Moving to Spain in a middle of recession - am I delusional?

[Blonde0000]

Over the years I have managed to successfully find good jobs on 3 different continents so I know beginnings can be hard but people eventually land on their feet. I currently work in London and have a good job but I seriously have had enough of UK and came to a point in my life when I have to make a significant change. I have few friends in Barcelona (different nationalities) who who have moved there over the past few years and all are happy, they have different professions and they learned the language quite quickly. I speak some Spanish but I'm planning to go on an intensive course upon arrival, also I'm already bilingual. My friends are like me, well traveled and with lots of experience when it comes to starting from scratch, they are telling me I'll be fine and even though things are bad in Spain I will be ok, in a way I can relate to that since I didn't feel the effects of recession in London over the years and whist looking for a job (I'm a personal assistant) I've had a lot of offers.
I'd like to hear opinions from foreigners living in Barcelona and what should I be prepared for realistically.

[mrypg9]

Originally Posted by Blonde0000

Over the years I have managed to successfully find good jobs on 3 different continents so I know beginnings can be hard but people eventually land on their feet. I currently work in London and have a good job but I seriously have had enough of UK and came to a point in my life when I have to make a significant change. I have few friends in Barcelona (different nationalities) who who have moved there over the past few years and all are happy, they have different professions and they learned the language quite quickly. I speak some Spanish but I'm planning to go on an intensive course upon arrival, also I'm already bilingual. My friends are like me, well traveled and with lots of experience when it comes to starting from scratch, they are telling me I'll be fine and even though things are bad in Spain I will be ok, in a way I can relate to that since I didn't feel the effects of recession in London over the years and whist looking for a job (I'm a personal assistant) I've had a lot of offers.
I'd like to hear opinions from foreigners living in Barcelona and what should I be prepared for realistically.

Dzien dobry ....mluvis dobry anglielski...lepsi jak moy polski



If you are single and have enough cash to buy your ticket back to London...In principle I'd say go for it.
It would make sense though to take a holiday and do some on-the-ground research.
If you have a good job in the UK you shouldn't give it up that easily, though.

And, sadly, not everyone eventually lands on their feet....I've been here long enough to know that from first-hand experience.

[Pesky Wesky]

You say you have experience of travelling, living in different countries, working and learning languages. This should all add up to success.
I would be reluctant to advise you one way or the other however. The situation Spain finds itself in today is undeniably grave. At first only the constuction industry was affected but now you hear of plenty of skilled workers leaving the country to find work - architects, engineers, graduates of all types.
However, I'd have thought you'd be able to test the ground before you come without too much trouble by looking at recruitment agencies on internet and using the contacts that you have in Barcelona. When researching work possiblilities, think about the future of that company and your future within the company. It it in a business that's at risk? An area that's looking unstable?
Find out what your job prospects are before you come, and if you do come make sure you have money saved up to fall back on if necessary. And think about where you want to be and where Spain's likely to be in a few years time before you make a decision.

[jojo]

Go for a holiday, get a feel for everything and see what turns up - just dont burn your UK bridges

Jo xxx

[Leper]

You are correct . . . you are delusional. Sorry.

[Blonde0000]

Thanks everyone. I've been to Barcelona many times and I love the city.
With regards to work I do realize that I might not find something within my line of work straight away, I'm an executive assistant and a secretary in pharmaceutical regulatory body so it's not really a skilled profession and unless I was lucky enough to find an office job in UK/US company or something like that, I am absolutely prepared to do anything in the beginning. I'm also single and child free.
I am registering myself on various websites and doing a lot of research at the moment and the most frequent jobs seem to be those in call centers, either customer service or sales. I am a native polish speaker but I'm not sure whether knowledge of this language would give me any advantage at all.
Any further suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

[Alcalaina]

Originally Posted by Blonde0000

Thanks everyone. I've been to Barcelona many times and I love the city.
With regards to work I do realize that I might not find something within my line of work straight away, I'm an executive assistant and a secretary in pharmaceutical regulatory body so it's not really a skilled profession and unless I was lucky enough to find an office job in UK/US company or something like that, I am absolutely prepared to do anything in the beginning.
I am registering myself on various websites and doing a lot of research at the moment and the most frequent jobs seem to be those in call centers, either customer service or sales. I am a native polish speaker but I'm not sure whether knowledge of this language would give me any advantage at all.
Any further suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Unemployment rate in Barcelona is around 21% - lower than the Spanish average (25%), but still three times as bad as Britain, even in its worst recession. Wages are very low, and falling.

As long as you're aware of that and have an escape route if things go wrong (no social security in Spain remember), why not go for it? You only live once, and you don't have any dependents to worry about. Get cracking on becoming fluent in Spanish now, and a bit of Catalan might impress potential employers too.

Buena suerte!

[Pesky Wesky]

Originally Posted by Blonde0000

Thanks everyone. I've been to Barcelona many times and I love the city.
With regards to work I do realize that I might not find something within my line of work straight away, I'm an executive assistant and a secretary in pharmaceutical regulatory body so it's not really a skilled profession and unless I was lucky enough to find an office job in UK/US company or something like that, I am absolutely prepared to do anything in the beginning. I'm also single and child free.
I am registering myself on various websites and doing a lot of research at the moment and the most frequent jobs seem to be those in call centers, either customer service or sales. I am a native polish speaker but I'm not sure whether knowledge of this language would give me any advantage at all.
Any further suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Call centre work is a strong possibility, but you don't have Spanish yet do you, so that limits you somewhat I'd have thought. I have clients who are are call centre with presence in Gemany, Italy and Spain. Spain moved all the call centre work to Perú last year making over a hundred people here redundant... They did have agents who were given a bonus for speaking English, but the main work was Spanish. I'm not sure if there'd be a demand for Polish.
Apart from that you might pick up some bar work, but it's very precarious, not something you can build plans around, but perhaps you don't have any??! I was with a Ukranian friend today. She's been in Spain, in various places for years. She now works in an Irish pub in Madrid where she's been for 3 years. She was telling me she doesn' t get paid holidays and she works Christmas, match nights etc etc
I think without Spanish it'll be difficult - but you can give it a try.
Why don't you keep us posted on what you try and what you decide to do?

[Blonde0000]

Thanks,
I have come across few call center jobs where polish language was required (it was alwas english + other european language, i.e: danish, dutch, norwegian etc.)
I work for european commission so I'm trying to organize a transfer as the agency I work for has a location in Barcelona but this might be difficult as contracts are quite lucrative and I can imagine there will be hundreds of others applying for the same position.
Bar work would be probably the last thing I'd consider, I'm 31 years old
Thanks again everyone, I'll keep you posted.

[brocher]

I have heard some call centre jobs can be very, very low paid - and if you don't meet your targets you'll be out the door again, before you've hardly had a chance to get settled in an learn the job.