Looking for a job: YouTube Video production, Basic Website Design, IT Support and more!

"I have a small amount of graphic design / artwork experience." Well, I have a great, great deal. It could be that we'd make a formidable team, Roger. I've been looking for someone who's good at the stuff I'm not very good at. Please see bit.ly/doneroman. I'm attaching a little redesign project I did yesterday, with Before on top and my work below it. 

Nice work, John. Thanks for the reply on my post too!

I think at the moment I'm rather hoping for employment rather than self employed work...that would make my wife and I feel more secure and give us the confidence to make the move from the UK.

Certainly something to keep in mind though. Are you finding that you have plenty of work?

Regards, Roger.

I haven't moved over yet, Roger. I'm in London. And there's NEVER enough work. It seems that the knuckleheads always get it. :-)

Hiya Roger,

From the perspective of someone who is in the same field (Network Engineer, Cisco qualified, build / maintain / repair PCs etc etc) I would urge you to come over with an open mind, and not be set on finding full time employment within your area of expertise.

It’s certainly not impossible ... but in this area of the South of Spain, I’d have to say somewhat unlikely.  There are a couple of factors that count against you - firstly, do you speak Spanish?  Without at least a conversational ability in Spanish, full time job prospects within the IT field here are .... problematic.  On top of that, a lot of employers, or potential employers, prefer the candidate to sub-contract, and therefore be responsible for their own Autónomo.  Autónomo is roughly the equivalent of National Insurance, but can be quite expensive, hence employers not being too keen to give a Contrato Completo. A further challenge is that down here in the South, unless you do work for yourself, there just aren’t the kind of jobs you are seeking.

That type of work is more likely to be found in the bigger cities, but even then, lack of Spanish will hamper you.  That being said, a large tourist destination such as Malaga or Benidorm would likely have that type of work without the stress on Spanish language.

Something else you’ll encounter is that again “down South”, jobs are often reserved for .... ummm... how do I put this? Well, let me just say that the employment scene is very “Family and friend oriented”

Now I really hope I am not crushing your dreams, but I wanted to offer a healthy dose of reality from someone in the same position as you.

I work part time in a bar as a waiter come bar man, but my wife and business partner have just opened a health and wellness center in Vera, so as my Spanish is a little better than my wife’s, I now do front desk, write the website, build, maintain and repair the POS computer, organize enhancements to the software and every other IT related task my wife can think of (and quite a few she can’t :-D ). I also handle administration, ordering and liaising with Asesora (who speaks no English at all)

So why am I telling you this?  Only to highlight that opportunities exist, but it may well be that to get established you have to do something outside your current scope of experience (or within - I know not what your experience is) and create your own opportunities

Buena suerte, Darío

Hi Darìo, thanks very much for the reply.

It certainly has me thinking a little differently about my approach to the whole idea of work life in the South.

I guess my idea was to put myself out there a little and perhaps get talking with a few other people. Your message has definitely got me thinking a little more about everything though.

I don't speak very much Spanish at all which most certainly would go against me and I can fully understand that seeking employment would be harder compared with the larger tourist areas such as Benidorm.

I guess I am kind of a Jack of all trades...but master of just a few. Video production is more my area but I'd certainly be prepared to do whatever I needed to in order to succeed.

I think my next steps should be to learn a little more Spanish and keep my eyes peeled for any possible opportunities.

You haven't crushed my dreams at all haha! I am grateful for the advice. I'm sure it will come in very handy.

Thanks again, Roger.