Hello,

I am in dire need for some information...
I am a 27 year old single girl from India. I have done MBA in Marketing. I want to permanently move to Spain as I have had this long term love affair with Spain!!!
But I am unable to find a work contract as most of the companies are seeking people from E.U countries only:( Why are they so prejudiced towards Non E.U citizens??
Please, can anyone advise me on what steps should I take to get a work permit or if anyone has any information on various other ways for non e.u. to move to Spain legally, i will appreciate it!!
Please help!!
God bless you all

Hi, balmy007--
I understand your love affair with Spain (we all are involved in that one!) and I also have a love affair (from afar) with India! My family lived in Almora and Pithoragarh for about 90 years, between 1840 and 1935. I can't wait to travel there someday.

You mention an MBA; do you want to work in business or would you take work outside of your field in order to live in Spain? I have also wished for a way to get work in the E.U., but don't have the necessary paperwork. I'm studying to be a college professor, though, so I hope to work out a university faculty exchange position someday!

I did look into working in the E.U. last fall, and learned that, to move to most E.U. countries, you must have a firm job offer. And of course, many (most?) companies and countries have rules requiring that they FIRST search for employees from within the E.U.

So...I would think that one important piece of this job search would be to be in contact with potential employers in Spain to find out what their needs are and whether you have special skills that they might not be able to find elsewhere. I don't know whether people in Spain will conduct "informational interviews," but that might be a way to get a foot in the door (and a reason to visit Spain!).

I wonder if you could work for an international company (based in India, perhaps, or somewhere else) that has offices in Spain?

You also mentioned being single...there is always the "marry a Spanish man" route!

And you didn't mention whether you speak Spanish--I would imagine that fluency would be helpful.

I know there will be people here on the message boards who know FAR more about this than I do--

Best of luck, and welcome to a group of friends who share your love for Spain!

Hello taravb!

I am pleased to hear your long distance yearning of visiting India! India is like a Picasso painting...either you will love it or completely dislike it!! There is no middle path. Actually India cannot be capsulated, it is like a continent with diverse culture and rich heritage.
Almora lie in the foothills of Himalayas. Its a picturisque town with rich plethora of flora and fauna, lakes, snow clad peaks, unique handicrafts and scrumptious cuisine!! Hopefully you will somday be able to delve into this panaromic town and many others of India!

To answer your post candidly, I am willing to work in any field without priortizing business. My primal motive is just to be on the land of balmy Spain! I would grab an oppurtunity with basic and minimal salary too.Once I accomplish my permanent residency status, then I can start to establish myself in terms of a progressive job.

If you happen to know of any kind of job, it could even be olive picking! I will have no qualms signing a contract with that company. But there is a catch:( I just have basic knowledge of Spanish. Can understand only a bit. I have to rigourously start working on it too.

Yes, I am aware that any job posting is offered to the native resident of the european country and if the job isnt occupied then they float to the other E.U countries. But then I have heard that there are many Indians working in Madrid and Barcelona.Right?? Then how come they get these jobs without having special skills!

To be associated with Indian company with offices in Spain is a long gruesome waiting period. I might become 50 till they give me a Spanish posting!! I want to be with my beloved (Spain!!) sooner than that!

Thanks for floating the idea of marrying a spaniard but being an Indian, I still beleive that marriage is very sacred and the knot should be tied only when there is love, respect and genuine commitment than to treat it as a bridge to accomplishing ones personal goal!

I thank you heartily to shed some light on different possibilities. If you happen to know some more information now or in the future, I would acknowledge appreciatively!

I wanted to reply to "esperanza" but somehow his message to me no longer exists on the board. How come???

Sorry about that! There was some technical difficulty. There are actually 2 of us esperanzas, I was the one who replied to your message before. Just take note that I'm Espe3 and the other person is Esperanza!
Did you have a question for me or did you want me to try to remember what I wrote to you the other day and repost?

Thanks Espe3 for coming back and checking this thread. I remeber your entire message and it has been resonating in my soul ever since!!! You have really scared me I mean, you have shown me how daunting the task to get a residency in Spain can get. Goddddd!!! I dont know what to do. If it has taken you 5 years, I dont know about my fate. But still I am dreaming of Spain 24 hours. I dont know how I will manage it, but I intend to accomplish it. "HOW" I dont know

I didn't mean to scare you! Just let you know that its not easy. But I'm not giving up! And neither should you! Persistence! I believe that if you really want something enough, you can make it happen. Keep asking questions and keep yourself informed of the new changes in laws and policies. Somewhere along the way there will be something or someone that will be able to open a window or a door!