I am in what seems like an impossible situation, where the person I want to live with is in Madrid and I am in Washington, DC. From all the research I've done, finding a job in Madrid is almost impossible. It is pretty frustrating. So, we've started brainstomring ideas of creating our own company. Anyone ever done this or known anyone who has done it? And if I may ask, if there are Americans on this site who are in Madrid, what do you do for work? Thanks.

llewilli, welcome to our ALL SPAIN Message Board!

You wrote: Be sure to read the previous exhausting and frustrating threads, " Starting a Business in Spain? " and (again) " Starting a business in Spain ". We here played with idea but it blew out the window as an impossibility, requiring visas, licenses, permissions, money, you name it - not to say that anyone (including me) actually made any calls or sent any letters to find out, though.

Sounds like you've read MANY of the previous threads on this topic. Good. But it's not just Madrid which holds "the Impossible Dream" - it's throughout Spain. The barriers are high and the economics are more than challenging. You'll find few (if any) 100% USA nationals living/working in Spain - none on this message board that I'm aware of, at least none of our active members.

We had one, MADABOUTMADRID, who married a Spanish woman but I know his employment in Spain has been WAY BELOW what we'd consider "stable employment". He went from one company to another with large gaps of time between each one. He's no longer active on our message board what with the new baby and professional challenges.

THAT seems to be best way to LEGALLY live and work (or try to find work) in Spain is to MARRY a Spaniard. But there are lots of challenges in marrying a foreign national too, it's takes time, some money, patience, and then you have the right to live/work in Spain but.... you'll likely make MUCH less money than in the USA and so that brings about its own streses and anxieties in daily life.

Some of our message board members, some past and present, have been fortunate enough to have dual USA/European Union citizenship and THIS has allowed them to legally live/work in Spain. But then, once again, finding meaninful employment which will support them is another matter. I'm sure many of us here know many Spaniards who are in their 30s and still living at home with family because 1) they can't find a job, 2) they can't find a job which will allow them to support themselves, or 3) they can't possibly afford to buy a place of their own for the current inflated real estate prices. These 3 reasons are, in part, why the birth rate in Spain is the lowest in Europe because BOTH partners MUST work and/or they can't afford to have/raise a child on their salaries.

I've done quite a bit of research on this "Impossible Dream" since I first seriously considered "the move" about 6 years ago. You/We search and search and search the internet for the recipe, the check-list on how to make this happen and there just isn't one. It's so darn frustrating that it's THIS difficult - and now made even MORE difficult with countries tightening their proverbial belts when it comes to immigration restrictions. The easiest way (which is BY NO MEANS EASY) is to get married. Or better yet, MARRY SOMEONE RICH. (isn't that a terrible thing to consider??)

I too would welcome any and ALL input on this topic but I'm afraid there won't be much - IF ANY - from United Statesens living and working in Spain LEGALLY. Chica is probably our only semi-active member who married a Spaniard and now lives/works in Madrid.

Good luck. You'll need it. Ugh.

Saludos, MadridMan

Thanks for the long response. Yeah, the horizon is bleak. But then again, I know of an American couple that started a cafe/bookstore in Madrid and it has done well and of another American couple that own a chiringuito (sp?) on the beach in Mojacar and have done well. Granted both businesses got up and running a while back, but people have done it. I did find the string on starting a business in Spain and that was helpful. I just ordered several books on the topic as well. I may read myself to death and find no answer. Our other alternative is for him to come here but I don't think it's much easier for him to find a job in the States. Ugh, stupid stupid countries. Anyway, I continue in my quest to overcome this problem and enlist anyone else who'd like to join me. Thanks again!

I'm sure if you have enough capital anyone can start a business in Spain.

Please do keep us posted with your findings. Thanks and good luck!

Saludos, MadridMan

LEWILLI, yes please keep us posted because if you succeed that means there's hope for us yet!

I think the best way is either to be tranferred by an american company that has offices in spain or even better to start your own business.Two people from my study abroad program started their business in madrid a few years ago.

Matador - was that a teaser or what

Tell us more! What type of business did they start? How did they get enough capital to start? How long have they been in business?

Thanks!

Hi Everyone...

This is my first forum post, although I've been reading all of the topics for a while now and they've been both interesting and useful.

You can add me to the (short) list of Americans now living and working in Spain. I met my wife in California, but about two years ago we decided to move to Barcelona. She's half-Canadian and half-Spanish, and has had Spanish citizenship since she was young. We just got married here in Spain a few months ago, so now I'm "mostly legal"...I'm just waiting for all the appropriate paperwork to crawl its way through the Spanish bureaucracy. (picture molasses in winter and you kind of get the idea.)

As for work: I'm a software developer, and I've been able to find work here and there in the meantime, mostly as a U.S.-based contractor. But most companies won't consider you unless you have an NIE and NIF (the Spanish foreigner ID and fiscal ID numbers). Also, as others have already said on another thread, the salaries in Spain are MUCH lower than what you might expect in the States, and while the cost of living is lower in some respects, that definitely doesn't apply to renting or buying an apartment.

So, my advice? If marrying a Spaniard is an option for you, I highly recommend it. If not, it's a much longer and more difficult process, but it can be done. In fact, as I write this, the laws are changing to allow anyone with a six-month employment contract to apply for residency. So if you can manage to get a job offer (or have the financial means and tolerance for paperwork to start your own company) you can become legal that way. Whichever route you choose, though, be prepared for a lengthy process. "Las cosas del palacio van despacio."

Anyway, hope this helps...thanks for all of the interesting posts, and hope to see you all around!

-greg

I'm also an American married to a Spaniard living in Spain, and the only Americans I know who are legally working here either have dual nationality (from an EU country) or are married to Spaniards.

As others have pointed out, there are many challenges to working in Spain even if you can work legally. There are many Spaniards who are unemployed or are working with a "contrato basura" and getting paid next to nothing. I'm currently teaching English which I enjoy (I was going to be a Spanish professor in the US), but I'm also looking into other types of jobs.

One word of caution about the changing laws that Greg mentioned

This is only applies to people who are already in Spain and who have been living here for at least 6 months, so unfortunately it wouldn't help llewili much.

Meg writes:
Yep, you're right, Meg...it's more of an "amnesty" route, so for most people not already in the country without papers, it's not much of an option.