# nursing in spain or the canaries



## nursenurse

hi all,
does anyone know how i can find a registered nurse vacancy/vacancies in mainland spain or gran canaria,i am a charge nurse in the uk,i have been trained 25yrs and currently work on a nurse led unit that deals with an array of medical treatments,i have all my up to date competencies,i.e venapuncture,canulation i.v drug therapy,i.l.s and to many more to mention,i ahve been a district nurse also,i am looking for a position in an english clinic in a holiday resort,i would be grateful if anyone has any information that may lead me to finding a website/vacancy etc. ideally i would like to work in benidorm as i have friends not far from there,or gran canaria- playa del ingles . i am desperate to relocate i just need a start or lead to help me achieve this goal,but i would also consider any other form of employment can anyone out their please please help me !! lane:


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## 90199

Although unemployment in the Canary Islands has for the last six out of seven moths decreased, we still have a long struggle ahead to force our way out of this horrible recession. 

If you have employment in England you may well be advised to keep in your present position for the time being or until you first secure a contract of employment here in the Canary Islands.

If you do not speak the Spanish, first you should consider taking lessons in England, September is the usual month to enrol for classes.

I am not sure if your English nursing credentials will be easily accepted here, I suspect that you will have to change them to Spanish ones. 

If you google, "Nursing in Gran Canaria," there are several responses.

I wish you luck with your quest, for Gran Canaria is a beautiful Island,

Hepa


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## xabiaxica

Hepa said:


> Although unemployment in the Canary Islands has for the last six out of seven moths decreased, we still have a long struggle ahead to force our way out of this horrible recession.
> 
> If you have employment in England you may well be advised to keep in your present position for the time being or until you first secure a contract of employment here in the Canary Islands.
> 
> If you do not speak the Spanish, first you should consider taking lessons in England, September is the usual month to enrol for classes.
> 
> I am not sure if your English nursing credentials will be easily accepted here, I suspect that you will have to change them to Spanish ones.
> 
> If you google, "Nursing in Gran Canaria," there are several responses.
> 
> I wish you luck with your quest, for Gran Canaria is a beautiful Island,
> 
> Hepa


yes, you're right about the qualifications

I know a nurse here who works for an English clinic, and even she had to have her qualifications _homologado_


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## nursenurse

*hepa*

hi hepa,
many thanks for your reply and help and advice,much appreciated


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## jojo

Nursing qualifications need to be changed/ homologado to Spanish ones and I believe there are some extra exams involved. The process is long and labourious, especially if you're not fluent in written or spoken Spanish, which you would need to be if you were to be lucky enough to get thru that part and then to apply for jobs

I was a fully trained nurse in the UK before I came to Spain. The nearest work I could get was as a carer for English speaking expats at 5€ an hour with irregular and infrequent shifts of 12 hours at a time.

Sorry, dont mean to be negative, but its not the best profession to transfer.

I eventually found work tele-selling holidays for a tour operator, a low basic, but not bad commission. It wasnt enough to keep me and my two children, but maybe for just one person, as long as the commission keeps coming in?????

Jo xxx


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## nursenurse

*ooh oh*

hi jo,
many thanks it does sound difficult to change over,think i will have to rethink the nursing position and maybe have a compete career change? m m ,were do you currently live ? and do you think the move was worth it in the long run ?


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## jojo

nursenurse said:


> hi jo,
> many thanks it does sound difficult to change over,think i will have to rethink the nursing position and maybe have a compete career change? m m ,were do you currently live ? and do you think the move was worth it in the long run ?


I've been in Spain for nearly 4 years and live in Benalmadena, costa del sol, but am in the UK for August. The move was costly and not easy, but worth it. But you need to move to Spain cos you want to and be prepared for it to be hard. Its not the easy, cheap option. So many people go on about moving to Spain for the relaxed lifestyle and the laid back attitude - it aint like that!!!!!! I'm glad I did it tho and love Spain, with all its faults its a lovely place to live

Jo xxx


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## nursenurse

*thankyou*

hi jo,
thanks again for your honesty it is much appreciated,everything you said i agree with.People think its the land of milk and honey,i thought that about australia after a 3 month holidayall over oz,i emigrated there as a specialist nurse and soon found the reality of living and working their was nothing like my preconcieved ideas i had from holidaying there.
enjoy the lovely uk weather ! lol takecare ged


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## NotinUse

jojo said:


> So many people go on about moving to Spain for the relaxed lifestyle and the laid back attitude - it aint like that!!!!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Oh! maybe I'm one of the lucky ones then, although to be honest I don't need to keep a wife supplied with designer clothes and anti aging creams that don't work.

Actually I tried that anti wrinkle cream myself- don't work - my sack still looks like an old walnut


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