In-house translator salary in Madrid, Spain Thread poster: Andrey Slyadnev
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Andrey Slyadnev 
Russian Federation
Local time: 04:48
English to Russian
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I am just wondering what an average in-house translator salary in Madrid, Spain would be at the moment and what would be the minimum rent for a 1-2-room apartment there?
Thank you very much in advance.
| | | | tom_michell
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:48
Spanish to English
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| Not sure if this was the average but... | Feb 20, 2008 |
...I had a couple of in-house jobs (Spanish to English) there last year and both paid €2000/month.
As for rent, you may be able to find a 1-bed apartment for €700-750/month if you're not fussy about what part of town you live in, although if you can afford 800 or 900, you'll have way more options.
And if you value your sanity, don't move in September-October.
| | | | Lia Fail (X)
Spain
Local time: 22:48
Spanish to English
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| that's on the high side | Feb 21, 2008 |
Thomas Michell wrote:
...I had a couple of in-house jobs (Spanish to English) there last year and both paid €2000/month.
As for rent, you may be able to find a 1-bed apartment for €700-750/month if you're not fussy about what part of town you live in, although if you can afford 800 or 900, you'll have way more options.
And if you value your sanity, don't move in September-October.
That salary would be great .. however, the term "mileurista" was coined for a reason and a lot of young people in Spain find it hard to earn a decent salary a month.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/JASP
A recent survey referred to 700 eurso/month for graduates that doubled to 1500 euros 10 years later.
I have never heard of a "young" (but qualified) in-houser earning more than 1000 net a month.
This country is "chungo" when it comes to getting "decent" pay for one's labour or a service (like translation), my impression is after living here 20 years es "lo que importante es que sea barato", that is, there is a culture of buying cheap (labour, services etc), without much attention being paid to value for money.
Finally, remember that this is among the countries where people are expected to put in more hours per day yet is among the least productive. A bit silly really, spending 12 hours at your desk doesn't means you are actually more productive than someone who spends 6 hours at their desk .
I've lived here 20 years... this is what I've observed, this is why I'm a freelancer ....
[Edited at 2008-02-21 00:19]
| | | | Andrey Slyadnev
Russian Federation
Local time: 04:48
English to Russian
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TOPIC STARTER
Thank you very much, Thomas! This is exactly what I wanted to know.
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Tatty
Local time: 22:48
Spanish to English
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| The difference between gross and net | Feb 21, 2008 |
I think mileuristas net a 1000 euros, while Thomas probably received a gross salary of €2000, probably knocking his take home to about €1500, but I'm guessing.
I've had two in-house positions in agencies, at the first I received €700 but I had to pay my autónomos, leaving me with €520 a month, I only stayed for 2 months, I looked on it as a period of prácticas. And the second the bog standard €1000. You're much better off working for a bank or a law firm, they pay more,... See more I think mileuristas net a 1000 euros, while Thomas probably received a gross salary of €2000, probably knocking his take home to about €1500, but I'm guessing.
I've had two in-house positions in agencies, at the first I received €700 but I had to pay my autónomos, leaving me with €520 a month, I only stayed for 2 months, I looked on it as a period of prácticas. And the second the bog standard €1000. You're much better off working for a bank or a law firm, they pay more, and positions come up on a relatively regular basis. ▲ Collapse
| | | | JPW (X)
Local time: 21:48
Spanish to English
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| I know exactly what you mean, Lia... | Feb 21, 2008 |
....although not directly related to a translator's salary, during my last year in Euskadi (where salaries are higher than other areas), I was able to earn nearly three times more than my teacher's salary - by working as a 'peón industrial' in a factory; thank god, as they say, because the school went down the pan, and the factory nearly followed suit not much later!
So I came home again. 
| | | | | Low wages and high demands | Feb 22, 2008 |
I'm with Lia 100% on this one. After 11 years here in Spain, my conclusion is most companies will work you to death for peanuts, then let you go before they have to give you an indefinite contract so that they can hire some other poor soul to do it to all over again.
My first job here was teaching English in an academy. The first (and last) September I worked there, the owner (his daddy set him up in the business) didn't have enough to pay his employees their (already low) wages, b... See more I'm with Lia 100% on this one. After 11 years here in Spain, my conclusion is most companies will work you to death for peanuts, then let you go before they have to give you an indefinite contract so that they can hire some other poor soul to do it to all over again.
My first job here was teaching English in an academy. The first (and last) September I worked there, the owner (his daddy set him up in the business) didn't have enough to pay his employees their (already low) wages, but did have enough to go on a two-week honeymoon to Florida. Later, I taught full-time in a private school; the owner didn't have enough money to raise the wages (already lower than legally established in the "convenio") in accordance with the cost of living as required by law, but did have enough to buy himself (through the school) a BMW 4x4.
If I'm going to be exploited, and least as a freelancer I have more control over the circumstances.
And so it goes.
[Edited at 2008-02-22 12:47] ▲ Collapse
| | | | tom_michell
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:48
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Depends what end of the market you're working in | Feb 22, 2008 |
Elizabeth Joy Pitt de Morales wrote:
My first job here was teaching English in an academy. The first (and last) September I worked there, the owner (his daddy set him up in the business) didn't have enough to pay his employees their (already low) wages, but did have enough to go on a two-week honeymoon to Florida. Later, I taught full-time in a private school; the owner didn't have enough money to raise the wages (already lower than legally established in the "convenio") in accordance with the cost of living as required by law, but did have enough to buy himself (through the school) a BMW 4x4.
There is no doubt that there are a lot of jokers around in Spain but the original question here was about a translation job, not teaching English in small schools. The fact is most English teachers do get a bad deal when they start out, but they turn up in Spain for reasons other than because they have a passion for teaching English and they have to build a reputation from scratch whilst competing with all the other expats who arrive without qualifications.
In contrast, I would say that serious companies looking for professionals are crying out for decent translators. I arrived in Madrid fresh out of university and got a decent job after a month. The company said they'd been looking for months but couldn't find anyone suitable. Seven months later I moved on after being offered a job with an outsourcing company working with a team at one of the big banks. Just after accepting that, one of the big four accounting firms tried pretty hard to persuade me to break that agreement and go and work for them, only backing off when I felt emboldened enough to ask for €2500/month. And my old company still wanted to keep me, making it three established companies competing over a virtual novice. Then when I left Spain, the outsourcing company was having a hard time finding suitable replacements for me and another translator who had left a month earlier.
All these jobs were advertised very publicly on Spain's largest employment website. So it strikes me that all you need is a qualification, which seems to count for a lot in Spain, and a minimal amount of experience to have a chance of getting a decent job.
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d_vachliot (X)
Local time: 23:48
Greek to English
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| Net or gross? | Feb 25, 2008 |
Thomas Michell wrote:
Just after accepting that, one of the big four accounting firms tried pretty hard to persuade me to break that agreement and go and work for them, only backing off when I felt emboldened enough to ask for €2500/month.
Would that be net or gross?
Thanks.
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