Why many young people are leaving Spain for Bristol
WHEN Carlos Cebrian
Merino started his degree in economics he didn't expect it to lead to him
shifting rubble on a construction site in Keynsham.
But as the credit
crisis took hold in his home country of Spain, his future prospects narrowed
and he took the jump to Bristol to find work – following many before him.
Carlos, 27, from
Albacete, joined the new wave of young, overqualified and unemployed Spaniards
who have chosen Bristol as their place to live.
Recent figures show
the number of Spaniards registering for a National Insurance number in the UK
shot up from just over 30,000 in 2011-12 to more than 45,500 last year – a jump
of 50 per cent.
Facing around 50 per
cent youth unemployment at home,
a significant group of expatriates now occupy jobs in Bristol's cafes, hotels,
retail outlets and construction sites among many other places.
Walk along North
Street in Southville, and you'll struggle to go 50 yards without hearing a
Spanish voice.
Hardship at home also
means many have found roles here in skilled jobs such as engineering and
computing.
Carlos, who lives in
Bedminster, said he moved here this year with a view to learning English and
eventually using his skills in economics to find a job which suits him best.
But for the meantime
he gratefully works in construction, building Keynsham's new police station.
"I have come
here because there is opportunity," Carlos said.
"In Spain when I
finished my degree I found an internship, but this was not enough. When I
finished the internship the only job was under the same terms, with poor pay.
"I decided to
come here to learn; to learn English and to study more so I can find a good job
in the future."
He added that even
with limited English it was not long before he found a job here.
"It pays the
rent and the bills and I am grateful to the people who help me at the site with
learning English and doing my job," he said.
"I have
motivation here because I know I have an opportunity.
"In the new year
I will study again and I will try to get a job using economics," he added.
Sue Smailes, who runs
the Bristol Spanish Circle said Bristol was going through a considerable change
in the number of Spanish people coming to the city for work.
She said: "Our
group is based in and around the Gloucester Road area but the change is
noticeable all over the city. I know there are a lot of young Spanish people in
particular moving to the city to look for jobs.
"A lot of them
are doing menial jobs but it is better than no work at all which they are
facing back home."
Dr Jon Fox, senior
lecturer specialising in European migration at University of Bristol, said the
shifting migration trend is a mixture of push – away from difficult situation
in Spain – and pull – towards job prospects and security.
He said: "The
main reason for migration is always money. The job prospects are better here
and that is the biggest pull for people all over Europe – especially young
people.
"If you look at
what is happening in Spain right now with massive unemployment you can see why
people are moving in such high numbers.
"The younger
generation are finding places to go because they are relatively unattached to
their country."
Christien van den
Anker, a professor at University of the West of England's politics department,
said the migratory shifts are having an effect on Bristol culturally.
Ms van den Anker also
runs a cafe on Gloucester Road where she has experienced a recent increase in
CVs from Spanish nationals looking for work.
She said: "They are
mostly young people between 25 and 35 years old and they are sometimes in an
important stage at their career development but have been unable to find work
at home because of the crisis."
She added that she
believed Spanish people had been migrating "quietly", settling in to
life in Bristol well and finding acceptance from the local population.
"They have been
helped by a form of European identity which has become stronger over the years
I think.
"Not only have
Spanish people been welcomed into jobs and homes here but they have also been
welcomed into the hearts of the people."
CASE STUDY: Ines
Garcia
After gaining a
degree in mechanical engineering, Inés García, 25, from Avila near Madrid,
moved to Bristol to give her career a boost.
Job interviews in her
home country made it clear that the economic crisis had created a more
competitive job market where English speaking skills were more highly valued.
With the goal of
learning English to begin with she settled here in 2011, first finding a job at
Subway.
She soon changed jobs
to work in Spanish clothes shop chain Zara. Within a year her English had
improved enough to get a good job back in Spain but she was drawn to work as an
engineer in Filton with Airbus.
She said: “When I was
writing my thesis in Spain I was doing job interviews at the time and it soon
became clear that the good ones required a higher level of English.
“In Spain, during the
crisis, the country was trying to open up and companies
wanted to become more international. Companies started requiring that people
have at least conversational English so I decided to move to England to get a
start. Of the people I went to university with, some have jobs and some still
don’t have anything.
“Now I have
experience and the language I would be able to find a good job in Spain but I
am happy here.”
When she first came
to Bristol she was surprised to see how many Spanish people were here already.
She said: “I didn’t
hear much about Bristol when I was in Spain so I was surprised. I expected that
from cities like London or Edinburgh but not from Bristol.
“I like it because it
is a quite big city but it doesn’t feel like it. There is a young atmosphere,
the people are friendly and the culture, music and art is good.”
CASE STUDY - ELENA
CALDERON
ELENA Calderon, 27, a
qualified architectural engineer, came to Bristol as the global financial
crisis engulfed the Spanish economy. She found herself working in a coffee shop
in the city centre. , a far cry from the major projects she worked on in her home
country. But The months she spent in Bristol gave her breathing space to look
at other opportunities. She now lives and works in South America but remembers
her time in Bristol fondly.
How did you end up
coming to Bristol to look for work?
In 2009, after two
years working in the construction industry I realised the global economic
crisis could affect my career. Most of the days when I was working as a site
architectural engineer I regularly had workmen coming and asking me for jobs.
As this happened more and more, I decided to escape Spain before the crisis
caught up with me as well. In Spain, construction has been one of the economic
pillars over the last 20 years and so plenty of people chose to do degrees in
architecture or engineering. I invested all my savings to come to England,
partly to develop my English.
I went to Glasgow at
first, as it was a cheap place to live and study, and I spent my spare time
approaching companies in person or sending my CVs in. I had no joy with that so
I extended my studies and completed an MSc in construction project management.
I went back to Spain and got a badly-paid job in a French company
as a shop assistant, restricted to working 16 hours a week and making, at best,
400 euros a month. Tired of being dependant on my parents, I decided to return
to England. Luckily for me my boyfriend’s sister had got a job here, so I saved
up for three months and then flew back to England. I would say my plan is the
same for many young Spanish people, it basically involves finding any sort of
job to survive, while you try and pursue your main career. After three weeks in
Bristol I got a job in a coffee shop.
What did you know
about Bristol before you came?
I knew about the
city’s architecture, Banksy and Bristol street art, the Balloon Fiesta and a
few things about its history. Also, I had some close friends who had been
living there or visiting and they all recommended it as a cool place to live with
plenty of young people, nice parks, art galleries and restaurants. And they
were right!
Having had an
important job in Spain, how hard was it to work in a coffee shop in Bristol?
I t was not easy
after studying so hard to become a professional in a career you love, but am
the kind of person who thinks that every experience, even when it looks
insignificant, brings you knowledge. And working was better than staying at
home feeling useless. I was determined to fight for my future and the coffee
shop allowed me to survive while looking for something more permanent.
Why are so many
Spanish people coming to Bristol?
There are Spanish
people everywhere in the UK but Bristol has several factors that make it a
favourite place for Spanish migration, such as direct flights from Madrid with
budget airlines; it’s in the south which means you get nicer weather than the
north, and it’s a major city but not as expensive as London.
What did you enjoy
about living here?
The little time I got
free from work I enjoyed my time with my Spanish family here, my landlady and
other friends. I used to count the days until my boyfriend, who was still in
Spain, could visit and then we would walk around the city, especially the
parks. I loved the big green open spaces.
Do you think Spanish
people mind the fact it rains a lot here?
Before coming to
Bristol I did hear a lot of people say I would miss the sun, but I coped!
Were you surprised to
see so many Spanish people in Bristol?
I originally went to
Glasgow to avoid places like London where there are lots of Spanish people, so
I could practise my English better. I was aware of increasing migration but
from 2010 to 2013 I have noticed a huge change – we are everywhere! It doesn’t
surprise me. The Franco dictatorship years isolated Spain for a long time, so
unfortunately our levels of English speaking have not been historically strong
– although I would say our English is generally much better than the Spanish
spoken by English people.
Can we expect to see
more people coming from Spain to Bristol?
It seems that Spain
is showing improvements, but I think it is too soon to say the crisis is over
there, so yes, definitely, I am sure you can expect to see more people coming
to Bristol.