The Best Jobs in Barcelona if You Don't Speak Spanish

Perhaps the most popular job with English-speakers who don’t have the language skills to get a job in Spanish is to become an English teacher. Competition for these kinds of jobs is high in the city so you’ll want to give yourself the best chances by getting a recognised teaching certificate, such as the Cambridge CELTA or Trinity Cert TESOL. Then get any experience you can and go put yourself in front of the schools.

This isn’t the kind of job that suits everybody but if you like to meet new people, enjoy the buzz of nightclubs and don’t mind working unusual hours then being a club promoter could be your ideal job. Most promoters get a flat hourly rate but get commissions on top of that depending on how many guests they get through the door. There’s more than just club nights out there too: pub crawls, boat parties and VIP tours are just some of the activities you can be involved with.

There’s more to being an au pair than just liking children: you’ll need to be responsible, organised, flexible and unafraid of an early morning start. Many families go through an agency as these tend to provide background checks, so expect to have to give references. If you haven’t worked with children before you’ll need to draw on other experiences to put your skills forward and really need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and professionalism in an interview.

That’s right. Just because you want to move to Spain and don’t yet have the lingo doesn’t mean you have to ditch your regular office job. As a well-connected, cosmopolitan city, there are dozens of large, international companies with offices in Barcelona. These companies will often hire English-speaking workers based on their background and performance, even offering to pay for Spanish or Catalan classes in some cases. Sectors such as digital technology and telecommunications are particularly prominent and often have international teams where English is the working language.

There are a number of call centres based in Barcelona, many of which employ English speakers – as well as French, German, Italian, Portuguese and many other language speakers too. Call centre work can be tough, with long hours spent on the phone in front of a computer. But some companies do try to make this more interesting by organising team events or offering perks and rewards, so if you’re a chatty team player this could be one for you.

Don’t speak the lingo but already love the city? Becoming a tour guide is a great way to share your enthusiasm for Barcelona, its history and its culture, while meeting new people. Companies look for friendly, outgoing guides who can make their tours both fun and interesting. You’ll need to prove that you can manage a crowd, are good at time-management but most of all, show that you know the city like the back of your hand.

Finally, if you have a way with words, don’t mind working alone from home and like the flexibility of deciding on your own timetable then being a copywriter might be right up your street. Some companies work with their own in-house copywriters who can often work remotely from home. Alternatively you could pitch yourself on freelance websites and work for a number of different clients. You’ll need to build up a portfolio of published material and show you understand concepts such as SEO writing. One of the best ways to get started is to start a blog and document your travels or your hobby.