Job opportunities in Spain

[mkettner]

I am curious to the types of industry and business in which Spain has expertise. My brother is thinking about moving to Europe in the near future and has his eye on Spain and Portugal. He said the economy was weak in both but no doubt there must be something booming.

I look forward to everyones feedback.

All the best,

Michael

[atlast]

Where is your brother from? Does he have an EU passport? Sorry to ask such an obvious question, but a lot of people think they have the legal right to work and live anywhere they want.

[mkettner]

Great Question. I should have been more clear with that in my initial post. He doesn't have an EU Passport, but a Canadian one. His girlfriend who he intends to marry has an EU Passport.

Michael

[Peterc]

It also depends on which line of work he is in. Spain has a great tourism industry but with the re-activation of Basque terrorism recently that it due to drop. Tourism is a main money maker there and lots of ex-pats move there to open bars etc.

[atlast]

It's a shame to see the violence start up again. To an American, all the little ethnic groups that want self-governance seem a little strange. We are a country of little ethnic groups that choose a high degree of assimilation.

[QUESTION ALL]

Hi At last,
There is no doubt about it, Spain is still a fantastic place to live - 20 years here myself. Job opportunities are few and far between however (do not be tempted to buy a little bar in Spain unless you want to work 22 hours a day with little return!)
Holiday industry be it sales etc is still going strong as it real estate (slowing down by the day though)
Does your brother have any kind of a trade / professional qualifications etc - these things make it easier.
Wages not as high as UK but cost of living here still cheaper so balances out.
Big move to take but take the plunge - you can always go back but you never know until you try!!

[Burriana Babs]

Once he is married to his girlfriend (who does have an EU passport) it will be easier for him to become a resident, as he will then have the same rights as her. Going through the same transition myself so aware of the changes.

[jacks]

hi all, i am jackie from the uk. Am in early stages of research as am wanting to move to spain. I will be selling a property here. I am a single mum with three children. I am not a skilled worker, am a registered homehelp over here. Has any one got any advice on working in spain. Many thanks jackie

[Bevdeforges]

Hi Jackie - and welcome to the forums.

As an EU national, you don't have to worry about visas in Spain, nor about working privileges. The one thing you might want to start on now, though, is learning the language. It's always MUCH easier to find a job if you speak the local language reasonably well - and it helps with day to day life once you get there (shopping, taxes, medical care, etc.).

You might also want to take a look at the EU website on working in the various countries here: EUROPA - EURES - Living & Working - Members

(Handy to have this kind of information available in English!) The EURES site has some job postings and lots of information about the labor markets in specific regions within Spain.
Cheers,
Bev

[Goldberg]

Does he speak Spanish.
And the regional dialects, eg. Valenciana

There is a problem in Spain at the moment, the economy is not very good. Working situation pretty bad.