Jobs in Nerja 2012 – Work in Nerja

We include a list of any available job vacancies in Nerja in the Costa del Sol of Spain as well as tips and advice on where to find Nerja jobs.

Article Highlights:

• About Nerja
• Living in Nerja
• Working in Nerja for English Speakers
• Where to Find Jobs in Nerja
• Popular Types of Work and Job Vacancies
• Where to Find Jobs in Nerja
• Summer Jobs in Nerja 2012
• Part-Time Work and Jobs Nerja 2011 2012

ABOUT NERJA

Nerja is the main tourist resort on the eastern part of the Costa del Sol. This former fishing village is arguably one of the coast’s most attractive towns, with pleasant streets of whitewashed houses. Unlike many towns to the west of Malaga, Nerja has managed to avoid the high-rise development which is seen in those resorts. Nerja lies in a valley, with picturesque rocky coves overlooked by small cliffs. It takes its name for the old Arabic word ‘naricha’ meaning ‘rich in water’.

Nerja has many lovely beaches and the Costa del Sol area is probably the best area of Spain for looking for jobs and work. Nerja has a large expatriate community and so there are plenty of services that can be offered to this group. There will also be lots of companies looking for workers with expertise in different fields.

The main attraction within the town is the Balcon de Europa from which there are superb views along the coast. Named by King Alfonso XII, who visited Nerja in 1884 after the town was hit by a devastating earthquake, this is an attractive tree-lined promenade which extends on to a rocky promontory. Next to the Balcon de Europa is the Mudejar-style church of El Salvador, built during the 17th century. The church is notable for its bell tower and interior which is decorated by 18th century frescoes.

Locations near to Nerja include: Punta Lara Canamiel to the west, inland of Nerja is the Urbanisation Cortijo de San Rafael, then the village of Frigiliana. The beach area of Nerja consists of La Torrecilla, Playa del Salon, La Almijara and Playa de Calahonda.

Heading east of Nerja takes you to Fuente del Baden, San Juan de Capistrana, the Cuevas de Nerja (famous caves), Maro, Torre de Maro, Torre del Rio de la Miel, Torre del Pino and Torre Caleta.

Below is a map of Nerja:

FIESTAS IN NERJA

Nerja holds several spectacular street festivals throughout the year. The Fiesta de San Anton in mid-January is marked by fireworks and processions through Maro village, while the inhabitants of Nerja dance around hand-made crosses decorated with flowers during the Cruces de May (3rd May). Also taking place in May is the colourful Romeria San Isidro, which features processions of horses. One of the most important events in the town’s calendar is the famous Festival Cueva Nerja, which consists of a series of classical and flamenco performances held in one of the giant caverns of the Nerja Caves.

CAVES IN NERJA

One of the biggest attractions on the Costa del Sol is the Nerja Caves, around 2.5 miles (4km) east of the town. Discovered by chance by a group of boys in 1959, the caves consist of a series of huge limestone caverns formed during the Triassic Period, around five million years ago. The 32-metre high central column in the Catalcysm Hall is the largest of its type in the world. Paintings of goats, deer and horses found within the caves are thought to date back around 20,000 years, although sadly these can not be viewed by the public.

Nerja is a good base for exploring inland. Just four miles (7km) up in the hills to the north is Frigiliana, one of the prettiest villages in the relatively undeveloped La Axarquia region, notable for its beautiful scenery. To the east of Nerja is the village of Maro which clings to a cliff top overlooking a pretty cove.

There are plenty of activities to enjoy in Nerja, including fishing, scuba diving, canoeing, horse riding, mountain biking, jeep tours and quad biking. Ask at the Nerja Tourist Office in calle Puerta del Mar (close to the Balcon de Europa) for information.

GETTING TO NERJA

Nerja is about 30 miles (50km) east of Malaga. Alsina Graells runs a regular bus service between Malaga and Nerja. There are also regular buses from Nerja to the village of Frigiliana and the nearby resorts of Velez-Malaga and Torre del Mar.

LIVING AND WORKING IN NERJA 2011 2012

When you are looking for jobs in Nerja you also need to consider other factors apart from things such as working conditions and rates of pay, such as:

Is Nerja one of the best areas to move to in Spain?

What is the quality-of-life like living in Nerja?

What is the cost of living like in Nerja?

Nerja is a beautiful area with clean sandy beaches and many amenities and facilities. In terms of quality of life Nerja is certainly a great place to live and work. The Costa del Sol is the most international area of Spain and so it is clearly the best place to start when looking for jobs in Spain.

Nerja is a town that we really like. It is relatively small and still retains it’s charms as a former fishing village. But on the positive side it isn’t too small like many other towns in Spain. Also there are lots of other towns and cities in the area so you are not likely to ever get bored.

The size of Nerja and it’s popularity as a tourist resort means there are good opportunities for your typical tourist related jobs in bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels etc.

There may however be better employment opportunities in bigger cities and towns in the Costa del Sol such as Malaga, Marbella, Torremolinos and Fuengirola. The closest place to Nerja we can recommend is jobs in Torrox which is not far to the west.

HOW TO FIND WORK IN NERJA – WHERE TO FIND NERJA JOBS

Jobs in Nerja Spain can be found by the usual means of internet, radio, newspaper, word of mouth etc. Try looking in the classified jobs section in expat newspapers.

Word-of-mouth is probably the best source of jobs and for that you actually have to be in Nerja making contacts. For example asking around in the local bars and cafes where expats hangout. This is especially true if you are looking for tradesmen jobs.

We get contacted by many young ladies who are looking for work as a babysitter or child carer and in the Nerja region there are many host families looking for au pairs and nannies.

Our website also lists job vacancies in Nerja and if you happen to be an employer who is searching for staff then please list your job vacancies here for free. If you are looking for jobs in Nerja, why not add your e-mail address to our email mailing list so should any situations vacant arise, we can send you an e-mail job alert to let you know.

There are a great deal of people competing with you to find Nerja jobs including many immigrants from Northern Africa and Eastern Europe. Expect many jobs to be paid cash in hand at very low rates of pay. If you are extremely fortunate you will find the job which comes with an official contract enabling you to benefits and state medical care.

TOURIST JOBS IN NERJA

As Nerja is a major tourist destination you will find many openings and and job vacancies in the catering trades such as for cooks, waiters, waitresses, dishwashers, bar jobs, hotel jobs, drivers etc. Of course many of these jobs are seasonal in nature and are best for people searching for summer jobs in Nerja.

Unquestionably, bar jobs in Nerja are the most common type of job available.

The tourist season here runs from April through to the end of September. These jobs are very popular because only a limited knowledge of Spanish is all that is usually required. Unfortunately many of these jobs will be only available on a part-time basis.

Nerja’s popularity as a tourist destination also means there are transport related jobs such as driving jobs in Nerja i.e. coach driving jobs, van drivers and driving people to the airport and back as well as related driving jobs such as taxi jobs, HGV jobs, warehouse and logistics.

POPULAR JOBS IN NERJA – WORK IN NERJA

Back to our expat theme, many jobs are also possible in the real estate or property area. There are good possibilities for finding jobs for property lettings and sales will grow increasingly you will need to be fluent in a number of different languages and of course many of these jobs are paid on a commission basis.

Cleaning jobs in Nerja are popular because they require no language skills, no training and of course there are many villas and apartments being let out to holidaymakers throughout the year. Another spin-off in this sector are supplying services to these properties such as swimming pool cleaning, gardening and general maintenance.

Other ways to earn money in Nerja are to offer taxi type services driving people back and forth to the airports.

Another popular type of job are sales jobs in Nerja. These commission only type positions tend to be for timeshares, property sales, villa painting, selling advertising space and other sales services such as telemarketing.

Other typical jobs you are likely to find would be Nerja jobs that cater to the large expat population in Nerja and the surrounding area, these include: hairdressing jobs, shop jobs, driving jobs, removals, restaurant jobs, health fitness and beauty related jobs, pet care jobs, computer services, business services such as graphic design, computer repair, insurance sales positions and customer service jobs.

There are few management jobs in Nerja, few marketing jobs, legal jobs, education jobs, media jobs, office jobs or executive jobs in Nerja for professional people although there are some secretarial and administrative positions working for companies such as legal and financial companies. You also won’t find many care or nursing jobs available in Nerja.

Anyone searching for vacancies and IT jobs in Nerja (IT stands for information technology) also will find very few opportunities available.

JOBS IN NERJA TEACHING ENGLISH – ENGLISH JOBS IN NERJA

There are opportunities in teaching English to Spanish people who naturally see speaking English as an advantage with so many British people living in the area, so they can be able to speak some English for their businesses and trades. This work naturally is pretty patchy will probably need to be supplemented by earnings elsewhere. It would also help if you have teaching qualifications such as the internationally recognised TEFL.

SELF-EMPLOYMENT IN NERJA

An alternative to searching for a job is to create one yourself by becoming self-employed in Spain. If you have a trade or an idea that you think could be a great business idea then there are plenty of expats in Nerja who surely could be potential customers and who would use your service. In this way you use your skills to find your own work and create your own job thereby not relying on anyone else. In Spain this is known as becoming an ‘automono’ or you can set a company but be aware that you will need to pay high monthly compulsory social security contributions as well as VAT or IVA which is due from the first Euro and on every Euro you earn. The social security could be in excess of 200 Euros every month but it does give you and your family free access to the Spanish National Health Service.

CONSTRUCTION JOBS IN NERJA – JOBS IN NERJA FOR TRADESMEN

Construction and building jobs in Nerja are one of the best ways of being able to move to Spain and find a job. This is due to the large amount of expats who live in and around Nerja. People like to be able to clearly convey what work they want done on their apartment, townhouse or villa and so they prefer to deal with tradesmen who can speak English. If you are a tradesmen such as a builder, electrician, plumber, painter, tiler, plasterer, bricklayer, labourer or another construction-type worker then you are likely to find jobs in Nerja although wages are fairly low at about €80-€100 a day compared to the UK, although for Spain this is very good.

ENGLISH-SPEAKING JOBS IN NERJA SPAIN

Other typical jobs you are likely to find would be jobs that cater to the large expat population in Nerja, these include: pool cleaners, translators, beauty therapists, interior designers, singers, dancers, entertainers, gardening jobs, villa cleaning jobs, bar jobs and bar work, hairdressing jobs, shop assistants, cashiers and retail work in English and British goods shops, graduate jobs, taxi service, driving jobs including removals, restaurant jobs such as chefs, waiters and waitresses, part-time jobs, fitness jobs, beautician jobs, pet care jobs, personal trainers, health care assitants, voluntary jobs at charity shops, computer services, business services such as graphic design, computer repair, contractors, babysitting, nanny jobs, au pair jobs, child care jobs, carer jobs, housekeeping, finance jobs, security jobs, accounting jobs, mechanics, insurance sales positions, hospitality jobs, customer service jobs, there are many English newspaper and magazines requiring writers and sales jobs in Spain etc – we hope this list gives you some idea of the types of jobs in Nerja Spain that are the most likely possibilities when you are job searching.

If you are an employer who is searching for staff, please contact us with any job vacancies you wish to fill in Nerja and we will list them for free.

Below a short video tour of Nerja