Living and Working in Spain: What’s it really like?

During the final week of a 6-month work placement at don Quijote’s central promotion office in Salamanca, I find myself in an increasingly reflective mood looking back at the past half a year and wondering how to sum up my experiences of life and work in Spain. For many people Spain doesn’t represent much beyond the primary cities of Madrid and Barcelona or the sun and sea of the Costas. In short, a holiday destination rather than a place to live and work; so what’s it really like?

Largely unknown outside of Spain, Salamanca has been an incredible place to spend the last 6 months. Known as the “Golden City” due to the colour of the local stone, Salamanca’s centre is packed full of renaissance splendour with a whole host of noteworthy sites including the ancient university, two spectacular cathedrals, and without doubt the country’s best Plaza Mayor. Even after such a long time living here, Salamanca’s beauty is still breathtaking both by day and at night, come rain or shine.

This city is largely what has made my time in Spain so great. During the summer months, fellow blog contributor Chloe and I would enjoy our lunch break on the shady banks of the Rio Tormes that runs adjacent to the office (see picture above) and after work we savoured the evening’s warmth in the park or with a drink and pincho outside one of Salamanca’s hundreds of cafés and bars. Weekends were spent basking by the open air public swimming pool for hours on end or exploring every inch of the Golden City. Beyond Salamanca there is a wealth of places to visit with historical places like Segovia, La Alberca and Zamora just a bus ride away.

The work side has also proved incredibly enjoyable. According to the stereotype, Spaniards are very laid back people and for once I’d say that this is true. I’m not saying that nothing ever gets done, quite the opposite in fact as I’ve found that a relaxed and informal work environment allows people to be more productive. The shirt, trousers and smart shoes I turned up wearing on the first day in July soon gave way to more comfortable shorts and t-shirts, until winter arrived at least. The whole culture of work here seems very different to the UK and in spite of being a relatively large office with more than 30 people in 5 separate departments, everyone is sociable and talkative whilst at work.

Simple things make the difference, like the fact that everyone will take time off to eat their lunch together. Nobody rushes out of the office to grab a sandwich to then eat at their desk as often happens in the UK. Instead lunchtime is savoured as a time to enjoy food and the company of others, and afterwards everyone is ready to go back to work having actually had a proper break.

The first few weeks were understandably daunting being thrown in at the deep end to work in Spanish among Spaniards when I wasn’t very confident with the language. However, don Quijote’s classes did wonders at the start and when working in the office it’s deceptive how much the complete immersion improves your language acquisition. Although I may not have felt I was improving at the time, when I think back to my level of Spanish in my first few days compared to my level now, the gains have been massive. Ever since arriving at the end of June I have had a fantastic time gaining valuable work experience, making new friends, and most importantly for my university degree, increasing my knowledge of the Spanish language and culture to a level only attainable by living in Spain for a sustained period. Best of all is that I now have the confidence to live and work abroad after graduating.

All in all, it’s been an unforgettable 6 months and when visiting Spain I will definitely find myself drawn back to Salamanca time and again in the future.