Dear Editors!
I wrote in response to an ad in the newspaper and received information about employment in Spain. Could you comment on it in your newspaper? I think many people have contacted this company, but it all seems untrustworthy. Where do so many vacancies for applicants without language skills come from? And it's suspicious that Spaniards themselves don't want to work for $1,500 a month...
All this holds me back from making a final decision – whether to deal with this company or not. I think your answer will be of interest to other readers as well.
V. KLIMOV, Cherkassy
The editors of «Заграницы» asked the Spanish Embassy in Ukraine to comment on the situation with employment of Ukrainian citizens in Spain. We think readers will find it useful to know the requirements imposed by the authorities of this state on foreigners wishing to find work in the land of flamenco and bullfighting. The official point of view is set out in a letter signed by the Secretary of the Embassy, Mr. Francisco Javier de Isturiz Simonet:
"Spanish legislation has always provided for the possibility of legal employment of foreign citizens who enjoy the rights and freedoms recognized by the Spanish Constitution. Any foreigner wishing to enter Spain must have the appropriate visa. Persons who wish to engage in paid employment in Spain must have an officially formalized work contract. A work permit is a document that allows engaging in paid employment. This permit applies only to the territory of our country, is issued for a term of no more than 5 years, and may be limited to a specific district, region, or type of activity.
To obtain a work visa, the following documents must be submitted to the consular section of the Spanish Embassy in Ukraine:
1. An official job offer that has gone through all necessary formalities with the government representation in the province where the interested person intends to work (the job offer is prepared by an enterprise or firm registered in Spain).
2. A certificate of no criminal record, translated into Spanish and legalized at the Spanish Embassy.
3. A medical certificate stating that the interested person has no infectious diseases and can perform a specific type of work (also translated into Spanish and legalized at the embassy).
4. An application form for a work visa.
Documents are submitted to the visa section of the Spanish Embassy in person by the applicant."
In conclusion, we note that everyone has the right to decide for themselves whether to cooperate with an intermediary offering "free consultations". Try not to be deceived: for $100 you are offered only "assistance in legalization and processing of documents for obtaining a residence and work permit in Spain," but not the employment itself. And no one will guarantee you that for the money spent (97 hryvnias and $101 for processing and legalization of documents plus $100 for the firm's services) you will actually receive the coveted job invitation.
Before starting cooperation with this firm (by the way, we were unable to find its name and contact information in the documents provided to the editorial office), it would be useful to ask its employees how many Ukrainians have managed to obtain a work permit in Spain in this way. And let those readers who manage to personally speak with such lucky ones accept our congratulations.
_