THE DIFFICULTIES OF GOING OUTSIDE

The crisis and the tightening of conditions to emigrate reduce expectations

Different countries offer different types of opportunities to Spanish professionals who decide to try their luck abroad.

Destination Germany More than 7,000 Spaniards moved to Germany in the first half of 2011, according to Der Spiegel. However, the Spanish consulates of Berlin, Dusseldorf and Munich only confirm modest increases, between 500 and 1,000 citizens, in the Spanish registry. Stuttgart has not registered any changes. The job niches that South Germany especially offers are diverse, both geographically and in professional categories, and in any case modest: it is estimated that "several thousand" people in very specific professions (technical engineers, social workers, transporters) have opportunities The knowledge of German is decisive. In Berlin, before an easy city, precarious employment is the most common and rental prices are rising.

The other side of Brussels. What is happening in Spain, how bad is life? The question is repeated frequently in community circles in Brussels. In the bubble of Schuman, the European quarter, the impact of the crisis is perceived by the number of curricula of Spaniards that receive companies and official organizations; in the communication service of the EU Council, for example, they account for half of the scholarship applications.

Skilled workers seeking employment in Brussels have always been. What has changed is their motivation: if they came before to complete the training and gain experience thinking about returning, now working in Brussels is an end in itself. Beyond Schuman, the impact of the crisis is measured in less aseptic indicators. For example, the number of Spanish families attending social soup kitchens in Brussels (tens). Or people who go to immigrant associations; arisen with the migratory wave of the sixties, now they help hundreds of compatriots who arrive without languages or titles.

China is not Eldorado. The need to have a visa to enter China greatly limits the arrival of graduates in search of a job. It restricts the possibilities to arrive as a tourist, with a limited time of one to three months, as a student or with an employment contract under the arm. In the last two years, universities and language schools have seen an increase in Spanish. And it is that learning Chinese is practically the only way to look for employment. The majority of young Spaniards who arrive do so with their degree and a good level of English, but this is not enough for the demanding Chinese market. Companies want very determined foreign workers, who provide added value. They require at least a couple of years of experience and a good command of the Chinese language and culture.

India does not want mileurists. Although India is the country in the world to which more migrants repatriated, for two years Indian embassies have demanded a demonstrable salary of more than $ 25,000 (1,560 euros per month) to grant new work visas. They only make exceptions with professionals such as teachers of foreign languages, cooks of foreign gastronomy or volunteers of Senegalese. Guilds such as advocacy or architecture practically exclude foreign competition, not recognizing titles or preventing membership. Not forgetting that Indian wages are very low. But the number of Spaniards in India increases, and in almost all cases they are employees relocated from Spain by their own company.

More controls in Brazil. Architect, engineer, computer scientist, economist or lawyer; almost always with a university degree and often with a master's degree; 25 to 35 years old, mostly men; with a fair handling of Portuguese or Portuguese and an English level not lower than that of their hosts. This is the profile of the Spanish emigrant to Brazil. The South American giant is sending contradictory signals to outsiders. On the one hand, it announces a plan to attract qualified foreigners. On the other hand, and despite its educational limitations, Brazil and its professional associations maintain strong restrictions on the recognition and validation of European degrees.

La Vanguardia.com daily clip of 02/26/2012 Authors: Rafael Poch, Beatriz Navarro, Isidre Ambrós, Jordi Joan Baños and Fernando García