correos for 8 hours then on a book stall in the market for 7 more. 

But Manuel knew many who needed two jobs and thought little of it.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

gus-lopez said:


> So there's always been a lack of jobs even in the so called 'good times'.


Yes, I worked for a publishing company in Oxford till 2008 and there were at least a dozen young Spanish graduates working there, more than any other nationality except English. They came to the UK because the money was so much better, even taking into account the higher cost of living, and they had a much wider choice of jobs using the skills they had been trained for.

It's very sad that so many of the brightest and best-educated young Spanish people are having to leave the country to make a go of it.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

nigele2 said:


> Just to balance this view Trevmo my spanish family are in Madrid. They are either unemployed or having their pay reduced and hours increased. The situation from their view point is that employment is very very hard to find and working conditions are deteriorating.
> 
> Sure these people would like a job
> 
> ...


I've copied that link to the new 'Economic & employment' sticky http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/68126-economic-employment-situation-spain.html

thanks nigele2


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

*Go for it!!*



nigele2 said:


> Just to balance this view Trevmo my spanish family are in Madrid. They are either unemployed or having their pay reduced and hours increased. The situation from their view point is that employment is very very hard to find and working conditions are deteriorating.
> 
> Sure these people would like a job
> 
> ...


My daughter has a TEFL certificate and teaches English in Madrid but she has never been asked to show her certificate either in academies or privately, how very strange !!


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

Trubrit said:


> My daughter has a TEFL certificate and teaches English in Madrid but she has never been asked to show her certificate either in academies or privately, how very strange !!


Honesty and trust? Why do you find that strange. I'm sure when I interview people I have a very good idea if they are liars 

Trubrit what would be so useful to many on here is if you could let us know how many hours she works, including preparation time, how much she earns, and how she is employed: black, autonimo, job.

I remember someone hear saying that they had just been offered a job teaching in Barcelona I think. Something like 10 Es an hour. But that didn't take into account any preparation 

Hope you enjoy your time in Madrid


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

This what I wrote on another thread about teaching in Madrid.


> don't know about Marbella, but I think the TEFL market in Madrid is shrinking at the moment. However, like everything, it depends...
> It may be that the situation is worse for experienced qualified people like myself as we "come at a price" so to say. And I work in companies where training budgets are shrinking. I had to drop my price for my newest client.
> In bad employment situations, like Spain at the moment, there are always people who try to learn English to improve their job hunting prospects. They may well go to an academy or more likely try to get a cheap private teacher whom they can pay in cash.
> Private international schools looking for teachers now??? That means something's gone wrong somewhere because we're one third of our way through the school year. Either the original teacher is off sick or has left, or...?


Soooo, as you can't get a visa according to your post, you'll be working illegally and might well find it easier to get work than a fully qualified teacher who is here legally, but you should expect low pay rates.
Bar work traditionally has a high turnover rate and is often paid cash in hand. I suppose that still holds true.

Also I heard today that Madrid received a record number of tourists last year, so that's good. Perhaps it's worthwhile checking out hotels etc and tourist offices, but I would imagine they'd only employ people with papers.

PS Lots of info about teaching on this thread 
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...iving-spain/26226-teaching-english-spain.html
And others if you search for teaching English


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Be aware - a friend of mine taught English for ten hours a week last October-November in a so-called reputable "college" and she still hasn´t been paid. They are saying she may not get paid till March!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

nigele2 said:


> Honesty and trust? Why do you find that strange. I'm sure when I interview people I have a very good idea if they are liars
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## Guadalcantara (Feb 6, 2010)

Agree.


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