Smart Job Searching In Spain: Part One.

Economic Crisis

One of the main questions we get asked by people who are considering relocating to Spain is, “How easy is it to find a job?” Unfortunately, the only honest response to that, is that it is not. That’s not to say that there are no jobs in Spain, only that the country has one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe, particularly on the coast, where around 1 in 5 people are out of work. Although Spain is one of the European Union’s (EU) fastest growing economies, it is still struggling to recover from the economic downturn which has seen it hit rock bottom over the past decade, with large numbers of highly qualified professionals now all fighting for the same position. And, as Spain is not quite so proactive in promoting equal opportunities in the work place as they are in other parts of Europe, as a foreigner you may find yourself sliding down the ranks, irrespective of your qualifications or status. This scenario has been exacerbated by the UK’s recent decision to leave the EU, with Brexit anxiety making Spanish companies nervous about employing British staff. A good command of the language will certainly stand you in good stead, although you still may find that you do not outshine a native Spanish speaker who is also likely to speak English and other languages. All of this might sound extremely negative, but is certainly worth considering before you wave goodbye to your current employer, pack your bags and board that plane.

Unemployment Levels

The good news is that the country is recovering slowly, with the unemployment rate declining to 18.91 percent in the third quarter of 2016 from 20 percent during the previous three months. It also fell by 2.8 percent during the fourth quarter of 2015 to 20.8 percent, showing a continuing year on year trend. Certain sectors have even reported increased recruitment, such as the country’s largest region, Castilla y León, where there are now more openings than before the crisis for personal care workers, construction workers and chefs! Youth unemployment levels however continue to remain high, at around 45 percent, with graduates reporting difficulty in finding work in their field and the tendency to search for jobs overseas on the rise. As in other countries, the highest levels of unemployment lie among unskilled workers, so those with education and experience will fare better when looking for work. Some employment experts have suggested that Spain’s protected labour laws have contributed to its current employment predicament, by allowing employers to give so many part-time and temporary contracts to new employees, often paying them cash in hand for hours worked over and above their designated quota. The scenario has been particularly damaging to young employees and ambitious graduates, as companies are reluctant to hire them due to the potentially high costs involved for them.

Where To Look

A useful piece of advice is to research the employment market before you make the move. The power of the internet means that you do not need to wait until you are living in Spain to start job hunting, sending out CV’s or even applying for interesting positions with a view to flying over to attend an interview should you be shortlisted. It might take the excitement out of the whole relocation dream, but better that than jump in with both feet then find that you are in a financial crisis yourself a few months down the line. The key to finding a decent job, any job in fact, is in knowing where to look, and unfortunately there are only a fraction of the number of job searching websites operating in Spain compared to in the UK. Therefore, you cannot expect just to type your profession or job related area into Google and be presented with hundreds of options to browse and apply for at your leisure. On the contrary, job searching in Spain involves lots of hard work in itself, with finding a suitable job being equally as difficult as actually getting it. You will commence the process by trawling through reams of unhelpful information and should expect to hit one brick wall after another before you finally start to see some light at the end of the tunnel. On the positive side, you will get there; and as you have come this far in your relocation mission, should find that you are even more determined to sell yourself to the employer and land the desired role!

Aim Below Your Status

With so many talented people jostling for pole position in the employment stakes, as an outsider you should learn not to set the bar too high. You might feel that you are more than qualified or experienced enough to undertake a certain role, but you will need to prove that to the Employer concerned, and sadly your qualifications gained overseas may not mean much to them!  If you are looking for graduate work then do not forget that you will be competing against large numbers of extremely intelligent, highly qualified Spaniards, although you stand the best chance of getting somewhere in the consulting, industry and IT sectors, which have all grown in past years. Therefore, one way of landing that dream job is to start at the bottom, which might be way beneath your current status, and work your way back up through the ranks again. It might seem like a ludicrous, unmotivated and wholly unreasonable suggestion after all those years of hard work, studying and making cups of coffee for the right people, but the reality is that you are not such an attractive proposition in Spain as you were back home.

Career And Lifestyle Choices

You should at this stage have a clear picture in your mind of what it is that you want from your move to Spain, and if it is a better quality of life, relaxed pace and oodles of warm, sunny weather then you are heading in the right direction. However, if you seek to secure an executive role with a six-figure salary within the first twelve months, then perhaps you need to get the atlas out again and take another look. On a personal level, I knew exactly what I wanted when I left the UK to start my new life in Spain. In spite of having spent years studying to gain my university degree, and going on to find my dream job as the Senior Manager of a Young Carer’s Project, it was not enough. My work was my life, and when I thought carefully about it I had very little outside of that. I had also done little else but study during my teenage years, and as I had youth, ambition and a keen sense of adventure on my side at the time I decided it was now or never. I dedicated all of my spare time to learning Spanish, and researching employment opportunities in my sector, although this did not prove fruitful at the time. As I was determined to make this work I decided to expand my job search, focusing in what was then the biggest growth industry on the Costa Blanca -Real Estate. I sent my CV to all of the most successful international companies who were selling houses like hot cakes at the time, and got lots of positive feedback, with all informing me that they would like to meet me for an interview once I arrived in Spain. That was all the encouragement I needed to hand in my resignation and book a one way ticket to my new life in the sun! I had been living in Torrevieja for just three weeks before I found a job as a Waitress in a restaurant close to my home. The hours were not perfect and pay was insulting, but it was a job and would help to keep things ticking over while I continued to search for something better. Within two months I had landed an interesting sales position, although it was not houses, but Hydro-spas that I was responsible for promoting. It was a far cry from everything I had studied for and gained experience doing back home, but it was fun, stress free and the money was not bad either! My career in Spain continued to blossom, and I eventually found myself working full time as a Reporter for one of the coast’s most successful weekly newspapers. It was a job that I had never even imagined doing only five years earlier, and one that opened a sequence of doors to a very satisfying writing career.

Networking

It is worth noting that many people looking for work in Spain find it through informal routes, such as word of mouth, networking and speculative applications, especially in small to medium-sized companies. Therefore, once you have settled in the country you should ideally expand your job search beyond the usual agencies and adverts and just start networking, popping into offices, bars, shops and simply ask the question- taking a CV with you on the off chance that they might need someone just like yourself.  If you have a very specialized qualification in a specific work area then you may be in luck, as Spain like other nations has a number of vacancies that are continually hard to fill. The Government holds a list of shortage occupations in each region, and makes allowances for expedited and less restricted hiring processes to fill these vacancies. Shortage occupations in Spain normally include medium to highly qualified positions, in fields such as Teaching, particularly in language subjects and lecturing in universities; mechanical, industrial and production engineers, computing and business experts, commercial relations, medical practitioners, web and multi-media development, real estate, hotels, restaurants and tourism. During 2015, the nation’s biggest growth sectors included accounting and finance, agribusiness, business management and marketing, renewable energy, the creative sector, engineering and information technology (IT). Seasonal work such as jobs within the tourist trade and are popular professions among foreign residents, as are other services catering to the large expat populations along Spain’s coastal regions, such as translating, teaching English and property management. It is also worth approaching the plethora of businesses which have been established by foreign residents, who are more likely to be sympathetic to your situation, understand your qualifications, and in many cases will actually prefer to employ expats with whom they can communicate more effectively.

If you wish to start researching the employment situation in your chosen destination, ahead of your move to Spain, here are a few places where you can try first:

• Forums such as Costa Blanca Forum, Expat Focus, Costa Calida Forum and British Expats Forum; as well as area specific information websites such as La Marina Forum, Torrevieja Forums, Torrevieja.co.uk, and Talk Quesada.
• Employment websites such as Mil Anuncios; Trovit; Indeed.es; infojobs.net.
• The EURES job mobility portal also supplies job vacancies and labour market information for Spain.