# HI, Help & advice needed



## WELSHLEEK (Feb 26, 2012)

HI Im Steve and am looking to move to Benidorm by May of this year with my partner. I have looked into a lot of information available on the internet about moving and about employment and the laws etc etc. I found the information to be very good but I thought it be better to get some sound advice from ex pats living the spanish way of life.

I have found several places of interest to rent accomodation with reasonable rents. Which seem to be fine. Im having problems finding on the internet anywhere places that have employment adverts for Benidorm, im looking for any jobs roles within the hospitality trade. IM a very experienced bar man with over ten years experience.

Can anyone possibly point me in the right direction on where to locate these kind of jobs or even if you have your own bar and are looking for bar staff please post or contact me directly via my inbox.

Any advice on moving to Benidorm is also more than welcomed.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and look forward to hearing your responses.

Thanks 

Steve aka welshleek


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Welcome to the forum. 

There are very few jobs in spain, its got one of the highest unemployment figures in Europe. If you have another source of income, then you may be able to get bits and pieces as a bit of pocket money, but I doubt it would be regular or well paid - certainly not enough to live on. And of course there are no social/welfare benefits in Spain. But you need to come over and have a good look around and ask - see what you can find. Rental properties are easy - its the work that will be hard, if not impossible???!!

Jo xxx


----------



## WELSHLEEK (Feb 26, 2012)

Hi and thanks Jo for your reply, is the employment figures that bad out there even for jobs such as in the hospitality trade ? I have been to Benidorm and found it to be a great place and have wanted to move there for years. There are lots of bars owned by brits right ? which would be the best place to start im guessing ? are you aware of any online sites where I could search for such jobs? I would be interested even in trading from the local market but im sure that would also be hard to get into coz of pitches etc.

all and any advice is great and thanks.

steve


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Hi Steve,

You won't find any employment agencies because there aren't any jobs! Nearly *half* the population under 25 is unemployed, and even well-qualified graduates are lucky to get work. Any casual work is given to people already known to the employers, so your best bet is to save up enough to support yourselves for a few months, come over and get to know people and hope you strike lucky. Even then, expect to work very long hours for very low wages and no security!

Sorry this is so negative but that's the way it is at the moment, and is likely to be for a few years to come.

EDIT - just seen your second post. An awful lot of those British owned bars have gone bust in the last two years and if you come now you will see a very different Benidorm from your holiday memories.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

WELSHLEEK said:


> Hi and thanks Jo for your reply, is the employment figures that bad out there even for jobs such as in the hospitality trade ? I have been to Benidorm and found it to be a great place and have wanted to move there for years. There are lots of bars owned by brits right ? which would be the best place to start im guessing ? are you aware of any online sites where I could search for such jobs? I would be interested even in trading from the local market but im sure that would also be hard to get into coz of pitches etc.
> 
> all and any advice is great and thanks.
> 
> steve


hi

Round Town News is probably the biggest English language newspaper on the Costa Blanca

here's a link to the employment ads this week - I see there is a wine bar in Altea advertising for staff

RTN The Favourite Free Newspaper For The Costa Blanca, Costa Calida - Ads - Employment


unemployment in Spain is about 3x that of the UK atm. - but you might well hit lucky & find a cash in hand summer job 

if you are working cash in hand though, you won't have any employment rights or access to health care

I'm sure thare are proper contract jobs out there - but they will be grabbed by people already there & almopst certainly will never be advertised


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> hi
> 
> Round Town News is probably the biggest English language newspaper on the Costa Blanca
> 
> ...



And working 'cash in hand' aka on the black is illegal and the Government is rightly cracking down on it.

Think: would you do it in the UK? Would you approve of immigrants working on the black, not paying taxes etc.?

The 'Spanish way of life' isn't that different to life in the UK when you think about it. More sun, true. But you do the same things, basically. Life for over five million Spanish people at the moment is one of unemployment and for some a struggle to get by. One in three people is unemployed in our area. 

Many British immigrants have gone back home. Others would like to but are trapped in properties they can't sell. There are thousands of bars for sale all along the Costas.

Things are very different from the boom years of ten years ago. I doubt they will improve that much in the next ten years.


----------



## WELSHLEEK (Feb 26, 2012)

Thanks again for your replys.... It feels like its not raining but pouring there right now. Im totally shocked and disheartened by your replys. Maybe your right the best thing to do would be to come out with enough to support ourselves for a few months and hope we hit the jackpot work wise when we are there... positive thinking lol. I hear in other threads that there is work in sales and marketing is this true ? and does it pay? sorry for so many questions, imsure you get the same questions quite regularly. But im very glad of the honesty in your replys.

Steve


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> And working 'cash in hand' aka on the black is illegal and the Government is rightly cracking down on it.
> 
> Think: would you do it in the UK? Would you approve of immigrants working on the black, not paying taxes etc.?


yes of course it's illegal - but the reality is that it's pretty much all he will be offered

a lot of 'cash in hand' employers expect you to register as autonomo & pay your NI & tax yourself - so then you'd be legal..............but on the wages you'd be getting you might not then be able to eat or pay rent


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

WELSHLEEK said:


> Thanks again for your replys.... It feels like its not raining but pouring there right now. Im totally shocked and disheartened by your replys. Maybe your right the best thing to do would be to come out with enough to support ourselves for a few months and hope we hit the jackpot work wise when we are there... positive thinking lol. I hear in other threads that there is work in sales and marketing is this true ? and does it pay? sorry for so many questions, imsure you get the same questions quite regularly. But im very glad of the honesty in your replys.
> 
> Steve


if you're not working atm, or can get an extended leave from your job, then you might as well give it a whirl - if you have enough cash behind you for a few months & are prepared to look on it as an adventure/long holiday that you can go home from if you don't get work

most sales work is commission only - but yes, there is some around


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> yes of course it's illegal - but the reality is that it's pretty much all he will be offered
> 
> a lot of 'cash in hand' employers expect you to register as autonomo & pay your NI & tax yourself - so then you'd be legal..............but on the wages you'd be getting you might not then be able to eat or pay rent


There is a law which I understand comes into effect in June requiring anyone who employs someone for more than two hours a week to register them ....or the employer can face a hefty fine.

Something has to be done about this illegal working - for that's what it is.

It's bad for Spain and risky for the worker who has no redress if the employer refuses to pay for work done. I know of two people who are each owed several thousands for in one case landscaping work and in the other carpentry work -refitting a cafe/bar.
There's nothing they can do and frankly I'm not sorry for them.

We moan about immigrants or anyone cheating the system in the UK - our business was an honest one, we paid all taxes and decent wages. It's quite immoral to work in this underhand way wherever you are. It hurts businesspeople and professionals who have integrity and pay their dues to the state.

If fewer people were willing to get cheap labour by employing illegally there would be more 'proper' jobs and the state could provide better services for the young, the old, the sick and the jobless with the tax revenue it would receive.


----------



## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

I agree with Xabia… if you have enough cash to see you through some months and can afford to loose it then why not give it a go but go in open eyed and dont expect it easy. I lived on and off for 6 years in Benidorm and am still fairly close by. I know the new town and the old town scene very well as well as decent places to find a house. If I can be of any help then ask me on the forum or by PM.

When are you thinking of coming? Summer season is approaching fast, I think if you are hoping to get bar work then getting out here by April is a good idea, get to know as many bar owners and get in with the benidorm "click" and if they take on for summer you are in with the best possible chance.

There are loads of things to explore work wise in Benidorm but competition is tough. The comission based sales jobs have a high turnover of staff because they demand a lot and pay badly. Having said that, I know some people who have done. and still do that work and do ok. If there are two of you then two earning a little is sometimes enough for you to survive.

On a final note, Benidorm is a fantastic place to live if you like the town and if you do have a crack at it good luck!


----------



## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Welshleek? You're flying the wrong flag mush!


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

WELSHLEEK said:


> HI Im Steve and am looking to move to Benidorm by May of this year with my partner. I have looked into a lot of information available on the internet about moving and about employment and the laws etc etc. I found the information to be very good but I thought it be better to get some sound advice from ex pats living the spanish way of life.
> 
> I have found several places of interest to rent accomodation with reasonable rents. Which seem to be fine. Im having problems finding on the internet anywhere places that have employment adverts for Benidorm, im looking for any jobs roles within the hospitality trade. IM a very experienced bar man with over ten years experience.
> 
> ...


Hi and welcome, Nosson da

Many properties that you find now for reasonable rent may well only be available until the (expected) summer rush.

I guess that, from reading my colleagues' replies, you will have acquired a fairly depressing, but accurate, view of what life here might be like for you. I can't offer any better point of view since I live quite inland from where you are looking and, if anything, it is worse here. Normally a whole load of Moroccans come over to do the olive work but, this winter as well as last, they were told not to bother to come since there was barely enough work for the locals. Now the olives are fairly labour intensive business (and damned hard work) which with depressed prices are not really paying much in the way of an income - a whole day's work may net the owner of the olives maybe 20-30€, out of which he has got to pay any workers (other than family who will have made up much of the team) plus pay for all the fertilising, pruning, spraying, etc. so if you did get any work, it would be very poorly paid.

Many employees who think/thought they had a good job are being told that their contracts are to be terminated or they can take a fresh contract on lower wages. Life is tough here if you don't have an income. If you do have one, then property costs are much lower than in UK (my annual council tax here for a 5 bedroomed house is roughly the same as I paid per month in UK for a one-bedroom flat). Food, I find is much cheaper and far better quality than in UK but that assumes that you eat normal meals and not splash out all the time (some do!).

Bear in mind that I am talking about inland and I know that you are looking at costa life, but if you can't make it there, you might think to try inland so it is only fair to let you know. 

Your best option is to go in for premature ageing and claim your pension.


----------

