Need advice on moving to Spain from Ireland. Going to Madrid.?

Question

I am a electrician but wouldnt mind working as something else. Anyone any useful career suggestions or websites that advertise work. Thanks

Answer 1

I understand that if you're not EU, getting a job in Spain is near impossible (although I heard there are tons of foreigners working illegally, and they wind up screwed if they plan to stay more than a year), but as you are going from Ireland, I assume you are Irish citizen, which is EU, correct?  (I'm only sort of up on this stuff)  So you should be golden as far as a work permit goes.  Go for Teaching English.  It's a good career, and there must be plenty of jobs.

Answer 2

Electricians are always in demand however you wíll probably be taken on as an "autonomo" at the start which is similar to self employed however you have a set amount of social security to pay every month which is up near 700€. You could get lucky and get a maintenance position in a company however I´m not sure on how often these positions come up.

The majority of employment shifts are done before Easter (Semana Santa) and between Sept and Nov.. The rest of the time prople will stay in their position until such time as the holidays have been and gone. Thats Easter through summer and later on December. On the opposite side of the coin the teaching jobs have their highest turnover in the spring and summer months. You canactually apply online from Ireland to some of the language centers.

The following will explain more about the rules / regs and the popular job websites:

http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/work-i...

One important thing to bea in mind is the current cost of renting here. Shared apartments will see you paying around 300€ a month and a private 1 bed place in the outskirts 600-800€. Wages are not that high... A thousand euros clear a month is a good situation for many... After all the average salary in spain is 22K€

Answer 3

I have seen your question before and didn't answer it because I'm not sure about electricians working in Madrid but having seen some of the other answers I feel compelled to answer.

Firstly, in Madrid you will have to speak Spanish, whilst most people under 45 speak English to a certain level work language will always be Spanish.

Secondly to say 22k is a 'normal' Spanish wage is wrong, especially in Madrid. I live in Malaga and am self employed and couldn't survive on that money!

My advice would be to research your job market very carefully. Why are you going to Madrid? If you have family there then I understand, otherwise I think it will be difficult for you, and like any capital city it's very expensive.

You will earn more as an electrician than a TEFL teacher unless you are extremely gifted and have some great contacts. The average wage for a self employed TEFL teacher in a language school is between 12 and 15 Euros an hour, you will have to be self employed and they will withhold (legally) 7% of your wages for the first two years which is paid directly to the Inland Revenue, and which you can reclaim, but it willtake approx. 18 months. Private teaching is very haphazard and unreliable. Most Companies have their own teachers - I know I'm one of them - for their staff, which again limits your opportunites to children and individuals, both poorly paid.

If you can't work with a contract you will have to be self employed, the current Social Security payment is 250 Euros a month as a self employed person, although this may increase this month but only by a few Euros, and depending on your age could be cheaper - where the person got 700 Euros from I don't know.

Whatever choice you make please work legally so you are covered for health treatment.

I personally think you would earn more as an electrician. I have a friend who is a qualified electrician from the UK and he's earning very good money, he's self employed and has had to work long hours to become established but now he's doing very well, paying his mortgage, supporting his family etc.

Good luck in your new life.

Answer 4

The first suggestion I would make if you are moving to Madrid, is to make sure your Spanish is good.

You can still move to Spain and work if it isn't, just not in Madrid (generally speaking of course).

One of the top sites in Spain is www.loquo.com. It's like Spain's version of Craigslist. It is a classifieds site.

There are also various specalised sites like www.expatriates.com

Then you have sites like thinkspain.com which is a magazine but there is a web version.

There are some Spanish job-specific sites like www.infoempleo.com which is pretty good.

You do kind of need to know what you want to do first though!

Answer 5

As some other posters have suggested, money-wise you would be better off as an electrician. Teaching English is a pretty dreadful job in Madrid as there is a lot of competition and wages are low, and many epople are very highly qualified to teach and willing to accept ridiculously low wages because mummy and daddy are paying the rent. Further, as a private teacher, you will have to work nights and weekends. I don't imagine the hours and wages are so grim as an electrician.

As for becoming established as an electrician, I am not sure how to do that in Madrid. I don't know if you are better off opening your own service for homeowners or working ofr a construction contractor.

Madrid is not inexpensive; renting a decent room in a shared apartment in the center of town will cost you at minimum of €400 usually; a private 1 bed room will be more in the neighborhood of €700. If you are willing to live outside of the center of town however, rent decreases considerably.

My advice: polish up your Spanish and look for work with a construction firm, and spend nights and weekends extablishing your own electrician business. A particularly lucrative niche may be to help bar and restaurant owners, as bars and restaurants open and close constantly, and are often completely redesigned, which must require an electrician at some point.

Answer 6

It will be very difficult to get a job teaching English if you are not qualified/experienced.  Just being a native speaker of English will not be enough for the typical employer.  And, TEFL classes are expensive and lengthy...but do check out International House in Madrid.

Answer 7

The best and widely used job site is:

http://www.infojobs.net/index.htm

With infojobs, you will need to make an account...it's free. But it's in Spanish. Another popular one is INAEM where they have offices around the city:

http://inaem.aragon.es/portal/page/porta...

As for becoming an English Teacher, it's great are they are in high demand! There are hundreds of Language Academies in Madrid. Here is a helpful site:

http://www.madridteacher.com/pdfs/englis...

Good Luck!

Answer 8

You will need to make sure your Spanish is quite good. It may be a good idea to check the Common  European framework to see if they have set a recommended Spanish level for your area of expertise.

  As for working as a teacher it is much harder to get a job as many schools & language academies now require you to show / prove your qualifications. If necessary you may be asked to convailidate them within the spanish system.

   Also it is a good idea to find out what benefits you may have gained in Ireland ie. social welfare entitlements.

You may be able to transfer your stamps with an E311 and draw social welfare benefits if you don't find sufficient work. This is based upon what you earned in Ireland so do check it out and see. Make sure you get your E111 as this will entitle you to medical care whilst in Spain for one year.

    You will pick up work but it may be more difficult to find a permenant or full time position and contracts within teaching are sometimes not worth the paper they are written on. Added to this the salary is much lower to what you would be use to in Ireland. You will notice this if / when you visit Ireland as the wage difference really comes into play then.

    Rent in Madrid is quite high &  it's not a great time  to buy a house or flat  at the moment.

As other people have said there are quite a lot of foreigners in Madrid many of whom are illegal( non European). There are other cities and towns which might offer better  job options so do look into it especially if you want to work as an electrician. Try and get in contact with others in the field to see if there is work etc.... in Madrid.

These websites may be off some help :

www.spanish-living.com

www.idealspain.com

www.andalucia.com/spain/working/home.h...

www.spainexpat.com

www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Working-Spain-...

www.thinkspain.com/services/joboffers

www.andalucia.com/law/tax.htm

     Make sure you check out the tax system as it is can be  complicated and the individual is liable to fines if you do not comply with tax laws. It is possible to go down to your local tax office where the staff are usually quite helpful with simple queries. There is a freephone number for Agencia Tributaria 900 333 555 or try 901 200 345.

  I hope this is of some use to you but remember it's not all sun, sea and party in Spain. The system is very differant to Ireland and at times very frustrating so be prepared for a change. As an Irish national living here for the last twelve years I still find the "laid back  attitude" very frustrating.  

   It's best to know all the pros & cons before you make the move so  take the time to inform yourself well. It will save you a lot of time queuing up in local offices. Good luck!!!