LIVING

Bearing this in mind, there are some key pointers to consider about working here (in no particular order of importance):

1. SALARIES

Salaries are often lower here than in other Western European countries. While once this was not a huge issue because the costs of living were also relatively low, in recent years, salaries have tended to stagnate while housing, food, utilities and other essentials have increased in price significantly. If you arrive without a job sorted out, you will want to make sure you have a good pool of capital behind to pay for day-to-day expenses you while you’re looking for work. And you should probably avoid renting out an expensive flat before you know how much your monthly income will be – in a place where mileuristas (people who earn around €1,000 gross month) are as typical as flat rentals costing €800 upwards, you will need to budget carefully.

2. LANGUAGES

English is a global language and many employers are looking for workers with a good level in it. However, unless you teach English (see below), you are very unlikely to find a job that doesn’t also require Castilian and/or Catalan. Being a native English speaker is a great asset, but it’s not enough on its own to guarantee work. So before you come, or as soon as you can once here, sign up for language classes. It probably doesn’t matter which one you choose to learn first (although it’s probably best to avoid trying to learn Castilian and Catalan at the same time) - most people would argue that Castilian will be more useful if you are not planning on staying in Barcelona forever and travel to other Spanish-speaking countries is a likelihood. If you are planning to stay for the medium to long term, however, it is certainly worth getting a grounding in Catalan and this effort will be much appreciated by local people. However, for working purposes, you are likely to be asked to prove what official level you have in the language – jobs are often advertised as requiring Català ‘B’ or ‘C’, which you get by passing an exam set by the Generalitat.