# Summer Work in Spain



## cjsimmons (Feb 22, 2017)

Hi everyone,

I am an English student, who will graduate in May.

I am currently trying to gauge how plausible a plan it is to try and spend the summer working in Spain. I want to do this to achieve language skills close to fluency, as I am currently conversationally sound with a reasonable, but by no means perfect, grasp of the language.

Ideally I would like to work in Madrid as I know that city better than others, but I am open to other options.

So, is it possible to simply go to Spain and find work in bars etc, or will they all require Spanish fluency?

Thanks 

Chris.


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

cjsimmons said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I am an English student, who will graduate in May.
> 
> ...


Hola and welcome to the forum

In the Cádiz region unemployment is around 38% or greater than one in three !!! Therefore it will be difficult if not impossible to get work before any Spaniard applying for the job. 

The average is something like 27% unemployment for the whole of Spain. 

I don't want to put you off completely as I understand what you are trying to achieve and complement you on your aspirations - but the reality of life ..... 

Hopefully others will follow with suggestions of agencies you could contact 

Davexf


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## cjsimmons (Feb 22, 2017)

davexf said:


> Hola and welcome to the forum
> 
> In the Cádiz region unemployment is around 38% or greater than one in three !!! Therefore it will be difficult if not impossible to get work before any Spaniard applying for the job.
> 
> ...


Thanks!

Yeah I have looked into schemes like the Pueblo Ingles Camps... But going to a place where the express purpose it to talk English is a bit counter-productive to my aims haha.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

davexf said:


> Hola and welcome to the forum
> 
> In the Cádiz region unemployment is around 38% or greater than one in three !!! Therefore it will be difficult if not impossible to get work before any Spaniard applying for the job.
> 
> ...


... and for under 25's, isn't it nearer 60%?


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

It's difficult to turn up and find summer work in Madrid as the place tends to shut down a bit over the summer months. Probably your best bet is to look for school summer day-camp work before you arrive, and/or try to live with a Spanish family. Au pair work might be another option.


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## cjsimmons (Feb 22, 2017)

Chopera said:


> It's difficult to turn up and find summer work in Madrid as the place tends to shut down a bit over the summer months. Probably your best bet is to look for school summer day-camp work before you arrive, and/or try to live with a Spanish family. Au pair work might be another option.


What exactly is Au Pair work?


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

cjsimmons said:


> What exactly is Au Pair work?


You live with a family with children and, in return for board and lodging, you do a few chores and spend time teaching the kids English. I'm not sure if you are a male Chris or a female Chris but, at the risk of sounding sexist, it is work usually carried out by young women (in the same way babysitters tend to be young women).


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## Gran Erry-Bredd (Nov 1, 2016)

What exactly is babysitter work ?


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## cermignano (Feb 9, 2017)

I agree with chopera. Also there are websites for 'working the summer in Spain/Europe.' Some of them have a small wage, not enough to get a flat and live on. Though others are working in agricultural fields. My nephew worked in a vineyard in Italy a couple of years ago. He stayed with the family to be immersed in Italian and to learn about wine making. He made lots of friends of different nationalities doing the same thing. You can do orxhard and planting work on estates and with poorer folk who need a hand. There were people also there doing maintenance work etc. But he reckoned that total immersion was the best thing. Hard work but he had a ball. Also like here there are folk doing fencing, footpath, repair to environment work. Beware there are also expats who need help with their olive trees and orchards. You could have a great time and learn new skills but you will not progress much with the language that way. Best to immerse yourself with a family imo.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

cjsimmons said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I am an English student, who will graduate in May.
> 
> ...


I wonder if you have been in Madrid in July and August? It is pretty empty to what is usually like because most Spaniards can't cope with working in the Madrid heat and if the Spaniards can't cope, just think about us! July is a killer and the beginning of August too. Sometimes it begins cooling off at the end of August and you get hot days, but cooler more bearable nights. However for the last 2 years it's been unbearably hot in September too.
Anyway, apart from the weather the work front is a bit unpredictable. Of course there are a lot of tourists in the summer so some hotels, bars etc might like an English speaker. On the other hand, it's true that a lot of bars/ restaurants/ shops close.
If you're not desperate for money you could try _Workaway _and the like which is a site where people who are looking for some kind of help advertise and you get your food and lodging but not a salary. Weather wise I'd go north of Madrid and if you want to improve your Spanish language skills avoid Catalonia and remote areas of The Basque country and Galicia where they might speak another language
Save​


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Gran Erry-Bredd said:


> What exactly is babysitter work ?


Au pair - foreign person looking after the kids on a daily basis and long term, living in, light housework, often taking language course too
Baby sitter - looks after kids usually while parents go out in the evening kind of thing

That's what I think it is...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Au pair - foreign person looking after the kids on a daily basis and long term, living in, light housework, often taking language course too
> Baby sitter - looks after kids usually while parents go out in the evening kind of thing
> 
> That's what I think it is...


I agree

My younger daughter does some babysitting for local families now & then in the evenings.

My older daughter moves to Italy next week as a live-in Au pair for a family with 3 children. They will pay for her to attend college to study Italian while she is there - which is the main reason she's going  

She's also very lucky in that the family has a full time housekeeper/cook - so she won't have to do any real housework!


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