Hello everyone. I’m new here and like most newbies i have several woes and questions. I hope a few kind souls here can help me out.

I am from Singapore and have a some years of experience in TV production (assistant producer and studio director) as well as vacation job experiences as a call centre operator, telesales staff, admin staff and waitress/barrister (typical student jobs). I also possess a Bachelor’s Degree and Diploma in Mass Communication.

I speak fluent English and Mandarin and am currently enrolling in Spanish classes to supplement my limited vocabulary.

I intend to move to Spain (Tarragona) no matter what because I am in love with my Spanish girlfriend and we want to get married. I have a problem justifying the months I need to file a request for our marriage as (my very strict, homophobic, in-the-dark, typically-asian) parents need to know I’m in Spain for a(nother) “solid” reason.

My problem is “how?” and “what?”.
I have considered TEFL or CELTA courses but my research has made me nervous about that route. How can I compete with anglo teachers? How can I find a job with the soaring unemployment rate? It doesn’t seem like a good idea.

I have considered enrolling in a Masters Degree course but I’m not sure if the requirements can be sufficed. The ones that interest me require me to have done (hopefully creative) research (which I have not done).

I have tried sending out my CV to online job openings (like telesales) in the Barcelona/Tarragona/Reus etc areas and no one has gotten back to me. I guess it’s because they can’t interview me in the flesh and I do not hold (although I would love to have) a Spanish work permit. How can I get a visa without a job and how can I get a job without a visa, it’s such a headache. It doesn’t help that I’m not from the EU.

My gf believes that being physically in Spain will make it slightly easier to get a job. I think that should be true. The only problem is that the Visa has to applied while in Singapore. Flying between Singapore and Spain is not exactly affordable to my pockets.

My gf’s uncle who owns a business (non-international) in the construction sector has tried to help me by suggesting I take an admin job. He consulted his gestoria/business consultant/lawyer who said that offering me such a job would be rather impossible—el Ministerio de Trabajo is so stingy about offering jobs to foreigners and sending a request to them would likely end up with them suggesting they employ a local (since they are not an International company and require no native speakers of other languages and admin jobs are in great demand). Is there a way to work around this?

We have discussed setting up a business but neither of us have experience in running businesses of any kind. :\

It seems that the Master Degree and my gf’s uncle seems like the easier ways out as they would allow me a reason to stay in Spain longer (the papers take quite a while to process and be approved, I read?) Although they don’t seem like they are going to work out *sigh*

I don’t have any more ideas about how I can get to Spain and wed my girl without the risk of my parents disowning me. Any suggestions? Thank you for your time, we appreciate it so much. 😊

Well, you have to realize it’s set up this way to protect Spanish and EU workers. You’re kind of exactly the person they’re trying to keep out. Don’t take it personally! I’m in the same boat. 😉

The uncle is not a bad idea but you’d have to stretch the truth a LOT to get a work permit request to slide in without questioning about hiring a local instead.

Setting up your own business is probably your best bet, but frankly it will probably cost you as much to set it up and sponsor yourself as it would to go to Spain, then return to Singapore to process a work visa. Additionally you’d have to return to Singapore to process ANY work permit anyway. You have to realize this isn’t going to be cheap or easy. You’re looking at about a 10,000? proposition to do this (including time spent waiting and not working, flights, legal bills, etc), but this has the highest likelihood of success because there ARE NO JOBS right now for anyone. Give up now. 😊

Go as a student if you can get accepted as well as afford the tuition and living expenses. It’s almost certain to get you in the country legally, and you’ll end up potentially more employable (though in some circles a Masters will actually hold you back these days).

Also know that marriage isn’t what it used to be. It’s a legal bond that opens certain doors. It’s not the big deal (at least not religiously) that it used to be IMHO.

The Expatriator - 01 February 2011 02:51 AM

Well, you have to realize it’s set up this way to protect Spanish and EU workers. You’re kind of exactly the person they’re trying to keep out. Don’t take it personally! I’m in the same boat. 😉

The uncle is not a bad idea but you’d have to stretch the truth a LOT to get a work permit request to slide in without questioning about hiring a local instead.

Setting up your own business is probably your best bet, but frankly it will probably cost you as much to set it up and sponsor yourself as it would to go to Spain, then return to Singapore to process a work visa. Additionally you’d have to return to Singapore to process ANY work permit anyway. You have to realize this isn’t going to be cheap or easy. You’re looking at about a 10,000? proposition to do this (including time spent waiting and not working, flights, legal bills, etc), but this has the highest likelihood of success because there ARE NO JOBS right now for anyone. Give up now. 😊

Go as a student if you can get accepted as well as afford the tuition and living expenses. It’s almost certain to get you in the country legally, and you’ll end up potentially more employable (though in some circles a Masters will actually hold you back these days).

Also know that marriage isn’t what it used to be. It’s a legal bond that opens certain doors. It’s not the big deal (at least not religiously) that it used to be IMHO.

Hello, thanks for your reply. ^_^ I understand the policies are in place to keep people like me out.. Protecting jobs for locals are good, I know. But not when I’m trying to get in. XD

I am curious as to what you mean by stretching the truth, in trying to get a job in my partner’s uncle’s company. Are you suggesting that it might be possible somehow?

I’m probably going to try to get into a Master’s programme. Perhaps I can even get a scholarship…?

It’s understandable why you find marriage a legal bond of no big deal, considering people’s attitudes towards it these days. But it’s my goal and somehow I’m gonna try to reach it. My partner and I do find it a big deal 😊

Stretch the truth = lie. 😊

Exaggerate your abilities. Come up with a “position” within the company that does indeed require your unique skillset. This happens all the time. I’m not saying you should do this, but if you want to try this path then you’ll probably have to be creative.