The Spanish Recession is officially over but will you find a Job?

The Bank of Spain announced last week that the Spanish recession is officially over, but it isn’t envisaged that the jobs market will pick up until the latter half of 2014. But what are people supposed to do in the meantime, if they’ve relocated to the Costa del Sol in search of a better life? If you are thinking of buying a home in Marbella before you’ve reached retirement age, now is the time to draw up a list of your marketable skills.

Location Independent Work

People with computer skills can find a plethora of online jobs. From computer programmers to virtual assistants and administrators, from EBay sales wizards to online content providers, millions of people have discovered the joy of location independent work.
 
You could be sitting on your terrace in Marbella and doing admin work for a company in New York, Hong Kong or Istanbul. You could be babysitting your grandkids in Benehavis while earning some pocket money writing online fiction for companies selling children’s clothing. Many companies advertise their wares with short animated stories on their website, so why not turn your storyteller’s talent into cash?

Are you an expert in the art of growing kitchen gardens in dry Mediterranean climates or know how to restore classic cars or upholster furniture? Whatever your area of expertise, there’s a company out there looking for bloggers with just your skills!

You need to be organised and patient, as it takes a couple of months to really get started. Sign up with several online job providers such as content mills, marketing consultants and SEO specialists. Contact companies directly who already run the type of blog you feel you could write for. Prepare several sample texts of 300 to 500 word lengths and send them with your application.

The advantage of creating a location independent business is that your work arrives at your doorstep from anywhere in the world, making you recession proof.

If you’re confident you could sell apples to an orchard owner and encyclopaedia to the illiterate, you have a great choice of lucrative jobs. EBay allows you to set up a sort of franchise, using their site to sell pretty much anything from second hand books, maps and walking boots to memorabilia and gardening tools. For around 10 euros hosting charges per month you can run your own website, if you don’t fancy selling via EBay, but you’ll need to put in a lot more work before you’ll have built up enough traffic to your site.

Location Dependent Work

If you’re living in Marbella or just 6km out of town in Puerto Banus, have a look at the super yachts bobbing gently in their moorings. Many yacht owners need a variety of staff, from cooks to general cleaners, from people with sailing experience to transfer yachts or pleasure cruisers from one port to another to people who can serve cocktails on board.
Before Spain’s recession home owners in Puerto Banus or in Marbella would probably have raised an eyebrow at the very suggestion they needed to work for a living - but times are hard when it comes to paying for living expenses, even if you no longer have a mortgage to pay. Price hikes for food and energy bills have left many retired people reeling with financial worries, as they’re trying to make ends meet.

If you can still work for a few hours every week, apply to supermarkets and quality retailers who often prefer older staff; people with more life experience are usually better equipped to handle customer enquiries and complaints.

Is your partner good at organising weddings or corporate events? Do you enjoy working with pets or perhaps offering aromatherapy?
Such ideas can work very well online - although success will very much depend on the Costa del Sol area you live in. Do your market research in great detail before setting up a business in Marbella.

Apartment prices in Puerto Banus start at around EUR 225,000. For affluent Benehavis, add another EUR 100,000 to your budget to get you started on the Marbella property ladder.