Last roll of the dice
The further I plunge into November, the more likely it seems I’ll be returning to Australia empty handed. I arrived here with two potential offers already on the table. One of those, in Barcelona, has all but dried up, and the one in Madrid may present some challenges of its own.
Since arriving, I think I must have applied for just about every job advertised in Spain. For the most part, I get no response. I’ve had some enthusiastic responses that changed very quickly when they discovered I didn’t have a work permit and needed them to sponsor me.
The best one was from a certain company that first of all didn’t read my application letter very well (where I clearly stated I didn’t have a work or residency permit), and arranged for me to travel out to their office on the cercanías at short notice, THEN they read my note stating I didn’t have the permits and cancelled the meeting a few minutes before I was due to arrive. To top it off, they had the cheek to then suggest they’d be very interested in speaking to me once I have the required permits—basically, although the company is unwilling to invest in obtaining the required permits for me, they’ll be quite happy to poach me from a company that CAN be bothered sponsoring me. I don’t think so.
I’ve certainly had many a moment where I wondered if it was worth continuing, worth bothering applying for another job. But I know I want to stay here for more than a mere three months, I just need to find an employer willing to invest the time in me. It’s a little bizarre that certain Australians had no trouble obtaining and retaining the hospitality of the Spanish government, but someone who wants to actually engage with the culture, has so many hoops to jump through. I’m getting a small taste of what has been referred to as Fortress Europe.
Perhaps I need to develop a lung condition.
Anyway, today I’m sending out the last batch of applications. Tomorrow, I’m hiring a car and going driving around the country for the remaining weeks I have here. Hopefully something will come through during that time, but basically if nothing surfaces soon, I’ll be confirming my flights, and starting preparations for the marathon flight home.