Jobs in Madrid, Spain

Job opportunities in Madrid for foreigners are always expanding. Though there is an ever-increasing demand for foreign workers in a variety of fields, that is also a steady need for English instructors any time of the year.

Madrid is an especially great place to work abroad in Spain for those interested in journalism, tourism, and finance. Serving as one of the most important publishing centers for Spanish material in the world, foreigners can find gainful employment in one of Madrid’s larger publishing companies or take a gander around the city’s bustling independent publishing scene. Tourism jobs in Madrid are widely available for obvious reasons. Madrid is an electric city, and there’s no shortage of people coming from around the world to sample the city’s food, music, and traditions. Financial services in Spain are largely centered in Madrid, so it’s an exciting place to pursue jobs in economics or finance if you want to better understand the economic opportunities present in the Spanish economy.

A knowledge of Spanish will be your key to landing most jobs in Madrid, but there are job opportunities for English speakers in Madrid as well. As mentioned above, there’s a huge demand for English teachers in Madrid. Some Spanish students go so far as to participate in international exchange programs in high school just to study and practice their English skills for a year in the United States! Education jobs in Madrid can be lucrative for qualified professionals, and can also help you meet and greet your way into Spanish culture.

Culturally, Spanish business culture can be a bit different. The pace is generally considered to be slow and easy going, and personal relationships are the key to building a career in Spain. Spanish people prefer to form social bonds before talking business, so it’s important to understand that your network in Spain is more than a set of professional contacts. For example, there may be (and likely will be) plenty of eating, drinking, and socializing before you can create a real business partner.