Seasonal and hospitality work, including permanent-seasonal contracts (fijo discontinuo)

Key rules

• Claim window: If an employer skips you when calling back fijo discontinuo workers, you have 20 working days to claim dismissal at the labour court.
• Pay: Pay follows the provincial hospitality agreement, and entry-level jobs sit near the minimum wage.
• Call-back order: Employers must call you back by seniority, and seniority counts the whole relationship, not only time worked.
• Between seasons: You can claim unemployment benefit in the off-season if you are eligible.

Is seasonal and hospitality work a good fit?

It is a good way in, but not a good way to get rich. Jobs are plentiful, pay sits near the minimum wage, and the hours are demanding. Take it if you want fast work, a first Spanish reference or a season by the sea. Think twice if you need steady, predictable income all year.

Where and when the work is

Work follows the tourists and the harvests. Typical calendars:

• Baleares: about April to October.
• Canarias: peak in winter, with some year-round work.
• Andalusian coast (Málaga, Cádiz, Almería): spring to autumn.
• Valencia region and Costa Blanca, Costa Brava and Costa Dorada: summer.
• Ski resorts (Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada): December to March.

Harvests:

• Huelva berries: about January to June.
• Almería greenhouses: September to June.
• Murcia and Valencia citrus: October to April.
• Lleida fruit: June to September.
• La Rioja and Castilla grapes: September to October.
• Jaén olives: November to February.

Starting dates shift from year to year, so ask employers when they expect to begin hiring.

What it pays

Pay is not one national figure. Each province has its own hospitality agreement, negotiated by employers and unions. Entry-level jobs such as waiter or kitchen assistant usually sit near the minimum wage. Busy tourist provinces such as Baleares, Málaga, Barcelona and Madrid tend to pay a little more. Before you accept, ask which agreement applies and read the pay table for your job group. The minimum wage changes every year, so check the current amount with the Ministry of Labour.

Hours and rest

The ordinary limit is 40 hours a week, averaged over the year, and no more than 9 hours a day unless your agreement spreads hours differently. You must get:

• at least 12 hours of rest between working days;
• 1.5 days of weekly rest, which in hospitality can be saved up over 14 days;
• a break of at least 15 minutes if your day is longer than 6 hours.

Overtime is voluntary in most cases, is paid or given back as time off, and is capped at 80 hours a year. Your employer must keep a daily record of your hours.

Restaurants often use split shifts, for example 11:00-16:00 and 20:00-24:00, with unpaid breaks of two to four hours. Hotels more often use continuous morning, afternoon or night shifts. Ask which pattern the job has before you sign, because a split shift can take your whole day. A cut to a 37.5-hour week has been planned; check whether it applies yet.

Permanent-seasonal contracts (fijo discontinuo)

A fijo discontinuo contract is a permanent contract for work that comes and goes. You are not rehired every year. You are called back each season, and you keep your seniority.

How it protects you:

• Your employer must call workers back in order of seniority, using the criteria in the collective agreement.
• The call must be in writing and with reasonable notice. The agreement sets the notice period.
• Seniority counts the whole length of the relationship, not only the months you worked.
• Your workers' representatives must receive the call-back notice.
• Between seasons you can claim unemployment benefit if you are eligible.

If you are skipped or not called, you have 20 working days to claim dismissal at the labour court (juzgado de lo social). Do not wait: count from the day you should have been called. You can also start with a conciliation filing. Keep your call-back notices and messages.

Before you accept an offer

• Get the contract in writing and check whether it is fijo discontinuo or a fixed-term contract.
• Ask which provincial agreement applies and what your pay group is.
• Ask about shift pattern, days off and whether housing is included.

The comparison below puts these jobs next to other entry routes, and the timeline and questions below cover the season step by step.

Entry jobs compared side by side, from hospitality to tech

Entry jobs trade one thing against another. Sectors that hire with little Spanish tend to pay less, and sectors that pay more tend to ask for more Spanish or more experience. Use the table to see which trade-off suits you.

How to choose

• You need work fast and speak little Spanish. Hospitality, cleaning, care, agriculture and logistics hire most easily. Expect pay close to the minimum wage and awkward hours.
• You want steadier hours. Look for a permanent contract with continuous shifts, or full-time retail or logistics. Seasonal contracts in hospitality leave gaps between seasons.
• You speak English well and have a degree or a skill. Academies and international companies let you work in English. Academy pay is modest and drops in summer. Tech and corporate roles pay most but are harder to enter.
• You want to grow your Spanish. Customer-facing jobs push you to B1 quickly. Regulated professions, health, state-school teaching and public administration need B2 or C1 and sometimes an official exam.

Check before you accept

• Pay and hours come mainly from the collective agreement for your sector and province (convenio), and these differ from place to place. Ask which one applies and read the hours and pay scale.
• The legal 40-hour week may be cut to 37.5 hours. Check with your town hall or the labour ministry whether that has taken effect.
• The minimum wage changes every year. Check the current figure with the labour ministry before judging an offer.
• In Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque Country and Galicia, employers may also expect the regional language.

Check current pay figures and the weekly-hours limit with the Ministry of Labour, the relevant provincial agreement and live job postings.

Timeline and deadlines

• Receive your written call-back notice at the start of the season: With reasonable advance notice set by your agreement; at least 15 days is typical

• Check that you were called back in order of seniority: When the notice arrives; seniority counts the whole relationship, not only time worked

• Claim dismissal at the labour court (juzgado de lo social) if you are skipped or not called: Within 20 working days

• Claim unemployment benefit between seasons if you are eligible: During the inactive periods

• Take your weekly rest: 1.5 days of continuous rest each week, which can be accumulated over up to 14 days in hospitality

Frequently asked questions

Does entry-level hospitality pay more than the minimum wage?

Usually only slightly: entry-level jobs such as waiter or kitchen assistant typically pay near the statutory minimum wage, and large tourist provinces like Baleares, Málaga, Barcelona and Madrid pay a little above it. Your exact pay comes from the provincial hospitality agreement (convenio), which is renewed every few years.

Can I work split shifts in a restaurant?

Yes, split shifts (jornada partida) are common in restaurants, for example 11:00-16:00 and 20:00-24:00, with unpaid breaks of two to four hours. Hotels more often use continuous morning, afternoon or night shifts. Your agreement sets the exact hours.

How much rest do hospitality workers get each week?

You get 1.5 days of continuous weekly rest, which in hospitality can be accumulated over up to 14 days. You also need at least 12 hours of rest between working days and a break of at least 15 minutes when your day is longer than 6 hours.

Where is seasonal work found, and in which months?

Hospitality seasons run about April to October in Baleares and the Andalusian coast, and December to March at Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada ski resorts. Canarias peaks in winter. Harvests include Huelva berries (about January to June), Lleida fruit (June to September) and Jaén olives (November to February).