Ok, I Want To Move To Spain....
 

...at least for a little while. I am an American and (obviously) a non-EU-er...terribly unfortunate. I do not want to live here in the US anymore for political, social and philosophical reasons. I haven't for years now, but have been daunted by the ability to make a living in Spain.

My story is (you may skip this part if you deem it trivial):
I grew up in the DC area, moved to NYC (all by myself) at the ripe suburban-girl age of 17 to model...ich. Needless to say, being a model, for me, was empty, depressing, and ridiculous. I got an undergrad degree at Hunter College in NYC in Anthropology...studied film and Spanish also. Got an internship that led to full-time employment with the documentary film team who created Brother's Keeper, Paradise Lost, and the new Metallica doc. A great job! Bartended weekends for extra dough. Moved to New Orleans in 2000...I was sick of NYC after 10 years...to write my own documentary about the red-light district once here called Storyville....and bartended. Met and married my true love (he's a jazz musician who wants to live in Spain too). Now, I am working on a Master's in Spanish here in New Orleans and still bartending. I have been to Portugal, Italy & London for at least 2 weeks at each spot as a traveler...stayed with friends or rented a house. Just came back from a honeymoon in México....Playa del Carmen and Punta Maroma in Quintana Roo (Yucatan Peninsula).

So, I desperately want to move to Spain! Could I finish my Master's there, teach English, bartend, write for travel mags/books, work as a translator...all, some, or one of these things as a non-EU-er??? I know my new husband could work the jazz "circuit" there. We're far from rich with poor relatives and friends.

What CAN we do? Do we have other comparable options? Please be honest, but not mean :).

Thanks for enduring or listening,

Tara

sounds exciting! go you!

getting a student visa MAY be the easiest way to go. it's tough to get work permits.

once you are there, I am guessing that working as a free lance writer you can do anywhere, as long as you aren't considered 'working' in the EU (for an EU company, etc.) unless of course you have that permit.

sounds like you know how to make things happen - so why not try? even if you end up not doing it, you will have a whale of a time making the attempt.

I'm NOT the expert but there have been other posts regarding US citizens attempting to move to Europe. The consenses seemed to be that the EASIEST way would be to work for an American company. With all you skills perhaps you could do a search and see if any companies or even (God forbid) our government had job openings that they were trying to fill where you talents could be utilized. ?

Look into teaching English as a second language..maybe privately or for schools. If you write, keep that up!
My son (writer/musician) lives in Japan, teaching English, he has now been hired to do work on and for their PBS station, all because he speaks English and Japanese.
I have read about some people who have tried really hard to live in the UK and are unable to find jobs, that might be a matter of it being the UK .
Maybe it will be easier in Spain.
Check into as many online sources as you can. Network with people here that might know someone in Spain that can help.
My daughter can work in Europe because of her job here, but those jobs are few and far between, keep trying though! Now is the time to be adventurous and make your dreams come true!
Please tell about it if and when you do go to Spain :D
Good luck~

Tara,
I know how you feel. I too left the US several years ago for political, social and philosophical reasons...my (ex) husband and I bought one-way tickets to Thailand...we taught English in Thailand, then travelled through India, Nepal, Pakastan, Afghanistran, Iran, and Turkey, lived on a kibbutz in Israel, and then lived in Europe for a year. He got a job in construction in Germany (spoke some German)and the only job I could get was with the US government, which I didn't enjoy, but I did enjoy living in Europe for a year.
I only regret I didn't get to Spain at that time--if I had, I might not have ever come back!

I too think about living in Spain for awhile and it seems to me that there are places that hire English teachers. I'm not sure how to check this out exactly, but when we were in Spain one time I met a woman who does that, so I know it can be done.

As someone else suggested, there may be other American companies that are in Spain where you could work. The suggestion of getting a student visa and taking some graduate classes there may be another way to at least start out.

IMO you should go for your dreams...I'm glad I did in the past, and think you will be glad that you do.

Keep in touch with us and let us know what happens...

Good luck,
Paula

Something tells me that "your" type of political candidate just may be about to win the upcoming election. Just how imagine how perfect this country is gonna be once Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow find their way back after being exiled by the evil Republicans. Come on back - it'll be a Socialist Nirvana before you know it.

oh Zeus...I hope you're right!

Ninalou,

I'm one of those who has been legally transferred to Europe to work, properly outfitted with working permit and residence permit, twice. I have also moved myself over unoffically and lived under the radar screen, with and without a job.

I think you should be looking at the latter course. Your bio says that you are a free spirit and not inclined to follow the rules.

If you keep your head down you could probably live for decades in Europe without being official. Musicians can manage if they have the goods. I've seen a number of guys working in cafes but I don't know if they were official or not. I've talked with bar owners and I get the impression that working papers are not exactly what they are looking for.

Bartending in Europe is much simpler than in the USA. Just draw a beer because hardly any mixed drinks are called for. It will be boring and you may loose your mixing skills. Work the summer tourist areas on the Costa del Sol or the islands. Owners may find you worthwhile because of your language skills, and you'll work overtime outside the law. Right? Most of the visitors are from northern Europe and do not speak much Spanish anyway. The Dutch, Swedes, and Germans love to practice their English with "Yanks."

Writing or working in film from a base in Spain has obvious attractions. You must market yourself for that work. And you don't need no stinking permit.

If you have a little bit of money you could go over to Romania, Bulgaria, or Ukraine and live without working. Since you don't like the politics in the USA you might be interested in seeing what Marxism did to those poor folks. The conditions are very sad but it's still cheap over there.

You and your husband might also find yourself at home in Holland. You don't like American politics so you would probably find it cozy there. Kerry is right wing to most of the Dutch, especially the youngsters. After TV showed Kerry shooting geese in Ohio they probably think he is some kind of a Nazi.

You've got the guts so go for the glory. I take it that you are young so take the opportunity while you have your youth.

Best of luck.

Scarlett talks about people finding it difficult to get jobs in the UK, where unemployment is virtually non-existent. Multiply those problems tenfold in Spain.

You can practically forget about teaching English legally: without at TEFL qualification there'll be precious few jobs anyway - and, like most jobs in the EEA, reserved for EEA nationals, unless an employer can demonstrate a foreigner has unique qualifications. Which, with over 60 million native English speakers in the EEA, he can't unless he's so well-disposed to you he'll lie (and so corruptly connected with local officials, they'll buy such obvious nonsense).

Your only serious options are:

- get transferred with a multinational, or with some other organisation with international jobs, like the State Department
- acquire some useful, marketable skills (speaking Spanish isn't a marketable skill in Spain. It's a bare necessity)
- get a job with the US government, or a contractor
- compete in the illegal employment world with the tens of thousands of smuggled migrants who are also unhappy with their governments - but are unable to influence them without being executed painfully
- find a way of supporting yourself in Spain for long enough to network your way to people who'll lie - though remember you get only a 90 day entry permit
- accept that your aspirations are unreasonable, and that the responsibility of a citizen in a democracy who's unhappy with her society is to work to change it, not run away.

There's no virtue in "following your dreams" if they're impossible to follow without breaking the law. Or is respect for the law one of those US philosophies you reject? The bad news, I'm afraid, is that in this, as in so many other ways, you'll find Spain surprisingly similar to the country you've written off.

first step is of course to contact the spanish embassy for info on moving to spain and requirements. it CAN be done, but to ask for legal residency, (a bit complex issue) you must meet several financial requirements, prove insurance and liberal income to cover your expenses while here. then wait to be approved.

perhaps you could ask for an extended shengen tourist visa. those requirements are probably easier to comply with.

i understand a lot of the good jazz is in germany.
perhaps your husband's agent could get him signed up for some fo the jazz weekends around spain.
also, once here, the small city halls give many concerts.
might be able to get foot in door there.

you do not need visa to stay here for 60 days as tourist.then you can go to england for up to 6 months with no papers.
perhaps come and feel it out.

good luck. the embassy should clear up doubts, and get their website from them.

at least in spain you won't feel so offended by the political problems and concessions since it would take years to feel involved, but this is no paradise either.

I won't get into philosophy or politics but what it takes to move legally to another country is pretty cut & dry. You need to find the list of requirements (on the internet, at the library, by contacting the Spanish government, whatever).

To live or work illegally takes a different set of information. But I'm sure that can be found too.

I have a group of friends each living legally in Switzerland who orginally came from all over (U.S., Canada, Australia, UK, South Africa). At least in Switzerland it's a checklist of requirements like: financial situation, work permits, or marry a citizen, proof of health insurance, etc. Not easy but very straight-forward.

Hi Tara, I can not give you any useful information about moving to Spain:-( but as I am also planning to move to another country (from Germany to the UK) I know how it feels to want something like that very badly and about not knowing where to start, how to get a job and all the other problems.

So I just want to wish you luck and that you can live your dream!:-) Anne

I think the two best ways to work in another country are either working for a multinational or becoming an entrepreneur. In many places, having your own business and employing local people is definitely the ticket to living in another country legally. BTW, I'd love to live in Spain also...

Just Go. As smart as you are you'll figure it out.

Tara,

I've been living in Spain for the past 2 years, and if you want to work here there are basiclly 2 ways of doing it--legally and illegally. To work legally you first need to get a visa from the Spanish embassy in the U.S. The problem is that in order to get the visa you need to provide an official job offer from a company in Spain. But, in order to get an official job offer you need to have a visa--so it's an almost impossible situation. You can look into U.S. companies that have offices in Spain, but you may have to work with them several years in the U.S. before they transfer you to Spain.

The other option is to work illegally. I don't know about bartending and writing, but it is definitely possible to work as an English teacher without the proper work permit (at least in Madrid). If you don't have any teaching experience it would be a good idea to get a TEFL certificate because this will increase your chance of finding a job. Just make sure you have money saved up for the first few months in case you have problems finding a job. Also, if you're intereseted in teaching the best time of year to look for a job is September/October or in January.

This is a TROLL.

ninalou,

Realistically, it would be tough to teach English unless you do it on the side cash in hand as a tutor. There are too many Irish, English etc. native english speakers who are doing this as a career for years. Yes you probably could work illegally for a while but you then you illegally overstay your "visa" if they need one and eventually you are stuck in the country for fear of not being able to enter agin and have the uncertainty of not having official work and possibly getting deported. I know a few people who did this and its not a secure lifestyle. If you start a business then it could be another story. I am thinking would you consider Mexico as you speak spanish and it is much easier than Spain.

mgmargate: Why do you say this is a troll?

Click on her name and see for yourself.

You could also click on the Miami rents & jobs thread.That's her also under a different name.