Study and work in Barcelona at the same time

Surely this is a question you raised more than once, during your student period in Barcelona.

You have come to study here a few months ago; and you have already managed to be fully adapted, and installed, in your student residence in Barcelona. You have mastered the schedule of classes, your study time, and all the activities you have chosen to do in your leisure time, and, now that you have that part controlled, you consider finding a job, to improve your economy, meet more people or simply , have your first contact with the working world in order to get work experience; but you are an international student, and you are not clear if it is possible to work during study time in this city.

The easiest and quickest answer would be: yes, iyou can work, although you must know some important things to take into account, before launching into the working  market.

The first important issue is that if you have arrived with a student card, you are not allowed to work a full day, or on your own, since your school schedule cannot coincide with working hours, so you will have to look for a part-time job , or in full-time, as long as it does not exceed three months and always outside school hours, for example in summer. The duration of the contract, may never be greater than the validity or duration of your student card

The two types of work you can consider are:

An internship contract: this modality does not imply an employment relationship, it is an agreement in which the University, the company and the interested student intervene. Almost all the universities or business schools in Barcelona offer such practices, through agreements signed with companies in the sector of the studies that are being studied. To qualify for an agreement of this type, you must have approved 50% of the credits, and you will be offered an economic compensation as study aid that in no case is a salary and that not all companies offer in this type of agreements.

The part-time or fixed-term work contract: opting for this type of contract means being in possession of your identification number as a foreigner, what is known as the NIE, and a work authorization, which you will only get if the job is compatible with your school schedule. It is very important that you know, that you cannot depend on the income of this job to live in Barcelona during your stay as a student, since you must show that you have enough money to study without this work being necessary for you, but an extra income or your interest in getting work experience ..

In this page of the Government of Spain, you will find detailed, all the necessary information to study in Barcelona and work at the same time, if you are an international student.

Good luck!