Moving to Spain part 1 - Employment
Moving to Spain!
Over the years we have had many people stay with us on a long-term basis to see if they can settle in Spain before committing fully to the idea.
Although we have had our share of success stories we have had probably just as many failures.
With this in mind we have put together some information that we hope you will find useful which is also designed to give you the opportunity to ask yourselves a few important questions before carrying on.
When it comes to the advantages of Spain they are fairly obvious, lots of sun and hot weather, great beaches, cheap fuel and food, English spoken widely and a laid back style of living.
You do however need to think beyond these.
If you are coming over to retire or do not need to earn an income then you have less to consider however if you need to earn a living or have children then you really should plan carefully before you make the move.
Employment
We have heard it said many times that as the cost of living is so cheap in Spain you don’t have to earn that much. (Even before the current economic situation this wasn’t as clear cut as it sounded). Usually this is accompanied by the statement “I will do anything”. The problem is that although some things like fuel is cheaper, a lot more items are on par with the UK these days. In any event it still costs money to live, pay the rent and have a little for the extras in life. Add to this that the vast majority of people coming over to Spain are all willing to do anything, and you will soon see that the competition for all work is great. There is also the need to try and find that “anything” to do, as much to the surprise of many people who come out, these opportunities do not actually walk up to the property where they are staying and present themselves.
For those who are genuinely prepared to try their hand at anything and make the effort to find out what is available they can succeed although a willingness to work and lots of leg work to find something doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. The winter months in Spain mean less work opportunities as many things either close down or cut back considerably until the new season starts again usually around April time. In one way, if you do decide to come out in the winter and are able to find work then your chances of making a go of it are increased considerably. If you are thinking of coming out in the summer months then if you are looking for work in a bar or restaurant then your chances are good but unless you get a works contract and are paying social security these jobs tend to wind up once the season is over.
If you have a trade or particular skill you may find work with an existing company or business, this will depend on what your speciality is. If you are a builder and you do not speak Spanish then working on a building site for a Spanish company is pretty much out of the question. People with practical trades tend to find that their best option is to start up their own business and to do this you will need a good accountant and some money behind you.
If you are looking to invest in a business then there are more opportunities now, especially with franchise opportunities being offered for a range of services and products. You may have always wanted to run your own bar or restaurant and you may well find success, but the mortality rate for these businesses is quite high. If your only criteria for deciding on such a venture is that you like drinking and eating then you may want to think again.
Unless you speak fluent Spanish your actual job opportunities will be limited to UK run businesses and even some of these are looking for Spanish speakers. So if you are a qualified accountant or have years of administrative experience behind you it will not be enough to secure you a position in a Spanish speaking company.
Have a good think about your options and try and put some form of plan together before you make the move and get a good friend to play Devils Advocate. The chances are if you are really keen to make the move then any idea you come up with will seem to be the solution so to get input from someone not involved in the move is probably a good way of keeping you in touch with reality.
At the end of this you are probably thinking why am I reading this and why is someone who is looking to attract people to rent their properties writing it. The answer is simply that it doesn’t help us, you or our owners if people come out and have to give up and go back early and do not see out the full term of the tenancy agreement.
Starting Your Own Business
If you are considering starting up your own business here in Spain you must be aware of the legal requirements. There are rules and regulations for everything so make sure you know what they and respect them. You will be the foreigner and the local authorities will not take kindly to abuse of these rules by ex pats. Also some of the ideas people have for starting their own business are just not practical here so try to avoid some of the obvious ones.
A few ideas that may not be the answer!
Airport collection and mini cabbing is not permitted here by anyone other than registered white cabs and coach companies so if your idea was to buy a people carrier or even worse bring a right hand one over to Spain with the intention of offering these services think again. Heavy fines and confiscation of the vehicle can result.
Bouncy castles: There are some here but as most properties have little in the way of outside space they are not that popular.
Ice Cream vans: Rarely seen and with sparse occupation of many urbanisation’s the chances of custom is reduced other than in the high season months of July and August and even then the majority of people will be at the beach or behind secured urbanisation gates limiting access. A licence is almost certainly required and that would have to be researched thoroughly.
Window Cleaning: There are some window cleaners but the opportunity for domestic window cleaning are limited. With private households the owners will often deal with this task themselves or if they are only holiday homes they will not be something even considered by most home owners. Add to this the accessibility problem caused by the security grills that cover most windows and you will see why this has limited opportunities.
Car Valeting and Cleaning: There are plenty of automatic car washes and hand held jet wash options which provide a quick and cheap option for car owners . The garages that provide these facilities also usually have vacuum options so this limits the demand for more detailed and expensive services. Also a big percentage of cars on the road at any one time are hire cars and these are only cleaned by the company before each hire.
These are just a few we have come across and although some may make a success of any of these the market is limited and the chances of success are reduced.
If you do come up with an original idea then find yourself a good accountant to register you with the Spanish Tax office and the Social Security. Don’t forget if you work for yourself you have to pay a minimum monthly Social Security contribution irrespective of whether you are making any money or not. Currently April 2009 this contribution is just over 240€ per month. If you miss a payment by the required monthly deadline you can incur penalties so you must make sure that the payment has been made by your bank.
Hopefully this may have at least given you a few things to think about when planning your move.
