I was hoping someone could clarify for me exactly what the typical work day looks like for the people of Spain.
Is it true they start work at 9am…..then break at around 2pm(14:00) have an extended lunch and lounge time…..
then have to go back to work at around 4pm(16:00) and work another 2 hours?
I know it’s something of a tradition….but I’m not so sure I’d like that….
Seems to me it just drags out your work day!
So people aren’t getting home from work till 6 or 7pm??
I’m from America,,,so you’ll have to forgive my ignorance on this…
of course here in the USA we all like to work till we drop (usually)
Do these type of work hours exist for ALL workers…or just certain industries?
Those are the traditional work hours (more or less) that you’ll find in any professional field - even small retail stores sometimes.
It’s slowly changing though. I remember hearing that the government is changing their hours to fit in with the rest of Europe over the next couple years or so. It’s possible that’s already done.
A lot of foreign companies keep more American style hours too though.
It’s really not as bad as you think. Try to keep an open mind about it, there are lots of benefits too.
I guess you’re right…being given a couple of hours mid-day can be a nice benefit too I suppose.
You can take care of chores (if the stores are open),,,make your doctor or dentist appointments at those times too..
Relocating to any new place would involve an adjustment to different lifestyles I guess…part of the deal!
For private sector and multinational “office” jobs in Madrid, 9:00 - 14:00 and 15:00 - 18:00 (or 9:00 - 15:00 and 16:00 - 18:00) is pretty normal. Meaning one hour for lunch, just like in the U.S.
Civil servants in Madrid, however, get one hour for lunch, but depending on their function and employer they may get to work less than eight hour days and/or get to go out for breakfast every day while still on the clock. But civil servants are relatively privileged in the U.S. as well.
It really does depend. If you are a professional then the emphasis will be on getting the job done so sometimes you will work late and at other times when the workload is less you will work fewer hours. This also depends on the mentality of your bosses (or on how much they like you!) I work for an American company in Madrid. I start anytime between 9-10 and finish 6-7 and tend not to take a lunch break, I also have the flexibility to work from home occasionally, if i have a lot on then, sometimes i have to work a full day at work and then come home and continue into the night! Some of my less senior colleagues start at 10am, take lunch from 2-4pm and leave at 7pm. I don’t know if my hours are typical or not but i maintain a flexible attitude of working the hours i need to work when I have a lot of work to do and in return i get flexibility from my employer with reduced hours or extra vacation days when there is less work to do, they know they can count on me to be there when they need me. We also get time to go to doctor/dentist/hospital etc appointments during work hours, we even manage to squeeze in hairdresser appointments during work time - but that’s cos the boss does it!
The one thing i do not get is the short Friday, almost all office workers working for Spanish companies finish work at 2-3pm on a Friday.
al the above what been sayed but if your selfemployed you could be working long hours , mate off my in the pub game and works long hours but oplay hard then
i know a dj Discojock here work 6 hours at night but wont work in a office if you payed him
me work long hours as i travel lot for my company i work for
10am until 8 - 9 pm 4 days aweek with travel taken up 2 days a week
long days but pay good
Spain increases minimum wage to 600 Euro a month increase in the minimum wage in Spain to 600 ? from January. That?s up just under 30 ? from the 570?, 60 cents which has been in force for this year.
I guess you’re right…being given a couple of hours mid-day can be a nice benefit too I suppose.
You can take care of chores (if the stores are open),,,make your doctor or dentist appointments at those times too..
Relocating to any new place would involve an adjustment to different lifestyles I guess…part of the deal!
Hi desertgirl, I wouldn’t bank on being able to do much during the long lunch. It’s true that big supermarkets and international stores like Ikea remain open through the day and that the public service pattern is changing, but for most local businesses the break is sacrosanct. Spend a summer in Andalucia and you’ll appreciate why, especially if you live or work in premises without air conditioning. When comparing hours between countries, you should be aware of Spanish eating patterns. Breakfast is a piece of toast and coffee at 10 or 11am (I guess in the States it would be about 7am?), lunch is the big meal of the day taken about 2.30 or 3, and dinner is a lighter meal anytime after 9pm but sometimes as late as 1am. There’s an optional second breakfast, merienda and tapas to fit in to that too. Failure to adapt to the timetable will result in a misearable existence of solitary dining and a reliance on unpleasant fast-food outlets.
Depending what they do depends on the hours, certsinly the manual labourers seem to start early, maybe 8am, with a break at around 10am.
Shops in the large shopping malls open about 10 or 11, and stay open until maybe 9pm at night so I presume the staff work a shift system to make sure the hours are covered.
I?m spanish. The most normal work hours is 9 to 2 and 3.30 to 6.30. If you work in bank or for Spain “funcionarios” the work hours is 8 to 3 and the thursday work 9 to2 and 3 to 6. Oll office put in summer “jornada intensiva” 8 to 3 monday to friday. In the afternoon la people go to swimming pool (outdoor), drink beer and calimotxo (wine and coke), tapas etc. It?s very normal that you in summer stay in the park until 12 o?clock to night and wake up 7 or 7.30 and arrive to work and sleep 1 hours (siesta).
I enjoy the change of culture here in Spain - I work from home anyway so the work hours do not affect me but I like the Siesta in the afternoon, everything is nice and quiet, all the Spanish are in the bars eating their lunch and socialising, it is nice.
We live in the Campo so when lunch time comes there is nothing open here, I have to get everything done in the morning or wait until later in the day but now I have lived here for 10 years I am used to it.
It is a culture shock when you first arrive in Spain but it is their culture and we shouldn’t try to change it, we should respect the country that we live in 😊 I really hope they do not change the Siesta, I know Europe are moving towards that because it is difficult for companies to trade with each other if the majority close for 2 hours in the afternoon, but hang on a minute, why do we have to change and become a crappy country (like the UK for example) and just do a boring 9-5 - the break in the middle of the day (especially in the summer) is nice, enables you to go home, enjoy the sunshine and do some relaxing, swimming etc.
