I’m trying to get into a position where myself and my young family can move to Spain this year.  I’m a software engineer finding it difficult to get a job in ANY area, so I was wondering how everyone else has managed.

Have most of you just sold up, come across and then ended up setting up bars etc, or have quite a few managed to continue their careers in Spain?  In the last group, did you get a job before you came and if not, did you just come to the part of Spain that you liked and then started to look?

Too many questions, not enough wine.

Cheers
Andy

hi Andy
My husband and I are moving out to spain this year, at the moment we run a airconditioning and refrigeration company, and as we need to work in spain, we need to carry on doing the same. We have been to the costa del sol 15 times now and talked to alot of people about getting work.  It is still quite scary though dont know what companys charge in spain at the moment and know we need to be competive to get work.

That’s my trouble also.  I know that I can get work as a software engineer, which is what I am, but one of the questions is “How much do I accept?”.

I’ve been told to knock a quarter off my wage but some “senior” positions are coming out a LOT lower than that, so freelancing or doing something else might be the only options.

Andy
Do you know the area you want to be living, we are moving 15 min from the coast of nerja 40 min from malaga. When we were out in feb we talked to alot of people owning bars and resurants to see how much they were getting charged for there refrigeration and airconditioning repairs. that is about right to knock a quarter off what you earn here.

Don’t forget that the cost of living is much lower here, so you should be able to adjust.

Just a thought - have you tried to get work with a UK company that has a branch in Spain?
It might be easier to do this than to approach Spanish companies directly.

i was wondering about jobs in spain by trade im a telecoms engineer,but to be on the safe side i took a tiling course and a plumbing course to att least i can plumb in my own toilet n sink,i drive a bus in the uk for a living but ,ive had enough of the yobs and the violence on londons buses im gona leave n try get some tiling work/i do wall n floors i worked at bt for all mosy 15 years
as a external engineer up poles n down holes,so if you have a bus party ,need your phone extension up stairs your kitchen and bathroom tiled im your man .i think it would a be a good idea to pool resources between us all, weve an IT guy a aircondionng expert,weve basically got a company ready to goe,and if we get a bus least we could collect a few bob from peeps wanting to get to their villas at the airport,lol

kev have a nice day

It certainly pays to have more than one string on your bow!

I have worked in the building trade for over 20 years, and have experience of every trade except plastering - electrics, plumbing, suspended ceilings, partitioning, dry-lining, floor and wall tiling, gas fitting, civil engineering and drainage, roofing and guttering, air conditioning, solar electricity and heating.

I did try plastering once, but couldn’t get the hang of it, although I have been doing some work with Yesso in my own cave which I would say is good enough for a cave 😊

The last 8 years, I have been contracting in the IT sector, specialising in the design and installation of large networks, VoIP, Cat5 and Fibre Cabling etc.

I’m not exactly looking for work at the moment, as the property website is bringing-in a steady income, and my skills are useful for renovating my own place, but would never turn down a good offer.

I think the key to working successfully in Spain is to learn the language and be flexible.

Tonelock
Let me know when you will be in spain and where you will be living, as i will be needing a tiler, one thing my husband cannot do is tile.
good luck

I moved to Granada 2 years ago. My work in the UK was kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and general internal rennovation, including flooring and tiling.

Given the quantity of older properties requiring work, plus the fact that the majority of new builds in Spain don’t come with kitchens, as it is classed as furniture and not included in the price, I soon managed to get work. I’ve been busy ever since!

A big help I believe, is your willingness to learn the language. I spoke & understood very little of the language when I arrived. Having had the opportunity to mix and work with the locals, it’s improved things a great deal. Because of this, I have started to get work from Spaniards, as well as the British ex-pats.

The single biggest problem I personally see with Brits quoting Brits for work over here is that some people price extremely highly, on the basis of almost “British” prices it seems. Dispite what some people think, there are many superb Spanish tradesmen, much of the propblems arise because of the language difference. They also price very reasonably, so bear this in mind if you’re quoting work for people.