How to Get a Tech Job in Spain Without Speaking Spanish

You like the idea of moving to Spain. You picture sunny mornings, late dinners, weekend trips to Granada. Then you remember you barely speak Spanish, and you assume tech jobs in Spain require fluency. They do not.

Spain has a quietly growing English-speaking tech market. Companies in Madrid and Barcelona run their entire engineering operations in English. Here is how to break in.

Why Spain Hires in English#

The Spanish tech scene has changed in the past five years. Three things happened.

First, US and Nordic companies opened large engineering hubs in Barcelona and Madrid. Companies like Glovo (now part of Delivery Hero), N26, Typeform, and Travelperk staff teams that operate exclusively in English.

Second, Spanish startups raised serious capital and started hiring internationally. Companies like Factorial, Cabify, Idealista, and Wallapop now compete with German and Dutch employers for the same engineering talent.

Third, Inditex, Telefónica, BBVA, and Banco Santander all built English-first engineering divisions. They had to because their best candidates were no longer Spanish-speaking only.

The result: an English speaker with solid skills can land a serious role in Spain without a single Spanish phrase beyond "una caña, por favor."

Companies That Hire in English#

Barcelona

• Glovo: backend, mobile, data platform roles
• Typeform: full-stack, ML engineering
• Travelperk: backend Python, frontend React
• Factorial: HR tech, Ruby and React
• N26 Barcelona hub: backend Kotlin, mobile
• Adevinta: classifieds platform, JVM heavy
• King: gaming, Candy Crush parent company
• Skyscanner: travel search, Python and Go
• Wallapop: marketplace, Java and React
• Letgo (now part of OLX): mobile and backend
• New Relic Barcelona: observability platform
• Amazon Barcelona: AWS and retail engineering

Madrid

• BBVA: digital banking division
• Banco Santander: tech subsidiary Globant Spain
• Telefónica Tech: cloud and security
• Idealista: real estate platform
• Cabify: ride-hailing
• Cabify Logistics: delivery tech
• Inditex: e-commerce and supply chain tech
• Job and Talent: HR tech
• Plain Concepts: consulting
• AWS Madrid: AWS region buildout team
• Microsoft Madrid: Azure and AI
• Google Madrid: ads and cloud

This is not a complete list. There are hundreds of smaller English-first startups across both cities.

Salary Ranges in Spain 2026#

Spanish tech salaries are lower than Germany or the Netherlands. But cost of living is also lower, especially outside the center.

Software engineer salaries (Barcelona and Madrid)

• Junior (0-2 years): €38,000 to €50,000
• Mid (3-5 years): €50,000 to €68,000
• Senior (6+ years): €68,000 to €95,000
• Staff/Principal: €95,000 to €130,000

Top payers in Spain

• Google, Amazon, Microsoft: €90,000 to €140,000 for senior roles
• BBVA, Santander tech divisions: €70,000 to €100,000 senior
• Adyen Madrid: €80,000 to €115,000 senior
• King (gaming): €75,000 to €110,000 senior
• N26 Barcelona: €70,000 to €100,000 senior

Spanish tech pays roughly 25 to 35 percent less than Berlin in cash. Stock and bonus from US employers can close the gap.

Cost of Living Reality#

Spain is cheaper than Germany, but Barcelona has caught up fast.

Barcelona rent (2026)

• 1-bedroom city center: €1,400 to €1,900
• 1-bedroom suburb (Sant Andreu, Sants): €900 to €1,300
• Shared flat in good area: €600 to €900 per room

Madrid rent (2026)

• 1-bedroom city center: €1,200 to €1,700
• 1-bedroom suburb (Vallecas, Carabanchel): €750 to €1,100
• Shared flat in good area: €500 to €800 per room

Daily costs

• Coffee at a normal bar: €1.50
• Menú del día (set lunch with starter, main, drink, dessert): €13 to €18
• Beer at a bar: €2.50 to €4
• Monthly transit pass: €40 in Madrid, €40 in Barcelona

A single engineer making €70,000 in Madrid lives very comfortably. A senior making €90,000 lives extremely well.

Visa and Work Authorization#

If you are an EU citizen, you can move to Spain and start working immediately. Register at your local town hall within three months.

If you are non-EU, the path looks like this:

Highly Qualified Professional visa

For roles paying above the threshold (currently about €40,000 for tech roles). Your employer applies on your behalf. Processing takes 1 to 3 months. This visa is fast and well-handled by major Spanish employers.

EU Blue Card (Spain version)

For roles paying above €33,000 in tech occupations. Processing is slower than Germany or the Netherlands, but works.

Digital Nomad Visa

Introduced in 2023, this allows non-EU remote workers to live in Spain while employed by a foreign company. You need:

• An employment contract or freelance income for at least 12 months
• Minimum income around €2,650 per month
• Health insurance
• Clean criminal record

The digital nomad visa is not for getting hired in Spain. It is for staying in Spain while working for an overseas employer.

How to Apply Successfully#

Step 1: Tailor your CV for European hiring norms

• One to two pages maximum
• Include a small professional photo (Spanish norm, optional but common)
• List languages at the bottom with proficiency level
• Use European date format (DD/MM/YYYY)
• Include a brief professional summary at the top

Step 2: Find the right job boards

• LinkedIn (used heavily in Spain)
• InfoJobs (Spanish version of Indeed, also has English roles)
• Tecnoempleo (Spanish tech-focused)
• StackOverflow Jobs (closed in some markets but still active in Spain)
• BarcelonaStartupHub.com
• AngelList Spain section

Apply directly to company career pages too. Glovo, Factorial, Typeform, and N26 all have well-organized career sites in English.

Step 3: Address the language question proactively

In your cover letter, say something like:

"I do not currently speak Spanish, but I am committed to learning. I have started classes and plan to reach B1 within 18 months of starting."

This signals that you are serious about integrating, while making clear you can do the job in English today.

Step 4: Prepare for the interview process

Spanish tech interviews look similar to other European processes:

1. Recruiter screen (30 minutes, English)
2. Hiring manager call (45 minutes)
3. Technical assessment (take-home or live)
4. System design or behavioral round
5. Team match call

Big banks like BBVA and Santander add a final round with HR for compensation and offer logistics.

What Will Surprise You#

Hiring is slower than Germany

Spanish employers take 6 to 10 weeks from first contact to offer. Plan accordingly. Do not stop applying just because one company seems interested.

Notice periods are long

Standard notice in Spain is 15 days to 2 months depending on contract. If you are hired from abroad, this affects your start date for your next move only.

August is dead

The entire country slows down in August. Recruiters are on holiday. Offers freeze. Apply in May, June, or September to October for the best response rates.

Vacation is real

Spanish employees take all their vacation. You will get 22 to 26 working days per year. People actually use them.

Tax Surprise: Beckham Law#

If you move to Spain for work and have not been a Spanish tax resident in the previous five years, you can apply for the special expatriate tax regime ("Beckham Law"). For six years, you pay a flat 24 percent on your Spanish income up to €600,000, instead of the standard progressive rates that climb above 45 percent at higher brackets.

This applies only to employment income from a Spanish employer. Foreign income is not taxed during the regime period.

The application is made within six months of starting your Spanish employment. Talk to a Spanish tax advisor as soon as you accept an offer. This single regime can save senior engineers €15,000 to €30,000 per year for the first six years.

Your Action Plan#

1. Pick Madrid or Barcelona (Madrid has slightly more big-company roles, Barcelona has more startups)
2. Build a list of 30 English-first employers and apply to all
3. Make sure your CV passes ATS screening (most Spanish tech employers use Greenhouse, Lever, or Workable)
4. Apply between September and June, skip July and August
5. Negotiate Beckham Law into your offer paperwork
6. Plan to learn Spanish anyway, because life in Spain is better when you can chat at the bar

The bottom line: you can absolutely build a tech career in Spain without speaking Spanish on day one. The market exists. The salaries are real. The lifestyle is the bonus.

Make sure your CV passes ATS checks before you apply to Spanish tech companies. Try our free ATS Checker.