How do i find the right location to live in spain?

Question

I have been thinkig about moving to spain for the longest time and i have finally decided to make the move. i just have no idea what the bes place to live in is or how to get a good job! if anyone has moved there and would like to give a little input on how they did it it would be great!

Answer 1

I don't think anyone can suggest "the right location to live in Spain." What's good for one person may not be good for another.

Are you a small-town girl or a city-girl? I prefer the cities but that's just me. Have you visited Spain before? If not, you may want to consider traveling around the country for 1 or 2 months as a tourist just to first see what feels right to you.

Madrid and Barcelona are the two big cities where your job possibilities will be greater so maybe you should focus on them - but you'll need to speak Spanish too and be legally able to work.

My recommendation to you would be to take a few years and prepare yourself for such a move. Just picking up and moving to a foreign country without planning will likely result in disaster and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth for your one-time dream country.

Take some time to improve/perfect your Spanish, look into your Visa possibilities, hone your marketable skills and make professional contacts before moving.

"Good jobs" in Spain are few and very very hard to come by - EVEN FOR SPANIARDS and rarer for foreigners.

If you already speak Spanish, have marketable skills, and want to "start small" I might suggest moving to someplace like Granada or even Salamanca. These places, while full-scale cities, have a more small-town feel as compared to places like Madrid and Barcelona.

I'm a "United Statesen" and moved to Spain 3 years ago. Before arriving I'd visited Spain about 10 times over 10 years, had made many friends here, already had marketable skills (I started my own business), had traveled throughout the country, and spoke a fair amount of Spanish.

Best of luck to you! Be smart and prepare yourself BEFORE moving to Spain. You'll be glad you did.

Saludos, BarcelonaMan/MadridMan @ you-know-where!

Answer 2

You definitely have some nerve...

How do you expect to receive a decent response to such a generic question?

What are your interests?

What is your profession?

Without a minimum of information it is impossible to answer that question...

Answer 3

What do you want out of your move?  Do you like small towns or large cities?  What kind of work do you want to do?  Are you able to get a work visa?  or are you from an EU country, and don't need one?  You might want to wait, because the work situation right now is not so good right now.  Who knows when things will pick up for foreigners?  Are you looking to learn Spanish, or are you planning to live where most people speak English?  (that would narrow things down significantly)

email me, and I might be able to help you find the right location.