#50 Self-Employment, Remote Work & Jobs in Spain – Busting Myths with Ali Meehan

Can you actually have a real career in Spain, or is it all just bar work and waitressing?

If you’ve ever thought about moving to Spain but worried that you’d have to give up your career, this episode is for you! 

There’s a long-standing myth that unless you’re fluent in Spanish or willing to work in hospitality, finding a serious job or building a successful business in Spain is impossible. 

But that couldn’t be further from the truth!

In this episode of The Costa Property Podcast, Sandra sits down with Ali Meehan, founder of Costa Women, to bust the biggest myths about working in Spain.

Ali Meehan has been remote working with her own business in Spain since the early 2000’s and shares her experience of self employment and employment in Spain as an expat! 

You will learn:

✅ Why Spain is NOT stuck in the past when it comes to jobs & business opportunities.

✅ The booming industries hiring skilled workers (and how to tap into them).

✅ How to network and create opportunities for yourself before you even arrive.

✅ The truth about learning Spanish - do you really need to be fluent?

✅ Sandra’s personal experience of growing her career faster in Spain than in Ireland.

If you’re self-employed, remote-working, or looking for employment in Spain, this episode will give you the confidence and practical strategies you need to make it happen!

Have questions or need support? 

Sandra offers one-on-one coaching calls to help you navigate relocation challenges. 

Get in touch via the links below.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

👉 Book a Coaching Call with Sandra: https://calendly.com/sandralauriecoaching/relocation-success

👉 WL Costa Properties Website: www.wlcostaproperties.net

👉 Follow us on Instagram for daily insights into life in Spain: www.instagram.com/wlcostaproperties

Get in Touch with Our Guest Ali Meehan:

• Website: https:/alimeehan.com
• Costa Women – A Community for Women in Spain: https://costawomen.com/

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Transcript

 So the first one, Ali, I really want to dive into is really about Spain is stuck in the past and where I'm coming from with this one is I think that there's  a misconception that people feel that Spain is is really stuck In the 90s when it comes to employment and there's this feeling that if you come to Spain and you relocate to Spain, particularly if you want to have some sort of employment over here, that you're either going to end up working in a bar or, , potentially, , waitressing, etc.

Now, not that there's absolutely anything wrong with that, there isn't at all, but seems to be a feeling that you cannot build a serious career here. would you say to that?

completely untrue.

You can build a very serious business here. It's entirely up to you what sort of business you want to build here. But,  I mean, I agree with you with that. That is a myth because I see a lot of people thinking about moving to Spain and they think Spain haven't got the product or service that they're going to offer.

So they're like, we're going to save Spain because we've got this amazing product or service. And I'm saying, have you checked that we haven't already got it here? Because we probably have. And nine times out of ten, it's already available. So Spain aren't stuck in the 90s, thankfully. , in fact, the reason, one of the reasons why I moved here initially, and this is back in 2002, was because the internet was better in Spain than it was in the UK.

And that was 2002.  been a remote worker since 2000. So I've worked from home since 2000. So I really needed a good internet connection and Spain gave me that when I came here in 2002. So that's already a myth  that can be dispelled.

 the other myth is really that Spain do, do business differently, but then any country in the world does business differently.

 And they really like the personal connection. They really like to press the flesh, as I'd say, and shake your hand and actually meet the person behind the business. So it may be that people find it hard to get into Spanish businesses, but you do need to build up that connection first and, and, and develop that connection.

before they will do 

business with

you. 

that's an interesting one. So  you were definitely trailblazing that. I want to go back to the 2002  comments. You were a trailblazer there when it came to remote working. Wow. That's, that's incredible. But yeah, I like what you say there in terms of,  it's very important that when somebody is coming over with a service.

Or a product to launch into Spain, it, it's important not to categorize that, oh, you know, potentially assuming that Spain hasn't seen this before, really run your due diligence on that. And I, I think, coming from my own perspective, when I first came to Spain, I didn't go straight into the self-employment route.

I went for the employment in, I wanted to build on the career that I had in Ireland.  , I very easily and luckily integrated into a very serious career and was actually able to build a career faster here than I was in Ireland because of the skill set that I had. So, I often see people assuming that they're not going to be able to build on their career that they've had back home over here.

And that's not true, particularly now with Malaga really opening up, becoming this amazing tech hub. There's a There's a real demand and a need for skilled workforce and also,  you see that real influx of Nordic based companies coming here because of the fact that labor costs are absolutely cheaper, but also the ability to be able to source multilingual staff.

So there's a real, , demand here for skilled labor force and multilingual workers. So even if you're not interested in barking on the self employment route and you want to, , stay in the lane of employment and build on your career. That's absolutely possible here, but often it's assumed that, , that's just not feasible, but on the contrary, you can absolutely build your career here, which is, which is incredible.

think thing that people do struggle with, they may have come from a country or a town or a city where there's somebody in that town or city and they arrived in Spain where they're just one in, of another group of people. So that can be the challenge to deal with really.

And I would recommend that before they come to Spain, they actually start networking before they even arrive. And we use,  Facebook and social media far more than they do in a lot of other countries. So you can actually start building those connections before you arrive. And, and ask those questions before you arrive about your career and the sorts of products or services that you offer.

That would be my advice. But I think people do struggle with that. Everybody knew me where I came from, and it's really important to 

start building that network 

straight away. 

Almost that big fish in a small pond analogy and then you have to kind of jump into an even bigger pond, right? But you're a hundred percent correct on that. I do see a lot of that Facebook  groups great, you know in terms of if you are going into a space where you need to source employment Start to do that from your home or as you know in your space  Particularly around the self employment route that networking space

I think as well that people assume that they need to have perfect Spanish to work here. They get wrapped up in that perfectionism around, oh, I don't speak the language , perfectly. That kind of fear around the language. I see that holds people back quite a bit.

Yeah, and it is important to learn Spanish when you get here, but you're never gonna, I don't know that you'll, well. I'm sure there are some, some foreigners that do speak perfect Spanish, but it's one of those things that could take a long time. So I think done is better than perfect. So just start where you are.

, and generally Spanish people are very forgiving as long as you make an effort just to at least speak some of the conversation in Spanish. They can be very forgiving, particularly if you're living where we are down in Malaga. It's very, , it's very touristy and a lot of people do speak English to some degree.  , but yes, do, do have it as a long term plan to learn Spanish, but don't hold, let that hold you back. And also, what you could do is launch your business within your own, country group, so within your own language group, and then make a plan to, in three years, to expand out to other languages. To other countries that you speak in, you know, other languages 

that you speak. 

Yeah, absolutely. From your point of view, Ali, with the businesses and the women that you support in your communities, do you see that there's often a reluctance for people to maybe move into the Spanish market if they are learning the language? Is that something that can kind of crop up? 

Yeah, I think so. , and to actually book meetings  and to take that first step towards going into the Spanish market. Because it is,  as I said earlier, every, every day. nationality is different in the way that they do business. So it's learning how the Spanish people would normally do business as opposed to maybe somebody from your own country.

, and you can get advice from other people that are doing it. And you know, everybody, I've found everybody here is very welcoming, even other businesses that work in the same area as you, you know, to share their expertise and their knowledge over a cup of coffee. Find out,  what tips they would have when they first launched a business.

And that's something else that you could do. If you're thinking about moving to Spain, when you come over for a visit, book coffees with other people that are working in your space and just ask them for their feedback and how they 

managed to

do it. 

Yeah, absolutely. And I can imagine that that does crop up there again. It's almost that I'm not an expert yet at speaking Spanish. I can't necessarily integrate and do business relations until I get to that point. So I can see how people would hold themselves back in that space, but it's. It's great advice, again, as you say, in terms of, , book those coffees up front to find out how others have been doing it, learn from their experience and, and I'm sure you'll find experiences of others who, , took that leap of faith before they were the expert and it might potentially inspire you to do the same.

 I then hear another myth quite a lot, which is, , you just can't build a business in Spain, you're a foreigner, you're an  pat, what business have you building a business in Spain, you know, what would you say to that? 

Again, it's a mindset thing. So I would completely disagree.  There is a lot of opportunity here, particularly now with Malaga having the technology park. I was at a meeting today actually where a lady is launching a competition to provide some support for people that are working in the crypto space. So there's lots of different opportunities that are out there.

And I think it's, Being an entrepreneur isn't easy. Whatever country you live in, if it was easy, everybody would do it. So it's, it's understanding that and understanding where your boundaries are and whether you're prepared to move outside of those boundaries. And it isn't for everybody, but it is for a lot of people I've got friends here who've had businesses as foreigners for 30 years, 40 years. 

And when they moved here, it was. completely different landscape to what it is today. It's far more forgiving now. There's far more opportunity now. There's organizations like CARDE who are based in Andalucia who help businesses start up  so you could go along to them and they help you with your business plan and everything.

So there's, there are opportunities out there. for people that want to launch in Spain. And I'm presuming most people would have had a business somewhere else first. It's probably not their first dive into having a business. So it's learning what you could replicate from what you've already done in your own country or other country, and then copying that here and, and then gradually growing 

it.

Absolutely, and I think there's a few things to add on to this then as well, like, you're absolutely right in what you say in terms of entrepreneurship is tough, , and it's very easy for us to sit on the outside looking in going, oh. How does that person have that? And I don't, you know, it, it, it takes grit, it takes determination, irrelevant of what country that you're in.

And I also think that, COVID has changed the landscape as well now in terms of, , that myth around building business in Spain, , the boundaries, the, the borders of how we operate in business has completely changed now due to the, Online space and things dramatically changing there, but also, again, it's building business in Spain, , I would really love to pick your brain then in terms of networking and community.

Like these are really critical things if you are trying to grow and expand your business and network in Spain, right? 

Yeah. absolutely. And that's something that I would recommend you, as I said earlier, that you start doing before you make the move.  There are a lot of networks around, they all offer different things. So it's really finding that space where you feel you belong and that the people can support whatever it is that you're offering or selling. 

 Book those coffees and book that time and find out how other people do it and what offers there are. If you've got a good hair store, I'm very lucky that I've got a good accountant to have a good hair store. Who can actually advise you about any grants that there are available, because there are grants for people.

Absolutely. And again, back to the point around get networking before you arrive. But if you do arrive and you've missed the boat on that, then immediately start to get into the  networking circuit once you arrive and start building the community. Because if you are in the space where you're just finding your head store and you're integrating in, it's a great networking provides a great space for you to talk to others who'll be able to support you with that information too.

Yeah, it does. I mean, for me, networking is a lifestyle. It's not just something you do randomly when you feel like it. It's something that you , I live by. And it's really important when people first move here to get advice from people that are in the know rather than people that you meet in a bar who just happen to tell you what the latest law is and they've not got the qualifications to give you that information.

I mean that, that is something that does happen here and it's to be avoided. So to make sure you've got somebody that other people have recommended, whether that's a plumber or a hest or whoever it is.  Not just somebody random that you pick out of social media, but to actually get some referrals and 

references from, from somebody else. 

Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think that's,  people come with such good intentions of offering advice and giving all that advice. But, but you really do need to be careful and, , filter out the information that's not accurate and correct, right?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, , the other thing I would mention is when I first moved here, it was a bit cowboy country. So people amongst the foreign population, so people could turn up and say in their own country, they were a brain surgeon or, , a medical doctor. , when in fact nowadays people can check you up online and, and check your social media.

So do be careful when you come here that you 

are actually who you say you are. I don't think it, I don't think it happens so much now, but it used to 

happen a lot. 

Check your own digital footprint

to make sure you are. who you say you are. I love that. I love that.  I'm curious as well, Ali, in terms of within your community and your group and your world at the moment.  What are you seeing? , really emerging in terms of the priorities of the businesswoman on the Costa del Sol.

What's making them motivated? What makes them tick, I guess, in 2025? 

We've all been, a bit car crashed by artificial intelligence. And I think even if you're scared of it, you need to understand how it works because it's not going anywhere, , anytime soon.  And you can use it as a, a support, as a guide, for quite a lot of things. Obviously it's machine learning, so it'll learn from you. 

, the girls laugh at me because I'm very polite to my chat GPT.  I, I speak to it as I would speak to a friend rather than, you know, a machine. , but it is machine learning and I want it to treat me with respect. , I think, , some people are worried about AI taking their jobs. Well, then that's globally, not just here on in Spain. And it's knowing what you can use it for and what it doesn't work with. That's one area that's very key at the moment in a lot of people's minds. And I, I think we're seeing, , an arrival of a lot younger audience, , in Spain, a lot younger people moving here.

I think probably post COVID and a lot of businesses now are happy for their employees to work overseas. When I, , was first remote working in 2000, it was me and very, very few other people were doing it, but now it's, , it's quite normal.

hmm. 

that's enabled people to move here, but it means that there's a lot younger people living here.

 they've got disposable income, which is great. I see a lot of women who are far more serious about their businesses than, than maybe we had a few years ago, which is fantastic. , there is, of course, the whole thing around, you feel competition, but I, I really am very much a collaborator. So I much prefer that I collaborate with people rather than I'm in competition with them.  And whatever you do,  I have a podcast, you have a podcast, they're completely different podcasts, but they're still a podcast.  And it's, it's having that awareness that somebody may have the same product or service as you, but because it's you that's delivering it, it will be a completely different service that the client gets 

to what you, you know, you may 

offer. 

Yeah, that's a great point. I think often people forget about that. They go potentially into defense mode and start to feel like, Oh, we're in competition with each other. But actually, through collaboration, through learning from each other, through sharing, through networking, through organic introductions to expand your network, that's the sweet spot.

That's where the magic happens. 

Yeah, yeah. And I think that is something that as foreigners in a foreign country, we can be a bit more forgiving than, than if you were in your own home country.

Because we, we understand the challenges and the difficulties of having a business in another country. So I think, I think generally we're more forgiving.

Absolutely. So I hope we've started to paint the picture to the listeners, at least that, you know, Spain is so much more than what you see on holidays. We've been talking about tech hubs. We've been talking about remote working, you know, the ability to be creative and collaborative. And really your last point there around, you know, the serious business woman that's emerging on the Costa del Sol, that real thriving entrepreneurship, which is.

Just excellent. I love to to hear your insight into it. Ali, if somebody was,   in the throes of moving across or planning their move and then they really wanted to integrate into the business and networking scene in Spain, how would you recommend that they start their their approach? 

So I would say, , check Facebook for Facebook groups and ask what networking groups there are.  But also think about maybe starting off in a co working space, because there you will meet a lot of other entrepreneurs who are not ready to, to rent their own office. But they're renting an office and you'll get that whole water cooler moment, , you'll get other people to connect with.

Because I think it is important when we, when I worked remotely in 2000, it was, you know, I was the only person doing it.  And it was really tough because you didn't have anybody else to ask, whereas now the co working spaces offer great connection points for you to ask and get feedback and meet other people that maybe are in your niche or your area.

So I think that would be a good tip to go into. And you can quite often rent co working spaces for a day or an hour or, , just a short term. You don't have to make a full financial commitment to them. And then, as I said, social media is great. And asking in groups and just start checking out what  networking groups there are around, , meet with the people that are organizing the networking groups and ask them if they will connect you with somebody else that, , can maybe help any 

questions or

problems you have.

Yeah. 

advice. And I think just coming at it from the other angle then, if your intention is to  become employed and you want to work for a company, again, I would agree with Ali, you know, start the research as early as possible at home, start to research potential international companies in your area that are hiring in Spain.

LinkedIn is  a great place to start and a resource also to help you connect, , but also look at job boards, , places like Indeed. That's always, , a good place I think to, to get going if you are going to start to explore the route of becoming employed. But there's so much I think that you can do already at home before you actually arrive in Spain just to really build your foundation and help you get into the mindset. 

And connecting with people and Ali mentioned there about co working spaces. There's some really stunning ones popping up now across the coast. , which are great places for you to get in and immersed and meet other people and have those water cooler moments. So lots. to think about. Ali, you have been a fountain of knowledge.

Speaking about water fountains, you have been a fountain of knowledge today. So for our listeners that are sitting at home and they want to learn a little bit more about you and the amazing work that you do, how do they find you? How do they get in touch?

So if you put Ali Meehan Spain into Google, you should find me. , and I'm very happy to talk to anybody to book a call with anybody that has got some questions and wants to, you know, ask about moving over and working here. Very happy to do that. I'm sure Sandra, you'll put my contact details below the video.

Absolutely.  

So, , my main markets are women.  I founded Costa Women in 2010. So we host events all along the coast, social and business wise. And I also do business growth coaching. I work with startups,  at the moment, primarily in the ed tech space and women. Startups, but, , yeah, just happy to book a call with anybody that or have a coffee with anybody that's here and want some advice about 

how they can move their 

business forward.  

Amazing. And you're always so generous with your time and information, so I personally really appreciate that. I will be putting your contact details into the show notes of this episode, so they are there for anybody wishing to get in touch with Ali. Ali, before I leave you go, can you share any information about this incredible conference that you will be pulling together?

Because this episode will go out before the conference, so it would be wonderful if we can share a few words.

Yeah, amazing. So we are hosting our 12th International Women's Day conference at a place called Theo Mihas, which is in La Cala de Mijas. It's the 7th of March from 9. 30 in the morning. It's a full day conference.  And also the night before we've got a networking event where you can meet the speakers, which will be from six o'clock until eight at the food room in Guadalamina, Baja. 

, and if people can't come to the conference, but they want to come to the networking, that's perfectly fine as well. So they, you know, because some people can't get a full day off. the conference, we've got eight speakers. Our keynote is flying in from America to talk to us. So that'll be really cool.

, it's going to be a lot of fun. And if you're thinking about maybe launching a business, it's perfect for you as well, because you can start making some of those connections locally and start building your business buddies and your business 

network.  

Absolutely. Thank you for sharing. It really sounds like an amazing event and a keynote speaker all the way from the States. Wow. Amazing. Phenomenal. Ali, thank you. , there's been just so much insight there for our listeners. It's been, it's been a pleasure to have you.

Thank you, Sandra.