Hi there,

I'm planning on living in Madrid for next summer (late June - mid September) before I head off to university (to study Spanish).

I was wondering if anyone knew what the likelyhood of me getting a temporary part-time job - just something fairly unskilled, like bar work, waitressing, etc. I'm a native English speaker and am almost fluent in Spanish. I have experience in retail and waitressing. Is there plenty of work around?

I'd hate to rent a room for 3 months and find that I had no way of financing it!

Many thanks in advance,

-Nicola

Hmmm.. Plenty of work around? I'd say there's little work around, especially in the summer. Imagine Madrid in August when the majority of those walking the streets are tourists and half the shops/restaurants are closed for the month. At least you speak Spanish and you won't need a work visa so that's a good thing. Maybe you'll be able to teach English a little but that might take a month or so to even get. As for bar/restaurant work, I can honestly say I've never seen a non-Spaniard working in a bar or restaurant during my 5 trips to Spain except for the occasional latino.

Chances are probably pretty good that you won't make enough to pay for your apartment unless you have a roommate or two.

I wish you the best of luck though. Hopefully others here have some more positive suggestions. And be sure to check through previous postings about teaching English in Spain. I think missmadrid98 posted something recently in this forum about a job opportunity with her company in Madrid. Look for it!

You might have your best chance of temp work on the Costa del Sol which is LOADED with British (and other nationalities) vacationers for the summer at the hotels, restaurants, and bars. Some of the smaller Costa del Sol villages quadruple in size during the summer months because of tourism.

Good luck. Saludos, MadridMan

Thanks very much for your help.

It seems I may have to reconsider my plans! I'm sure there'd be plenty of high-season work on the Costas, the only thing I'm worried about is that being in such a touristy area, I probably wouldn't be exposed to a great deal of Spanish - and the ultimate aim of the whole stay is to improve my Spanish.

Oh well, I'll definitely check through the previous posts, hopefully I'll find more info.

Thanks once again,

Nicola

Hi, you might try this webpage... www.studenttraveler.com , from there go to the work abroad section. From here you can do a search for spain. They have postings for different jobs all over spain from childcare to lifegurard work. Some of them are work-study programs, others are just work. I myself have never gone through this program, but met people in Bilao while studying there this summer who were there working through "Instituto Hemingway," and found there positions through this web page. Good Luck!!

Thanks a lot for that address, it looks very useful. I'll definitely keep an eye out for any vacancies they add.

Thanks once more!

Hi Nicola,

I've seen occasional ads in the English newspaper InMadrid (comes out monthly) for bar tenders - always for Irish Pubs (of which there are zillions) However, as MadridMan said summer is pretty quiet in Madrid. The earlier you get here, the better your chances may be. By the way, you can find the InMadrid classifieds online too at www.in-madrid.com

Also, you could consider au-pairing if you like kids. Last semester I took a morning Spanish class and a lot of the other students were au-pairs with pretty cushy-sounding jobs.

good luck!

Sandra,

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm definitely not ruling out AuPairing, I'm actually having a look round some of the agencies at the moment, it'd be great to have something worked out before I set off.

-Nicola

The nearer you are to a tourist area, the easier you will find a job of that kind.

Contrary to what MM says, I think it is easier to find a job in summer (at least in restaurants). You should try fast-food restaurants (McDonald's, Burger King, Pans & Company, Rodilla, VIPS, etc...) and the irish pub thing may also work. Don't discard dressing shops, discos and other pubs. Sometimes speaking english is more than a handicap (specially if the job is in places where international tourists go).

Fernando

Wow, yet more valuable information, thanks for that Fernando! I'll see if any of those places are hiring when I get there.

How about sending your CV to some of the temporary work agencies in Madrid such as Manpower, Addecco etc? They may very well be able to give some advice as to the availablility of temporary work for English/Spanish speakers. This may sound corny but your chances of finding work in Europe could be improved by learing how to type and brushing up on your office skills. I know this is not everyones idea of an exciting job but there does seem to be a demand for bilingual secretaries elsewhere in Europe and this may be true for Spain also. ¡Mucha suerte!