Table of contents
- General Knowledge
- Climate
- Languages
- Security
- As a high school student.
- As a college student.
- Tuition costs
- Public universities
- Private universities
- As a worker (either online or with a normal job).
General & useful Knowledge
I've been, for many years, raised in Madrid. When I was around 12 we moved to A Coruña, in the northwest of Spain. I didn't expect to have a cultural shock, since I watched the same TV shows, had the same cultural references and I didn't think that Galician was so widely spoken to be a challenge.
But I was wrong. It wasn't a big deal, but they used grammatical constructions very strange to me (Galician influences how people speaks Spanish) and the general behavior was different. Another thing that I didn't expect was how rainy and cold was during winter. There wasn't that cold as Madrid if you measure it in degrees, but humidity made it much worse. I was a kid, so I didn't need many time to adapt.
But I'm telling you this because I know what stereotypes most people share about Spain, and they are true only to a certain degree.
Climate
Weather is something that attracts many people here. As you can see, the stereotype is true in the Mediterranean coast and Andalucía. There you have hot summers and warm winters.
Continental Spain is more extreme. Hot summers and cold winters, similar to other places in mainland Europe.
Northern Spain is mostly cold winters and warm summers, Summer is very enjoyable if you cannot deal with the heat on the Mediterranean. Maybe travelling between north and south, like birds or nomads? :P
Language(s)
As you can see, there are four official languages in Spain, but castillian is the most widely used everywhere, including Galicia, Catalonia, Vasque Country, Navarra, Valencia and the Balearic Islands.
As for English, you have to keep in mind that the level of English is low. Young people have better level, but they usually don't speak well, because education is very focused on reading and writing, not conversation.
Typically there will be more petty crime (theft, pick-pocketing) in the south and in the most tourist sites. Obviously this is a generalization, but more or less useful. Just use common sense. For more info there are lots of statistics in the National Statistics Institute and the Ministry of Interior (2), but you have to understand Spanish and I don't really think you will find anything surprising.
Security concerns
Don't worry, seriously. Although we complain a lot that crime has increased, it is actually very low, as you can see in the chart that I made with UNODC data below.
The experience as a national will never be the same as a foreigner, even when I knew many foreigners here. So you might want to check the Safety and Security Uk Gov. site for Spain. It covers pretty much everything.
Living in Spain as a High School Student.
Section in construction.
Living in Spain as a college student.
Tuition costs by region for public universities (CCAA)
If you come from a country with college tuitions that have many zeros you might think that, after all, is very cheap. But keep in mind that we must add the cost of living in Spain, and Madrid and Barcelona (sites where everyone thinks first) are the most expensive to live.
Click to enlarge the chart.
Tuition costs by or private universities
Private universities tend to be more focused on teaching, not research (with very few exceptions), therefore they usually get better scores on student surveys, but tuitions are also a lot more expensive, as you can see from the chart on the left.
Click to enlarge the chart.
Living in Spain as a worker
Important! Lower your expectations. I know, you are excited because Spain seems very exotic to you, and you read expat blogs telling how amazing their life is. That's cool, but the labour market is probably the worst downside of Spain. I know that many foreigners think that we are too pessimistic, as someone told me in Reddit, but we are not. Part of my life is studying social phenomena so that's not just the average Joe opinion.
I'm telling you this because I wan't you to change your mindset. Yes, Spain has lots of things to enjoy, a more relaxed lifestyle, food etc, but It won't make all your problems disappear, and it doesn't come for free. There's a cultural shock, there's a difficult labour market and the Spanish bureaucracy, although not as bad as in other countries, is not a good ally of small businesses.
So take an step-by-step approach. Come first with a 3-month visa, and then decide..
General advice
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| 2015 unemployment rates by province |
My advice on this matter is allways the same: Freelancer with foreign clients. That fits perfect for people who works on IT or something on the Internet.
It's possible to make profit from the internal market, but you really have to fight for it. Given that you speak English and know other countries, It does not make any sense. The household income for USA, UK, Germany, France and most central and northern European countries is higher, and the anglo saxon culture (nowadays) is more inclined to spend. Of course, that's under the assumption of a freelance with little customers, like individuals or small businesses.
Looking for jobs in Spain
Linked In, Indeed, Tecnoempleo, Jobs Network, Monster, Infojobs, Newspapers, The British Chamber of Commerce, etc.
http://selfemployedinspain.com/
Section in construction.
