First jobs, internships and early career in Spain

Terms used

• Contrato en prácticas — The contrato en prácticas is a paid work contract for recent graduates, in a job matching their qualification.
• Convenio — The convenio is the collective agreement for a sector, which sets pay and conditions above the legal minimum.
• Contrato de formación en alternancia — The contrato de formación en alternancia is a work contract that combines paid work with study, lasting up to 2 years.
• Fijo discontinuo — A fijo discontinuo is an open-ended contract for seasonal or intermittent work, with the worker called back each season.

Key rules

• Paperwork: A real placement has a written agreement or contract, a training plan and a tutor at the company and at your school.
• Contrato en prácticas: You must apply within 3 years of graduating (5 with a disability), and the job must match your qualification.
• Paid work: If an internship is really paid work, it should be a contract with Social Security registration.
• Unpaid after graduating: Unpaid work after you graduate is a red flag.

The short answer

A legitimate placement in Spain has a written agreement or contract, a training plan and a tutor. If any of those is missing, treat the offer with suspicion. Spain has four proper routes. Everything else is either a normal job or a dead end.

The four legitimate routes

1. Curricular internship (prácticas curriculares). It is part of your university or vocational degree. Your school and the company sign an agreement. You have no employment contract, and it need not be paid.

2. Extracurricular internship (prácticas extracurriculares). It is voluntary, and you do it on top of your studies. It also runs under an agreement with your university. If you are paid, you are registered with Social Security and the company pays contributions. Unpaid extracurricular internships are lawful only in limited circumstances, so ask why yours is unpaid.

3. Contrato en prácticas. This is a real employment contract for a recent graduate, officially the contrato formativo para la obtención de la práctica profesional.

• You need a degree or vocational qualification obtained in the last 3 years (5 if you have a disability).
• It lasts from 6 months to 1 year.
• The job must match your qualification.
• Pay is set by the convenio and cannot fall below the minimum wage in proportion to your working time.
• You are always registered with Social Security.

4. Contrato de formación en alternancia. It combines paid work with study. It lasts up to 2 years.

Other contracts you may be offered

The open-ended contract (indefinido) is the normal contract in Spain. A fijo discontinuo is also open-ended, but for seasonal or intermittent work, and you are called back each season. Temporary contracts are now limited to two kinds: production reasons (up to 6 months, extendable to 12 by convenio) and covering an absent worker. A trial period cannot be longer than one month.

Dead-end routes to avoid

Walk away, or ask hard questions, if you see any of these:

• No agreement and no contract.
• Unpaid work after you have graduated.
• Tasks that replace a regular employee.
• No tutor, or no training plan.
• Internships that are repeated again and again with no path to a contract.

A beca or internship that is really paid work in disguise must be treated as an employment contract. You can ask for one in writing.

Foreign graduates

If you come from outside the EU, you need the right permit or student status before you start any placement. The rules on a future Estatuto del Becario and on contributions have been changing, so check the current position with Seguridad Social.

Finding a first job

Youth unemployment in Spain is well above the EU average, and newcomers without recognised qualifications often fare worse. Apply early, and ask your university's careers office about agreements with companies. The documents list, the timeline and the questions below cover the paperwork and the order of steps.

Timeline and deadlines

• Get your degree or vocational qualification: before you apply for a contrato en prácticas

• Sign a contrato en prácticas with a job that matches your qualification: within 3 years of graduating, or 5 if you have a disability

• Trial period at the start of a contract: no longer than one month

• Work under a contrato de formación en alternancia, combining work and study: for a maximum of 2 years

Documents you need

• Written internship agreement between your university or school and the company, for curricular and extracurricular internships. The school and the company sign it, and there is no employment contract.

• Training plan naming a tutor at the company and a tutor at your school, to show the placement is a real learning route.

• Written employment contract (contrato en prácticas or contrato de formación en alternancia), issued by the employer, if you are hired rather than placed through your school.

• Your degree or vocational qualification, obtained within the last 3 years (5 if you have a disability), to be eligible for a contrato en prácticas.

• Proof of Social Security registration, where the placement requires it, which the company arranges for paid internships.

Frequently asked questions

Does an internship in Spain have to be paid?

It depends on the type: a curricular internship, which is part of your degree, does not have to be paid. A contrato en prácticas must always be paid under the sector agreement (convenio) and always contributes to Social Security.

Does the company have to pay Social Security for an intern?

Yes, for paid internships the company must contribute to Social Security, as it must for formative placements. Paid extracurricular interns are registered with Social Security. Ask the company to confirm your registration before you start.

How long after graduating can I get a contrato en prácticas?

You can sign one if you got your degree or vocational qualification within the last 3 years, or 5 years if you have a disability. It lasts from 6 months to 1 year, and the job must match your qualification.

How do I spot an internship that leads nowhere?

Be wary if there is no written agreement or contract, or if you do unpaid work after graduating. Other warning signs are doing the tasks of a regular employee, having no tutor, or being offered one internship after another with no end.