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Hit by recession, what can I do?
#1

Hit by recession, what can I do?

I thought some of you could help me to decide what to do now with my life.
I finished my degree just when the recession was starting. My goal has always been to be a European Union civil servant (it seemed the best option for a person without connections and with my degree), but I wanted to have first a secure job with few working hours, so I could prepare myself for the hard EU tests.
First I tried to become a civil servant for the Spanish Government. I succeed for 6 months, but then the Government sacked many of us and isn't hiring new ones. Then I tried to become a teacher, and when I was about to be hired, Madrid Government sacked 3,000 teachers; other regional governments followed suit shortly after. Private education is not an option for me (most schools are Catholic and they only accept church-goers with a letter of recommendation signed by a priest).

I've been hopping on and off jobs all these years and I'm tired. There is no future here. I've come back to my parents' home at 28 so I can save money to go abroad; they're having a bad time too.

I'm thinking what can I do; I have a 5-year degree in History and a Teaching Certificate; speak English, French and Italian, and have a small command of German, other than my native Spanish; and my social skills are quite good. So, I've thought a few options:
1. Move to Germany to do some intensive German language course, and then try to work there.
2. Apply for an International Relations master in English in some Scandinavian country, and learn the language while I'm doing it.
3. Do a language course in Scandinavia, then try to get a job.
4. Move to the UK or France and try to find a job there (downsides: high unemployment rate, poorly paid teachers).
5. Move to Switzerland to learn German or to try to find a job in the French and Italian areas.

As you can see, I'm still confused and all options are open. I'm not depressed, I'm angry because I'm here when I should be travelling and swooping foreign girls. Well, what do you think my alternatives are? Can you think of something else?
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#2

Hit by recession, what can I do?

I suggest you leave to a region of the world that is not facing a major economic, currency, and demographic crisis.

My two cents. Take it with a grain of salt.
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#3

Hit by recession, what can I do?

Learning german so you could get a job in Germany wouldnt resolve the problem. How long do you think it will take you learn german? Lets say one to two years, for you to become really fluent so you could take a good job it may take you 5 years..and even after this time, what guarantees you that you will get a good job and what field are you going to be performing when you only know how to teach?

Your best bet may be to move to a south american country and teach english or spanish. You dont need to be a native speaker to teach english in south america.

Also think about joining a technical field, you may want to do some technical courses online while you are teaching in south america if you want to expand your chances to get a job in todays market.

I am sorry but your goals are short term fixes and they wont necessarily heal the problem, always think long term.
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#4

Hit by recession, what can I do?

Move to Australia.

There is around 5% general unemployment, and are in short supply of teachers.

Do it for 2 years, get your PR, work on a mine site.

A 3 year hard slog in the mines should see you save around 1/4 million euros.

5 years later, return to Spain.
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#5

Hit by recession, what can I do?

Spain, huh? Raw deal. Last time I check unemployment was at 22.6% and probably far higher for the younger generation.

First of all, congratulate yourself for deciding to go out in the world to make your fortunes. It's far to easy to just get on the dole and stop even trying.
As for point 2&3 (which are the ones I can advice on with some authority) I'd say that 3 is a better bet than 2. With 5 years of higher education in a "soft" field any additional higher education is unlikely to improve your chances on the job market. Have you considered teaching language? Spanish is still a popular third language in Scandinavia.
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#6

Hit by recession, what can I do?

Quote: (11-18-2011 09:01 AM)T and A Man Wrote:  

Move to Australia.

There is around 5% general unemployment, and are in short supply of teachers.

Do it for 2 years, get your PR, work on a mine site.

A 3 year hard slog in the mines should see you save around 1/4 million euros.

5 years later, return to Spain.

You should breakdown a datasheet about working in a mine in Australia..wages, how to get a job there and things like that. I bet many on here would appreciate it and i will keep it on my ''emergency list''.
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#7

Hit by recession, what can I do?

First of all, thanks everyone for your responses. It's nice to see several in just an hour.

Quote: (11-18-2011 08:57 AM)pitt Wrote:  

Learning german so you could get a job in Germany wouldnt resolve the problem. How long do you think it will take you learn german? Lets say one to two years, for you to become really fluent so you could take a good job it may take you 5 years..and even after this time, what guarantees you that you will get a good job and what field are you going to be performing when you only know how to teach?

Your best bet may be to move to a south american country and teach english or spanish. You dont need to be a native speaker to teach english in south america.

I wouldn't mind working in crap jobs for a while. I thought I could end up with a teaching job (Luxembourg, Switzerland and Germany have the best paid teachers in the OECD). Besides, knowledge of German would help my aspirations to join the ranks of Brussels bureaucrats.
The problem with Latin America is that salaries are poor there. However, it remains an option.

Quote: (11-18-2011 09:01 AM)T and A Man Wrote:  

Move to Australia.

There is around 5% general unemployment, and are in short supply of teachers.

Do it for 2 years, get your PR, work on a mine site.

I've thought about it, but the last time I checked the immigration website, requirements for a working visa were so hard that I didn't fit in. Anyways, I must go to the Embassy to see if they have some information. EU passports can make you lazy about moving to other continents...
By the way, what is a PR?

Quote: (11-18-2011 09:05 AM)Vicious Wrote:  

Spain, huh? Raw deal. Last time I check unemployment was at 22.6% and probably far higher for the younger generation.

First of all, congratulate yourself for deciding to go out in the world to make your fortunes. It's far to easy to just get on the dole and stop even trying.
As for point 2&3 (which are the ones I can advice on with some authority) I'd say that 3 is a better bet than 2. With 5 years of higher education in a "soft" field any additional higher education is unlikely to improve your chances on the job market. Have you considered teaching language? Spanish is still a popular third language in Scandinavia.

Yes, I forgot to say that I have a qualification for teaching Spanish as a second language. Thanks for the information about the job market in Sweden. So, option 3 remains high (besides, Swedish speakers can get a job in Spain very easily).
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#8

Hit by recession, what can I do?

Quote:Quote:

. So, option 3 remains high (besides, Swedish speakers can get a job in Spain very easily).

This surprises me. Tourist industry?
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#9

Hit by recession, what can I do?

Quote: (11-18-2011 10:39 AM)Vicious Wrote:  

Quote:Quote:

. So, option 3 remains high (besides, Swedish speakers can get a job in Spain very easily).

This surprises me. Tourist industry?

Not only. Here in Madrid it's mainly in companies that do business with Sweden.
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