If you don’t want to work in a bar or restaurant, what else is there to do for a job in Gran Canaria? Well for the past few years I’ve been working from home freelance and also doing part time work selling fishing trips. If you can write articles, write a blog, create websites, provide IT support or anything else, you might like to work from home.
Some websites allow you to bid on work and there are others where you choose what you want to do. Obviously you will need a good level of English (including good spelling and grammar) for this kind of work.
Photo by Burger Baroness
An internet connection with Telefonica (pretty much your only choice unless you want a Vodafone dongle which is ultra slow) costs 60 euros a month – that’s 20 for the landline (which you have to pay whether or not you use it) and 40 for the internet. Depending on whereabouts you live you might get 3 Mbps. Some places are limited to 1 Mbps. In Las Palmas I know people with a 10 Mbps connection which might sound slow to you but it’s pretty good for the Canaries 🙂
Some Work From Home Sites to Try
Other Ideas for Work
If you don’t fancy sitting at a computer all day there are other things you can do. What about dog-walking, window cleaning or house cleaning? Of course there are other people offering these services but if you put the effort in (print and distribute flyers, do a lot of legwork and offer competitive prices) you should be able to get some interest.
You might like to have a part time job in a bar or restaurant and then start your own business part time and see how it goes. If you are just doing odd jobs you can work cash in hand. If you want to take it to the next level, that involves registering a company and can be very expensive (1000 euros a month fixed rate when my ex set up a carpentry business even though we didn’t make anywhere near that from it!) so don’t jump straight into registering “autonomo” without seeing a lawyer first or looking at all your options.
Gran Canaria Jobs – The Basics
A lot of people email me to ask where they can find work and when is the best time to come over and, just to recap, these are the key points about finding work in Gran Canaria:
- You can find work at any time of the year – however, the winter months tend to be more Scandinavian-oriented so if you speak Swedish/Norwegian/Danish/Finnish you have an advantage. Try to at least learn a bit of Spanish.
- Nothing is guaranteed so be prepared – have a Spanish mobile number and perhaps some business cards printed up with your name and number, visit as many potential places of work as you can and keep doing so until you have found work.
- I’m not a job agency so don’t email me asking who’s hiring at the moment. Get yourself on the island and do some legwork. I don’t know who’s hiring because I’m not looking for work.
- If you decide to register with a job agency be careful – they aren’t all legitimate. You shouldn’t need to pay anything.
- If you come to Gran Canaria, assume the worst – bring enough money for at least four months living if you don’t manage to find work straightaway. Even if you’ve been offered work over the internet it might not be 100% sure. My first job was in Eddie Rocket’s in Playa del Ingles. I came over in May and they weren’t ready for me to begin until late June, nearly 5 weeks later, since they were waiting for the summer season to kick off.
If you do need any help please reply on this thread rather than emailing, so everyone can benefit 🙂
Is it hard to find a project for a freelance webdesigner nowdays?
If you’re working online for foreign companies you can work from anywhere. If not there will be quite a bit of competition. Look at http://www.getafreelancer.com to see the online work available and current rates. For a Spanish company obviously you need the language
Hey Victoria,
this post is very timely because i will stay 2 months in Las Palmas and i NEED a reliable internet connection. Is dongle connection slow even in Las Palmas? Are there other options aside Vodafone? Maybe orange or movistar?
Thanks
Fred
Morning Fred, have a look on here: http://www.grancanariaguru.com/content/internet-connection-advice-please
I AM MONTESSORI TEACHER IN IRELAND.KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS KIND OF JOBS IN GRAN CANARIA?THANKS.I’VE EXCELENT ENGLISH AND A BIT OF SPANISH.
good afternoon young lady …. you look delightiful… i am wanting to come over to canaries sooooooon … i am based in spain i am english and have done manyn jobs and need to do more jobs .
entertainer … travel and tourism …. cleaner …. holiday market worker … also former ski guide and still do marathons …. i can speak for hours but it will bore you … ps i have been and still do tourism rep work here …. i speak spanish .. uk .. french .
ok look forward to your reply .
gracias robin.
Warning!
If you come to the canaries and want to try first by staying the first 3 months and decide after that time if you want to stay longer – like I did, keep the following in mind:
To get an internet connection (adsl land line or 3G or 4g) at your house (movistar, telefonica, vodafone) you need a -SPANISH BANK ACCOUNT-.
You can -only- get a spanish bankaccount when you can show that you have a job at the canaries or have some other convincing business there.
In my case I was doing freelance work for dutch commissioners from my dutch company, and in the first 3 months there was no way to open a spanish bankaccount. With a permanent residency it is different.
Finally I asked a friend to get the contract with movistar for me in his name, he was so kind, I am eternally grateful – paid him the costs a half year in advance.
Also the prizes have dropped since the writing of this article, I pay 44 EU/month for a 20mbit 4G router (and a fixed number which I don’t use)
And a mobile phone contract with 200 minutes calling per month is included. They also wanted to give me tv, but I don’t watch tv so I don’t use that neither.
Hope it helps someone.
As much as I like Freelancer, I think that the best freelance job board is XPlace . It has higher hourly rates than the majority of other online marketplaces, doesn’t charge a commission from freelancers, and there are a lot of job opportunities (entry-level and more complex ones). An excellent website to make a freelance career!
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the tips.. I arrive in April, having spent the last 12 months saving up.
I have enough to pay deposit, agency fee (if I have to) & the first 3 months rent.
With the NIE – is it correct that you need to get that first… Before applying for a job or can you only get the NIE once you have a job offer? I assume you can get an apartment to rent without it straight away?
I speak a little Spanish, I am sure that will improve with time & I intend to take a class. I am native English. I am hoping with a good attitude & being proactive once I arrive I should find work.
If you would like to offer me any advice on this.. Things I should do etc. I would welcome it. Thank you