Working
Salaries and working hours
The cost of living in Spain is well below the European average, in particular outside of Madrid and Barcelona. However, salaries are also quite low in comparison to their EU equivalents.
Average salaries for workers range from €12,000-€18,000/year. While a salary of €30,000-€35,000 a year is subsistence level in cities like London, it would be well considered in Spain. If you come from Northern Europe or North America, be prepared for serious salary shock.
People normally discuss salaries as a monthly figure. This makes things complicated as the majority of companies compensate their employees on a yearly 14-payment system. This system means the normal monthly salary is doubled twice a year (by what are called extras) usually before summer and Christmas. For more on the reality of working in Spain, visit our website on cultural adaptation, AdaptingAbroad.com .
Working hours and holidays
Traditional working hours in Spain are Monday to Friday from 9:00-9:30 until 13:30-14:00. After a few hours for lunch and a siesta, people return to work from 16:30-17:00 until 19:30-20:00. Today, there is a trend towards shortening the lunch break and finishing earlier. Working hours vary massively between organisations. During the summer months, many organizations adopt an abridged work schedule called horario intensivo whereby employees work non-stop from 8:00-9:00 until 15:00.
When it comes to holidays and vacations time, Spain is a wonderful place to work. By law, any employee under contract is entitled to a full month of vacation each year (usually taken in August) along with numerous national and regional holidays. When those holidays fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, employees are commonly allowed to take Monday or Friday off and make it into a long weekend called a puente.
Also in this section
- The job market: Job perspectives for foreigners in Spain
- Work permits: When and how to apply for them
- Working: Salaries and working hours
Comments from other users
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Outdated
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Outdated, I think not...
For a professional to earn decent money in Spain is difficult, lived here 7 years and am from UK. Most people coming from either the U.S. or the UK will take a major pay cut. The pay off is the way and the quality of life.
If you are in it for the money forget it, unless you intend to set up your own business.
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I agree.. this is not outdated.
I came from the US, and experienced SERIOUS salary shock.
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I agree.... TREMENDOUS salary shock.
And yes, people go home for lunch and take siestas.. or at least a very long luch break.
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Not outdated chaval!
I am a Spanish living and working in Singapore, and I have tasted life and good earning while working my ass out. It is indeed true that your blog comes from an unrealistic future time warp. Perhaps, you were kinda drunk or so pampered with tapas the reason you wrote this utopia of Spain earning 21K a yr. Dream on chaval, I am sure where you live in Spain is a paradise. The reality is not in Madrid or Barcelona tio... One must go to Extremadura, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla Leon, Melilla, Ceuta, Aragon or Galicia to savour the reality of Spain's economic reality. Only Navarra, The Balearics, Catalonia and the Basque Country are saved from this economic woes due to their long history of fiscal and economic autonomy,
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Makes no sense at all
This information is very outdated and stereotypical. It is not even close to reality.
Salaries are higher now than the article suggests (15.000-20.000 in the lower end, and 36.000+ in the upper, not being uncommon 45.000+).
The salary is negotiated, always, in yearly figures, and most common is to have 12 pays, 14 being the exception nowadays.
The working hours are very long, but without the long lunch breaks and of course, without siesta (how stereotypical and short-sighted the siesta topic is).
About the holidays, again, wrong. Normal practice is to get around 22 days of holidays, that then you organize yourself. And with the "puentes", well, if you take a day off and discount it from your holidays for it, sure, you can take it. Just as in any other country, I guess.
As I said, this article is just so misleading and outdated.-
Don't agree......
All my 3 housemates get less than 15.000 per year. (House builter, German and English teachers in primery School)
I did have a very strong shock when I was told by my company that the highest salary they can afford for a new graduated engineer is 26.000!!!
In France, people from my school can get at least 36.000!
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Undergraduate dreams
Almost all undergraduates tend to have very high expectations about salaries, and the reality is that companies know that the availability of graduates is quite abundant now more than ever, and the starting package is rather underwhelming for most getting into the labor force. It is true though, that from the western European countries Spain would be at the lowest position with and average starting salary of 25.000€, Italy 27.000€, France 28.000€, Germany 30.000€... and one of the best, Norway with 34.000€. This changes radically overtime depending on the value that the graduate provides to the company, regardless of the titles and studies.
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Siestas still exist
While studying in Barcelona for 6 months, I saw first hand the number of employees who take siestas after lunch. The custom is still very much alive...
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This article is near accurate
Siestas are still common practice here. However, it doesn't mean that people will actually take advantage. During the middle of the day you will find that many businesses close for up to 2 hours, sometimes 3. Working hours are not unusually long if you factor in the long breaks in the middle of the day. During this time people are eating, drinking coffee, smoking and, if there is still time left and convenient, making a siesta. Also, during the month of august you will find that many businesses are closed for the entire month of august. This is when most people take vacation in Spain. So, between 22 days and 1 month of vacation per year is correct. Also, the salaries are somewhat low if compared to other countries. So, this article is not so inaccurate. This is my first hand account as I live in Barcelona.
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Bullshit
Is this article dated on the 90's????
Based on 2006 figures, the Spanish average salary was 21500€/year. Mind due in industrialised areas such as Madrid, Catalonia or Basque Country the average salary goes up to 28000€/year, which contrasts with the southern regions such as Extremadura and Andalucia where the salary ranges 17000€/year.
By the way,siesta is only practiced in weekends,holidays or by people being on the dole as is totally incompatible with nowadays work pace.-
To mr. foul mouth...
I agree with Gerald, I also live in barcelona. I siesta but my friends tend to use the time for shopping or other things - it's up to you how you use your midday break. It's too hot for this UK lass in the summer so siesta I say! Or siesta 'at the beach' for a few hours then back to work
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I like the Analysis
The figures are outdated, but if you add a 10-15% increase they surely provide a good picture of the situation, especially now with millions of people unemployed and subsidized by the government “paro” program, an unsustainable package that allows the Spanish working force to live with up to 70% of their salary for close to two years if they lose their job.
It is important to be sympathetic to the comments made by the Spanish folks in this log, employees at lower-mid management levels work several hours because of the multiple inefficiencies. Culturally speaking people still spend multiple and mandatory coffee breaks at site and encounter long conversation all they long.
Overall Spain is a great place to live and work, but can be challenging if you are used to the working methodology, as well as the compensation level from other well developed countries.Thank you. Your comment will be published once it has been approved by the moderators.
Are you sure that people from North America have a salary shock coming to Spain?