Basic Information About Barcelona, Spain That International Employees Should Know

Introduction

Some of the important things to know when traveling to Barcelona include the two primary languages that are spoken in the city, which are Spanish and Catalan. Also, Barcelona is very popular among tourists and as such, bookings for attraction sites and monuments should be done early. Moreover, the best means of transport to move around the city is the Metro and a large part of the City is situated on the Mediterranean Sea. Subsequently, its location makes it remarkably popular among tourists. Barcelona is also the second largest city in Spain after Madrid and it has the largest football stadium in Europe. The stadium is a good recreation facility for corporate employees with families that love sports.

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An employee must understand Spain's Labor Law and its provisions when working in Barcelona. The law requires an employee to have a minimum of 12 hours off work between the completion of a single working day and the start of the next working day (Expatica, 2018). Also, if work is continuous and exceeds more than six hours in a single working frame, employees are entitled to a minimum of 15 minutes of rest time during the day (Expatica, 2018). Also, all employees are entitled to a one and a half days of uninterrupted rest time every week, particularly on Saturday and Sundays (Expatica, 2018).

Relocation Allowances

The relocation allowance in Barcelona must enable a person to cater for his basic needs during the transition period from his mother nation. The cost of selling a home in the parent nation to buy another in Barcelona shall not be included on the relocation allowance package. That is because the essentially if the job in Barcelona is on a contractual basis and an individual would prefer to go back to his country of origin after the contractual period. However, the relocation allowance shall include air tickets in which case a two-way flight ticket for a single person from the United States to Barcelona averages around EUR350 (FareCompare, 2018).

The relocation allowance package shall also include utility expenses for the first six months. In this case, electricity and gas for a whole flat averages EUR80-EUR100 per month and the cheapest broadband connection for a domestic user at speeds of 30 megabytes (MBs) is EUR40 (Sofia, 2015). Also, the monthly grocery shopping for two people in Barcelona's discount stores averages EUR300 monthly and EUR500 in Supermarkets (Sofia, 2015). The cost of a bus ticket is EUR2.15 and a person can average EUR53.75 in a month for all means of transport (Sofia, 2015). In entertainment, individuals can obtain tickets at EUR6.50 to EUR11 in Cinemas and pay EUR30-EUR80 for a monthly gym pass (Sofia, 2015).

Housing

The cost of renting a house in Barcelona primarily depends on the area of the city the house is positioned. However, rent for a flat in Barcelona starts from a minimum of 700EUR monthly, moving upwards (Sousa, 2018). Also, the neighborhoods that are near the city center such as the Ciutat Vella are more expensive to rent for accommodation due to their high demand. Nevertheless, the average rent of a house in Barcelona per square meter is significantly high compared to the average rate of rent per square meter of Spain, which is at EUR7.24 (Sousa, 2018). Also, the best districts of Barcelona for an international immigrant to dwell is Ciutat Vella where rent goes for 18EUR/m2, Sarria-Sant Gervasi for 19EUR/m2, and Sant Marti for 20EUR/m2 (Sousa, 2018).

The three districts are the best to seek a house because they offer the best entertainment facilities, bars, supermarkets, and restaurants. The Ciutat Vella, Sarria-Sant Gervasi, and Sant Marti districts also have good learning institutions where corporate personnel can educate their children. Contrary, the worst districts in Barcelona that an individual might rent a house include the Raval District, due to criminalities in the region like the sale of narcotics. Lastly, in the event a person decides to relocate permanently to Barcelona, the cost of purchasing a two-bedroom apartment in Barcelona ranges from EUR100,000 to EUR300,000 (Right Move, 2018). Also, the cost of a three to five bedroomed house in Barcelona ranges from EUR500,000 to EUR1,000,000 (Right Move, 2018).

Spousal Family Assistance

The cost of educating children in Barcelona should be included in the spousal family assistance package. Compared to the United States, the average cost of education in Barcelona is slightly high (Lungu, 2018). However, an employer is not entitled to the full tuition amount but rather a fraction of the cost within a defined timeline. For instance, if the employer will offer tuition assistance for the employer for 12 months, the cost of tuition for a single child in grade-level education will be EUR1,000 as admission fees and an annual fee of EUR7,988 (International Schools Database, 2018).

References

Expatica. (2018). Spanish labor laws. Retrieved from Expatica: https://www.expatica.com/new/es/employment/employment-law/labour-law-104542/

FareCompare. (2018). Cheap Flights From Barcelona, Spain To United States. Retrieved from FareCompare: https://www.farecompare.com/flights/Barcelona-BCN/United_States-US/citycountry.html#quote?quoteKey=CBCNCATL20181009R20181016P1CTF

International Schools Database. (2018). Highlands School Barcelona - Fees. Retrieved from International Schools Database: https://www.international-schools-database.com/in/barcelona-spain/highlands-school-barcelona/fees

Lungu, M. (2018). Study in Spain: Fees and Living Costs. Retrieved from Study Portals Masters: https://www.mastersportal.com/articles/357/study-in-Spain-fees-and-living-costs.html

Right, Move. (2018). Properties For Sale in Barcelona. Retrieved from Rightmove: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property-for-sale/Barcelona.html

Sofia. (2015). Monthly cost of living in Barcelona. Retrieved from I am moving to Barcelona: http://immovingtobarcelona.com/cost-of-living-in-barcelona/

Sousa, M.-L. D. (2018). What is the average flat rent price in Barcelona? Retrieved from SH Barcelona: https://www.shbarcelona.com/blog/en/flat-rent-barcelona/