Moving to Spain! ...now about that whole "job" thing...
August 19, 2010 9:29 AM Subscribe
Planning a move to Spain - job advice needed.
Facts:
-I can legally work in the EU
-I am a licensed attorney in NYS (only practicing for 1 yr)
-I'll have an LL.M. in tax law by the time I move
-I am fluent in Spanish (but not a native speaker)
-I don't plan on being admitted to practice law in Spain.
-I have about $300K in student loan debt
My timeline for moving (with my boyfriend and our dog) is about 18 months (circa April 2012). Planning to stay for at least 2 years.
My main concern is finding a job that (a) pays be enough to live a modest lifestyle and (b) allows me to make minimum payments on my loans (roughly $2K/month).
Any thoughts?
I'd prefer not to teach English through one of those "teaching English" programs. My thoughts so far include: English translation of legal documents, private English tutoring, LSAT tutoring, general office work, some sort of position at the Embassy/Consulate...
Anyone have any experience with these types of jobs in Spain? Difficulty of obtaining the job? Salary? Any other opportunities I'm not thinking of?
Also, what can I do in the next 18 months to increase my chances of finding a good job?
Thanks!
Facts:
-I can legally work in the EU
-I am a licensed attorney in NYS (only practicing for 1 yr)
-I'll have an LL.M. in tax law by the time I move
-I am fluent in Spanish (but not a native speaker)
-I don't plan on being admitted to practice law in Spain.
-I have about $300K in student loan debt
My timeline for moving (with my boyfriend and our dog) is about 18 months (circa April 2012). Planning to stay for at least 2 years.
My main concern is finding a job that (a) pays be enough to live a modest lifestyle and (b) allows me to make minimum payments on my loans (roughly $2K/month).
Any thoughts?
I'd prefer not to teach English through one of those "teaching English" programs. My thoughts so far include: English translation of legal documents, private English tutoring, LSAT tutoring, general office work, some sort of position at the Embassy/Consulate...
Anyone have any experience with these types of jobs in Spain? Difficulty of obtaining the job? Salary? Any other opportunities I'm not thinking of?
Also, what can I do in the next 18 months to increase my chances of finding a good job?
Thanks!
You'll find it quite hard to make 1500 Euro above basic expenses each month with non-specialist work in a country with 20% unemployment. (On preview: what Tomorrowful said).
posted by dhoe at 9:51 AM on August 19, 2010
posted by dhoe at 9:51 AM on August 19, 2010
Response by poster: I should also mention that I currently live in NYC, and so am used to having a high cost of living and having my salary consumed by such living plus debt service. By "modest lifestyle" I mean small apartment, cheap food, few (if any) vacations/extravagances.
posted by melissasaurus at 9:53 AM on August 19, 2010
posted by melissasaurus at 9:53 AM on August 19, 2010
Best answer: I'm a freelance translator and that might be an option for you - 18 months is enough time to investigate it seriously, and pursue certification which will help you to charge more (and will provide you with confirmation that you are up to the task).
In general, freelance translation pays better than in-house work, though I hear that ES>EN translation doesn't necessarily pay all that well. With your legal knowledge, though, you could do pretty well translating Spanish (and/or South American?) legal documents for the US. It would help if you could gain as much knowledge as you can about the legal systems of various Spanish-speaking countries.
The problem with freelancing is that it takes time and hard work to build up a client base, and income can be uncertain for the first year or two.
posted by altolinguistic at 10:04 AM on August 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
In general, freelance translation pays better than in-house work, though I hear that ES>EN translation doesn't necessarily pay all that well. With your legal knowledge, though, you could do pretty well translating Spanish (and/or South American?) legal documents for the US. It would help if you could gain as much knowledge as you can about the legal systems of various Spanish-speaking countries.
The problem with freelancing is that it takes time and hard work to build up a client base, and income can be uncertain for the first year or two.
posted by altolinguistic at 10:04 AM on August 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Are there any firms that need U.S. tax advice you could lateral to? I know Weil and Skadden have a bunch of European offices (though neither seem to have an office in Spain, as far as I could tell).
My old firm had one tax associate in each of its London and Paris offices. As far as I recall, they did a lot of TEFRA compliance work. I know some firms also have presences in London and elsewhere where the primary emphasis is on fund reviews for LPs (either direct LPs or funds of funds). Brush up on FIRPTA and the ins and outs of backup withholding/information reporting regimes, plus stay on top of the HIRE Act developments. Maybe also become expert on transfer pricing, if you can, and bone up on international tax generally. I presume you're at NYU for the LLM, but I don't know who they have in transfer pricing or international there. It may also be worthwhile looking into the accounting firms to see if they need a U.S. tax expert on their Madrid desk.
Obviously, going this route would probably mean you end up working the same kind of shitty hours that you would work in the U.S. and not get to enjoy Spain as much. But the flipside is you would get to pay your loans AND eat, which I'm not entirely convinced you will be able to do otherwise (unless BF is loaded). And, to be honest, I'm not sure you would end up getting ridden so hard--the associate in France was required by law to get 6 weeks vacation, rather than the 4 weeks the rest of us got.
Also, you would still be doing U.S. tax work, which is dreary, let's face it. Circular 230? More like Jerkular 230! AMIRITE?
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:10 AM on August 19, 2010
My old firm had one tax associate in each of its London and Paris offices. As far as I recall, they did a lot of TEFRA compliance work. I know some firms also have presences in London and elsewhere where the primary emphasis is on fund reviews for LPs (either direct LPs or funds of funds). Brush up on FIRPTA and the ins and outs of backup withholding/information reporting regimes, plus stay on top of the HIRE Act developments. Maybe also become expert on transfer pricing, if you can, and bone up on international tax generally. I presume you're at NYU for the LLM, but I don't know who they have in transfer pricing or international there. It may also be worthwhile looking into the accounting firms to see if they need a U.S. tax expert on their Madrid desk.
Obviously, going this route would probably mean you end up working the same kind of shitty hours that you would work in the U.S. and not get to enjoy Spain as much. But the flipside is you would get to pay your loans AND eat, which I'm not entirely convinced you will be able to do otherwise (unless BF is loaded). And, to be honest, I'm not sure you would end up getting ridden so hard--the associate in France was required by law to get 6 weeks vacation, rather than the 4 weeks the rest of us got.
Also, you would still be doing U.S. tax work, which is dreary, let's face it. Circular 230? More like Jerkular 230! AMIRITE?
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:10 AM on August 19, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for the advice so far.
Anyone know about working at one of the Big 4 overseas? Or at a US government or UN post?
posted by melissasaurus at 12:27 PM on August 19, 2010
Anyone know about working at one of the Big 4 overseas? Or at a US government or UN post?
posted by melissasaurus at 12:27 PM on August 19, 2010
I don't, but some of your profs in your LLM program may have some additional insights. Also, since it sounds like you're practicing, you may have tax accountants on your matters that you could ask casually.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 1:32 PM on August 19, 2010
posted by Admiral Haddock at 1:32 PM on August 19, 2010
I know that a friend of mine - Berkeley law grad licensed in California and maybe also Texas - has been living in Spain for a while, but I seem to recall hearing that she had significant familial assistance. She has had work in firms there, but has had difficulty obtaining the much coveted "contract to work." She's been trying, for years now with no success, to make it through the Foreign Service Exam and interviews. I'm not sure what the hang up there is, but it seems to just be a long long process. I believe she teaches English in addition to working in a firm on god-knows-what transactions.
posted by greekphilosophy at 1:45 PM on August 19, 2010
posted by greekphilosophy at 1:45 PM on August 19, 2010
Check for UN vacancies here and here (2nd link has a pdf for download).
posted by monocot at 9:54 AM on August 21, 2010
posted by monocot at 9:54 AM on August 21, 2010
Oops, the pdf in the second link doesn't have jobs in Spain itself.
posted by monocot at 9:56 AM on August 21, 2010
posted by monocot at 9:56 AM on August 21, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:48 AM on August 19, 2010 [1 favorite]