Any info/tips on moving from US to Spain?

[snowleopard]

Hello everybody!

I've been thinking for years about moving to Spain, and this year I'm finally starting to do something about it. My problem is, I'm a US citizen who doesn't have EU papers...
My first step will be going to Barcelona for 3 months to take an intensive Spanish course and try to get some contacts (my Spanish is low-intermediate now).
I'm a web designer/developer currently living in San Francisco.
I know that this move is not going to be easy... I'd really appreciate any insights and information. Thanks a lot in advance!

[Ben]

Hi snowleopard, welcome to the forum! The first thing to say is, don't worry, there are many many US citizens living and working in Spain without papers initially, and plenty of opportunities for work. And of course, ideally you could still do your line of work here with no trouble at all, working on commisions from here or the US.

This post (http://www.notesfromspain.com/188/) may help, and this thread (http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php?t=512), but hopefully others will have more info to add here too.

[Mike_2]

Hi snowleopard - I'm moving to spain too within the next year. my situation is a bit different than yours - I'm married to an Italian citizen and I also have a job offer, so I think getting my working papers should be no problem, except for whatever paperwork I'll have to do. My main issues are that I have to learn spanish too, and we are trying to figure out how to move our stuff to spain. We have considered just 'liquidating' our assets - selling everything and moving just a few boxes and suitcases, but in the end we will probably hire a moving company of some sort. As for learning spanish - what language course will you take? I am thinking of taking a week long course this winter.
good luck!
Mike

[chicarcas]

Hello everybody!

I've been thinking for years about moving to Spain, and this year I'm finally starting to do something about it. My problem is, I'm a US citizen who doesn't have EU papers...
My first step will be going to Barcelona for 3 months to take an intensive Spanish course and try to get some contacts (my Spanish is low-intermediate now).
I'm a web designer/developer currently living in San Francisco.
I know that this move is not going to be easy... I'd really appreciate any insights and information. Thanks a lot in advance!


I feel your pain. I've also been bitten by the bug that urges me to live in another country. The thing is that I need a contract offer before I step into a plane.
I've been doing some job hunting on www.infojobs.es with no luck. It turns out that you need to have a residency card in order to submit your CV.
I'm still looking for other ways to get there, including applying for a scholarship to study a master's. Any how, if someone needs or knows of somebody who needs a software engineer (Cobol/Java), then I'm your man.

Remember the saying (not sure if there's a translation):
"El que persevera, alcanza"

[acmench]

Hi, there. I'm a US citizen who lived and worked in Madrid for two years without papers. I just taught English classes while there so I didn't really need the papers. I'm a civil engineer but it was no problem at all finding a teaching job without experience or an English or education background. I never had any problems with immigration or anything. I was questioned a couple times leaving the country about why I had a return ticket and I always told them it was cheaper to buy it that way - they seemed satisfied with that. In my 2 years there I probably made 6 roundtrips to the States and another 5 or so within Europe without incident.

In my experience there are a lot of Americans over there without papers. My English academy was almost entirely people from the US. Towards the end I started looking for work in engineering and it was impossible without a work permit. One option - if you have a student visa to begin with you can look into working first as an intern (or becario/a). Some people I knew who were there on Master's programs did that and it at least got their foot in the door.

I actually ended up meeting my husband while in Madrid. I brought him back to the States with me, but, 3 years later, we are moving back to Madrid early next year. So, I adore Spain and say it's worth the risks to go there without papers and see what comes of it. Good luck!!

[snowleopard]

Amy, thanks a lot for your reply! It's very encouraging. I'd like to talk to you about your experiences in Spain, if possible. I sent you a private message.

[snowleopard]

Hi snowleopard, welcome to the forum! The first thing to say is, don't worry, there are many many US citizens living and working in Spain without papers initially, and plenty of opportunities for work. And of course, ideally you could still do your line of work here with no trouble at all, working on commisions from here or the US.

This post (http://www.notesfromspain.com/188/) may help, and this thread (http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php?t=512), but hopefully others will have more info to add here too.
Ben, thank you for the reply, it gives me some hope!
Initially I'd be OK living in Spain without papers and doing some off the books work, but later I'd like to get legalized and work in my field. I might go for a master program in Spain next year and try to get my foot in the door this way. Do you have any idea how the job market is in web design/development?

Also, I have a question about English teaching: I'm wondering if it would be possible to teach English in Spain for someone who is not a native speaker. I'm originally from Russia, came to the US when I was 23 and have been living there for 14 years. I'm completely bilingual, my English is just as good as native in all aspects, but I have an accent... Not a heavy accent, but anyone who knows English well enough would immediately realize that I'm not a native speaker (although when I lived in Malta most Maltese thought I was American! Ha-ha, just because I didn't have a British accent! They don't get to see many Americans there, I guess). I've heard that it wouldn't be a problem in Asia and Latin America, but Europe is more picky.
So, having said all that, do you think it could be a problem for me to find English teaching opportunities in Spain?

[snowleopard]

Mike-you're all set! Your move will be a piece of cake, unlike mine. You have the papers and a job offer, what else could one wish for? :-) Tienes muy buena suerte!

In terms of Spanish courses, there are tons of them. What city are you moving to? I'm going to Barcelona, and I'm still shopping for a school there. There are so many! My Spanish school in San Francisco recommends International House, they said it's one of the best. It has schools all over Spain. A couple of other good schools: Enforex, Don Quijote. You can also search for schools anywhere in Spain on the Instituto Cervantes web site: http://eee.cervantes.es/

[snowleopard]

Chicarcas-yes, we're in the same boat. But you've got one advantage over me: you're a native Spanish speaker. I've just started learning Spanish 6 months ago, and am nowhere near fluent.
I think you can still go to Spain without papers as a tourist (or with a student visa), and then you can figure out what to do to stay there. That's what I'm planning to do. I know that many non-Europeans live and work in Spain, they made their way there somehow... I absolutely agree with this saying: "El que persevera, alcanza". I think the closest translation would be "Where there is a will, there is a way".
Buena suerte, amigo!

[Ashley]

I'm hoping to move to Spain, too! I'm from the US citizen but I've been in the UK for university. Hopefully, some of my professors will have some contacts in Spain (I'm in chemistry). Otherwise I was thinking I'd do something similar to you, doing a language study program and trying to job hunt while in Spain on a student visa. I'll be interested to hear which language school you end up going with and how you like it!

[chicarcas]

Chicarcas-yes, we're in the same boat. But you've got one advantage over me: you're a native Spanish speaker. I've just started learning Spanish 6 months ago, and am nowhere near fluent.
I think you can still go to Spain without papers as a tourist (or with a student visa), and then you can figure out what to do to stay there. That's what I'm planning to do. I know that many non-Europeans live and work in Spain, they made their way there somehow... I absolutely agree with this saying: "El que persevera, alcanza". I think the closest translation would be "Where there is a will, there is a way".
Buena suerte, amigo!


Thanks a lot to you all. Now I think I'm not alone in this. I hope I can pull some strings next month I'll be visiting some friends in Madrid.
Wish me success :thumbs-up:

"La suerte es de los pendejos, pero el éxito es de los chingones" Let's see if you can figure this out. ;)

[snowleopard]

Well, if you have friends in Spain, it's already half the deal! :)

"La suerte es de los pendejos, pero el éxito es de los chingones"-hmm... that's a tough one. I know that "pendejo" has different meanings depending on the country (and I don't think they use it in Spain). Anyway, here is my guess: "Luck is for the dumb asses (?), but success is for the competent"

[chicarcas]

Well, if you have friends in Spain, it's already half the deal! :)

"La suerte es de los pendejos, pero el éxito es de los chingones"-hmm... that's a tough one. I know that "pendejo" has different meanings depending on the country (and I don't think they use it in Spain). Anyway, here is my guess: "Luck is for the dumb asses (?), but success is for the competent"

That's right......well, sort of..... But you got the idea.