Finding Work in Spain

Finding work in Spain is not easy, especially outside the major cities where unemployment can sometimes be quite high. If you are a member of an EC country then you have an automatic right to live and work in Spain but if not then you may find obtaining your residence card time-consuming and frustrating. It is also necessary for non-Europeans to have their employment approved by the Spanish Ministry of Labour (Ministerio de Trabajo) and obtain a visa before entering the country.

Work In Spain-Seasonal Jobs
There is normally quite alot of work to be had in the major tourist resorts from the beginning of May until the end of September naturally enough this mostly consists of work in the hotel and catering industry with plenty of casual bar work normally available in English run bars. This type of work is notoriously poorly paid, although you can improve your wages with tips, but has the advantage that it is quite easy to get and it is not always a requirement that you speak Spanish. So if you just want to work in Spain for the summer then this type of work may suit you best.

You probably will not be able to arrange it without being in the country though and just approaching bar owners or scouring the job vacancy ads. in the local English press.

Couriers and Tour Reps.
If you speak Spanish then you may be able to get seasonal work in Spain as a courier, tour guide or sports instructors, approach some of the larger holiday companies such at Thompson Holidays to see what they have on offer.

Competition for jobs is fierce and Spanish fluency is usually necessary, even for employment with foreign tour operators. Most companies also have age requirements, the minimum being 21, although many companies prefer employees to be older. To find out which companies operate in the part of Spain you are interested in check the brochures in your local travel agency or search online but be sure to send in your application well before the season starts.

Timeshare.
A quick glance in the local English language newspapers, will show you that 75% of the jobs available are in the timeshare industry. However don’t be immediately put off, because although there are plenty of sharks and scams, there are also several reputable time share companies that have many years of success behind them and provide contracts, good commission rates and opportunities for promotion to their staff. However, all timeshare companies offer the hard sell approach to prospective buyers and if you are uncomfortable with this then it is not for you.

Semi and Permanent Jobs in Spain-Teaching English
English schools are mushrooming all over Spain and offer very good work opportunities for native English speakers. However it is normally required that you have some formal qualifications, the most widely accepted being The TEFL certificate, (teaching English as a Foreign language.) For a fairly small investment of around 1,000 euros you can obtain this certificate by attending a one month intensive course and you will then be qualified to not only work in Spain but also at many other destinations world wide.

Foreign language schools in Spain are generally well run and the wages are reasonable, they often provide accommodation for their teachers too so it can be a good way to live and work in Spain.

Details of foreign language schools can be obtained by contacting.
Centros de Enseñanzza de Idiomas, Calle Sagasta, 27, 28004 Madrid.

Private Tuition
There is a high demand for private English teachers here and many teachers employed at local language academies supplement their income by giving private lessons. You can advertise in local schools, universities and retail outlets and, once you’re established, additional students can usually be found through word of mouth, particularly for children who have failed their end of year English examinations!

Au Pairs
Both men and women between the ages of 18 and 30 are eligible for a job as an au pair. The au pair system provides young people with a great opportunity to travel, improve their Spanish and generally broaden their education by living and working in Andalucia. However, the main aim of the au pair system is to give young people the opportunity to learn a foreign language in a typical family environment. Au pairs are usually contracted to work for a minimum of six months and a maximum of a year. Most families require an au pair for at least the whole school year, from September to June. The best time to look for an au pair position therefore is before the beginning of the school year in September. Au pair agencies in Britain are listed in the Au Pair and Nanny’s Guide to Working Abroad by Susan Griffith.

Construction Industry
Many parts of Spain have seen a building boom in recent years and the construction industry employs many foreign nationals. However as most of the building sites are Spanish run it will be necessary for you to have a basic understanding of the language in order to be able to get and hold down a job.

Self- Employment.
Many people turn to running their own business in Spain as the best way to make a living in Spain. However for the un-prepared this road can be a minefield of headaches and problems. The best advice I can give is to do your homework and remember the old adage, "by failing to prepare, you prepare to fail." Get good advice from a reputable professional about the legal requirements for your particular business, opening licenses, tax declarations etc. It is a good idea to talk to other people who have started there own business and thereby learn by their mistakes.

Rightly or wrongly there are alot of foreigners resident in Spain who prefer to employ English speaking people so there are plenty of opportunities for builders, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, cleaners, hairdressers, beauticians etc. and anyone determined enough to work through the red tape and get established should end up with a good business.

For any sort of work in Spain you will need to obtain your N.I.E. (numero de identificacion de extranjero) which you can do through the Oficina de Extranjeros, ( foreigners office) at your local police station.

Illegal Employment
Illegal employment thrives in Spain where it has been estimated that as much as 25% of the officail GNP is due to the black economy with real unemployment being at least 10% below the official government figure.

Many unscrupulous employers use illegal labor as a means to avoid the paying the high social security contributions and to be able to pay low wages for long hours and poor working conditions. Heavy fines are often imposed when offenders, which includes both the employee as well as the employer, are prosecuted so be warned!

Spanish History under the Visigoths

The Visigoths ruled a large kingdom in southern France in the fifth century but often they make raids across the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain.

In both contexts that as rulers of their large southern kingdom in France and as raiders into Spain they are acting as allies of Rome.

Towards the end of the 5th Century in 475 AD the then Visigothic King, Euric, declares total independence from Rome and then begins to extend his own kingdom naturally for his own personal gain and benefit.

Spain initially when Euric declared independence from Rome was of only secondary importance to say .the territory already occupied and controlled by the Visigoths in France which was much larger and at that time of much more value to Euric’s empire.

But at the start of the 6th Century in the year 507 AD Euric's son is defeated by the King of the Franks, Clovis just north of Poitiers in France.

This effectively reduces the territory that they control to the strip from the mountains of the Pyrenees to the Rhône River.

Naturally having now lost a very considerable part of their original territorial Kingdom in the 6th Century they are now intent to extend and expand the territory that they control in Spain.

As with all rapidly growing powers and empires they have rises and falls in their expansion plans and there is a hold up in the south of Spain from 554 A.D. when the Byzantine emperor Justinian uses his military strength to re-capture the region from Cadiz on the Atlantic coast in the South west to Cartagena on the Mediterranean in the east.

This is a coastal strip that runs more or less West to East of the Southern tip of Spain and representing less than 5% of the Country.

But within the relative short time span of only some seventy years all the territory has been recovered.
Now all of Spain is controlled by the Visigoths during the seventh century.

They have an outstanding capital at Toledo just to the South and slightly to the West of the modern Capital Madrid.

During this time there are continuing hostilities between different tribes of Visigoth’s so they were having internal power struggles not only between fellow Visigoth’s but also with the original local population which would have included Huns and Christian Catholics. Undoubtedly these would have been interesting and some what turbulent times to say the least.

However history takes an interseying turn when the Moors are invited by the Byzantine General Julian for help in what was virtually a civil war between the various factions of the successors of the Visigoth King Wittiza.

The Governor of North Africa Musa agreed to Julian's request for help and sent his deputy commander Tariq bin Ziyad with a military army which landed at Gibraltar on April 30, 711.

As I have stated the Moors did not arrive in Spain initially simply to extend the territory that they controlled.

Tariq's major victory came later in September of 711 when the Umayyad army defeated Roderic of the Visigoths at the Guadalete River.

The Guadalete River is located in the Spanish province of Cádiz, the source lies in the Grazalema Mountains at an elevation of about 1000 m, and it f;lows for some 172 km into the Bay of Cádiz at El Puerto de Santa Maria, which is to the south of the city of Cádiz.

The name derives from the arab "River of Forgefullness" it flows by some of the famous white villages including Arcos de la Frontera

As a result of that Victory and in accordance with the agreement that had been made by Julian they accepted land as a reward for their successful military service.

From here on in from relatively small toe hold in the South west tip of Spain Islam begins to expand over the majority of Iberia including Portugal.

The Algarve a beautiful part of Portugal derives its name from the Arabic for the west as it was the most western area in their sphere of influence.

The short journey across the water from Africa, bringing an army into Spain in 711, begins the first thrust of Arab expansionism in the west. In a frequently repeated pattern of history the invaders, invited to assist one side in a quarrel, rapidly take control and suppress both squabbling parties. Within a few months the Arabs drive the Visigoths from their capital at Toledo.

Soon governors are appointed by the caliph in Damascus Syria are now ruling much of Spain. The Arabs press on northwards.

Their armies move into Gaul in France, and here at last they are halted - near Poitiers in 732. The same city where some 200 years before the Franks defeated Euric’s son is 507.

In less than some 20 years the whole of the Iberian penisular had fallen.

In real terms it is fair to say that the Invasion and occupation of Spain was not really opposed. Indeed how can it of been an invasion when they where invited.

The Moslems respected the indigenous people as being people of the book meaning the bible. Jesus is regarded highly in the Muslim faith and there are many links between the three largest religions of the world if one cares to look a little beneath the surface.

Indeed in these times these three religions co-existed very well often sharing places of worship and attending each others festivals and holy days. After all most of them all work around very similar timing in their events.

The social intercourse between the various religious groups helps considerably to minimize tension in the early centuries.

However as years pass in later centuries it does unfortunately provide opportunities for persecution.

It is said that there were lower taxes and incentives to those who did actually convert.to Islam.

Also the indigenous people were probably more worried of the war like Franks who lived above the Pyrenees than they were of the Berbers from North Africa whom they had known for many years as trading partners and people of commerce.

Similar again in History to the Roman invasion of Southern England in Ad 43 where the local population whose leader was known by the adopted Roman name of Maximus had traded with and had known the Romans for some two hundred year as in indeed the Spanish population had known and traded with the noble Berbers for many hundreds of years.

Conquering the rest of Spain back to Christian rule was the intention of the Christians immediately from the time of the occupation of the Muslims from the beginning of the Eighth century.

This is when the Visigoths who were Christians were confined to Asturia a small Kingdom in the North.

The idea of regaining Spain as a Christian country becomes the sole aim of medieval noble knight hood in Spain.

It takes many hundreds of years in deed some seven hundred until Granada is finally handed over in 1492.

It is of course highly complicated by the integration which has occurred between the various religious groups in many parts of Spain.

This is but one in a series of articles and in a brief article such as this one can only highlight some of the key points.

The Author JJ writes many articles on a variety of topics and for further information one of his web sites is at Marbella Spain.

Famous Spanish Conquistadors

The Spanish Empire was fighting the battle of "reconquista" for a number of decades. The battle for the Peninsula of Iberia was fought against the Muslim Moors. During this time period, the elite version of the mounted cavalry evolved to what is now known as the 'Conquistador'. The conquistadors fulfilled the multiple tasks of exploration and conquest.

The Spanish conquistadors took up the task of conquering the New World. Within a very short span of time, they brought a huge area of the American continent under Spanish rule. The Spanish Empire in the American continent covered, from the southernmost tip to the central parts of present-day Mexico. In the process of exploring the American continent, they became extremely rich, as this vast area was laden with gold and precious stones. They also introduced several plants, fruits and vegetables into the European economy. Indirectly, they contributed to the success of Spain during the Imperial period. They earned a lot of respect and held a very prestigious position in the Spanish society.

Some of the conquistadors were legendary heroes for the Spanish Empire. Amongst the famous conquistadors was Francisco Pizarro, who laid the foundation of the City of Lima, Peru. Another famous Spanish conquistador was Herneando Cortes.

Francisco Pizarro - The 'El Viejo'

Francisco Pizarro was popularly known as 'El Viejo', which in Spanish means the 'old one'. Among the Inca people, he was known as 'Apu Machu'. Francisco Pizarro was probably the most senior conquistador, in terms of age. Though being a very highly ranked conquistador, Pizarro did not belong to any of the noble families in Spain, which was unusual at that time, since most of the high ranking conquistadors belonged to nobility. Pizarro's actual date of birth or for that matter the year of birth, is also not known exactly. The only thing that is known, is that Pizarro was either born in the year 1471 or 1478, in the town of Trujillo, in Estremadura, Spain. Even though Pizarro never received any formal education or military training, he is often considered to be one of the most brilliant generals of his time.

Pizarro sailed with the crew of Alonso de Ojeda to the New World. Upon landing in the New World, Ojeda founded the city of San Sebastian. He was also a member of the 'Nunez de Balboa' expedition. This expedition reached the Isthmus of Panama on September 29, 1513. The expedition also discovered the Pacific Ocean. Another expedition in which Pizarro participated was the one that discovered present-day Costa Rica. This expedition was led by Espinosa, another famous conquistador. In the years between 1515 to 1520, Pizarro tried settling down by become a trader along the coast. Later in the 1520s, he received funding for an expedition to the south of Panama. The expedition was a financial failure, since Pizarro found relatively less gold on the coast of Colombia. In the late 1520s, Pizarro undertook another expedition into the far south, where he reached Peru.

Pizarro received the title of Governor and Captain General. These titles gave him complete authority over the regions that he conquered or explored for Spain. In the 1530s, he began his campaigns to conquer the whole of South America. During the battle against the Incas, Pizarro captured King Atahualpa. As a ransom, King Atahualpa offered Pizarro enough gold to fill the 22 feet high room in which he was held captive.

In the year 1535, Pizarro founded the city of Lima. Sadly on 26th June, 1541, followers of Pedro de Almagro assassinated Pizarro as they wanted to loot the wealth of Lima.

Even today, Francisco Pizarro is considered as one of the greatest conquistadors and explorer. He was also considered a very successful general because of his judgment skills regarding the enemy. Using only a very small amount of men, he was able to conquer a major part of the South American continent. He was successful in making Imperial Spain powerful.

Hernando Cortes

Hernando Cortes was also known as 'Cortes'. Cortes was born in the noble family of Martin Cortes de Monroy. He attended the famous University of Salamanca. He is credited with the feat of conquering more than 5 million Aztecs with a force of only 1000 soldiers.

The journey of Cortes began in the year 1502, after he left law college due to academic failure. He joined the voyage of Nicholas de Ovando and grew extremely popular among the other members of the voyage. He also proved to be an efficient soldier under the command of Spanish military man Diego Velazquez. Cortes accompanied Velazquez on the campaign against Cuba and proved his skills as a warrior. He also tried to become a rancher in the year 1514; however, his peaceful life as a rancher did not last long.

On the request of Velazquez, Cortes commenced an expedition into the regions of Mexico. The objective of this expedition was to establish a Spanish colony in the mainland of Mexico. Cortes, at that time, commanded only 600 troops. He captured the town of Tabsco. In order to make a home for his army, Cortes founded the town of La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. One of his strange habits was that he would learn the social customs, rituals and traditions of the local people in any place that he went. He forced the Aztec Indians in Tlaxcala to sign an alliance with him. Due to his appearance, the Aztecs believed that Cortes was their God-King Quetzalcoatl, who was supposed to return according to some prophecy. Cortes faced no resistance from King Montezuma II. The actual combat that took place was very small, as the European diseases that the Aztecs were not used to, wiped out a large part of their population.

The conquests of Cortes and Pizarro were a major turn in the history of the Spanish Empire. Their expeditions also changed the vast areas of the South American continent. There are many more Spanish conquistadors, whose names and endeavors are lost in the pages of history.

The Spanish Royal Family

The Spanish royal family traces back its roots to Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Isabella I of the Kingdom of Castile. Isabella's marriage to Ferdinand unified the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile, leading to the birth of Spain. However, Spain did not come together under a single rule, until Charles I unified the two kingdoms. Let's take a brief look at the dynasties that ruled Spain.

The House of Habsburg

Charles I, belonged to the House of Habsburg, which was also known as the House of Austria. The Habsburg dynasty began with Charles I in the year 1516. It subsequently continued, until Charles II named sixteen-year-old Philip V (grandson of his sister Maria Theresa of Spain), as his successor in his will.

The House of Bourbon

A war broke out over the will of Charles II. The outcome was the coronation of Phillip V as the King of Spain, starting the rule of the Bourbons over the Spanish Empire. The Bourbons ruled in the year 1808.

The next dynasty that ruled the Spanish Empire did not last long. The only king from the Bonaparte dynasty was Joseph, who ruled from 1808 to 1813. He abdicated, when the Bourbon dynasty was restored again.

The Savoy House

The House of Savoy came to power in Spain, after Amadeo was elected King of Spain, by the will of the nation. This was the result of the Spanish Revolution that took place in the year 1868.

Restoration of the House of Bourbon

The House of Bourbon again re-established itself to power in 1874, with the coronation of Alfonso XII, son of Isabella II. His son Alfonso XIII ruled from 1886 to 1931. The Spanish royal family did not rule Spain from 1931 to 1975.

The third restoration of the House of Bourbon began with the coronation of King Juan Carlos, grandson of Alfonso XIII.

The Spanish Royal Family of King Juan Carlos I

The present royal family of Spain belongs to the Bourbon House. The family is a part of the Capetian dynasty. The ruling King Juan Carlos I, is rendered as His Royal Highness King John Charles Alphonse Victor Mary of Bourbon and Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

King Carlos is the son of Infante Juan, the Count of Barcelona and Princess Maria Mercedes of Bourbon. He is the grandson of Alfonso XIII, which made him the direct and undisputed heir to the Spanish throne. The Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, in 1969, declared Juan Carlos as his successor and the next King of Spain. Now, Spain, once again, according to its centuries-old tradition had a king, after a gap of nearly 30 years.

The foresighted General Franco, before his death, had passed the law of Succession. According to the Law of Succession, the coronation ceremony of King Juan Carlos took place on November 27, 1975. The biggest contribution of King Juan Carlos I to the Spain is that he oversaw its transformation from a military dictatorship to a democracy. This made him extremely popular and well-respected among the Spanish people.

King Juan Carlos I is married to Queen Sofia, who was Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark before marriage. She is the daughter of King Paul I of Greece, whose family was forced to flee form Greece in the World War II.

Princess Elena is the oldest child of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. She is married to Jaime de Marichalar, the son of Count de Ripalda. She has two children, Felipe, born in 1998; and Victoria, born in 2000. The second child of King Juan Carlos is Princess Cristina. She is married to Inaki Urdangarin y Liebaert. The youngest child of King Juan is Prince Felipe. He is married to Princess Letizia Ortiz.

The Bourbon dynasty has been the longest ruling and the most powerful in the history of Spain. Though the concept of democracy has curtailed the powers of the kings; the Spanish royal family continues to rule the hearts of the Spanish people just like their ancestors did.