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Living in Girona (part 3).
Moving and Living in Spain eBook
Buying property in Girona.
When we first arrived I thought and still do that property prices were quite high. I know many regions of Spain have had strong capital growth and here is no exception. Lately, the consensus amongst locals is that prices have peaked and the advice is to wait for 1-2 years as prices may begin to fall but, it may also be a good time to find a good deal from motivated sellers.
We've recently been approached by a Girona based agency which is part of a much wider, multi-national franchise and they look very professional and have English speaking staff. If you are looking to buy, rent or sell anything not only in Girona but on the Costa Brava coast, please send me details of what you are looking for, and I'll put you in direct contact. Some sample properties, pictures etc. can be seen on our Girona Property page.
Going to Hospital in Girona.
Engaging with the medical system in your home country is usually straightforward and maybe something you have done already in the past. Doing it in another country can be frought with many doubts and worries, not withstanding the language problems.
My own personal story involved me seeking and getting medical attention for a serious eye condition. Although I was registered with a local GP (health service=Cap Salut) I decided to bypass the GP and go to a private opthalmologist for a speedy consultation. On his advice I then went to Girona's main hospital (Hospital de Josep Trueta). I later heard that this process is quite common for Girona locals, that they pay for a private consultation and then go back into the state system for treatment.
As I didn't have any medical insurance or private scheme I had liitle choice but to place my faith in the Catalan health service. By this time even thinking about flying back to the UK for treatment wasn't an option as my eye condition worsened and I had been advised not to travel by air. Plus, I was alone and looking after my two young kids.
My wife who, at the same time
was in the UK could do little to help other than seek some
medical advice herself about my condition.
For my first visit to the hospital I took a Catalan friend
who speaks English. We headed for the casualty department
(Urgencias) or ER for our American readers, and were
re-directed to go up to the Ophalmology floor straight
away. Having someone who spoke Catalan was reassuring and
I'd recommend you do the same if possible even if its only
Spanish. I know some Spanish and next to zero Catalan but
dealing with medical matters is different to using your
Spanish in a restaurant, hotel or a shop.
I was rather unimpressed with my initial visit as the
doctor seemed rather young and it concerned me when she
started messing about looking at my right eye, for me to
point out that it's my left eye that was the problem!
However, I was informed that I would have an operation the
following week. Subsequent visits were necessary to meet
the aneathetist and the eye surgeon who would be doing the
operation. Both spoke reasonable English so this part went
better. Local, native Catalan friends reassured me that
Girona's main hospital was good and I need not worry.
Having had the operation and spending one night there I
would not feel hesitant in using the medical system again
if needed.
Working in
Girona.
If
your'e not retired or that that flush and you still need to
work to pay the bills the thorny question of work may well
determine your chances of staying here or going back.
Moving to a foreign country and trying to find work are
probably two of the toughest challenges you'll have. I can
see why many Brits that have a trade, head to those parts
of coastal Spain (little Britain) where many ex-pats live,
as it makes sense that they are potentially your customer
base and speak the same language. However, what if you
don't have a trade and you desire a more authentic
experience where you intergrate more into the local
community and don't rub shoulders with Sue and Dave from
Essex.
Mastering the language even at a basic level is important,
whether its before you travel or when you arrive (better to
start before if you can). Your holiday Spanish may be fine
to begin with but will limit your conversation (more on
this in our Catalan language link) and potential employers
will almost certainly need someone who speaks Spanish
fluently.
Here's a very useful site I found for help in learning
Spanish:
Learn
Spanish with SpanishPod.com
Learn Spanish with free lessons, vibrant community, web
review, vocab study & more.
Once
your'e here it should be fairly easy to find a local
language school that offers Spanish courses or try ones
offered by the local education places. Girona has an Escola
Oficial de Idiomas (The Official School of Langages) that
offers Spanish as well as other languages, at various
levels including begginer. Check our Links page with
details of websites that cover the labour market in Spain,
although many will be in Spanish. For me, I decided to
re-train whilst still in the UK and try teaching English
with a longer term aim of running some sort of business
here or working remotely over the Internet. Not every Brit
teaches as we've met people that do other things.
Working as an
English Teacher in Spain.
If you
plan to live out here whether it's in Girona, Barcelona or
on the coast then teaching English is one of the best and
most obvious options open to you. The details given below
are purely my own experiences and reflect on just Girona
city and not elsewhere in Spain. There are plenty of
websites that advertise English teaching jobs abroad just
enter 'TEFL teachers jobs' into Google to see what you get.
The TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
certificate is about the minimum teacher qualification that
its possible to get and I studied for mine from a UK based
Co. called I-to-I which I highly recommend as a reputable
and professional outfit. This was an online based course
with an assigned tutor who checks each completed module as
you progress and there are generous time-limits so you can
fit in around other things. I'd spent a bit extra and did
an additional weekend course which helped as it was more
activity-based than textbook stuff and you got to meet
other like-minded people.
If you want to find out more click the link below.
Free TEFL Trial"
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When I knew we were going to
live here in Girona I guess I began to wonder what I could
do to earn some money, my wife kept encouraging me to start
the course and asked the stark question "well what else are
you going to do out there"? I suppose she was right in a
way and I signed-up.
The ironic part of it all was that when we arrived here my
wife was the person to find teaching English work first! By
chance there was a new school about to open in the same
street as we lived in and a fruitfull call to the owner
paid dividends.
In my case I happened to meet a young Catalan guy for
language exchange (inter-cambio) who worked at a language
school in Girona. From a casual remark from him that the
owner might be needing some additional teachers I quickly
found a few hours of teaching English each week, which over
the following months grew steadily more. It seems that here
in Girona the current trend is for more people to learn
English when just a few years ago it was French.
I had hoped to find additional work teaching private
students to supplement and add to my income which I did,
but after several months of teaching I've reached these
conclusions.
We arrived in August just before the academic year starts
in September so you get a chance to start looking for work
and canvassing local language schools. Rather than hide
behind an email, its better to search out these places
using the internet or local phone books and go to a few
every day, leaving a copy of your CV and better still
trying to speak to someone that matters, not just the girl
at reception. If the schools are shut in August as many
are, just see when they re-open and make a note in your
diary.
The pay rates in the schools are not that great, I work in
two schools currently, one pays me each month in cash (but
I only teach for 8hrs/mth) but, the main one has given me
an employment contract, in Spanish which means I pay into
the social secuirty system and I have'nt bothered to
translate it into English. My Catalan friend who I
mentioned earlier also works there told me its a fairly
standard contract which means I get paid only for the hours
I teach, so no sick pay or holiday pay. My good wife seems
to have faired better again, as her contract is permanent
(hard to get)and includes paid holidays and sick pay.
The upside with teaching English to private students is
that the pay is almost twice as much per hour (15-20
€/Hr.) but, I've found most of them don't last for
more than couple of months and frequently cancel lessons
for any reason, so this is not a totally reliable way to
earn a living! So, while the language schools pay less the
work is more steady and reliable.
Also, I'd been fortunate to be offered work before I had
finished my online TEFL course. Both schools didn't have
much of an interview process, no reference checking,
background checks etc which routinely happens back in the
UK, but I can't say that its the norm eslewhere.
As I have to fit my working time around looking after my
young family, collecting them from school and my wifes
teaching timetable it does limit me to what I can earn, but
then some money is better than none. I get offered the
chance of more work from both schools and individuals but
most people prefer late afternoons and evenings so
reluctantly I do turn down a lot of work because I can't
fit everbody in. The annoying thing is that during the day
when I've got more time like between 10am-3pm there's
nothing available.
It helps if you speak and understand some Spanish as often
when potential students call you, even though they may be
able to converse adequately in English they will prefer to
speak in Spanish.
I do think that female English teachers currently are more
in demand as many Catalan parents are increasingly starting
to think about starting their kids learning English at a
younger age. Many of these academies prefer females and if
your'e a native speaker it makes a big difference. I hope
to be able to post some additional comments here from my
wife who teaches young Catalans.
Learn to speak Spanish with the Locals for Free!
If you find yourself in Girona looking for teaching English
work these are the best places where you can advertise your
teaching services, which have worked for me.
The Girona Official Language School (EOI-Escola Oficial de
Idiomas) is run by the local government and most big cities
in Catalonia will have one. It has wall space inside where
you can pin an advert and another wall space which
advertises teaching jobs and one which language-exchange
(inter-cambio) students use.
Casa de Cultura. Walk in and turn right and go through some
glass doors towards the library, before you enter, on your
left you'll see a long, wide table full of pamphlets,
leaflets and offers about all-sorts. Just leave your card
or leaflet here and hope for the best!
The cheapest method and one often used here is to print
your own ad on your PC and printer and have a 'strip' of
contact details, pre-cut at right angles to your text which
potential clients can tear off if theyr'e interested. Check
back from time-to-time and replenish your ad if its gone.
The consensus I have reached is that we seem to have picked
a good time to be here in terms of the demand for English
teaching as a whole, which includes schools, private
individuals, companies and even native Catalan teachers.
Recent changes and new government initiatives here has
meant that teachers will be required to teach certain
school subjects in English so furthering the demand for
more teachers. Online sources which also apply to any other
part of Spain include these below. These websites (the 1st
has an English option) have relevant sections where you can
place a free ad.
www.loquo.com Good one, I use this site
and get more enquiries than from the others (choose the
Girona option). 60 day ad.
www.milanuncios.com. I've had a fair amount of
enquiries from this site as the ad stays live for 90
days or more.
www.sitioanuncios.com
www.profesor-particular.com
Update, Oct.
2007. It
seems that this academic year has changed for the better as
I've dropped the previous schools and secured two new
teaching jobs, one in the morning 9-1 and the other in the
evenings, one with paid holidays! If you are looking for
English teaching work in or around Girona and Barcelona
send me an email as I might be able to help.
Update,
Nov.2008.
The economic crisis seems to be hitting Spain hard, It
already has around 3 million unemployed. I'm teaching 3
different groups, all on the dole, all on short English
courses. It's government sponsored so I get to know their
own stories. Teaching-wise, I'm starting to be a bit
worried as work has slowed up so much so that I'm now on
the look-out for more work in the new year
(09).
Update
Sept.09. Have joined the ranks of the
local jobless as my work contract has not been renewed. The
dole here is relatively good so I'm not too worried for the
next few months, although I know of 2 English teachers who
have recently had to leave Girona because of no
work.
Other
thoughts.
At the
moment these are just a random collection of my thoughts
that I think are worthy of a mention, especially if you
intend to live and work here.
What about
telephone, TV and internet services?
Well, if you rent an apartment the chances are that it'll
already be hooked up to one of the Cable Co's like ONO
which we use. There are no problems with fitting dishes,
the engineer (the one's we've had didn't speak any English)
will install all the decoders, Wi-Fi routers/ modems etc
and the service is normally quick and efficient. The call
centres have English speaking, you just have to wade
through the various options (in Spanish) when your call
gets answered. The package we have includes telephone,
broadband internet and TV channels for about 70€/month
plus calls, though national calls within Spain are free.
www.ono.es tel 902 929 020 / 902 929 000
Getting a
bank account.
After one failed attempt at opening a new account with the
BBVA bank because of misunderstandings, endless waiting etc
we found the nearby German Deutsche bank branch (C/ Marques
de Camps) more approachable, and with a staff member that
spoke English. You will need to provide some id and you can
also arrange to access your account online, by filling-in
more forms!. After we had arranged our residency papers it
meant we had to have a new account which we were told was
necessary in regards to your tax/fiscal status so we duly
obliged. When we asked about having an overdraft we got a
blank look, no, nothing like that exists here. After
several months we wanted a Credit card which seemed to take
weeks and when asked to collect it from the bank only my
wife's came and not mine! So, I guess these banking things
just take a bit longer than what we were used to in the UK.
Supermarkets.
Well, forget about doing any supermarket shopping on a
Sunday as there are all closed! That's fine as long as you
remember to get what you need on a Saturday, but I couldn't
get used to this for a long while. Our local Mercadona
supermarket gets very busy on Saturday evenings so I try to
shop mid-afternoon. I have found one small shop open on a
Sunday just near where Grand via Jaume starts, opposite the
big Correus (Post Office) building. They stock pastries,
wine, juice drinks and a small range of foodstuffs, it's a
bit more expensive but then they have no local competition.
There are a few small bakeries open that sell baguettes,
cakes and pastries until about 2pm, notably in my area of
Devesa and I've seen one or two in the old town area.
However, restaurants are open and areas like Placa
Independencia get busy.
Another point about Sundays, more so during the summer
months is that many areas feel like a ghost-town because
the locals escape to the coast or into the countryside.
Public
Holidays.
The 'Pont' (Bridge) day. A rather nice arrangement that I
got used to very quickly! namely that when a public holiday
falls on a Thursday, as many do, most working people take
the Friday off also, making it a nice extended weekend.
At this point I guess I should mention the good wife's blog
at http://afamilyingirona.blogspot.com/ which gives her own
slant on things, but currently well out-of-date. But, she
will be updating it soon.
I've also come across a rather good site called
www.mumabroad.com which has a lot of useful stuff for mums
with kids, but mainly covers the Barcelona areas and
further south. Still, the insights and general advice it
offers could be equally applicable elsewhere in
Catalonia.
Being
unemployed here.
Getting the 'dole' over here is different from the U.K in
that you get a certain % of your salary, for a certain
period of time and then that's it. Nobody's given me a
definitive answer as to how long, but it basically related
to how long you've been working, and about 9-12 months
seems to be about the norm.
If you've been working here and find yourself out of work
(l'altur) for any reason, you may be entitled to some
unemployment benefit depending on the duration of your
employment. By this I mean official work where your
employer has paid your social security etc and you've been
paying tax on your earnings.
First of all you will need a 'certficat d'empresa' a
document you ought to get when you cease work, detailing
your last employers details, otherwise they'll turn you
away. With this in hand and your DNI card/form, social
security number, bank details, it's also wise to take your
drivers licence and any employment contracts you've had in
the past. In Girona the office (Oficina de Treball) is in
Luis Pericot and it's advisable to go early as people do
start queuing up before it opens at 08.15. As you walk in
you'll be given a ticket that will have a letter/number
combination which you need to retain. Sit down in the
waiting area and watch the screen for your chosen number to
appear and go to the table (taula) number it displays.
You'll have to show your 'certificat d'empresa' and be
given a form to fill-in and then wait for another
table/person who'll take the form of you, still keeping the
original ticket. Once that's over, that's pretty much it,
and my friend was told to re-appear again in 3 months time.
The handy thing is that when you have to sign-on you can do
it online! There's also no annoying 'jobsworth' asking you
if you've applied for any jobs recently.
Town's and municipalities around Girona.
Girona
city is the regional capital of the Girones county, called
comarca in Catalan. It borders with the other comarca's of
Selva, Baix Empordą, Alt Empordą, Pla de l'Estany and
Garrotxa
The following municipalities of Girones are:
Aiguaviva
Bescanó
Bordils
Campllong
Canet d'Adri
Cassą de la Selva
Celrą
Cervią de Ter
Flaēą
Fornells de la Selva
Girona
Juia
Llagostera
Llambilles
Madremanya
Quart
Salt
Sant Andreu Salou
Sant Gregori
Sant Joan de Mollet
Sant Jordi Desvalls
Sant Julią de Ramis
Sant Marti Vell
Sant Marti de Llemena
Sarrią de Ter
Vilablareix
Viladasens