HOLA a TODOS,

this is my first time writing, but I've enjoyed reading what everyone has contributed! I have a question, I am moving to spain in september as part of an exchange for grad school. I have an awesome set up, I'll be teaching English at a university and getting paid. it's nothing like my stipend here, but having lived in spain twice in the past, I know that I will be living well. I will be there during the entire academic year.

Here's the deal though...I will finish my master's degree after the year is over and want to stay in Spain. My concern is that it's not so easy to get job offer if you don't already have a work visa, since the process is so complex. I was reading other people's postings about the job search, but it seems that most of those people were all married, so they already had permission to work. Does anyone know how conceiveable it is to get a job if you're needing a work visa for the first time and are NOT married to a spaniard? (nor willing to marry solo for the purpose of obtaining a visa- if I'm lucky I'll find my soulmate but my idea of a soulmate is not a greencard). I unfortunately only have computer skills 'al nivel usuario' and no programming experience (it seems like there are a lot of those positions out there) although I've got lots of office experience. I speak English natively, Spanish fluently, and have a high level of italian both written and spoken, intermediate portuguse, and have experience teaching spanish and english at the college level. TELL ME MY EDUCATION WILL GET ME SOMEWHERE IN ESPAñA!

muchas gracias!

Unfortunately, I wouldn't count on it. It also depends on some other things... check out the other postings on becoming a spanish citizen and that type of topic... if you have a spanish parent, it may be easier, if not, its a lot harder than you may realize.

On a POSITIVE note, the fact that you're going to be there for a year doing your thing, well, start pounding the pavement from day one! It is VERY difficult but not impossible to get work there. You may find a place willing to go through all of the paperwork etc. there and keep you there, but of course, many times I've found that places that were willing also wanted to do an interview, something not easy when you're not actually LIVING there (as from time to time has been my case). However, the employment situation there is getting more and more difficult for foreigners, especially if they're not part of the EU. (Any chance you may have some irish in you?- that might be a way in.)

In any event, good luck. If that's what you really want, then you can only be persistant. Be very determined and realistic (and since you're not willing to run off and get married just to be able to stay there) it sounds like you are.

Welcome to the board!

Welcome lismari - When you do your search as recommended, pay particular attention to some of the posts by Chica. Yes, she is married to a Spaniard - but her posts on working in Spain are thoroughly researched and she has posted a ton of solid info on working, especially teaching, in Spain. She teaches business english and her jobs are legit.

You might also want to check out Tracy Morales' website @ www.expatriatecafe.com for more info.

Okay Becky - you owe me one!

Aloha Puna!
Thanks for the vote of confidence. Hmmm...how can I ever pay you back .

With regards to the jobs being legit, so I thought they were. All I have to say is be very careful..very very careful. There are alot of "chorizos" here as they are called in Spain who will do anything to make a quick buck, even if it means cheating lots of honest people out of money one way or the other. I am currently in a legal process with one of the places that I worked for. Email me if you want the low down.

Just to give a little background, back in the late 80´s early 90´s (starting around ´87).. when the decision move to the Euro was becoming finalized, people began to realize that they had to do something to "wash" their dinero negro (black money) that they kept hidden in the mattress and hidden from Uncle Aznar (substitute Spanish president of your choice). Essentially there were three options: 1- open an academia de informática, 2- open an academia de inglés, 3- invest in real estate (which in turn started the huge real estate boom here in Spain..particularly Madrid). So the interest of these Chorizos wasn´t really in the quality of education, but rather how much money they could make "legitimately".

So, as you wander through the streets of Spain and see academy after academy of informática or inglés, you will realize that maybe they exist not so much for the demand (which there must be to some extent), but for the front to cover black money.

Nowadays the gig seems to be with the Consultorias de Formación... the outsorcing firms that land corporate clients, find them English teachers all somehow financed one way or the other through FORCEM (a government agency) which offers a subvención (grant) for educational classes through companies, particularly for languages, as the Spanish government works hard to make its workforce that much more competitive (read: on level with) with its northern European neighbors. I sometimes wonder if these consulting firms were also started with dinero negro as they seem to be mushrooming all over the place. Which is odd for a country which generally eschews the idea of consultants.

But don´t lose hope! Espe made a lot of excellent suggestions. As is often said in the American business world, just know who you are getting in bed with. Know who you are dealing with...do what you can to protect yourself...and you should be fine. There is a high demand for native English speakers...and alot of places will hire you without batting an eye, with or without legitimate papers. Just be aware of them...they could be the ones who dejarte colgado in the end.

And I thought dinero negro was pretty well confined to the real estate world! Live and learn.
Chica - I'll email shortly

Lismari,

I'm looking into masters degree programs that offer time abroad. Which university are you enrolled in here in the states?

Lismari,
Through reading your post...I can see myself 3 year down the road .Right now, I am just finishing up 3 months in Spain, and already trying to figure out how I can get back there for longer. One of the things I was thinking about was doing either a year, or my entire graduate degree abroad. I am only going to be a sophmore next year, so I have LOTS of time to investigate my options , but I am curious to know how you went about this....did you enroll directly into the Spanish grad school as an international student, or is it an actual exchange between a US school???? Thanks! :p
Kelly

Middlebury College and New York University both have MA programs in Madrid. The MAs are in Spanish, just so you know and are year long programs.

www.middlebury.edu

www.nyu.edu

Check them out. I did the MA with Middlebury and enjoyed the program. It has its drawbacks, but hey, so does evrything in life.

To the person who is a sophmore in college, why not do a year abroad in Madrid. Look for info in your study abroad office or go to

www.studyabroad.com

Good luck in your search.

Shawn

What were the drawbacks of the middlebury program? I hear that they're not any good with financial aid, so thats one major drawback. I'm looking into the NYU program though. I'm wondering if you know about how qualified the students who get accepted are. I'm a couble major in spanish and linguistics. My gpa is about a 3.5. I've been abraod to Spain 3 times, so my spanish is pretty good. I also have a lot of experience teaching. If you know any of this informantion that would be great!

The financial aid piece was good for me. That depends on individual cases. Two major drawbacks are: Don't expect to study in a library. The library in the institue is noisy and people constantly talk. Get ready for old professors that just don't know how to teach. Two in particular stand out, but E-mail me for more info. AT the end of the semster, in addition to a final exam, you will have to write a 15-20 page paper, in Spanish, for each class. Ask the instructor to give you some suggested topics at the beginning of class. Many waited until 3/4 through the class to even begin to talk about the final project.

I don't know too much about the NYU program. They used to be housed in the Instituto Internacional on Calle Miguel Angel, 8, but have since moved somewhere else.

If you have anymore questions, just ask.

Shawn