SPAIN | Internship: At work | Work conditions
The labour situation in Spain has experienced many changes within the past years due to new regulations that enable more flexible working. Temporary employment agencies have become part of the labour contracting scene, acting as mediators between workers and employers. The Government has also approved new forms of employment contracts.
All the information concerning employment contracts may be found in the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (Spanish Worker’s Statutes).
Minimum working conditions for employees are regulated. Furthermore, each company and/or business sector has its own statutes in which different conditions relating to employment contracts are specified.
If you have any question concerning this matter, you may refer to any of the trade unions.
Meals
Spanish people usually have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spanish people usually have lunch late, at around 3:00 - 3:30 p.m., after work in the morning. In split shift jobs, where employees must work during the morning and the afternoon, they have one or two hours for lunch at around 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Dinner is from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Siesta
In Spain, it is custom to take a nap ("la siesta") in the afternoon. It is more common in small cities. Siesta is about sleeping for an hour or hour and a half, around 4:00 p.m., usually on the sofa, in order to rest your body and to prepare you for the rest of the day.
Pay and Labour Conditions
In Spain, a full working week consists of approximately 40 hours, which may be completed either through a non-stop working shift or a split working shift – morning and afternoon.
Working conditions must be specified in a contract. The most common conditions include:
- Monthly pay: payment is made at the beginning of every month.
- Free Social Security with the possibility of taking out private insurance in some companies.
- There is a statutory minimum wage that periodically adjusts to yearly inflation (IPC).
- Right to paid-holidays (approximately one month per year).
- Income tax (IRPF) is deducted from the source. The law states that work-experience contracts or grants attract a 2% deduction.
NIF
The abbreviation NIF stands for Fiscal Identification Number (Número de Identificación Fiscal) and obtaining one is obligatory for all foreign citizens who reside in Spain for a continiuousperiod of three months or more. For information on how you obtain your NIF, contact your local Police station.