For those who have lived in Spain (schools, university)

[burgler09]

Well, I screwed up a bit with financial aid this year haha... so I might not be able to go to university for the year. If I don't receive the aid I need, I'm considering moving out to Spain for a year to work. My girlfriend will be studying out there also, so it would be nice I'd get to be with her still and do something I've always wanted to do.

I guess what I'm afraid of is getting out there and not being able to support myself. I'm not a dumb person and I'd keep my expenses at a low, but I was just wondering what kind of options I'd have in terms of housing and work. I'm 21 years old and in my 3rd year of university. What kind of Visa would I have to get to allow me to stay for around a year (maybe a bit less). I would most likely want to be in Pamplona.

I live in Miami and get by just fine without English, so the language wouldn't be a problem. Any other words of wisdom/advice from people who know Spain?

[Hasdrubal]

English teacher. The English level in Spain is fairly poor, mostly due to the lack of foreign teachers. If you're American, you won't find too much trouble getting a job in that field. There are some English schools that only hire foreign students, especially Americans.

By the way, going to college in Spain wouldn't cost you more than $1,000 for tuition.

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by burgler09

Well, I screwed up a bit with financial aid this year haha... so I might not be able to go to university for the year. If I don't receive the aid I need, I'm considering moving out to Spain for a year to work. My girlfriend will be studying out there also, so it would be nice I'd get to be with her still and do something I've always wanted to do.

I guess what I'm afraid of is getting out there and not being able to support myself. I'm not a dumb person and I'd keep my expenses at a low, but I was just wondering what kind of options I'd have in terms of housing and work. I'm 21 years old and in my 3rd year of university. What kind of Visa would I have to get to allow me to stay for around a year (maybe a bit less). I would most likely want to be in Pamplona.

I live in Miami and get by just fine without English, so the language wouldn't be a problem. Any other words of wisdom/advice from people who know Spain?

I attended the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid from January-June of 2006. I had a great experience there but I would not recommend it for you unless you speak Spanish very well. It is very inexpensive, I believe only about 1000 euros per semester.

I know two people (Americans, went to Boston University with me) who are currently teaching in Spain: one in Madrid and one in Barcelona. Like others have said, young people from English-speaking countries definitely get preference when it comes to teaching English over there. I really don't know a lot about work visas because I lived there on a student visa. What I do know, however, is that it's a little harder to get a work visa than it is to get a student visa. If you're open to attending classes and maybe teaching English on the side (lots of Spanish familes will pay you in cash to teach their children English (this is all "under the table"), you could probably make it work.

I am not sure if the university I attended has any special program/classes for students who speak Spanish any less than fluently. I think I remember people saying that the Universidad Complutense and the Universidad Carlos III have such programs, however. If you do want to pursue living/working/studying in Madrid, please feel free to private message me; I will be glad to give you recommendations on where to live, what to do, etc.

I can't give you any personal insight on Pamplona because I really don't know it. Will your girlfriend be attending the Universidad de Navarra? Pamplona is about 300 miles NE of Madrid and about 250 miles NW of Barcelona. See if you can enroll as an international student in a program there. If not, I would really consider the idea of living in another city and just visiting your girlfriend or having her visit you once or twice a month. Also, if you lived in different cities, you could meet in other cities for weekend side trips.

[gea12345]

I always wonder, since this is all anonymous, and the OP responds diligently why people don't give their information where all can see it, now and years to come. Why does the more details, get said behind the scene. Not you, specifically...i have just noticed that this happens often!

[irman]

Funny story about being in Spain.
Both a colleague and I lived in Switzerland, on assignment, helping the Swiss with their Jet fighter programme.
So we went on vacation to Spain and were standing at the counter in one of the train stations.
This big giant Texan, yes he was from there, since he had this 15 gallon hat on and this fringed leather jacket, and his silver toed boots, was standing besides us, frantically trying to order some snacks and supplies from the girl behind the counter.
Finally, we offered to help and got him what he wanted, since both my colleague and I speak rather good Spanish.
After all is done, the Texan looks at us, we look like a pair of bums ...,
and gave us a tip in Pesos ..., the equivalent of a nickel in US money ...
Then he asks us where we learned such good English ...
Our answer ... We are from the Los Angeles area ....
You should have seen his face ....

We have often visited Spain while living in Europe and we did meet a couple of young Americans (you can actually smell them !!!), who worked there, and yes they were English Teachers !!!

[Mooseketeer]

Bear in mind that Spain is at the moment one of the countries suffering the most from the current economic downturn/recession and that means jobs will be even scarcer. As Hasdrubal mentioned English language Schools , might be able to help though I suspect positions are probably still fairly scace.

You could try your luck with freelance translation if you are fully bi-lingual but that takes a bit of "homework" and sending of CVs etc.. as most translation companies prefer people with a relevant degree ( not all though) . Tour Guide , work in the tourist industry is another possibility.

English Language Schools in Spain

You will need a work permit though plenty of Americans simply work on the sly . I would not recommend it if you ever want to return to Spain though.

[Geography Freak]

Originally Posted by irman

gave us a tip in Pesos

I'm confused. Why was he carrying pesos in Spain? Or was that part of the anecdote?