trying to work in barcelona, anyone got connections?

Hey guys, i want to work abroad in barcelona when i graduate from college and was wondering if any of you knew of any companies i could work for. I am an english major and I am interested in event planning, journalism, PR, marketing and fashion. There are plenty of programs in which i could teach english as a foreign language but i wanted to explore other options. Please please let me know if you have any friends who have done something similar or if you have any suggestions!

Hi... don't know if this helps but consider looking at some expat websites for job listings. I used escapeartist.com to find the event planning job which brought me to Cabo. I just did a quick search through escapeartist and there are no listings for Barcelona at this time but there are plenty of other sites that offer similar services.

You mention you are an English major but not whether you can speak/understand Spanish. Do you? If you do not, it may be hard transition for you given that Ensligh English is not commonly spoken.. Spanish and Catalán are.

Barcelona is a gorgeous city and I'm sure you will love it!

i spent 5 months in argentina so i have a basic understanding of the spanish language.

Ok, if I were in your situation, I would take some time to study Spanish before making the move OR make it a point to take some classes when you get there.

The Spanish language has subtle variations in different countries and you will definitely notice the difference between how Spanish is spoken in Argentina, which is very relaxed, versus Spain, where it's a bit more proper but still has a LOT of slang.

I am Latin, originally from Honduras, and I definitely noticed the difference when traveling through Spain and also here in Mexico.

Best of luck!

If I were going to work in Barcelona I would look toward a travel agent or maybe working where the tourists will be (costa brava)

May I ask why you want to go to Barcelona specifically? I've been living in Europe most of the past 6 years, I am currently in a country I never thought I would end up it, and have really enjoyed it, so don't prematurely limit your options to a certain area, unless there is a boy/girl or family history involved.

My understanding is that to really integrate in that region of Spain you need not just Spanish but also Catalan. I wouldn't underestimate the value that teaching English might present in giving you the experience what living in the area is like, while you learn the language (most language schools give classes free or discounted to employees). You can use the time to make contacts etc to try and look for other options. Teaching English to kids is kind of fun, and adults is also okay.

Another option which would allow you to learn the language quickly and get local insight is to work as an au pair.

Also realise that the economy in Europe is also depressed at the moment. It isn't easy to find jobs here at all, unless you have an EU passport, or fulfill some sort of "working holiday" criteria, or have a spouse who is from the EU or with a residence permit (in which case you still have to apply for visas etc). As a non-EU without Spanish, You are highly unlikely to find a legitimate offer for sponsership of a visa in the areas you are interested, unless they want you to engage in a whole different type of public relations....;-). This is because, in the EU, employers are only supposed to hire non-EU if they can't find somebody from the WHOLE EU who can do the job.

Also Europe is really trying to improve its attractiveness as a place for post grad studies, and now quite alot of programs are starting to be offered in English. So you could look into that.

If you do chose to teach English be careful about the programs etc. My gut feeling is that the programs that ask for money etc may not be worthwhile. Do your research, and also look into government highschool programs, not sure if there is one for Spain, but they exist in both France and Germany.

wow thank you orangejumper- that was a lot of insightful information. To answer your question, I want to live in spain because i studied abroad in argentina and loved the lifestyle and culture there. I have heard great things about barcelona and am hoping to spend some time there and do some traveling after i graduate and before i settle into a permanent job somewhere. The only reason why i ruled out working as an au pair is because I lived with a host family when i was in argentina and would now like to experience living on my own while being abroad. I am hoping to improve upon my spanish knowledge while I am there. There are only slight differences in the pronunciation and forms between castellano de argentina y castellano de espana so I don't think it will be that difficult to adjust. Please, if anyone has done something similar and can offer helpful information, let me know!

Fair enough, I've been an aupair and it did kind of suck sometimes. I just looked, it appears there are no "working holiday" visas for Spain, which might make it more difficult.

While I'm sure there isn't much of difference between Argentine Spanish and Spanish Spanish; Catalan is completely different I understand. Also unless your are really talented at languages, it can actually be much harder than you expect to become fluent in another language, not wanting to discourage you, but don't expect to become fluent overnight, 3 years in Germany and I wouldn't describe myself as fluent. I get by, but I still work in English.

This being said, living overseas isn't actually that hard, and you shouldn't be discouraged, just make sure you have a good game plan, a return ticket, good travel insurance and a good cash buffer in case something goes wrong. 

Although my exact experience with Spain is quite limited, feel free to pm me if you have any general questions about stuff. I've lived and worked in a few different countries now. Good luck.

just out of curiousity, what kind of jobs have you held while in germany and how did u get connected with them?