Live & Work in Spain and Portugal (Live and Work Abroad Guides) [Paperback]

Vacation Work Publications (Author), Jonathan Packer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Live and Work Abroad Guides | Publication Date: May 1998

A large proportion of the millions of British holidaymakers who have visited Spain and Portugal wonder if and how they could settle there. This guide surveys the possibilities of employment and living in Spain and Portugal from San Sebastian to Oporto. It advises those who are hoping to find a short or long-term job, start a business, buy a holiday home or retire in either country. This guide also supplies details of residence and entry regulations, and property purchase, as well as essential information about daily life. A helpful feature offers advice on finding work, including directories of employers and guides to the major industries and how to start a business.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Vacation-Work; 2nd edition (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1854581864
• ISBN-13: 978-1854581860
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,711,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An extremely dense but narrowly-focused guide., April 20, 1999

By 

D. Hall (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Live & Work in Spain and Portugal (Live and Work Abroad Guides) (Paperback)

In contrast to typical travel guides, Mr. Parker's book offers a wealth of valuable information about the mundane, often-overlooked aspects of building a life on the Iberian Peninsula. What may not be clear from the title, however, is that the book is almost exclusively directed at citizens of the EU (ie. UK and Ireland) who wish for a variety of reasons to move to Spain or Portugal. On specific points of how to obtain permits and visas, the book will seem painfully vague to any non-EU citizen, with Mr. Parker's view painfully slanted toward the English Pensioner or long-term vacationer. In short, if you are a non-EU citizen interested in living on the Iberian Peninsula but will not be content to sequester yourself in an enclave of sunburned, English-speaking Britons along the Costa del Sol, you may want to keep shopping.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a useful guide for Americans moving to Spain, February 1, 2002

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Live & Work in Spain and Portugal (Live and Work Abroad Guides) (Paperback)

Jonathan Packer's guide LIVE AND WORK IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL is a book to steer clear of for those facing the challenge of moving to Spain. The book suffers from numerous problems.

LIVE AND WORK is first of all quite out of date. Although it was last updated in 1998, this update didn't change much from the original 1991 edition. As Spain is more and more integrated into the European Union, and the Euro is now the official currency, this guide's advice is often too old to be useful.

The layout of LIVE AND WORK makes the guide vexing to read. The text is often so compacted that it is difficult to see where one section ends and another begins. There are spelling mistakes here and there, and typesetting errors. The book also contains advertisements, which may disappoint those looking for independent advice.

Finally, this book is written for Britons who are thinking about moving to Spain and Portugal, for an American to learn about Spain and Portugal through this book, first one would have to be familiar with life in Britain.

If moving to Spain, I would suggest acquiring CULTURE SHOCK: SPAIN instead of this guide. It doesn't have nearly as many details, but it gives you an overview of the culture. One could augment that book with other resources that are up-to-date. All in all, however, it is best to avoid LIVE AND WORK IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise and to the point, April 22, 2004

By 

Sally Adams-Smith (Warwick, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live & Work in Spain and Portugal (Live and Work Abroad Guides) (Paperback)

When I started looking for a place in the sun I found this book very helpful. It provides a bird's eye view of life and work in the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the kind of book to start with before you make a decision and then start focusing on the country of your choice. It is concise and to the point.