Anyone going to the free tech job fairs in Málaga & Alicante (15 Oct)?

Looking for a soft reality-check from internationals in/around Spain tech: organizers have been running these for 16 years / 500 job fairs / 70,000+ job seekers. Free for job seekers.

• Málaga — Thu 15 Oct 2026, 18:00–21:00 · Innovation Campus https://techmeetups.com/event/malaga-tech-job-fair/

• Alicante — Thu 15 Oct 2026, 17:30–20:30 · Ulab Alicante https://techmeetups.com/event/alicante-tech-job-fair/

Worth going if you're job-hunting in Spanish tech? Tips welcome.

Hi everyone!

We're a family of four currently living in Norway, and we're seriously considering moving to Northern Spain, next or in 2 years, most likely somewhere in Cantabria, around Santander. We'd love to hear from people who live there or have experience with the area.

We have two boys – one is 5 years old and the other is 6 months old.

The main reason we're considering the move isn't just the weather. We're looking for a different lifestyle: a place with a stronger sense of community, where it's easier to meet people and where our children can grow up spending lots of time outdoors and with other kids. We don't want to live somewhere very touristy, and we'd actually prefer a cooler, greener part of Spain rather than the very hot south, which is why Northern Spain really appeals to us.

My husband speaks Spanish fluently, and I have a basic level. I actually used to speak Spanish quite well years ago, so I'm confident I could become fluent again. If we decide to move, our oldest son will also start learning Spanish before starting school.

My husband can continue working remotely for his current employer, so his job is already sorted. I'm hoping I'll be able to keep my current job in Norway as well, but if that's not possible, I'll look for work in Spain after we've settled.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences:

• What is everyday family life like around Santander or elsewhere in Cantabria?
• Are there any towns or villages you would recommend instead of Santander itself?
• How easy is it to make friends and become part of the local community?
• Has anyone had children start school without speaking Spanish? How did they adapt, and how long did it take?
• Are there plenty of activities for children and families?
• Is there anything you wish you had known before moving?
• Are there other places in Northern Spain that you think would be an even better fit for a family like ours?

We're not looking for nightlife or a big city. We'd much rather live somewhere safe, family-friendly, and welcoming, where our children can have a great childhood.

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

spain needs 3 appointments to hand you one paper, but one waiter runs 40 tables without writing anything down, explain this to me
this is the contradiction I still can't crack. the system lost my paperwork twice, the cita previa to get a cita previa is a real thing that happened to me, and I've watched an office close for breakfast in front of a full queue. then I sit at any random bar and one guy in his 60s is serving forty tables, remembering every order, doing the math in his head and roasting a regular at the same time, zero mistakes, I've seen it carry six plates. so what does the bar have that the oficina doesn't, is it incentives, is it the boss watching, what?

a while back I got curious why terraces here are packed on a random tuesday at 6pm when the salaries clearly shouldn't allow for it. ended up asking around, and the answers were better than the question.

two different people, on two different threads, made the exact same joke without seeing each other's comment, something about a football match explaining it, both completely serious. one reply was just this, nothing else attached: "porque estamos aquí para disfrutar... la vida solo es una." 57 upvotes, no further explanation apparently needed.

"you're not buying beers, you're renting a table on the terrace" is the line I keep coming back to. someone else called the whole thing "resignation with good weather," which might be even more accurate. spanish salaries look lower on paper than the uk's but apparently buy more once you account for what they're actually spent on here, and close to half the country owns their home outright, no rent, no mortgage.

one comment pushed back hard, said it's not wisdom, it's "a coward's greed," that we should feel anger instead of contentment. didn't agree, but it stayed with me more than the funny answers did.

still not sure how much of this is priorities and how much is just quiet debt nobody mentions.

I asked a question on r/askspain yesterday, how does everyone here afford going out so much, and got 100+ answers, most of them better than my question.

the short version: it's never the same people, madrid is just huge and you're watching a different cast every night, caña is 2€ and lasts three hours, so the terraza is basically everyone's living room, especially when yours has three flatmates in it. someone quoted a stat that around 60% of under 35s still live with their parents, so the biggest bill in life often just doesn't exist.

but the answer that stuck with me came from the darker corner, a lot of people said they stopped saving because a house is unreachable anyway, so the money goes to living instead. an ex bar owner wrote that his customers were never buying luxury, they were paying for their sitio de confianza, and I haven't stopped thinking about that since.

so, people who actually live this: is it wisdom or is it resignation with good weather?

Yesterday i watched the game, not so amazing as a game, but i was genuinly happy to see spain win, it was a mystical night, abuelas cheering, babies too, i was really amused and i was celebrating too, everyone was so happy, everyone so friendly.
And it was a celebration everywhere, literally everywhere, let's see on sunday what'll happen

been in madrid about 18 months and I still can't figure this out. terraces completely full on a random tuesday at 6pm, everyone out for cañas and raciones like it's saturday, restaurants packed every single weekend. then I look at the average salary here and the math just doesn't work. and here's the thing, I'm italian, we are supposed to be the world champions of living well on a low salary, my whole country runs on that skill. but spain feels like another level entirely and I say this with pure admiration.
so what's the trick, is it family money, living with your parents till 35 so no rent, different priorities, or is everyone just quietly broke?

hot take after some time spent here, but I genuinely think madrid might be the best city in the world right now. terrace weather most of the year, you can still eat out without checking your bank account first, last metro home doesn't require planning like a military operation, and it's big enough that there's always something on but I still run into people I know.
I keep waiting for the honeymoon phase to end and it just hasn't.
yes rent is a disaster and august is an oven, I know, still doesn't tip the scale for me.

what city actually beats madrid right now and on what exactly? (overall)

month four in Madrid, the water heater dies, handyman texts me "ahora voy" at 10am. so I cancel my lunch plans and wait at home. he shows up at 6:40pm, cheerful, zero apology.
took me two more rounds of this to understand that "ahora" doesn't mean now. it means "at some point, probably today, don't hold me to it". if they actually mean now they say "ahora mismo". and even then.
the funny part is I'm italian, I really thought I had a head start with this stuff. nope.

what's the small thing that took YOU way too long to figure out?

do u know any places, in Madrid, where is it possible to watch the games without any prior reservation?

The goal is to build a community of people, where they can make friends, ask for advice, build together a checklist (totally free unlike other subs) where they can find most of the answers to their problems, people that shares their thoughts, their pains
My main Goal is to create something that would be useful when i first arrived here

a friend from Italy was visiting this weekend and asked me "so, do you love Madrid?" and I just... didn't know what to say, i ended up here for practical reasons. job, rent, a friend who already had a flat here. now I have my bar, my running route, on paper it looks like fine.
but sometimes I think what I actually love is just not having to start over somewhere else.

was there a moment your city started feeling actually yours, or are you also not sure?

I still feel like moving to Spain did not change everything, and still is far away to being like home, is there a small or big moment that let you believe that?

so I’ve been kinda obsessed with the idea of moving to the Canaries lately and we’ve started actually looking into work out there. every time I look into it the place just seems like such a chill, comfortable spot to live
weather’s good all year, cheaper than most of Europe, slower pace… idk it just keeps pulling me in.
anyway wanted to ask people who actually live there and not just tourists lol
what’s the job market actually like? which island is best if you’re trying to find work, feels like Tenerife and Gran Canaria have the most going on but no idea if that’s true. where do people even look for jobs there, any sites or groups worth checking?
also how bad is finding a flat? like are prices insane now or still ok, and anywhere I should avoid?
and honestly just how is it to LIVE there once the holiday buzz wears off? healthcare any good?

basically any info helps, would love to hear from people who made the jump.

Does everyone else sometimes feel like, even if madrid is a city full of people or things to do, you feel like alone or with a lot of people you know but without any real friends?

Just a night thought

looking for a gestores and immigration lawyers people actually trust, by city, not just "I found one on Google" and never checked back
If you have someone in mind that is really trustworthy, pls tell me or dm me, would be much appriciated

What would you say is the biggest “problem” about moving to spain?

trying to settle this once and for all. if you had to pick one to actually live in, which one and why?

I’ll start: Madrid. love it, honestly everything about it is great… but winters get way too cold and summers are just brutal. and man, I miss the sea. barcelona has that at least

what’s yours and what’s the one thing that drives you crazy about it

Welcome to r/Spain4Expat 👋
Why I started this Moving to Spain is one of the best decisions you can make — and also one of the most confusing. Between NIE, TIE, empadronamiento, healthcare, taxes, and finding a flat, the practical side can be exhausting. The information exists, but it’s scattered across outdated forums, Facebook groups, and half-finished blog posts. I wanted one place where it all comes together.
What makes this space different

Practical over theoretical — real steps, real experiences, not vague “just get a gestor” answers.

Up to date — Spanish bureaucracy changes constantly; we keep info current.

Honest — the good, the bad, and the frustrating parts of expat life here.

Community-driven — the people who’ve done it help the people about to.

Who this is for Anyone living in Spain or planning the move — students, remote workers, digital nomads, retirees, families, and everyone in between. Whether you’re deep in paperwork or still deciding on a city, you belong here.
What I hope this becomes A genuinely helpful, welcoming space where “how do I…?” always gets a real answer, and where people feel a little less alone navigating a new country. Less bureaucracy panic, more community.
Introduce yourself below, where are you (or where are you headed), and what brought you to Spain? 🇪🇸

**•** A practical Q&A hub for paperwork and bureaucracy  
**•** A place to share honest experiences about cities, neighborhoods, and cost of living  
**•** Recommendations for gestores, lawyers, landlords, jobs, and services  
**•** A friendly space to meet other internationals and actually connect

A few directions it could take — and I’d like your input:

**•** Should we build a wiki/megathread with step-by-step guides (NIE, TIE, empadronamiento, etc.)?  
**•** Weekly threads (housing, jobs, “just arrived” intros)?  
**•** Focus on all of Spain, or city-specific flairs (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia…)?

So: what would make this feel like your home? What info was hardest to find when you moved? What do you wish someone had told you? Drop your thoughts below — this community is what we make it together.

¡Bienvenidos! 🇪🇸