Okay, I know that most Spaniards stay up late and eat a late dinner. What time do most start their day, I mean to go to work or whatever?
I couldn't imaging eating at 11pm and then getting up at 7:30 am to go to work.
Do most go to work at 10:30 am or later?
I also know that eating lunch is a bigger meal than dinner, no like here in the U.S.

Thanks!

"I couldn't imaging eating at 11pm and then getting up at 7:30 am to go to work."

Well....imagine it!


Dining at 10:30pm and getting up at 7:00am to go to work is mooost common.

I was just reading some older postings from MadridMan about how the 'siesta' is disappearing from Spainiards' lives. I think it is most important that they continue their siestas. It is something that most people in the U.S. only WISH we had.

Actually I'm pretty happy to not have siestas here in the US. I prefer to get in to work early and get out by 4pm. I can see why they have them though, since they're up really late most nights. I must admit I do try and sneak in a siesta occasionally on weekends.

I really hope I could go to work at 10:30!!! Wouldn't you love it Pim?

I wake up at 7:10, get to my job at 8:40. At 2:00 PM we have a stop for two hours or one hour and a half, so I go back home to have dinner (and if I'm lucky I can sleep some minutes), then go back to work from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

And I'm really lucky! Some at my work place start earlier and finish their working journey at 9:00 PM.

Uhhh, who said spaniards were lazy and poor-working people?

And the thing is that I go to sleep at 1:00 AM, so I end the week somewhat tired... nothing that keeps my from going out with friends Fridays' nights hehehe.

Fernando

Fernando:

I feel exactly the same way about Mexico. When I came to the U.S. some friends (jokingly, but at the same time it is a stereotype) talked to me about "lazy Mexicans". Then I was surprised to see that here in the U.S. you only work from 8am to 12pm and from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and only from Monday through Friday, (which I am glad because I work here in the U.S.)

While in Mexico most people are on their way to work around 7:30 or 8:00 am and don't come back home until 8:00 pm (some even later). Also, it is still common to work Saturdays from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. I am not saying Mexican schedule is ok, but we are not lazy at all! At my last job with a really well known company I had to work from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm or 10:00pm every day! The worst, they adopted the “American” schedule so instead of getting two hours off at 2:00 pm to go eat at home, we only got 1 hour at noon for “lunch”. Nonetheless, we couldn’t leave at 5:00 pm, we had to stay much more hours. It sucked!!

I definately do not think Spaniards OR Mexicans are lazy AT ALL! Working those long hours, who could be?
Did you see this in someone's posting?

I have so much respect for your culture! How do you manage to stay awake?
Here in the U.S., I could stay up until 1 am maybe a few times in the week, but could not work until 8 pm. I would be sleeping under my desk! :o

Not to get too off subject here, but I never heard Mexicans called lazy. I landscaped for a few years and all the guys I knew were always on the lookout for Mexican workers because they worked really hard, and were cheap labor, due to their illegal status. I've never heard Mexicans referred to as lazy around here, in New Jersey.

I think that stereotype is more common in older generations. And now, thanks to immigrants that work very hard doing landscaping, roofing, wash-dishing and jobs of the sort, this image has changed or is changing in the U.S. However, I was talking about the idea that some Americans have that in Mexico, not Mexicans in the U.S., we wake up late and then get a siesta at the middle of day and have very relaxed work days.

And how do we do it? I don't know. For many years, everyday I wake up at 6:30 or 7:00 am, went to work until 7:00 pm, then met friends for drinks or movie or whatever, then went home talked to mom (as she always waited for me to get home) and then went to sleep around 12:00 or 1:00 am (and here I'm just talking about week-days schedule, weekends were a different story ). I suppose you just get used to it. Here in the U.S., by 9:30 or 10 p.m. (all week long) I'm sleeping like a baby. I can't believe it!!!

Sorry for the off subject comments.

Naaaa, I was joking

Europeans (in general) had time ago a wrong image of spaniards (its obviously a stereotype which may had some sense time ago), as if we were always on a fiesta, taking a nap or drinking till late.

Of course we adore to go out and enjoy it with friends or the family, but that doesn't mean we work as hard as in any other country (I would say that we work harder than in Germany though).

When I was at school we studied the differences between "anglesaxon" cities and "lathyn" cities. In northern Europe and North America, according what I was taught, people like to live mostly indoors, with their family. In Southern Europe and Lathyn America people usually like to live outdoors. Therefore, cities are build in a certain way to adapt to the way of life. In "anglesaxon" cities people tend to live in houses, while in "lathyn" cities people tend to live in flats.

And the thing is... that I don't know why I am writting this, but it is interesting anyway, isn't it? I've been having dinner with my friends this night until 12:30, and now it is 1:20, so I should better go to sleep

¡Hasta mañana!

Fernando

You know that a lot of people don't seem to know that Spain is not the only country in Europe to "celebrate" (as I prefer to name it since I enjoy it so much) the siesta. Other countries refer to it with other names: tea time, pisolino/dormilino/ etc. What is most important, however, whatever the name, most countries close-up for a few hours everyday. In Italy it's from 1-4; in England...I don't remember, but it's around 3, and in France...between, also, 1-4.

Why do they refer to it as the siesta in Spain? Have you ever been to Spain in the summer? Brutally hot (Madrid, for example, reaches 40-45ºC)and the heat actually makes a person want to sleep...to forget how damn hot it is and to wait for that cool evening breeze...that may, hopefully, appear.

Sheryl

Siesta is an institution, but as time goes, it is more and more difficult to take a siesta on working days for most people (my father used to come from work and have a very fast lunch to get 20-30 minutes for a nap before getting back to work).

In vacation periods (and such in places like coastal cities) you see many people going to the beach in the morning, then having a lunch, and then going for a siesta before they return to the beach to stay until they leave. But this is actually uncommion in working days.

Anway, Spaniards do go to bed very late at night, and that won't change, because climate and Sun cycles rule on that.

And yes, in some places in Europe they used to have a prejudice about the "lazy spaniards". Anyway, this prejudice is disappearing while the "fiesta-lovers" image remains (bucause this image is true).

Siesta is great when you are on holidays and youd on't have to work.
In working days it's a loss of precious time, time that I could spend with my children at 5PM instead of going home at 7PM as I do.
Specially in the bigger cities like Madrid where most people is unable to have siesta at home, the midday break is stupid, time consuming and useless. Spain NEEDS to change.
Sorry if you feel that siesta is a romantic and exotic thing, but I think that the 9 to 5 schedule is much more rational and gives you much more time to be with your family than siesta.

Deibid, I agree. The working hours are the only thing that I don't particularly like about Spain. I often wonder when parents are supposed to spend time with their children during a working week in Spain. By the time most people finish work it's nearly bedtime for most children. When do you get to see them?

I think the answer to the conundrum of when hard working parents see their kids is that the kids stay up late too! Maybe that's how they cope later on, they get trained at an early age. When my wife and I are in Spain we have to adopt a different timetable in the evening if we want to see anyone. There's no way our son can go to bed at around 8pm like he does at home.

We get up at 8.00.
Our compagny starts at 9.00.
At 14.00 its lunch (warm food) till 16.00.
Then we work form 16.00 till 20.00
At 20.00 we get a drink downsairs and then afterwards it's chilling time.
We will have dinner around 21.00 and go to bed between 23.30 - 1.00

At 11.00 and 20.00 most of the time we eat a lidle bite like sandwich our tappa.

Deibid I agree. I would be very frustrated not seeing my kids in the evening, because the day is stretched out due to siesta. It doesn't make much sense to me. But like I said before, on the weekends, or on vacation an afternoon nap is fantastic.
At what age does siesta begin ? Do kids go home from school for a couple of hours ?

WOW! I am so happy someone mentioned the children of Spain!
I am curious, what time do children go to bed during the week? Is it the same as the parents?
I am sorry, I am just full of questions.
One day I will have to go to Spain....soon, very soon!!!!

Well, we probably sleep less than the average American... I wish I could take a siesta on a daily basis!! Something now reserved for children or retired people.

Let's say we start work at 7:30-9:30 in the morning, depending on your job. Those who have a lunch break of 1:30-3 hours probably don't get home till 7-9 in the evening. Yes, we have our dinner late (around 9-10 p.m) but remember that dinner is not the main meal of the day, lunch is, and usually consists of a salad, fruit and yogurth, an omelette or something light.

I'm totally in favour of an 9 to 5 schedule. Years ago, when women didn't work, it could be reasonable to have lunch at home, there was always someone to take care of the children but not now. It’s becoming quite difficult to raise a family if you're working those long hours and that's one of the reason Spain has such a low birth rate.

Children go to bed as everywhere in the world (or they SHOULD!). It's their natural hour, and I know some parents in Spain FORCE chidren to go to bed late so they can see them. But that's not the correct way to do things.
There are children in Spain that are REALLY tired and hyperactive due to an adult timetable.
And these same children are exposed to the kind of TV programs that are shown at that time, that aren't the best for them.

Viva la siesta !

I've actually seen a few articles in the Spanish press over the last couple of weeks, on both sides of the issue. On the one hand, many people claim that the traditional Spanish workday (with a long mid-day break) causes problems for families, health problems from sleep deprivation, and makes Spain less competitive business-wise, since while most of Europe is back at work after lunch, workers in Spain are still out of the office for the long break. On the other hand, I've seen articles claiming that more and more "siesta parlors" are coming back into style...small shops where you can lie down and take a half-hour nap for about 4€.

Personally, I think the long mid-day break makes less sense now, since most workers aren't able to go home and eat lunch with their families as they used to do. As a result, instead of two half-days broken up by a long lunchtime, what you end up with is essentially an eleven-hour workday. Add that together with trying to pack all of the "family time" in after 8:00 or 9:00 at night, and you understand why one of these articles claimed that Spaniards sleep about an hour less every day than the average European.

Hey everyone

This is a very interesting topic because on one hand the Siesta is part of Spain's tradition and on the other hand the country is scurrying to catch up to other countries in terms of economy.

I guess it all depends on your personal choice...

Some people work for companies who give a good three hours rest(good for single people without children because of the long hours) while others expect to have their employees work the same amount of hours but less time(maybe just one to two hours)which in my opinion is a disregard to the personal and family lives of their employees.

Personally I think that each person should have a choice as to what schedule they would like to adopt.

For example: A company might have two permanent schedules, one for the individual who would like to come in early,have a short lunch and leave in the afternoon and another for the person who would like to come in a little later,have a long lunch preferably two to three hours and leave later in the evening,that way all of the company hours are covered even while some people are on a Siesta.

This way the system is beneficial for both parties in the long run(the company and its'employees)

Parents could decide to adopt the shorter schedule and would be able to spend more time with their children and people who don't have childen could enjoy the benefits of the long adored Siesta

Ninas, in my opinion a three hour break after lunch is not "good" at all. I don't know anyone with such a huge break, and I'm really glad is not my case either. Very few spaniards take siestas in the weekdays now, and even less in Madrid. Most people don't have time to go back home to have lunch and rest for a while, and when you do usually you have to race back to the office.

Over the past few years more and more people are talking about our bad working habits. Most offices are open and working 100% at 9am, many have a couple hours break and it is pretty common to set a business meeting at 8 or even 9pm. Meanwhile, during the day, most people take many coffee breaks, socializing with their workmates, so we can endure such a long working day. That has to change, we should work the 8 hours that we have to by law and then we would see people concentrating in their work knowing they can socialize AFTER work.

However I don't think we will change our weird "life schedule". Before I went to the US I thought everyone in the world had dinner at 10pm and lunch at 3pm. I was pretty shocked when I realized that on the TV stations "prime time" ended like at 8 or 9pm, while in Spain "prime time" starts around 10pm.... Well, it is our schedule and hey, I like it.

I think there is a lot of variation. In my building, everyone comes home for lunch and a siesta--probably because I live right over a metro station in the center. At my son's school, at least half of the parents--or grandparents--take their young kids home for lunch (including us).

My son is three and he get's to spend two hours with us at mid-day. He takes a nap when he gets home around 5:00. He gets up around 6:30 and then stays up until 10:00pm. He has to get up for school around 8:30 am and gets to school at 9:30.

When I worked in the US, I didn't know a single person who worked an office job from 9-5. In DC, most people work until at least 7:00--many much, much later. And most eat lunch at their desks while working or take no more than 30 minutes. Many also work at home during off-hours, are perpetually on call, and work weekends.

And, all but the luckiest, get just a few scant holidays off and two weeks of vacation a year maximum. There's a reason that the US has the highest work productivity in the world and it's not because we have a relaxing work culture!

And, all but the luckiest, get just a few scant holidays off and two weeks of vacation a year maximum. There's a reason that the US has the highest work productivity in the world and it's not because we have a relaxing work culture!

The USA (EE-UU) is the only industrialized Country in the world that does not provide a minimum annual vacation in any of it's labour laws...

For you forks in Espana...don't think that most North Americans work 9-5 everyday...in reality it's more common to work 730-630 (7h30-1830) every day with a lunch of no more then an hour... (especialy management)

WOW! I started a GREAT topic! I appreciate all of the information being provided. I am learning SO MUCH!! KEEP POSTING!!
I can see how some people in Spain would prefer the shorter work day.
My brother lives here in Illinois and works for Caterpillar, a very huge manufacturing business for construction type vehicles. He actually works 12 hr days. It is very hard work for him (but very good pay) and I bet he would love to bargain a 3 hr break in between. I agree that when employers in Spain hire people, they should provide a choice of the long work day vs. the short day. It would also depend on the type of business, also.

However, I work 8 am to 4:30 pm (0800 to 1630) and this is Monday through Friday.
It is very hard for me to take care of 'personal business' such as errands because by the time I actually leave my job, it is almost 5 pm and then alot of businesses are closed.
I am forced to leave during my normal work hours and either use ETO (earned time off) or make up my time when I come back.
I enjoy having a long lunch sometimes to take care of business, but that means coming in SOOOO EARLY to do so.

Again, thanks for everyone's insight!!

My impression (having worked a little while in Madrid) is that the standard working day is longer in Spain than in the UK. However people generally take a longer (typically close to 2 hours) lunch break. It seems that a lot of Mediterranean countries have a larger percentage of people who eat out in the day time. In the UK it's normal to just have a sandwich or hamburger in the middle of the day. Lunch breaks of only half an hour are common as people prefer to finish work earlier. This may explain why it's easier to eat out for a reasonable price (using the 6 or 7 Euro Menu del dia) in Madrid as there is a big demand for this...

Castiza has described perhaps the best reason why Spaniards are not as likely to be fat as workers in the U.S.overall, even though the food in Spain can be as fattening as that in the States, and the worker can be a Spanish natural:

Workers in the U.S. usually have a short, 1/2 to 1 hour lunch break. this is not enough time to have the main meal of the day. which means that the 5p.m. to 9 p.m. meal becomes that main meal of the day. Too many calories at a time when one becomes supine on the couch

This means that one consumes the most food energy when one is less energetic; whereas in Spain the 2-3 hour lunch allows them to have a sturdy meal at the middle of the day when they still have 4 to 6 hours of heavy activity left.

This schedule, by the way, is of medieval origin, where the "none' bells tolled around 2 3 p.m. and everyone stopped to a hearty main and perhaps only meal!

Castiza said:

Yes, if it really means a 9 to 5 schedule in the future.

That would minimize the luch break.. but, ok, you go home at 5.

But... what if that schedule gets "poco a poco" longer and longer... and you finally go home at the same hour that you do now, but meanwhile you've lost the big lunch break?

I don't know, I can't see the future, but if we lose the lunch break, that don't guarantee that you'll forever finish your work at 5.

It's very difficult to predict the unwanted consecuences of social changes that, in the beggining, you can find advisable.

Each country has its own customs FOR SOME REASON... I know many things could be improved in Spain. But, maybe it's better to leave certain things unchanged.

AND.. never underestimate the influence of climate in the working, eating and sleeping hours. This is Spain, and we have this kind of weather... do we really need to adopt a Northern Europe schedule?

I agree with Booklady that eating the 'main' meal at dinnertime in the U.S. could be why we have such weight issues. For me, I do not like eating a big meal and then going to sleep because I wake up feeling HORRIBLE! The siesta would not work well for me.
I hope the people in Spain are provided a choice for what hours they want to work. Some still enjoy the long lunch hour, and some would prefer a shortened one.

I recently negotiated the best hours possible for me here at work. 10 hour work day from Monday thru Thursday , with Friday, Saturday, Sunday off. So, I don't get to see my daughter as much as I'd like on those 4 workdays, if at all, but I have a three day weekend every week. You can't beat that....in my opinion.