# The joys of job hunting



## janettonge (Oct 12, 2010)

Hi,

I'm a newbie to this website, but having moved to Malaga 2 weeks ago and currently studying Spanish, I was wondering if anyone has any tips on job hunting. I've 2 weeks left on my course and before my head explodes from trying to absorb so much info, I would like to line up a job. I'm interested in administration work, are there any agencies out there? I lived and worked in Australia for a few years and have turned my hand to most things, so open to bar/waitressing work, hotel work etc. Any body got any ideas or even know of any jobs going - will move to where the work is!!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Work is very difficult to come by here. Its very much who you know and being in the right place at the right time. Your chances will be increased if you are fluent in written and spoken Spanish, but even then there is high unemployment. Door knocking or looking thru local newspapers may find you something??!

Jo xxx


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

jojo said:


> Work is very difficult to come by here. Its very much who you know and being in the right place at the right time. Your chances will be increased if you are fluent in written and spoken Spanish, but even then there is high unemployment. Door knocking or looking thru local newspapers may find you something??!
> 
> Jo xxx


Jo's right, its a bit of luck, knowing the right person who knows the right person who knows the bloke in the pub whos recruiting etc etc

You said you only been here 2 weeks and you are learning spanish and finish in 2 weeks. What level will you be at?


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## JeanP (Sep 11, 2010)

jojo said:


> Work is very difficult to come by here. Its very much who you know and being in the right place at the right time. Your chances will be increased if you are fluent in written and spoken Spanish, but even then there is high unemployment. Door knocking or looking thru local newspapers may find you something??!
> 
> Jo xxx


Yeah, I chatted to a friend of mine living in Javea (from South Africa) who has a contract with some production company. He has 8 months left on his contract and last week they told him "sorry but your time is up". This morning he told me he has another job already so his happy again.

Mind you, he is pretty well known in his industry so that works in his favour. 

Moral of the story...... hard but not impossible if you willing to put in the leg work, and ofcourse knowing a couple people will never hurt.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

JeanP said:


> Yeah, I chatted to a friend of mine living in Javea (from South Africa) who has a contract with some production company. He has 8 months left on his contract and last week they told him "sorry but your time is up". This morning he told me he has another job already so his happy again.
> 
> Mind you, he is pretty well known in his industry so that works in his favour.
> 
> Moral of the story...... *hard but not impossible if you willing to put in the leg work,* and ofcourse knowing a couple people will never hurt.


:clap2: how true! I love a bit of leg work!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I think if you have a specific skillset or profession and can prove yourself either by references or word of mouth then you do stand a good chance of finding work

Jo xxx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Look at infojobs.net. Put in English native speaker and the town and see what comes up. Just a suggestion...


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Look at infojobs.net. Put in English native speaker and the town and see what comes up. Just a suggestion...


Pesky, thats a really interesting site! :clap2: I always wondered if there was anything like that in Spain, people have asked me numerous times and I have never had the time to scower the net to check for them!

I was surprised to see a position for a p/t vet paying 400-600€ a month though - I thought vets were on mega bucks, but then again I guess vets fees here are a fraction of the UK - this will explain why my UK vet drive a discovery and my spanish one rides a moped!


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## sothiaco (Oct 18, 2010)

Hello Janettonge:

Let me introduce you a possible job for you. But I will be sincere expecting you will do the same in order not to make you loose your time, believe me 

I am Spanish and I am working with an old English architect very exigent, meticulous and obsesed with perfection. He is looking for the "perfect secretary". He needs somebody who takes care about the acounting documents, the phone, writing documents for him with correct English, etc.

If you are good to him, everything is perfect and he uses to be really nice and gentle, but if you don´t fit his expectations of correction and tidyness, you and him will experience a very uncomfortable feeling of frustration that is not nice at all, although he keeps on being very polite to you, but you can feel the tension.

So, if you are interested, and you think it is going to be a success, please, contact me.

I hope to help you and to help him.

Good luck!

[


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

You may get a job. But it is more likely that you will not.
Unemployment in Spain is currently in excess of four million registered. That does not include everyone who is 'looking for work'. But surely you researched this before you moved to Spain.
Afrter four weeks I would have thought it highly unlikely that you will have gained fluency sufficient to enable you to survive in a post where a working knowledge of Spanish is essential.
I wouldn't entertain the offer in the previous post.
Sorry to sound harsh but I really do believe that it's better to give people a true and honest picture of the way things are now. You can't base a life on 'maybes' and 'possibilies'.
You may get a job - it's not impossible -but I wouldn't put money on it.


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## sothiaco (Oct 18, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> You may get a job. But it is more likely that you will not.
> Unemployment in Spain is currently in excess of four million registered. That does not include everyone who is 'looking for work'. But surely you researched this before you moved to Spain.
> Afrter four weeks I would have thought it highly unlikely that you will have gained fluency sufficient to enable you to survive in a post where a working knowledge of Spanish is essential.
> I wouldn't entertain the offer in the previous post.
> ...


I am sorry, but I was offering a real job. Please do not judge so lightly. The situation is not good, but I am not trying to "entertain" or cheat anybody. Before she take any decision she would study everything. I was only giving some information.


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## jkchawner (Dec 21, 2008)

sothiaco said:


> Hello Janettonge:
> 
> Let me introduce you a possible job for you. But I will be sincere expecting you will do the same in order not to make you loose your time, believe me
> 
> ...


its basil from faulty tower's at a guess


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

sothiaco said:


> I am sorry, but I was offering a real job. Please do not judge so lightly. The situation is not good, but I am not trying to "entertain" or cheat anybody. Before she take any decision she would study everything. I was only giving some information.


I didn't suggest you were trying to cheat anyone. And you are not 'offering a job', you are an employee.
Anyone with any sense would ignore that kind of 'information'.


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## sothiaco (Oct 18, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> I didn't suggest you were trying to cheat anyone. And you are not 'offering a job', you are an employee.
> Anyone with any sense would ignore that kind of 'information'.


I am not offering the job, even more, I will have not the last word to select the choosen person. You are right, mrypg9, but, the architect himself asked me to find somebody, so, please, put an end on qualifying who has the right sense or not. You should ask first, that is a very good habit, because, not me, but another person could take it personally.

And if you double check my first message, you will find I am not saying at all that it is going to be easy to get the job, so I am giving this other kind of information: sincere, complete, clear, and even not so encouraging.

I hope everything is clear and mrypg9 will not need to waist his/her time to comment my messages. Thank you.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Chill! I'm sure there is no malice intended!

Jo xxx


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## sothiaco (Oct 18, 2010)

jojo said:


> Chill! I'm sure there is no malice intended!
> 
> Jo xxx


I am sorry... I can not stand with people qualifying the rest of the people without asking before, you know. That is not fair at all.

Again, I am sorry.

xxx


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## sothiaco (Oct 18, 2010)

jkchawner said:


> its basil from faulty tower's at a guess


oh, I am afraid my English is not that advanced... hahaaha, please comment jkchawner, I really didn´t understand! Sorry!

xxx


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## BCNGUIRI (Sep 15, 2010)

I've been here for 9 years, speak Spanish, well integrated etc etc and it took me over 9 months to find work and I was applying for jobs on a daily basis, entered all the job websites, visited agencies without success. Decided to go down the route of call centre work for english natives and was offered two jobs on the same day, combining them both gives me a semi-decent living but way less than I am accustomed to. I have graduate friends with strong cvs who have been unemployed for over a year and another had to move to France to find work. 

My advice is dont be too fussy, and just apply for anything, any money is better than nothing. Once you have a wage coming in, keep looking for what that job that really interests you!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

BCNGUIRI said:


> I've been here for 9 years, speak Spanish, well integrated etc etc and it took me over 9 months to find work and I was applying for jobs on a daily basis, entered all the job websites, visited agencies without success. Decided to go down the route of call centre work for english natives and was offered two jobs on the same day, combining them both gives me a semi-decent living but way less than I am accustomed to. I have graduate friends with strong cvs who have been unemployed for over a year and another had to move to France to find work.
> 
> My advice is dont be too fussy, and just apply for anything, any money is better than nothing. Once you have a wage coming in, keep looking for what that job that really interests you!



But that assumes you are able to support yourself with no income for a considerable period of time.


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## BCNGUIRI (Sep 15, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> But that assumes you are able to support yourself with no income for a considerable period of time.


er no! My advice is dont be fussy and take anything! But i wouldn't think anyone would be so stupid as to move to a new country without having decent savings behind them!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

BCNGUIRI said:


> er no! My advice is dont be fussy and take anything! But i wouldn't think anyone would be so stupid as to move to a new country without having decent savings behind them!


Well neither would I......but you would be surprised....just look at previous posts!!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Well neither would I......but you would be surprised....just look at previous posts!!


NOTHING surprise me anymore


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

SteveHall said:


> As you see Mary and Xabiachica beat me to it!


That's women for you, Steve...
Our brains work at double rate....


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