Are you an expat looking for a job in Spain? Not sure where to begin? I first started working in Spain in the summer of 2013 as a language assistant in Cuenca, and now, at the end of 2015 I have landed an amazing job in a startup in Majorca. And in between, worked in 4 other jobs, filled in plenty of application forms and attended many interviews…

 It can seem very daunting when you decide to up and run to another country, especially with no connections there already. Do you choose the accommodation first or the job? What level of the language do you need to even be able to move to the country? Can you find a job before moving there or do you wait until you arrive to find one?

The truth is, I shamefully don’t speak Spanish on a business level, at all. I use it at work with my colleagues sometimes but other than that I work in English. It’s that simple.

Maybe you can find a job or accommodation before arriving in Spain or maybe you don’t have either yet. But having one of them would help, if not there’s plenty of temporary accommodation and then you can just go for it. I think it becomes much easier to find yourself and figure out your work situation once you have arrived to your destination.

Jobs in Teaching

After spending A LOT of time searching for jobs all over the country, I have found there are a few different options for native English speakers here. The most obvious one of course, teaching English. Whether you have taught before or not,  if you have a fairly good level of English and a degree (although not always necessary) then I think you are very likely to find teaching work in Spain.

Websites to try:

Lingo Bongo is only based in Barcelona and Madrid, currently. However there are LOADS of jobs available here both privately and in academies.

Tus Clases Particulares is a private lesson job board. It’s basically a way of posting your teaching services, and customers will contact you directly. I used this myself in Valencia and found myself quite a few private classes to teach. Super easy to use and nice that they write to you!

Berlitz is a very famous language school in Spain that is always looking for new teachers. You can apply online and they are based in 6 cities!

Jobs in Tourism 

Just the same as teaching jobs, there are so many tourism jobs in Spain! Spain’s tourism sector is a huge part of their economy and many of the workers being British. British workers are absolutely necessary, for tourism all over the world, it is more common for tourists in Spain to speak English than Spanish and therefore, Native English people, you are useful! The only thing to bear in mind with tourism is that there’s normally less work available in the winter when there are less tourists (depending where you are based, but especially in the beach resorts)

Websites to find jobs:

ThinkSpain has a mixture of tourism, teaching and office job work. But I would say there are more tourism jobs available on there than anything else. You just upload your work experience and can easily apply for jobs on the site.

Loquo is another simple job listing site which has thousands of jobs available (it’s free for companies to list jobs) but be careful as it can also be a bit spammy.

Jobs in Marketing/Administration

Any kind of office job whether it is marketing, IT, translations or else, has a big demand for Native English speakers in Spain. This is what I am working in now and also have been in my previous jobs in Valencia and Madrid. Currently I am a Country Manager for a startup in Mallorca. In Valencia, I was working in marketing for a language school and in Madrid I worked in a social media marketing agency with big clients in Spain.

Websites to try:

Indeed is an international job website which normally has ALL the jobs listed from other sources. I found my Valencia job on this site.

Infojobs is another good source with plenty of English speaking positions available. Especially good for marketing related jobs.

LinkedIn the social media platform you probably know about also has a lot of jobs listed in Spain needing English speakers. There is mostly bigger brands posting job offers on LinkedIn.

Internships

It was completing various internships which got me to where I am today. If you are unsure of exactly what you want to do but would like to work and try some new things, they are a really good way of getting your foot in the door. Maybe the pay isn’t always great, but if you save a little money up you could easily work in an internship for 6 months or more. I think completing internships are one of the best ways to help yourself get a full time job afterwards.

Websites to try:

Spain Internship I guess this one showed up for me first in Google when I typed in ‘Spain Internship’ and here is where I got my first job in Madrid. There are plenty of marketing/design/communications internships here and the website help you to find jobs. There is an option to use it free or the paid version.

Just Landed is another job listing website for expats in Spain. They mostly post internships but some jobs too.

 

Extra Tips

• Spanish people often use a photo on their CV
• Remember to include any language skills on your CV.
• Try to make your CV and cover letter in perfect English
• Don’t be afraid to call and chase up applications or interviews
• Keep your CV to just one page if possible!

Are you working as an English expat in Spain? Do you have any other tips or experiences to share? Please leave a comment below!

You may also be interested in my post How to find accommodation in Spain