If you have IT qualifications – which don’t necessarily have to be at degree level – and experience, there are plenty of opportunities in this sector, both in the cities and in the coastal areas. IT tends to be used as an umbrella term covering technical fields, such as systems management and software, and general sectors, such as internet marketing, web design and development, and web-hosting. According to those in the industry, it’s a significant growth area – and experts say that the growth will continue for the foreseeable future.
This development provides scope for a new breed of entrepreneurs who don’t want to be tied to one location. You may even be able to enjoy the lifestyle that Spain has to offer you and your clients but, thanks to the internet, keep your business registered in your home country and so avoid some of the labyrinthine Spanish bureaucracy. Or you may choose to do this as a springboard to basing yourself in Spain permanently.
Information Technology in Spain
The information technology sector in Spain is moving so fast that the government, internet providers and many Spanish companies are finding it hard to keep up. Spain was something of a latecomer to the IT revolution, which didn’t begin until the mid-‘80s. The number of internet users in Spain at the end of 2003 was just under 10 million, compared with 25 million in the UK, whose population is only 50 per cent larger.
But, although Spain still lags behind the much of the developed world, it’s catching up fast and, thanks to the recent dramatic growth, some analysts predict that it will soon be one of the top internet business markets. The Spanish government knows that it’s a key element in the economic growth of the country and has launched various initiatives in the last few years to bridge the gap between Spain and other countries.
If you’ve had experience of either the UK or US markets, you will find that the Spanish market is several years behind what you’re used to, but that can be to your advantage in terms of getting a job. Frank Reilly – an IT consultant from the UK who runs an internet consultancy with the same name as its website address (www.and-m.com ) in Valencia, where he has been based for the last six years – compares the sector with that of London at the height of the dot com boom: “Around 2001, the industry in Spain mirrored London in the ’90s. There was a lot of excitement about potential growth which was similar to the initial verve in London: people were setting up companies and opening studios everywhere, but it soon turned into disappointment when the majority of them discovered that there just wasn’t the revenue there to make a profit. Now I find that much of my work is advising small to medium-size enterprises that want to take their marketing overseas and need to know how to use the internet effectively to help them do that.”
Frank tends to have three types of client: Spaniards who want to take their marketing overseas – and these are usually property-related; expatriates starting up small businesses who want to use the internet to promote their products; and a few UK companies wanting to market to Spain. “Spanish companies need more support than the UK companies I deal with,” he says. “They need to understand how to use the internet effectively to market their products abroad. It’s currently a very under-developed area so there are opportunities. Spanish businesses are not as proactive as they could be and tend not to think through the implications of, say, having their website available in English or other languages. Businesses have been slow to understand the need to adapt their marketing approaches in internet terms in order to keep pace with the rest of the world. However, there’s an increasing desire to learn these days, far more so than when I came to Spain six years ago. Spanish companies are becoming more and more aware that the internet is a cost-effective method of marketing.”
Frank’s advice to those thinking of trying out their IT skills in Spain, apart from learning the local language, is to be financially realistic and learn how to network successfully: “Allow enough money to live on for at least two years. I’ve been here for over six years and it’s only relatively recently that I’ve felt I’m making some real headway. That’s partly because I’ve spent time building a good reputation and making the right kind of contacts. The other thing I would advise is that you must register yourself as self-employed and have official status in Spain. There are no short cuts to this and it’s worth it just to be taken seriously as a professional.”
Frank cautions those who say that if you have access to the internet you can work anywhere: “This definitely has limited application in Spain. Of course, the internet can get you a long way forward in a shorter period of time, but the Spanish business market thrives on personal contact. Spaniards like to meet you, get to know you and trust you before they will deal with you. You will find that almost no one replies to emails or telephone calls, especially from someone they’ve never met. If you make sure you combine good use of the internet with personal contact, you will be far more successful than if you just sit at your keyboard all day.”
A skilled professional in IT systems management with around ten years’ experience can command a salary of around €45,000 and a programmer with roughly five years’ experience can expect a salary of around €27,000. IT jobs in Spain are listed on a number of websites, including the following:
- www.computrabajo.es – In Spanish only but gives and idea of what the job situation is like in different areas of Spain;
- www.hays.es – Available in English, with an extensive IT section including surveys on the sector and an indication of average salaries;
- www.manpower.co.uk – The Manpower site, in English, with a section called X-Border Connections containing information about jobs available abroad, including IT jobs in Spain.
Language
If you choose to work or do business in the IT sector in any of the big cities –whether it’s Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia – your first consideration should be your language skills. You must be able to speak fairly fluent Spanish and have a working knowledge of any local languages and dialects. In Madrid, the language situation is relatively straightforward: Castilian Spanish is spoken by everyone. But in Barcelona the main language is Catalan, and in Valencia some people will speak a dialect of Catalan which called valenciano.
There are some opportunities in the IT sector for those with less than fluent Spanish, but one IT professional based in Barcelona says that jobs in Spanish companies are ‘untouchable’ without fluent Spanish. Similarly, Frank Reilly, whose business deals with internet-focused marketing and project management, stresses that language is the most important consideration, especially if you’re planning to work in an area where a regional language is spoken, such as Valencia: “It’s a challenge you must meet head on if you’re going to stand a chance. Language is probably the biggest obstacle which will prevent you from accessing all kinds of business and job opportunities.”
If your Spanish isn’t fluent, there may be opportunities with the many large foreign companies that are based in the big cities, especially Barcelona, and who need IT workers for their projects. Some short-term jobs are available and, because of the international nature of the business, Spanish isn’t always required. This kind of job could be a good start to gain some experience and make some contacts in the IT sector in Spain. Barcelona is also home to several call centres catering for the European market, where you may find a job which doesn’t require any Spanish. In coastal areas, where there are large numbers of expatriate residents who require English-speaking services, you can usually find opportunities in IT if you’re a native English speaker with less than fluent Spanish.
This article is an extract from Making a Living in Spain. Click here to get a copy now.