Working in PDI

[DagsJT]

Hiya everyone!

I've been thinking for a few months now about going to PDI this summer and hopefully finding some bar work and living over there as long as I can. I've recently discovered though that the job I'm in can't offer me any unpaid leave or a career break, and I work as a civil servant with my salary going to £14,600 this summer.

I'm currently earning about £880 a month but after bills/debts have been paid, I only come out with about £300 to myself. What I'm wondering is if it will be financially better off working over in GC than here as I'm not sure what the wages are like over there.

I'm a bit worried about losing this job if I do get a job there, I not sure I fancy working and then after a few months my job ends and I have to come home to be unemployed :( But I've been dreaming about working abroad for years, and only in the last few months have I realised I could actually do something about it. I think, at 26 years old this summer, that time is also getting on and the older I get, the less chances I'll get to do something like this.

So really my point is, what would you guys recommend? Has anyone been in a similar position and if so, what were your experiences? Did you stay living there? Come home? Did you manage to cope okay over there with the wages etc? Any advice is welcome, and if you need me to answer any questions about my current situation then I'll be happy to answer :)

[mary]

Wages here are quite low. Although things may seem cheap to the tourist with their english pound - on spanish wages the cost of living is quite expensive.
it depends on what work you are looking for but if you are looking for bar work etc - then its unlikely you'll get a permanment job and will probably be laid off after the summer. Bar work is about 30-40 euros a night.
if you can take a year out - then its a great thing to do but if you are looking more long term then you have to find something that is really needed here and hasnt been tried before. remember you have to earn enough to pay your daily living expenses and maybe put something by for a pension etc. Most people dont have one job but lots of little jobs so they aren't reliant on one - and it bumps up the income
Rent is about 500 - 850 a month, depending on what you rent.
So you may not be better off and will probably be unemployed by the end of the summer - but hey - you only live once. Your decision in the end