I am interested in living and working in a major city in Spain, but I only have elementary Spanish skills. I would like to learn more by working there. Does anyone know of some firms that are bilingual and open to foreign applicants?
I see several past threads on Spain, but I am looking for more specific names of offices and also if ppl have worked there with limited Spanish skills.
i think firms in spain have been opening up to foreigners with limited spanish. i've had friends do stints at places like miralles, ferrater and abalos y herreros.
I believe you can get a one year working visa. I have many frineds who have done this ...others have even stayed there for the past 8 years! (one of them ended up marrying a nice catalan girl and they have now a practice together in Barcelona)
Hmmmm so it's just a matter of the company agreeing to a one year contract with you? and then they will help you get the visa etc.?
does this cost them a lot of time and/or money? or is it pretty standard? I know here in the states it can be expensive and a lot of paper work for firms to hire you if you are not a citizen.
As far as Spain is concerned, getting a visa is not a simple process, and it is even harder to acquire after you've left the US. The employer's participation is one issue, in addition to the neccesity of a homologation of your architecture degree (which could take a year with the possibility of having to do a thesis project!).
When a Spanish employer contracts a non-EU citizen, he/she has to present him/herself in person at the departments of immigration and employment, in addition to paying administrative fees, so yes (to answer that question) it does cost them a lot of time and money--for that reason I think that acquiring a visa may be more complicated at a smaller firm as opposed to those that have infrastructures already set up for non-EU architects.
Sorry that I can't recommend some offices that would be more welcoming to sponsor you for a visa.... I don't think your level of Spanish will disqualify you, but in the hypothetical, I would show an interest to speak Spanish to the best of your ability in the office.
jgeis- wow! Thanks for all the helpful info. It sounds like it can be a bit tough to get the proper paper work etc. to receive all the necessary benefits and not to mention the issue of an equivalent degree.
I guess the key is to try to apply to bigger offices that are more able to handle the complicated issues surrounding non-EU architects.
this is probably why many of the firms i am aware of in Spain and other European countries have many "volunteers" /interns who are willing to work for no pay. I am not in the position to do that, so I guess I will just have to give it a try, but know going into it that it could get complicated.
I am very interested in the latest architecture being built in Spain and working for a European firm in general. The latest modern architecture as well as the fusion of old and new architecture is also something that I think would be cool to work with.
Not to mention I am desperate to improve my Spanish and Spain seems like a good place to do that. Plus Spain is a beautiful country with great people and it is also easy to travel from Spain to other European countries, though I know that it's not the best place to make money if any at all... it still seems like it would be worth the experience.
in Barcelona, the big firms always have foreign students/architects in their offices, I don't know how the visa thing works but I guess if you ask for some help they will guide you through all the bureaucratic process (some will be more helpful than others, but I'm guessing most have assistant personnel for foreigners wanting to work there)..
about the language, that would be a problem in small (old-classic) firms, but not in bigger ones, they talk english, catalan and spanish -and french, or german or whatever- all mixed in... but for the living, you will need some basic spanish (and if you choose Barcelona, you'll have to get some catalan basics too, which aren't that difficult once you've learned spanish..)
here are some catalan local starchitects (most based in Barcelona):
of course there are more firms that you could try.. but lots of architects from the Old Guard (Bonell & Gil, Correa & Milà , Josep Maria Fargas, LluÃs Nadal, Francesc Rius, etc...) or the Seniors (Josep Llinà s, Bach & Mora, Clotet & Paricio, MartÃnez Lapeña & Torres, Amadó & Domènech, Dani Freixas & Varis Arquitectes, Beth GalÃ, Josep Benedito, Bet Figueres, Emili Donato, Eduard Bru, Espinet & Ubach, Soria & Cáceres, Cirici & Bassó, Robert & Esteve Terradas, etc...) and some of the new firms (Add+ Arquitectura (Bailo & Rull), Saeta Estudi (Cantallops, Ortega & Costa-Martins), b720 Arquitectura (partners with Jean Nouvel), Batlle & Roig, BCQ (Baena, Casamor, Quera), Canosa & Barberà , etc...) doesn't have a website (or at least I 've never seen)...
and if you hate buzzing cities and want to live in a small, quiet town in the catalan Pyrenees, Arata Isozaki (and his catalan partner, Jesús Filloy, an architect from Vielha, a little town in the mountains), will start to build next year a big thermal complex in a village called Arties, lost somewhere in the border between Catalonia and France, which will be something like our own Zumthor's Vals baths (j/k) ... or go north-west, to the small lovely town of Olot, RCR Arquitectes (Aranda, Pigem and Vilalta) have their headquarters there (though I don't know if they need too many architects at all) ...
This may sound like a silly question, but do you recommend I do my resume and or portfolio in Spanish or English? just curious if you think it makes a difference.
I was in the offices of Mansilla + Tunon (Madrid), Carlos Ferrater
(Barcelona) and RCR (Olot) last Spring. All had international staff, though Spanish was nearly exclusive at M+T. Carlos Ferrater's office
is a family-run affair with people from all over the world. Much English was spoken there, but not by Carlos. I spoke with him in Spanish and with his son in English. The office itself was great, and the culture seemed welcoming and inspirational.
RCR has a smaller office with about 13 people. But I met people from
Germany and Japan...and elsewhere there. Much English was spoken, although the partners speak very little English. Olot is in the volcanic region of Garroxta an hour northwest of Barca. Beautiful area for biking, hiking, etc....and not to far from Girona.
CALIBAN- thanks for the insight sounds like some good places i would like to work if i can get hired : ) it is also nice to know more about the regions etc. i have only done limited travel in spain.
good to know also the details of the use of spanish. it is my hope to improve my spanish, but i am happy that there is a mix because i know at first it will be difficult and not to mention i have to build a whole new part of my spanish vocabulary to include architectural language. wonder if they have a course you can take- spanish for architects : )
asher-
about my knowledge of barcelonian firms.. its just that I'm catalan (though not living in Barcelona), and almost anything in this little catalan country of ours revolves around BCN, so one tries to stay informed of what's happening in the big city.. I hear, see and read things here and there, I'm subscribed to arch catalan and spanish magazines, buy books on catalan old and modern architecture, etc.. plus I went to arch school..
I really wouldn't be worried about the language when looking for jobs in arch offices, however this is not a scandinavian or any other northern european country: people in the streets barely speaks english, so you'll need spanish to survive (and also catalan if you plan to stay here for a while)..
About the resume, I would send it in english, so you won't be fooling anyone. If you send it in spanish people could wrongly assume that you speak fluid castellano. I'd send it in english and attach a note saying that you have some spanish notions.
Never heard of spanish specific architectural-jargon courses, that'd be interesting.. :) .. Me for example, I get lost sometimes with what the workers on the site talk about, since my arch education was in catalan, and here almost anyone in the construction field (which is where most andalusians and spanish immigrants from the 60's and subsaharian immigrants from today end up working in) talks in spanish ('cept for the province of Girona, RCR's homeland, where almost anyone speaks catalan, even some of the new immigrants)..
But if you're gonna stay for a short period of time, basic spanish would be enough..
i trampled in the mud for 15 minutes to see RCR's bathing pavilion in Olot. that city was feckin nice. did anone else visit girona, and like it better than barcelona? i had some awful experiences in bcn, including stopping a carjacking and running for my life. yay.
Working in Spain
I am interested in living and working in a major city in Spain, but I only have elementary Spanish skills. I would like to learn more by working there. Does anyone know of some firms that are bilingual and open to foreign applicants?
I see several past threads on Spain, but I am looking for more specific names of offices and also if ppl have worked there with limited Spanish skills.
i think firms in spain have been opening up to foreigners with limited spanish. i've had friends do stints at places like miralles, ferrater and abalos y herreros.
thanks javier! i will look into those firms for sure and glad to know that there may be a chance to work there despite my lack of linguistic skills.
how does it work if you are an american who wants to work in espain? how does the visa work?
I believe you can get a one year working visa. I have many frineds who have done this ...others have even stayed there for the past 8 years! (one of them ended up marrying a nice catalan girl and they have now a practice together in Barcelona)
Hmmmm so it's just a matter of the company agreeing to a one year contract with you? and then they will help you get the visa etc.?
does this cost them a lot of time and/or money? or is it pretty standard? I know here in the states it can be expensive and a lot of paper work for firms to hire you if you are not a citizen.
As far as Spain is concerned, getting a visa is not a simple process, and it is even harder to acquire after you've left the US. The employer's participation is one issue, in addition to the neccesity of a homologation of your architecture degree (which could take a year with the possibility of having to do a thesis project!).
When a Spanish employer contracts a non-EU citizen, he/she has to present him/herself in person at the departments of immigration and employment, in addition to paying administrative fees, so yes (to answer that question) it does cost them a lot of time and money--for that reason I think that acquiring a visa may be more complicated at a smaller firm as opposed to those that have infrastructures already set up for non-EU architects.
Sorry that I can't recommend some offices that would be more welcoming to sponsor you for a visa.... I don't think your level of Spanish will disqualify you, but in the hypothetical, I would show an interest to speak Spanish to the best of your ability in the office.
asher-
what's the point on working in spain?
jgeis- wow! Thanks for all the helpful info. It sounds like it can be a bit tough to get the proper paper work etc. to receive all the necessary benefits and not to mention the issue of an equivalent degree.
I guess the key is to try to apply to bigger offices that are more able to handle the complicated issues surrounding non-EU architects.
this is probably why many of the firms i am aware of in Spain and other European countries have many "volunteers" /interns who are willing to work for no pay. I am not in the position to do that, so I guess I will just have to give it a try, but know going into it that it could get complicated.
I am very interested in the latest architecture being built in Spain and working for a European firm in general. The latest modern architecture as well as the fusion of old and new architecture is also something that I think would be cool to work with.
Not to mention I am desperate to improve my Spanish and Spain seems like a good place to do that. Plus Spain is a beautiful country with great people and it is also easy to travel from Spain to other European countries, though I know that it's not the best place to make money if any at all... it still seems like it would be worth the experience.
And that is just to name a few : )
in Barcelona, the big firms always have foreign students/architects in their offices, I don't know how the visa thing works but I guess if you ask for some help they will guide you through all the bureaucratic process (some will be more helpful than others, but I'm guessing most have assistant personnel for foreigners wanting to work there)..
about the language, that would be a problem in small (old-classic) firms, but not in bigger ones, they talk english, catalan and spanish -and french, or german or whatever- all mixed in... but for the living, you will need some basic spanish (and if you choose Barcelona, you'll have to get some catalan basics too, which aren't that difficult once you've learned spanish..)
here are some catalan local starchitects (most based in Barcelona):
the Old Guard:
MBM Arquitectes (Bohigas, Martorell, Mackay)
Óscar Tusquets
Manuel de Solà -Morales
Ricardo Bofill
Jordi Garcés
Agustin Mateos
RGA Arquitectes (Riera, Gutiérrez, Sotorres)
the Seniors:
Viaplana & Piñón
Carlos Ferrater
EMBT (the late Miralles)
Carme Pinós
Arriola & Fiol
Alfredo Arribas
Brullet & Pineda (if you're interested in hospitals and clinics)
Joan Rodon
the new uprising firms (I suspect most are smaller than the classic firms but in these ones language won't be an issue.. principals usually have studied english in school, and some may have done a MArch in the US or the UK):
Pich-Aguilera, Arquitectes (if you're interested in *real* sustainable arch)
BAAS Arquitectes (Jordi Badia)
Calderón-Folch Arquitectes
FFPV - Arquitectura
AIA Activitats Instal·lacions Arquitectòniques (if you're interested in architectural engineering)
Alonso Balaguer (partners with Richard Rogers)
Patrick Genard
Guallart Architects (if you're interested in archibabble)
Ricard Balcells (if you're interested in sports facilities)
AV62 Arquitectos
Cloud9 (Enric Ruiz-Geli) (if you're interested in computers or .. something)
Archikubik
some starchitects like Richard Rogers seem to have offices in Barcelona, though I don't know if they are just temporary franchises while they are building here (Rogers is remodelling an old bullring and building an hotel tower)
of course there are more firms that you could try.. but lots of architects from the Old Guard (Bonell & Gil, Correa & Milà , Josep Maria Fargas, LluÃs Nadal, Francesc Rius, etc...) or the Seniors (Josep Llinà s, Bach & Mora, Clotet & Paricio, MartÃnez Lapeña & Torres, Amadó & Domènech, Dani Freixas & Varis Arquitectes, Beth GalÃ, Josep Benedito, Bet Figueres, Emili Donato, Eduard Bru, Espinet & Ubach, Soria & Cáceres, Cirici & Bassó, Robert & Esteve Terradas, etc...) and some of the new firms (Add+ Arquitectura (Bailo & Rull), Saeta Estudi (Cantallops, Ortega & Costa-Martins), b720 Arquitectura (partners with Jean Nouvel), Batlle & Roig, BCQ (Baena, Casamor, Quera), Canosa & Barberà , etc...) doesn't have a website (or at least I 've never seen)...
and if you hate buzzing cities and want to live in a small, quiet town in the catalan Pyrenees, Arata Isozaki (and his catalan partner, Jesús Filloy, an architect from Vielha, a little town in the mountains), will start to build next year a big thermal complex in a village called Arties, lost somewhere in the border between Catalonia and France, which will be something like our own Zumthor's Vals baths (j/k) ... or go north-west, to the small lovely town of Olot, RCR Arquitectes (Aranda, Pigem and Vilalta) have their headquarters there (though I don't know if they need too many architects at all) ...
medit- what a great list!!! i can't thank you enough for this extensive detailed post, this is very promising.
i am more confident now also at the prospects of working there with my limited spanish skills, but with the hope of improving them.
how did you come to have such knowledge?
does anyone have information on offices in madrid, for the same thing that asher is looking for?
Medit-
This may sound like a silly question, but do you recommend I do my resume and or portfolio in Spanish or English? just curious if you think it makes a difference.
Asher-
I was in the offices of Mansilla + Tunon (Madrid), Carlos Ferrater
(Barcelona) and RCR (Olot) last Spring. All had international staff, though Spanish was nearly exclusive at M+T. Carlos Ferrater's office
is a family-run affair with people from all over the world. Much English was spoken there, but not by Carlos. I spoke with him in Spanish and with his son in English. The office itself was great, and the culture seemed welcoming and inspirational.
RCR has a smaller office with about 13 people. But I met people from
Germany and Japan...and elsewhere there. Much English was spoken, although the partners speak very little English. Olot is in the volcanic region of Garroxta an hour northwest of Barca. Beautiful area for biking, hiking, etc....and not to far from Girona.
cal
CALIBAN- thanks for the insight sounds like some good places i would like to work if i can get hired : ) it is also nice to know more about the regions etc. i have only done limited travel in spain.
good to know also the details of the use of spanish. it is my hope to improve my spanish, but i am happy that there is a mix because i know at first it will be difficult and not to mention i have to build a whole new part of my spanish vocabulary to include architectural language. wonder if they have a course you can take- spanish for architects : )
Just try to use basic Spanish and then English for architectural words...
"Tenemos un problema con esto cantilever..."
hahahahahah that's great! i think i can handle that.
asher-
about my knowledge of barcelonian firms.. its just that I'm catalan (though not living in Barcelona), and almost anything in this little catalan country of ours revolves around BCN, so one tries to stay informed of what's happening in the big city.. I hear, see and read things here and there, I'm subscribed to arch catalan and spanish magazines, buy books on catalan old and modern architecture, etc.. plus I went to arch school..
I really wouldn't be worried about the language when looking for jobs in arch offices, however this is not a scandinavian or any other northern european country: people in the streets barely speaks english, so you'll need spanish to survive (and also catalan if you plan to stay here for a while)..
About the resume, I would send it in english, so you won't be fooling anyone. If you send it in spanish people could wrongly assume that you speak fluid castellano. I'd send it in english and attach a note saying that you have some spanish notions.
Never heard of spanish specific architectural-jargon courses, that'd be interesting.. :) .. Me for example, I get lost sometimes with what the workers on the site talk about, since my arch education was in catalan, and here almost anyone in the construction field (which is where most andalusians and spanish immigrants from the 60's and subsaharian immigrants from today end up working in) talks in spanish ('cept for the province of Girona, RCR's homeland, where almost anyone speaks catalan, even some of the new immigrants)..
But if you're gonna stay for a short period of time, basic spanish would be enough..
Good luck!
i trampled in the mud for 15 minutes to see RCR's bathing pavilion in Olot. that city was feckin nice. did anone else visit girona, and like it better than barcelona? i had some awful experiences in bcn, including stopping a carjacking and running for my life. yay.
how did you guys validate your degree?
I have B.S. in Arch do you think it will be difficoult for me to get a job?
language and visa wouldn't be a problem.
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