Spain is a great place to spend money. Getting a job as an expat? No so great – As Craig Stewart, of estate agency We Sell Homes in Paradise based near Sotogrande in Southern Spain says: “I think one thing to make very clear is Spain is a great place to spend your money. There are not many jobs here. It’s a great place to come with money. Probably the best place to spend your money and have a great life. But if you’re coming here to work, I don’t know how many opportunities there are.”
I grew up here on the Costa del Sol and spent my adult life working in the UK looking/hoping for an opportunity to move back to Spain because of the quality of life I’d experienced growing up.
Moving back here involved leaving a well-paid job with a company BWM, free accommodation and a team of 300 staff, in a second-hand ex RAC van with my girlfriend, 2 dogs and enough money for 3 months.
I spent a month applying for any job I could find, spent days walking along the paseo walking into every business I could find willing to do anything at any pay rate (and I’m bilingual) and nothing. Too old, overqualified. If you’re not ready for this, it chips away at your self-esteem.
Eventually, I got lucky because a newspaper I’d offered to work for free at happened to have a vacancy (on 1k/month). I jumped at the chance, eventually becoming the editor and then jumping over to a real estate marketing agency as director. …and 17 years later, all is good in the hood.
So yes, even speaking the language with friends already here and knowing my way around the place was challenging.
…without money or a job already in the bag from a friend (here we call that having an 𝑒𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑓𝑒), you’ve got to hustle.
Would I do anything differently? Yes. I would have moved here 10 years sooner. 😎
