Moving to spain after graduating

I have spanish nationality alongside british but can't speak spanish. I am interested in moving to barcelona after graduating since I've lived in England my entire life. I'm graduating in a stem degree and was wondering what the job market is like there. Will I need a spanish work visa? Also, what level of language will they be expecting? How easy would it be to apply for a job there as a new graduate?

Reply 1

username5394810

20

hiiiiiii, i also wanna live there altho im not spanish or anything, i just loveeeeeeeee the feeling of being there. they would probs need u to be fluent :smile:

....i think you could stick to a small job for several months whilst applying to your chosen job

Reply 2

Plantagenet Crown

20

I assume you will need a Spanish work visa, yes, among other legal documents probably to do with residency. You will also definitely need a Spanish DNI (Documento Nacional de Identitdad) and I would suggest getting this with the highest priority as you need this for pretty much everything in Spain and your life can and will be a bureaucratic nightmare if you don’t have one. So I’d say sort that out before you even begin thinking of applying to jobs.

Regarding fluency, it depends what jobs, obviously very tech heavy and STEM roles typically contain a much greater use of English but if you’re living in Spain you will still have to be speaking to your colleagues and your average joe on the street all the time, most of whom have a very poor level of English. It’s not like Germany or Scandinavia where you really could spend decades without learning the language because everyone’s level of English is so good. In a way I like that about Spain because they’re preserving their language and not letting English come in and dominate everything. So if you want to truly integrate yourself with your colleagues, locals and the community in general then you will 100% need to obtain a very high level of Spanish fluency.

Reply 3

martin7

20

Original post by Anonymous

I have spanish nationality alongside british but can't speak spanish. I am interested in moving to barcelona after graduating since I've lived in England my entire life. I'm graduating in a stem degree and was wondering what the job market is like there. Will I need a spanish work visa? Also, what level of language will they be expecting? How easy would it be to apply for a job there as a new graduate?

If you have Spanish citizenship then you should automatically have the right to work in Spain (and hence not need a visa).

Do you hold a Spanish passport? If not, it might be worth applying for one -- this would be prima facie evidence of your nationality. Plus it would make travel to/around the EU a lot easier than travelling with a British passport.

Living in a location where you don't speak/understand the local language is obviously (wherever you live) going to make for an interesting challenge. If you're going to work there, you should probably expect to be filling out an application in Spanish (or Catalan, or Basque, ...), be interviewed in one of those languages, ....

Reply 4

hello1242547

10

Original post by gracieee16

hiiiiiii, i also wanna live there altho im not spanish or anything, i just loveeeeeeeee the feeling of being there. they would probs need u to be fluent :smile:

....i think you could stick to a small job for several months

how do people find jobs in spain i have no idea how to find one ahhaha

Reply 5

username5394810

20

Original post by hello1242547

how do people find jobs in spain i have no idea how to find one ahhaha

maybe look for english teaching jobs. i do not live there so i wouldnt know but i do want to

Reply 6

Genesiss

20

apply for a duel passport if you don't already have one. no, you won't need a visa if you have Spanish nationality. you will need to speak spanish if you want to work in most industries just like if you want to work in the UK you must be able to speak a good amount of English. no employer will hire you if you can't communicate with them or the general public.

Reply 7

londonmyst

19

Learn to speak Spanish fluently.
Try to establish frequent contact with any close friends or relatives that you are on positive terms with so that you will have access to a social support system in Spain.

If you have Spanish citizenship you will not need a visa, your Spanish passport will be enough.
Depending upon your employment ambitions, you may have issues getting your uk qualifications recognised and could potentially have to undergo extensive extra training or obtain an accredited qualification from an organisation based in Spain.
Good luck!

Reply 8

Plantagenet Crown

20

Original post by hello1242547

how do people find jobs in spain i have no idea how to find one ahhaha

Like you would in any country. You go on to the institution websites and look at their career section for vacancies. If they don't have this then they will have contact details you can use to ask them directly. Don't be afraid to do this as in Spain (and it's becoming much more common here too) getting a job is commonly related to who you know and taking the initiative. As an English speaker you shouldn't have too much trouble becoming a teacher but you obviously need to research the specific qualifications required to work as a full-time professional rather than a summer teaching assistant. Additionally also look into the language requirements of the region(s) you're interested in as Spain contains many languages other than Spanish. For example, I'm pretty sure that in Barcelona (and probably the whole of Cataluña) it's compulsory you speak both Catalan and Spanish to have a chance of getting any serious job. I believe even waiters are required to speak both. So bear that in mind.

Reply 9

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by martin7

If you have Spanish citizenship then you should automatically have the right to work in Spain (and hence not need a visa).

Do you hold a Spanish passport? If not, it might be worth applying for one -- this would be prima facie evidence of your nationality. Plus it would make travel to/around the EU a lot easier than travelling with a British passport.

Living in a location where you don't speak/understand the local language is obviously (wherever you live) going to make for an interesting challenge. If you're going to work there, you should probably expect to be filling out an application in Spanish (or Catalan, or Basque, ...), be interviewed in one of those languages, ....

I do hold spanish citizenship as well as british. I have been trying to learn spanish and catalan from my parents as I would be looking to move to barcelona. What if they are british companies in spain? Would I still need the language?

Moving to spain after graduating

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