Category: Business culture in Spain

When I mention that I am a freelance worker, many people have the following reaction:

“That’s great! I’d love to have a job that you can do from anywhere in the world.”

Unfortunately…not quite. And anyone thinking about working freelance in Spain should be careful of this misconception, as it is one of the largest out there. Working from home is a great option in the sense that it provides plenty of flexibility – it’s a real luxury to be able to fit in a medical appointment when I need or be around whenever the plumber needs to drop by. However, it is most definitely not all about travelling to exotic destinations with laptop in one hand and margarita in the other.

Reasons why it is difficult to work completely remotely

• Your working space is fundamental. When you’re working freelance, it’s vital that you’re happy in your surroundings and have a space in which you feel relaxed and are free of distractions in order to be productive. Which are things a noisy, cramped hotel room cannot provide.
• You do actually have to work. I think sometimes people forget this one! And that’s for at least 8 hours a day if you want to get anywhere. All of which leaves you very little time for sightseeing. Combined with the point below, this makes up my major reason for not working from travel destinations.
• Travel is expensive. Too expensive, some (me) might say, to not make the most of it and have to spend your time stuck on the internet finishing projects.
• It’s important to separate work and play. For me, a major reason why I travel is to disconnect and temporarily immerse myself in a different way of life. All of which is hard to do when you’ve got 23 emails to answer before you get back home.
• What about your clients? I guess this depends on the kind of work you do, but I am committed to regular client meetings which tie me down to one place. And I’m very happy that I do – it’s great to get out and see my clients from time to time. Face time is so important that dropping by and meeting people is a big part of lots of professions, even if you’re not stuck in the office all day.

That said, maybe some people do manage to work freelance from anywhere in the world. And I’m always delighted to be proved wrong. Write in and let me know about your experience.

Text and photos by Penelope

In my recent article on “Modern Spanish business culture“, I mentioned a couple of preconceptions and stereotypes about working in Spain. There are many of these, so here, I’ve gone into a little more detail.

Bear in mind that I can only talk about my own experience. I understand central Barcelona is probably pretty different from a tiny village in Andalucia. But here’s a couple of the biggest generalisations I’ve heard:

• Everyone takes a 2 hour long siesta in the middle of the day and goes home and has a sleep. If only.
• It’s all mañana, mañana, mañana. This depends on the person you’re dealing with. Barcelona has a similar proportion of annoying procrastinators as everywhere else in the world.
• You’re expected to be half an hour late for everything. Again, I’m sure this depends on the part of Spain you’re in. But here you will have some explaining to do if you arrive half an hour late for a meeting.
• Working in Spain is paradise. It is definitely not. Salaries are often low, and working conditions often poor. Take a look at my section on “tax” if you needed any more convincing.
• People will look at you strangely if you say you’re a vegetarian at lunchtime. Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city, with its fair share of vegetarians and everything else.
• The sun always shines in Spain. As I write this, it is raining.
• Spanish companies and systems are inefficient and backwards. In fact, even Spaniards have this stereotype of themselves. In my opinion, it is completely wrong, and also dangerously limiting. Like everywhere, Spain has its share of broken and backwards systems and companies (mentioning no names, national government), but there’s also a lot of very clever, very dynamic people out there and many things that work incredibly well. Take a look at public transport, Barcelona Activa and the smart city programme if you needed any convincing.
• There is lots of red tape and bureaucracy. Yes, ok, this one’s true.

As I mentioned in “Where it all began“, many local friends think I am crazy to be self-employed when I could probably be much more comfortable in a more stable job.

And there’s a good reason freelancing has a bad rep here. Rather than implying “entrepreneurial and dynamic”, the term normally instead correlates to “terrible working conditions”. It’s argued that part of the reason for this is that hiring freelance workers rather than permanent ones gives unscrupulous companies who should really hire full-time workers a way to avoid paying for holidays, social security, sick days and possible redundancy payments. This has lead to the rise of “autónomos falsos“; workers who are self-employed but would normally be considered in-house employees, or at least deserve a “contrato de obras y servicios” (individual project contract). According to the Active Population Study (EPA, 2013), the amount of falsely “freelance” workers in Spain is now around 160,000.

Here’s some adverts for self-employed workers I’ve found on the job boards lately (no names mentioned). What do you think? Should these workers really be taken on as freelancers?

Looking for freelance work in Spain?

“PR Senior Account Executive – FREELANCE

• Your mission will be to work in our Communications Department AS A FREELANCE WITH SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE in the Health Sector, being responsible for:
• Follow-up of the assigned accounts under the supervision of the Account Director or the Account Responsible
• Execute determined communication and marketing plans, in particular this would entail: write press-kits, press releases, articles, specified contents for the client, follow-up of press releases, organize any type of events or meetings (press conferences, working days/conferences with clients, product presentations) and work with the new 2.0 tools (web, social networks, etc…)
• Achieve the utmost satisfaction from the client
• Collaborate in preparing plans and proposals for current or potential clients”

“On-Site Freelance Art Director

• We’re looking for an art director with experience in the creative conceptualisation of concrete tactical programmes, interactive developments and above all strong offline graphical execution skills.
• Minimum experience 2/3 years
• Offline and online experience to help with various projects in the agency
• 8 hour day on-site at the agency
• Salary to be negotiated
• Duration: approx. 1 month
• Please send portfolio”

A recent commentator on this article has helpfully directed me to the IRS’ (American Inland Revenue) website, which has some info about the kind of things to take into account when considering if you should be self-employed or actually working for a company. It’s an interesting list, although there’s probably a few things I’d add to it. How else would you specify the difference?

Text and photos by Penelope

An important part of business of anyone going freelance, in Spain as much as anywhere else, is finding new clients and advertising your services. Fortunately, there’s plenty of free business websites where you can do this which operate in Spain. As always on the web, keep your guard up, but you can have lots of success with finding new clients online.

Nubelo was developed in Barcelona (it’s won awards from Barcelona Activa) and is a great place for freelance workers to find new clients. It specialises in tech professionals – developers, designers and marketers – but caters for a far wider reach, too. I’ve found it particularly useful for finding work as a translator in Spain, as well as other projects like writing for the web. Nubelo works via an escrow system, where bank transfers is made before the project begins, so you can guarantee payment for your work. Charges 8% commision.

LinkedIn operates just as much in Spain as it does anywhere else. Employers normally have to pay to put jobs up, so it’s mainly used for professional, full-time jobs. I’ve found some good part-time work as a freelancer on here too, however – in fact, my main client is a LinkedIn contact.

Loquo is like the Spanish version of Gumtree. It lists plenty of part-time jobs, but the quality of the listings often isn’t great – look out for plenty of jobs as a “masseuse”/escort on here. However, it has a wide reach and I’ve found work on here before. Teachers rate it for picking up extra private classes. It also has the advantage of being the only website featured where you don’t have to upload a CV using the website’s own protocol.

InfoJobs is the largest Spanish website for finding work, and has an extra section for freelance workers, too. Again, the quality of adverts isn’t always great, but there are plenty of genuine people around, and you can definitely find a few new clients online here. In comparison to Loquo, possibly a better choice for those who offer their services to businesses rather than individuals. Charges 8% commision.

If you know any other Spanish business websites (or at least, ones which cover Spain) where you can find new clients, I’d love to hear about them – particularly ones which cover finding translation work, as this is often asked for.

Text and photos by Penelope

Wow, this title sounds like something out of a textbook. I wanted to write this post, because in my experience there are a lot of lies around about Spanish culture and business etiquette in Spain going round. “You’re expected to arrive 30 minutes late” is one of them (this is most definitely not true for a job interview, for example), “it may be difficult for a woman to pay for a man’s meal” another (if only!). If people know you’re from another country, they tend to accept you for what you are, especially if the organisation you’re working with is modern and operates multinationally. That said, every culture has its quirks, and Spanish business culture is no different. Here’s a few points on doing business in Spain, but do be aware that they’re not “one size fits all” rules – every company is unique.

Doing business in Spain – dinner time

• It’s ok, and even advisable, to keep your hands on the table when you’re eating and in between courses.
• Spain is a “one glass of wine” culture, especially in business settings. It’s common to enjoy a glass of red with a meal (bottles are still sometimes served in work canteens), but getting plastered on a Friday night with new colleagues is less common than in the UK and usually considered unprofessional. Order Spanish plonk to make a good impression. Cava for special occasions only.
• Unlike the UK, it’s always obligatory to say “have a nice meal” to people you see eating.
• During the middle of the day, it’s quite common to go for a “menu” – a three-course meal with more limited options than normal, served at a set price. Lunch is a much bigger meal than in other places, and is almost always a proper meal rather than a sandwich.
• Tipping (in Barcelona, at least) is far less common, although you might leave a few coins to round up and be considered generous.
• After a long lunch, time is taken to drink coffee and chat. This even has a special name – “la sobremesa“.
• It’s common to skip breakfast and take a pause mid-morning for coffee and a quick sandwich or bowl of cereal.
• Dinner is normally after 9 pm.
• Make sure you put olive stones around the side of the plate, rather than in the dish with the other olives. I made this mistake once and was mortified.
• A “porron” is a kind of wine funnel which you pour directly into your mouth at special occasions. If one is wheeled out while you’re doing business in Spain, be careful and do not be afraid to decline, as it’s very easy to make a mess.
• It’s very uncommon to order things that aren’t on the menu, and the Spanish are very unfussy in this sense. “No mayo, extra lettuce and soya instead of normal milk” will be met with suspicion, especially in more traditional establishments.
• It’s a complete lie that there are no vegetarians in Spain, especially modern, cosmopolitan Spanish culture. But in some circumstances, vegetarianism will be more difficult.
• Cutlery is re-used for the main course, so take it off your plate and leave it on the table after your starter.

Doing business in Spain – what to wear

• Despite being hotter, showing lots of skin is less common, especially when doing business in Spain. Women – beware the mini-skirt (men wearing mini-skirts may also raise some eyebrows).
• In Barcelona at least, people are masters of the difficult art of smart casual. Watch and learn.
• Wearing bright colours is less common in Spanish culture than others.
• If you’re not sure what to wear to a casual occasion, you can’t go wrong with Spanish fashion brand Desigual.

Doing business in Spain – greetings

• Men shake hands. Women and men, and women and women who have a close relationship kiss on the cheek (once on the left, once on the right). In business, kissing in the cheek is less common – if in doubt, shake hands. If you accidentally kiss your employer (as has happened to me before I cottoned onto this), it can be quite embarrasing.
• Sensitivity to political correctness is different in Spanish culture – women shouldn’t be surprised or offended if a male colleague tells them they look good or comments on their outfit.

Doing business in Spain – other

• In general, Spanish culture is quite direct. Openess and honesty are valued highly, and tact and sensitivity perhaps not so much as in the UK.
• Interrupting is often considered a sign that you’re engaging in the conversation, rather than rudeness. It’s your duty to contribute, and not participating is looked down on when socialising and doing business in Spain. Follow your lead from others, however – it might not be wise to shoot your mouth off when your boss is in the middle of a speech.
• Regional identities are strong in Spanish culture, and people are normally enthusiastic to talk about their local area, food and way of life.
• Remember that everyone is different. Take people as you find them, and avoid mentioning stereotypes – Spain is such a big country that these are often just untrue.

Text and photos by Penelope

Becoming self employed in Spain has never been so popular. A recent study by organisation ATA, the National Federation of Associations of Self-Employed Workers, shows that, just a month away from the end of 2013, the number of people registered as self employed in Spain has gone up by 17,944 since the end of 2012.

2013 bucks the trend in terms of self-employed workers

In contrast, in the years between 2008-2012, the amount of autónomos listed on the tax register decreased by nearly 400,000.

I can think of several possible theories for why this might be. The glass-half-empty point of view says that businesses are taking advantage of the desperate economic situation of many in order to hire people for whom they don’t have to pay holidays, social security, sick leave or anything of the like. The glass-half-full point of view suggests that this is perhaps a sign that the economy’s starting to pick back up.

In any case, one thing is obvious – with in increasing amount of people registered as self-employed in Spain, it’s going to get harder for the government to ignore autónomos rights to things like unemployment benefit. I’ll be at the front of the picket lines for things like reducing taxes for low-wage self-employed earners and generally opening up the economy this year.

Text and photos by Penelope