Why this young Canadian is thriving in Rincon de la Victoria

Spain’s isn’t known as a place to build a career. But between teaching English and working remotely for a Madrid marketing firm, 26-year-old Amara is thriving in Rincon de la Victoria.

In this post she tells us what led her to Spain, how she ended up in Rincon de la Victoria, and recounts her experience settling in and building a career.

Name: Amara Zammit
Age: 26
Country of Origin: Canada
Number of years in Spain: 3

Hi Amara! You’re young to have settled overseas 😊 . Can you please tell me about yourself and on how you ended up moving to Spain?

Hey hey! I get that alot haha. As much as I love Canada and am so lucky to have grown up in such an amazing country, I was always searching for the beach and wanted to see more of the world. Everyone who knows me knows that I need to live by the sea and the hustle and bustle of Toronto is just too much for me – I always preferred the more laid-back vibe of Spanish culture. I wanted to take advantage of having dual citizenship (Canadian & Maltese) so I found a job teaching English in Malaga and never left!

How did you end up deciding that you wanted to live in Rincon de la Victoria? Why Rincon de la Victoria? (and did you live anywhere else in Spain before choosing Rincon de la Victoria?)

I had come to Spain once before moving here and it was to Madrid for 4 days on a trip with my sister – so safe to say that I had no idea what I was getting into. The South of Spain is like another world and I wouldn’t change a thing. The placement that I received for my school was in the mountains of Rincon de la Victoria – so when I received my placement, I looked Rincon up on a map and saw that it is right on the beach so I said “heck ya” and accepted the placement without knowing a thing about where I would be moving.

What’s your favorite thing about Rincon de la Victoria? What’s your least favorite?

My favourite thing about Rincon would be the laid back and welcoming nature of everyone here. I feel this throughout Malaga to be honest, but especially in Rincon as it is full of Spaniards. Rincon differs from Torremolinos, Benalmadena etc. Here we have a lot less tourists and I have been able to easily immerse myself into the culture and pick up the language faster than if I were in Madrid or Barcelona for example.

What do you in Rincon de la Victoria Amara? How do you keep busy? Do you have a business/do you work?

I came here as an English teacher, but I shifted into what I actually went to school for, which is Business Marketing. I now work as a Business Marketing Executive for a company from Madrid, where I am able to work remotely – thank god, as this is the reason that I am able to live by the beach in Rincon. Being a native English speaker with some education behind you will land you a job quite easily over here just FYI.

Follow up Question: “Being a native English speaker with some education behind you will land you a job quite easily over here just FYI“. I was surprised by this because I always hear that Spain has no job opportunities for young people. Can you expand on that?

I was bombarded with English teaching requests. Here being “native” gives you quite the advantage. I had never taught before and not only did I get a job at a school and an academy, I also had to turn down some private lessons because I was working so much. Once word gets out that there is a native English speaker in town, your whatsapp will be passed around to loads of parents and you will never have to stress about finding kids to teach. This wasn’t my passion, marketing is. But I know if I ever needed a side hustle, I could go back to English teaching.

Accommodation. Do you rent or did you buy Amara? How was the process? Any advice for people looking for an apartment or house in the area?

I rent now, I was very close to buying but the market and interest rates are insanely high right now. I am waiting for them to drop a little bit before committing and locking myself into such a massive purchase. The process for renting for me has been pretty smooth to be honest. I would recommend 3 websites: fotocasa, idealista and milanuncios. NEVER send money or a deposit anywhere without actually seeing the place first. I have heard of some scams, thankfully I haven’t run into any. Another thing which is normal here is that you need to pay a “fianza” – this is an extra month of rent that’s used as a deposit.. there’s a 75% chance the landlord will give you this back at the end of your lease.. sometimes they try to hang onto it and hope you won’t want to fight them for it back. I had this happen once so I made up a story about having contacted my lawyer and the police, and it was returned the next day 😉 . Also if you use an agency to help you find a place, expect to also pay them one month.

How was your adjustment to living in Spain? Any difficulties or challenges?

Moving to Spain has been a wild ride, but one I wouldn’t change at all! Coming here only knowing “hola” and now being able to have conversations with abuelas in the grocery store has really made me proud of myself. I did have some culture shock coming here at first. Everything is closed on Sundays, people wear shoes in the house (yuck), siesta time is no joke, the bank is only open from 9-2pm so how do normal working people make it to the bank? I’m still not sure haha. All in all it’s been great but did take some serious adjusting especially when it comes to eating times. Spaniards eat about 5x a day and 10pm dinner still doesn’t work well for me.

How’s your Spanish? Is Rincon de la Victoria a place where you really need a good level of Spanish to get by?

Now my Spanish is a lot better, I can speak confidently and sometimes if I get stuck on a word, I just think of saying it in a different way. If you are in Rincon for a short period of time don’t expect to find much English here, but if you are here longer term, it’s an amazing place to pick up Spanish.

Follow up Question: You’ve mentioned that you’ve gone from no Spanish to being pretty adept. Did you take courses? Does town hall in Rincon offer free courses? (they did in Nerja where we lived). How did you go about learning so quickly?

I’m not sure if the Rincon town hall offers courses, but my current company offers free lessons and working in the school with Spanish kids allowed me to pick up the basics quickly. Also it’s key to try and make bilingual friends here. That way you can practice with them, but then if you are confused, they can explain in English. Also I recommend going to language exchanges and to the bar lol. A little vino gives you the confidence to speak.

Can you summarize your time in Spain Amara? Highlight, lowlights, challenges…Do you miss any aspect of Canada?

I am going on 3 years here now and I would summarize it as the best move of my life. I now work remotely for a great company and live on the beach in an area where I feel comfortable and welcomed. I don’t miss Canada much to be honest, just my friends and family who I call very often anyways! I really do just miss the people and not the place. Sometimes I get a poutine craving or want some good Canadian junk food – no ketchup chips here!

What advice would you give anyone coming to Spain and Rincon de la Victoria in particular? And do you see yourself staying in Spain for the foreseeable future?

The advice that I would give someone who is moving here would be to not expect the same bureaucracy that we have in Canada. Here things take time and people aren’t rushed (even when they should be) and once you realise that that is the norm in the South, then you will feel a lot more comfortable. I was so stressed with paperwork when I got here and trying to find a rental, but it’s true that these things take time here and you will pick up on the sense of calm that Spaniards give off. I do see myself in Spain for the foreseeable future, I truly love it here and the weather beats Toronto by a landslide. I adopted a dog a little while ago and there’s no way I’d bring him to the Canadian cold either. My goal is to get my driver’s licence here by the end of 2023 and then continue to live along the Rincon coast. This is such a crappy thing – your Canadian licence cannot be switched to a Spanish… meaning us Canadians who drive in Canada need to retake the test over in the EU.

I hope you found this helpful and if you have any questions you can comment below. I’ll try to help as best as I can.