moveing and working in spain at 16?

You are getting a lot of information (and a little hissy fit) from folks that are giving opinions not based in fact. First by the statement Moving to Spain I believe you mean Living in Spain. Working in Spain is self explanatory. Living and working in Spain are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS!

Your four week stay will have no problems. Assuming you are an American you can come to Spain on your US Passport and stay for 90 days. No you can not legally work but if you are working for a few weeks in a boat yard the owner probably already knows that and is willing to let you do it "under the table" for a while. It is routinely done in the country. I am not commenting on the morality of the practice just informing you of its existence.

Now for living here, that is a little different. If you are a European Citizen you can automatically live anywhere in the EU (including Spain) at any age. You can live in Spain as a 2 year old if you want. As an American that is more difficult for you need several things. The fist is an NIE number and that requires a bank account showing your ability to support yourself without governmental aid. You will also need to show insurance (health) for they do not want you to become a burden on the already overstressed healthcare system. NO ONE IS TURNED AWAY FOR HEALTH CARE! So they want to make sure that as a non-EU citizen you won't be a burden.

Once you have this you will need to register with your town hall (which can be a hassle) and get a tax location certificate. You will take this paperwork to the provincial police department and get your residence certificate. This is the equivalent to a US Green card and it is really Green and is about the size of a USA driver's license or credit card. Now you can live in Spain and anywhere else in the EU.

Once you have this you are entitled to work. Of course you, and your employer, must file with the Social Security department but as an American that can be a good thing.

This is the procedure for Granada inside Andalucia (where I live on the Costa Tropical). Each province is slightly different but not much since the rules are set by the national government and the European Union. I can give you the website but it is in Spanish.

If you will notice NOWHERE does age come into play (other than your ability to support yourself). Also please note you MUST be able to prove everything first (contract etc.) before getting your residency. Yes, if you have a local contract (and it can not be done by local workers) then that is OK.

You seem to have the right attitude. You are learning the national language and working on regional dialects (what I call Catalan - they won't). You have researched the idea and have a first hand knowledge of the basics (your previous visits). You are doing everything right, so go for it (assuming your folks are OK with the idea.)

I was on my own at 16 and not only put myself through college but also the military and had a very good and prosperous civilian career (that's why I live on the beach in sunny southern Spain now.) You do not need to be a mommy's boy to grow up and that does not negate you feelings for your folks. Physical age is not as important as maturity and I see more of that in your few words than most commentators on this site.

Just don't forget to continue school (it's moving not moveing and capitalize "I" and proper nouns:-) Now it may not work out how you want it to work out; but, you will learn from the experience. And one thing, if you are a native English speaker, there are TEFL teaching jobs that would love to have your help.

I have given you one link of places looking for EFL teachers and while you may not qualify for many of them you would be surprised at how many you do qualify for simply by being able to speak your native language. Get a TEFL certificate (there are many good ones but be careful there) and you will always have work.

Good luck,

Retried airline pilot with a college degree that teaches English for a few (a good few) extra bucks every month (on my own schedule:-)

I would say that if you're really serious about it, and your parents and uncle are okay with it, then you should go for it! It sounds like you're already taking all the right steps concerning the move - especially because you're already making efforts to learn Spanish and Catalan. If I were you, I would continue trying to learn both languages, and I would go to Spain and reassess my future plans after having returned from the summer work experience/trip - just to make sure that you would still like to live and work there on a permanent basis. Other than that, you can collaborate with your parents and uncle when it comes to everything else. Also, since your uncle already lives there, you can pretty much ask for his help when you actually move. You might find that you need his help more often during those first few months of adjustment in a new place, but after that you should be feeling more confident and at home in Spain/Catalonia. Good luck!

You are living in fantasy land. Have you read up on visa laws in spain? They will not give a 16 year old child a work visa. Educated people with extensive work experience have trouble moving to other countries. To be issued a work permit, the employer would have to be able to prove that you are more qualified to do the job than anyone who is a citizen of that country, and that will not happen.

The only SLIGHT chance you have to find work over there is to be a nanny or caregiver for a Spanish family. This way, the family can say that they want their children to learn from people of other cultures, and that would be their reason for hiring a foreigner. You could get a working visa this way. However, I do not know if you would be able to do this before you are 18 and without childcare experience.

I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just telling you how it is. Maybe go to college and then try to find a job over there. Many colleges also have programs where students can spend a semester studying in another country. Good luck! :)

Of course you can live there at your age, as a EU member you have no time or visa restrictions, also you say your parents have a flat there, you may need to ask if your uncle would need to act as a mentor, but I think that at 16 you have full rights. Work is a different thing, although Empuriabrava is a selective touristic site, you may perfectly find a job in anything to do with tourism.

The fact that you are learning Spanish and Catalan will certainly help you integrate quicker.

BTW FRANK HARDY: You may need to read a bit of history of Catalan language, which was originated in post-Roman times, almost before Spanish language. And tell me, what similarities you find between "fins dema" (see you tomorrow in Catalan) and "hasta manana" (see you tomorrow in Spanish). If Catalan is a dialect of Spanish, English is also a dialect of German ("Hello" is "Hallo in German). But I do not believe so because I know that most European languages come from the same root language, latin or indo-european, except Basque. Read more before underrate other culture's legacy/history.

The Costa Del Sol has more options if you don´t speak Spanish. I live in Murcia, and here you need to speak Spanish , even at a basic level, for most jobs as most people speak no English. But the economic climate has made it very difficult at the moment and shops and bars are closing down all over the place as the recession kicks in. Try some of the online recruitment agencies, or consider applying to language schools to teach English, especially if any of you are studying at an advanced level. Other than that, many holiday companies used to take summer placements for kids club monitors etc for their campsites, although beach may not be an option. Try searching for summer or temp jobs spain on google and you should get a lot of results. Happy Hunting!

My answer is to Charles who wrote "One must be 18 in order to work in Spain, unless one is working for their family's business".

Of course it's legal to work at the age of 16 (unless you want to work as a stripper or porn actor or at a disco where alcohol is served) and I've no idea where you got that "family's business" thing from.

If you don't know what you're talking about, why don't you just keep quiet?

As for the original question: give it a try if your parents can help you but it's not realistic to expect you'll be able to earn enough to pay for an apartment with your salary. Maybe working at a shop for tourists where you can use English is the kind of job you can aspire to, and you won't be earning that much.

Summer: if this guy is an EU citizen he won't be needing a visa and will be allowed to move here to live with his uncle if his parents let him and the uncle accepts being responsible for him. Really I wonder why on earth people make assumptions out of their own experience and take for granted that applies for everyone. The fact that you, non EU citizen needed a visa doesn't mean every single person on this planet needs one.

If you want to learn the a lot more informal, colloquial, widespread, each day sort of spoken Spanish then you must select this course https://tr.im/zEg6N the on-line Spanish program from Rocket Languages

With the Rocket Language program you will find out and emphasizes modern, everyday, spoken Spanish, you will learn to speak Spanish just like a native speaker does in his standard each day live.

This course contain the more formal and correct Spanish that you would need to have to know, that you would be anticipated to know so if is what you are you searching then you came at the appropriate spot.

You could try learning Spanish at Spanish Track. I heard its a new website where you can learn Spanish Online with native speaking teachers from Spain or Latin America...my friends told me its going very well for them, hope it helps you out.

One must be 18 in order to work in Spain, unless one is working for their family's business.

YOU are planning on moving to another country? By yourself? You can't do that. It's not legal. You can't work. You can't get an apartment. You can't get insurance.

If you want to go as a student on a program, you can do that, where you will have people signing the contracts, etc., for you, and there are agents to act as your guardians.

Speaking a few conversational sentences isn't going to get you a job.

Remember, unless you are working for your uncle, you don't have a job. If you don't have a job, you aren't going to get one.

as your still only 16 you have a lot of growing and maturing to do, however if you do truely desire to live out there and work at such a young age go ahead! just dont miss ya parents..seen has you have lived with them for 16 years :)