How to find a job in Spain?

If you are thinking of looking for a job in Spain, there are some things you should have in mind beforehand. Probably you are wondering whether you have to speak Spanish; if you need a Visa; where to search for a job and if you should move to Spain before or if you can find a job from aboard. In this article you will find the answers and advice on how to find a job in Spain.

It depends of the job you are applying for, but in most cases YES. Many Spanish people speak Spanish only, which is why it is recommendable to learn Spanish to be able to communicate with them.

You do NOT have to speak Spanish if you are applying for a job in an international company where the official language spoken at work is English. The same example applies if you work as a top manager, or should you have some specific knowledge: you speak a language they are looking for; or you have special IT skills, or in any other specific areawhere they are more interested in you having that certain knowledge rather than speaking Spanish.

If you are a native English speaker or your English is advanced, you can find a job as an English teacher without knowing Spanish. It is quite common you have to have a bachelor degree + English teaching certificate, for example TEFL.

Another option is an au-pair or nanny. You can find families who want you to speak with their children in your mother tongue only, for example English, German, French and so on.

Should you speak many other languages, you can also try to find a job in tourism. In Spain there are a lot of foreigners hence you can find job adds where they are looking for a native Swedish or Russian speaker for example.

If you have a nationality of any of the European Union member state, you do NOT need a visa. You will have to apply for a NIE (Número de Identificación Extranjera), which is some sort of your Spanish ID card, which you need for everything: permission to work, get you social security number, open a bank account, or arranging any other paper work in Spain. During the economic crisis in Spain, the government changed the conditions to get a NIE to restrict it. Once you have found a job, it is easier to get your NIE. It costs around 10€. Unless you change your address, your NIE number remains the same.

If you are not from the EU you will also have to get a NIE — but you will have to renew it. Check at the Spanish embassy in your home country or at the embassy of your country in Spain. They will give you all the necessary information and guidance.

The public unemployment service does not work very well in Spain. The most commonly used is a private web page called infojobs.com. You can register for free and start searching for jobs, applying the variables as location, city, category, salary range, job sector or position. It is only available in Spanish.

There are other web sites you can use, as for example Monster, Primerempeo (internships and beginner jobs), Tecnoempleo (IT and engineer jobs), Trabajando.es, Infoempleo and Indeed.

You can also try to find a job via ETT (temporary work placement agencies): Adecco, Randstad or Page Personnel.

Pay attention — all these web pages are in Spanish. For this you will need at least a minimum level of Spanish to be able to register. You can also find job adds in English but the general the web sites are always in Spanish

The selection process in Spain usually takes a lot of time. One company had filled the gap and had found a solution to finding a job quickly, in only few days. They have developed an application which is called Job Today. You can download it and start to work as soon as possible. The jobs offered are basic, for example waitress, sales person, hostess etc.

According to my experience, the Spanish companies are not very flexible to do the interviews through Skype or phone. They want you to attend the interview in person; unless you are applying for a job in an international company or for a management position. If the job is staff level and everybody can do it, they will not wait for you to move to Spain.

When the recruiters see you do not live in Spain and you do not have a Spanish phone number, they will not even bother calling you. This could be the reason why they are not calling you if you live abroad.

Certainly it is easier to find a job once you are in Spain, but it is not impossible to find it while you are still in your home country.

As I mentioned previously, without NIE you cannot work. In some cases the employers can help you get your NIE number. They can call the office to get you an appointment and write you a confirmation letter, confirming they want to employ you.

In the NIE form you will have to write your address in Spain. It might be tricky if you do not have your accommodation yet. What to do in this case? Write the address of some of your friends or maybe employer and ask them for a permission beforehand. It has to be the address where you will receive the post.

Once you get your NIE, the employer can prepare a work contract. It is a standard contract where the employer fills in the gaps. Pay attention to all the details being filled in correctly, check the start and end date, probation period, working hours, schedule and vacations. The employer has to give you an original contract signed by them.

With your NIE number you have to go to Social Security office to get your social security number. They do not make appointments, you have to got to the office and ask. Depending of the city but it can take a lot of time.

With your NIE you can open a bank account where you will receive your salary.

The most commonly used web site is Idealista. You can choose the language and search for room, home, garage, storage etc. There are also others such as Yaencontre, Milanuncios, Pisos.com, Fotocasa etc. If you would prefer to share a flat, you can choose to rent a room. Website such as pisocompartido.com is an example of web where you can find your future flatmate.

You have to be very careful to not pay anything in advance without receiving a rental contract and other guarantee which shows that the flat actually exists. Ask for a “catastro” number, each apartment has it. Spain has a high percentage of fraud and unfortunately I know people who were cheated more than once– they paid the deposit and rent, they arrived to Spain and the flat did not exist and the person who “rented” the apartment disappeared. It is better to book a hostel or a hotel for a week, arrive to the new place and go flat hunting by yourself, and visit flats in person.

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