Hi there, great website you have here.

I’m a 26 year-old American who has lived in Barcelona for the last 2 years as a graduate student at the Universitat de Barcelona (escribo “Universitat” en Catalan porque he hecho este error antes y quiero vivir en paz con mis compa?eros de piso, son de Terragona y Mallorca).

The Master’s program officially ends in September, and I’m trying desperately to find a solution to the infamous “Catch 22” of non-EU immigration…. as all of you already know: the employers demand that you already have a work permit/visa before applying for the position, and the government demands that you have a job offer before you apply for the work permit/visa.

Part of my problem is that I don’t know any Americans in Spain…you can always see a bunch of study abroad students from California roaming the streets of Barcelona, but I’ve never met an American who is there on a work visa.

In October, I’m almost definitely going to move from Barcelona to Madrid to do the search over there, because I’ve heard from many immigrants (and espa?oles) that finding a job in Barcelona can even be more complicated than the normal visa problems because in many cases one needs to be fluent in Catalan…y “no parlo catal?”, perd?name mucho.

My Bachelor?s in the U.S. and post-graduate stuff in Spain was along the lines of Political Science / International Relations and Development….but I’m looking for ANYTHING.  I understand that a job willing to sponsor you for a work permit is a needle in a haystack, so I really would jump at just about anything.

I’ve asked so many people about this, but nobody has had the same experience.  I understand completely: I wouldn’t know the first thing to advise a person wanting to immigrate to the U.S.  I usually get one of the following responses from my Spanish friends, in this order:

1. The humor version:
“Jajaja, Jim, tienes que casarte con una espa?ola.”

2. The overly optimistic version:
“Ay, Jim, te preocupas demasaido / todo va a pasar bien / no te preocupes / tranquilo”

3. The “surprised at how difficult it is” response:
“Bueno, eres americano, puedes marchar al consulado americano aqu? y trabajar para ellos, ?no?”

4. The overly pessimistic version:
“joooooooo, guiri, est?s jodido”

5. The “what was once humor is now a real suggestion” version:
“En serio, Jim, tienes que castarte con una espa?ola.”

One more thing: is it true that there is no way to get around applying for a work visa in person at a Spanish consulate in the U.S.?  It just seems like a nail in the coffin: you have to be in Spain to find the job, but then convince the job to wait for you while you return to the U.S. and apply and wait for your visa.

It’s very frustrating, because this is a permanent move for me, and it seems that even if by a miracle I’m able to pull it off and find a work permit I have the feeling that I’ll have to be dealing with this every year or so.  Didn’t have this problem in Indiana, I’ll tell ya…

Thanks for reading my mess of a post, and a huge thanks for any advice that you can give.  I?m trying to find a way without enlisting myself into a foreign army.

This is such a tough situation! As far as I know there’s no way you can avoid a trip back to the states for some paperwork if you want legal residence. Do you have any friends who own small businesses (language schools, or something in tourism?) who can sponsor you for a visa as a favor even if you don’t actually work for them? Also if you have some extra money lying around you could always start your own company since you can stay legally if you’re the owner of a company headquartered here…The other option would be to offer to work for free for a trial period at some company you like with the understanding that they would sponsor you for a visa if they liked your work… It sounds like the big problem is legality rather than the actual job search, right? You could try getting in touch with universities that have study abroad programs here and see what they say. The other option, popular with English teachers, is to stay and work illegally until there’s another amnesty for illegal residents (usually happens every 5 years or so) or one of them agrees to sponsor you.

hi jamesA

are you still in Barcelona?
I too am an American wanting to live /work in Barcelona.
I will be in Asia until March though but plan to set up
a biz when I arrive= I have an MA in Counseling Psych
and plan to do therapy there.
I am surprised you can’t find work having studied there?
I stumbled upon a webite of academic jobs in spain
and you may find it useful
http://www.academicjobseu.com
\most don’t say you have to have an eu passport.

there was something about being an autonomo or freelancer.
maybe you could set up a freelance political writing thing or someting
madrid seems stressful.
if you love barcelona i think you should make it work!!!
use contacts…spanish people are about contacts..
good luck ...stay in touch if you want…..
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James, did you ever find work in Spain? 
I am someone in a similiar situation and would like to know if you have had success.

Hey Jim,

Yes, you DO have to return to the U.S. in person to get your visa.  There is no way around it.  You can get a notarized letter in Spain giving your parents permission to go to the consulate and apply for you, but only you can pick it up.  I just went through the same thing.  My parents went and handed in my application and paper work, but I had to return in person to pick it up.

Your best best until you find a better solution is to continue to be a student.  I am currently doing my doctorate at the Universitat de Barcelona and therefore have a year-long student visa for the classes, which I can renew each year as long as I am still working on my thesis through the University.  I am also working full time.

A student visa is easy to get, easily granted, and it allows you to work 30 hours a week legally in Spain (as you probably already know since you had to get one for your Masters).  Any hours over that, most places don’t mind paying you cash “en negro”.  As you know through your Masters, most classes are at night at the University of Barcelona so you can enroll in another program and also work.

Look into a “postgrado” degree at UB.  They are relatively cheap, interesting, and a very light load.  It is also a great way to meet people!  Most are 2 nights a week, and it will allow you to be in Spain legally and search for that great job that will sponsor your visa.  Those jobs are very few and far between, and I am speaking from experience!  You need time to really search them out, and you need to be in Barcelona to do it.

I know your friends were joking, but I can’t tell you HOW MANY PEOPLE tell me that as an American in Barcelona my best option is to marry my Spanish boyfriend.  It is really hard for Americans to get work visas in Barcelona.  But it is not impossible.

Or you could just move to Madrid. I have also heard that it is much easier to find work there.  But Madrid is not Barcelona…

I hope this was helpful.  If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me.  I went through your same experience and I may be able to offer some helpful advice.

Good luck!

I just realized the date of your post is over a year ago, so my above post is somewhat irrelevant.  How did you ever solve your situation?

For North Americans wanting to get a 12 month student visa that allows you to work 20 hours a week teaching English.

  There are two requirements:

1. You must take a 4 week Spanish and Culture Class approved by the government.
2. You must take a 4 week accredited Intensive TEFL Class (Teaching English as a foreign language)- THIS IS NOT A PARTY SCHOOL. 

You can take the TEFL course first and begin working as a teacher while you are taking the Spanish and Culture Class.

Average teaching pays 15 euros per hour net and the visa allows you 20 hours per week ( on the books).  Private classes not included.

There is lots of demand.  If you are educated and can speak correctly, you will have no problem.  If you say ?dude? and ?like? after every other word, then this is not something you should peruse.

*once you are legally in Spain, you can begin looking for other employment opportunities and possible switch to a non student visa if you find a company to sponsor you.  By having a 12 month student visa, you can work at English Academies ONLY but at least you are legally in Spain and can start interviewing with other companies to find a sponsor, if that is what you want.  Otherwise it is an excellent 12 month experience.

The total cost is 2,000 euros for both courses and support.

Feel free to contact me for more info.  .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Work In Spain: What is this new law you’re talking about?  When was it passed? What does it say? Why haven’t I heard of it before?

Is there a specific TEFL certification you must require or just any 4 week program that’s accredited? I guess CELTA would work?

I am a little skeptical of this, though.. I can’t imagine they need to make it any easier for unexperienced English teachers to come to Spain. There is already so much demand for those positions, despite all the hoops you have to jump through to currently get one as an American.

Also, lb26, thanks for sharing your story. I’m someone who plans to start a graduate program in Spain next year, so this is really helpful. Basically—I should try to work in a relevant position part-time while I’m in school in hopes that I’ll get hired upon graduation! Although, I’m sure you won’t see this message since you posted that 2 years ago 😛

I’m interested in other work-in-Spain options, though, because my boyfriend would like to accompany me, and he won’t be studying.

Hi Sally2,  I represent a program that has been approved by the government to allow students to obtain a 12 month student visa that permits them to work 20 hours a week.  Usually to get a student visa you need to be enrolled in a study program and the length of the visa is only good for the duration for the program. 

No, there is no law that states if you hold a cert of some kind and take a language class you can get a work permit.  Not at all.  My quote was confusing and I apologize if misleading.  I have changed the wording.  Due to some changes in some legalese ( I?m not sure which ) the schools I represent have been able to offer these programs since they have been approved by the govt to do so.  I know it took 2 years to get it approved so not just any school can offer it.

Basically if you take take a total of 8 weeks of classes you will get a 12 month student visa that allows you to work at language academies for a total of 20 hours a week.  4 weeks at the approved TEFL school and 4 weeks at the Culture and Language School.

If you are already in Spain, you must go back to the states and wait for the paperwork to be completed, which can take 2-3 months but I know some that have gotten it all done in one month.

They also offer a money back guarantee if your visa is for some reason rejected.

If you already hold a cert of some sort and speak Spanish, it might be a bit frustrating but this is an opportunity to be in Spain legally for 12 months and work 20 hours per week at language academies.

I hope my explanation has resolved your doubts.

In event anyone else is reading… I can also offer “shadow assignments” for college students that want to work a few months in Spain at multinationals in the field of their study.  You do get paid but it is not much at all.  Also, to be selected you must interview with the companies to get hired. The hiring process consists of them loving your resume and then doing a phone interview.  If you are hired then , of course, you have to take a 4 week Spanish Language and Culture class…

Work in Spain—

Where can I find more information about the program you’re talking about? Is there a Web site? It seems like it might be a good option for my boyfriend.

I’m hoping to find a way to legally join my Spanish boyfriend whose job in the U.S. was recently transferred back to Spain. Ideally, I’d like to work, but with the economic crisis and the length of time it takes to get a work permit, I’m looking at working part-time while studying.  I saw the post from Laura/lb26 about working 30 hours a week while on a student visa.  What steps did you have to go through (possibly at the Ministry of Interior?) to register your student visa and get the papers that allow you to work legally?

I’m not currently a student, but was thinking of applying to a graduate program at a Spanish university and/or taking Spanish language courses at a language institute in Madrid. I’ve looked at the student visa requirements and the one thing that concerns me is that you have to show that you have $2,200/month in support from your parents (via notarized letter) or scholarships from the university.  I don’t have that kind of money in savings to show for a yearlong student visa application nor am I comfortable asking my parents to write that kind of letter for me.  I will certainly apply for scholarships, but I am looking for a back-up plan in case that doesn’t work out.  My boyfriend has offered to write a letter of support, but an immigration lawyer said that the consulate would likely not accept it since he is not a relative.  Anyone have any experience with this?  I’ll be applying to the Spanish consulate in San Francisco.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and/or suggestions.

One idea: your boyfriend could add your name to a bank account of his that has at least $26,000 in it. That way it shows that “you” have the money.

Also; if you did need to get the letter from your parents, I don’t think it should be that big of a deal. it’s not like they’d be legally obligated to pay for you if something went wrong.  They just want proof that you potentially have access to emergency support.

One more thing….  I forgot to say, what about student loans?  A lot of students come to Spain without $26K. I think you can just show a letter that says you’ve been approved to borrow that much money + tuition. 

I would just apply to some schools. The school will help you with the student visa details.  I am going through the process and I’m not worried about it at all; I’ve been pretty much assured by the school that I won’t have trouble getting the visa (or a loan.)