If you know of any work going in Spain or have some tips to give fellow travellers please email us:

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WORKING
In Spain anyone with an EU (European Union) passport may work. Try looking for English teaching or work for a small business. The only problem is that most jobs will involve some knowledge of Spanish. The best place for English speaking travellers to find work in Spanish is in the tourism industry where knowledge of English is often more important than the local lingo. For those that are self-employed, visas and passports present no problem. Take the tools for your trade (such as mobile phone, lap etc) and don't tell the immigration authorities that you are working. Make sure you get a contract for any job you take for job protection and rights and feel free to dispute if you are unfairly dismissed. You do need a social security number to work in Spain.

Job ideas
Teaching English seems to be one of the most popular jobs for non-Spanish speaking foreigners looking for work. Try the major colleges and search through the links below for TESOL opportunities.

Hostels sometimes are in need of English speaking staff, although opportunities outside major cities are rare. Barcelona or Madrid would be the best places to get this kind of work.

Cafes and restaurants in larger cities may also pick up non-Spanish speaking staff during their busy periods although again outside big cities some Spanish may be required. Between May and September the coastal areas swell with opportunities in bars, clubs and nightclubs for seasonal workers.

Wealthy families are often looking for house keeping, cooking, nannying or driving services. Local and English press contain advertisements for these.

Check some of these websites for ideas:

Ideal Spain
www.idealspain.com/Pages/Information/WorkingInSpain.htm

Jobs Abroad
www.jobsabroad.com/Spain.cfm

Think Spain
www.thinkspain.com/services/joboffers


LONG-TERM ACCOMODATION
Here are some hints:
- budget enough money to stay in a hostel for 1-2 weeks if you don't find anything more permanent sooner.
- add to your budget that you may need bond money once you find a place.
- check university bulletin boards and newsletters that may feature cheap student accommodation, shared housing etc
- see advertisements in local newspapers
- walk the streets and talk to people. Let it be known what you are looking for.
- some boarding schools offer accommodation in return or a few hours helping out at the school either in the dorm or elsewhere. This may limit your night hours however.
- look into exchanging housing. There are web sites and agencies that help organise this. Search our bulletin boards or leaving your own posting.
- some hostels may discount your lodging for long term stays or you may be able to work for your accommodation. Other hostels refuse stays of longer than several days. Check our discussion boards and job pages for listings.
- some cities have cheap workers dorms
- go to the local housing agency
- join a house sitting organisation or check our bulletin boards for house sitting opportunities. There are usually requirements to fill, age is a big one.

 

STUDYING
Many Canadian and American universities offer credit for semesters studied abroad. Here are some other useful links to give you ideas:

Language Study Abroad - runs intensive immersion foreign language programs in Mexico, Spain, Italy and France
www.languagestudy.com

Language Study Abroad - runs intensive immersion foreign language programs in Mexico, Spain, Italy and France.
www.languagestudy.com

StudyAbroad.com
www.studyabroad.com