Working in Spain is an attractive and promising solution for citizens from Russia, Ukraine and a number of CIS countries who want to find a well-paid temporary or permanent position abroad. This country is attractive because it is one of the most developed in the European Union and labor migration is a common occurrence here. A high level of social guarantees and decent wages, both for qualified specialists and temporary workers, make this country even more attractive for migrant workers.
What are the advantages of traveling to Spain?
All potential job seekers in the Spanish state can be divided into two categories:
- those who just want to earn extra money and return to spend money back home;
- those who plan to immigrate to Spain permanently in the future.
In both cases, first of all, Russians and residents of other CIS countries are attracted by the high level of wages, moreover, in Eurocurrency.
Immigrants also emphasize the following advantages:
- warm, mild climate;
- friendly locals;
- relatively low prices for essential goods;
- simple and loyal legislation for foreign workers, if you do not try to live and work in the country without a visa and do not violate current legislation;
- the opportunity to eventually stay for permanent residence and open your own business.
In Spain, a special workday schedule is practiced: the entire infrastructure begins to work quite early, then there is a lunch break lasting up to three hours, and in the evening work continues until late at night. This is due to climatic conditions. In the midday heat, it is sometimes physically impossible to work, because all the shops, shops, cafes are closed, you need to be prepared for this.
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Otherwise, everything here is the same as everywhere else: the work offered is seasonal, for three to six months, or permanent, providing for a certain number of vacation days per year. In any case, a contract is concluded, which strictly stipulates all terms, number of working hours and their payment.
Why is Spain so attractive to Russians?
First of all, this amazing country attracts labor immigrants with high wages. The average salary in Spain is several times higher than in Russia, even if the employee performs very simple duties. In addition, an important factor is the friendly atmosphere and mild climate, which allows you to truly relax both soul and body in your free time.
Russian immigrants can find both seasonal and permanent work in Spain without much difficulty. Particularly attractive is the work schedule, which occurs in the morning and evening, and during the day there is a so-called siesta - a three-hour break for lunch. If you manage to get a job officially, the employer guarantees compliance with all labor standards provided for by Spanish law.
Requirements for foreigners to work in Spain
As in other European countries, finding a job in Spain is a competition not only with local residents, but also with EU citizens from other countries. As a result, you will get a job in one of three cases:
- the proposed salary is too low for Spaniards and Europeans or other working conditions do not meet their wishes,
- among them the employer could not find a suitable specialist,
- your specialty is on the list of shortage professions, which has remained almost unchanged for the last few years.
In the latter case, the employer will not have to prove to the Spanish authorities the need to hire you to the company.
Among other “subtleties”:
Knowledge of the language. In most cases, you will need to have a good knowledge of Spanish at a conversational level. The exception is workers who will not have to communicate with local residents: harvesters, cleaners, and auxiliary workers. And also specialists who find employment in international companies (for example, IT) - they often have a good command of English. In any case, you will have to know Spanish at least at a basic level.
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Work permit. Before concluding an employment contract, the employer will have to convince local authorities that you are a vital specialist for him. After your candidacy is approved by the Spanish Migration Department and Employment Service, a contract is signed and the employer issues a work permit at the local office of the Ministry of Labor.
Seasonal work
Still interested in what Russians do in Spain? As a rule, immigrants try to get seasonal work because it pays better. It's not surprising. If the farmer fails to hire enough workers, the harvest will not be harvested on time and all his work will go to waste. Therefore, seasonal work, as a rule, is paid 200-300 euros more than regular work.
If you decide to get a job in the agricultural sector, then you will be offered many options for different work: harvesting, sorting vegetables and fruits, packing goods into boxes, loading boxes onto transport, and so on. Both women and men are equally in demand in this area, since the work is not particularly difficult. The only requirement for employees is high-quality and conscientious fulfillment of the assigned task. For one hour of seasonal work they pay from 5 to 10 euros.
In-demand specialties in Spain for Russian vacancies 2021
In 2021, the Spanish job market is very large, which means there is an opportunity to meet a huge number of employers who express their interest in hiring workers in different professions.
The highest level of demand over the years has been observed in:
- working staff;
- specialized workers;
- cooks;
- seasonal work of medium and low classification level.
Job vacancies in Spain for Russians without knowledge of the language look like:
- sales consultant, including managers;
- builders (tilers, painters, welders, etc.);
- drivers for taxis, public, commercial and corporate transport;
- qualified medical personnel - nurses;
- nannies, caregivers for the elderly and disabled - you need to know at least at a basic level and have at least 3 years of work experience;
- waiters in numerous cafes and restaurants;
- seasonal employees for the purpose of collecting agricultural crops, in particular tangerines.
In addition, there is a demand for qualified staff who have a diploma of completed higher education.
In particular, there is an opportunity to officially find a job:
- doctors of various specialties, surgeons, anesthesiologists;
- lawyers of a wide range, advocates;
- IT specialists;
- representatives of numerous engineering specialties;
- experienced real estate specialists - work experience is often required;
- translators for business and tourism in general;
- guides, tour guides.
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Naturally, highly qualified employees are subject to serious requirements for confirmation of qualifications.
In particular, it is necessary to have a diploma listed and confirmed in Spain, certificates and certificates confirming experience and qualifications, as well as all the necessary migration documents allowing long-term residence in the country.
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Among men, the most popular occupations are in construction, car repair, furniture production, etc.
Women are more often employed in such vacancies as nanny, nurse, nurse, translator, guide, and salesperson.
Representatives of both sexes go to temporary work collecting citrus fruits, as this opens up the opportunity to earn a decent amount in a short period of time without obtaining documents for a long stay in the country.
List of the most in-demand professions
What do Russians do in Spain? Below is a list of professions that are most in demand in this country. Also in the table below you will find the average and minimum wages for each profession.
| Profession | Average salary in euros per month | Minimum salary in euros per month |
| Translator | 1650 | 1100 |
| Sales Manager | 1200 | 850 |
| Cook | 1300 | 900 |
| Taxi driver | 1050 | 850 |
| Medical specialist | 1250 | 950 |
| Programmer | 3250 | 1850 |
| Builder | 1200 | 800 |
| Engineer | 1900 | 1400 |
| Nanny | 1100 | 850 |
As you can see, the most popular professions are programmer, engineer and translator. According to these data, we can conclude that physical labor is not as in demand compared to intellectual labor, but this is far from the case. There are simply not enough qualified personnel in the country who can speak foreign languages or programming languages, but ordinary workers are always needed.
Preparation of documents for work in Spain
Before going to work in Spain, you need to obtain official permission from the Department of Labor or the Immigration Department of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The employer can draw up such a document and then send it to the employee. Along with the permit, you must provide a work book, national and foreign passport, and education diploma.
After the institution issues a work permit, you can obtain a work visa. To the embassy you need to provide a passport, photo, visa application form, medical insurance, certificate of no criminal record, sponsorship or bank statement.
The visa is issued for the period specified in the contract, after the period of work has ended and the employer confirms interest in further cooperation, then the visa is extended for five years (this is the maximum period).
How to open your own business?
Like the whole world, the country is going through a crisis, one of the problems is unemployment. Therefore, the government attracts foreign citizens who are ready to invest in new projects. However, a number of conditions must be met.
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When registering a private enterprise, you need to be in the country in person. This cannot be done through an intermediary. Therefore, first a tourist or visitor visa is issued, and after all the bureaucratic details have been resolved, the businessman can return to his homeland. It will not be possible to hire only your compatriots; you will definitely need to employ Spanish citizens. Repeated visits to the country should be carried out on the basis of an entrepreneur visa, as a legal entity.
Company registration with the local tax office is required. The company owner can plan the work schedule and wages independently. However, the profit that the enterprise will receive must be sufficient for the entrepreneur to have enough for his own life, maintaining the company and providing for his family. After 5 years, a businessman can apply for a temporary residence permit, and subsequently for citizenship.
Paperwork
For Russians, before applying to the embassy, you need to obtain permission from the Department of Labor or the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. To do this, the employer must send a sponsorship letter confirming his intention. The applicant provides a passport (domestic and foreign, identification code, diploma and work book). After this department gives the go-ahead, you can take the papers to the consulate.
To obtain a work visa, you will need the following documents:
- Foreign passport, valid for at least 6 months.
- Color photographs.
- Completed application form (can be found on the consulate website).
- Work permit in Spain (the employer issues it in his home country and sends a copy).
- Medical insurance.
- Certificate of no criminal record.
- A sponsorship letter or bank statement stating that the applicant has a sufficient amount in his account.
A work permit in Spain is issued for 3 months and can be extended for a maximum of 5 years. After this, you can try to obtain a residence permit.
Features of the official employment procedure
For ordinary residents of the post-Soviet space, the main requirement will be an invitation from an employer. Don't count on getting a visa without it! Therefore, the first step is to find an employer in Spain.
Labor contracts are subject to mandatory confirmation by the Ministry of Labor. It also gives the green light only to specialists in scarce professions. The list is in a catalog separate for each province and is updated every three months.
There must be good reasons for an invitation - you need to prove that there is no specialist of your level and skills in the personnel reserve of the Kingdom of Spain. However, for large companies obtaining documents is usually not a problem. And the easiest way is for employees whom the company transfers to its Spanish branch.
Documents required to obtain a work visa
You can apply for a work visa at the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow. The application must be submitted at least three months before the planned departure. The following documents will be required when applying for a visa:
- a completed visa application signed by the applicant;
- valid international passport;
- three passport photographs;
- paid consular fee;
- medical insurance in the amount of at least 30 thousand euros;
- copies of all pages of the internal passport
- employer invitation and employment contract.
Visa categories
- Category “A” - suitable for seasonal employment with a work contract;
- Category “B” - for a period of up to 1 year, subject to an invitation and work strictly in the specified specialty;
- Category “C” - issued after the extension of a category “B” visa.
For entrepreneurs starting their own business in Spain, visas of categories “D” and “E” are valid, each of which can be extended. If the visa has been extended for more than 5 years in a row, the citizen can apply for a residence permit.
