El primer día — The First Day

Fourteen paychecks and a closed August

Elena's two minutes of HR cover the four things about Spanish employment that most surprise people from elsewhere. First, catorce pagas. Spanish salaries are quoted as an annual gross figure, el bruto anual, and traditionally paid in fourteen installments: twelve monthly ones plus two pagas extra, usually in June or July and in December. The total is the same as being paid in twelve; it is simply distributed so that summer and Christmas arrive with money. Many companies now prorate the extras into twelve larger payments, so when comparing offers, always ask whether a figure is en doce o en catorce pagas. Second, el convenio colectivo. Most Spanish workers are covered by a sector agreement negotiated between unions and employers, for offices, for hospitality, for construction, often by province. It sets minimum pay by category, hours, holidays and sick pay, and an individual contract cannot go below it. Asking which convenio applies to you is not pedantry; it is how you find out your rights. Third, la baja. If you are sick, a doctor in the public health system signs you off, and the paperwork now reaches your employer electronically. Your sick pay is set by law and frequently improved by the convenio, which is why Elena calls hers generous. Fourth, August. A great deal of Spain closes or slows down in August, and many small firms simply shut for two or three weeks and expect everyone to take their holiday then. The fifteenth, the feast of the Assumption, is a national holiday and the heart of it. Proposing a meeting that week is the kind of mistake people remember. The tú is the fifth thing, and you have now seen it twice. Spanish offices, especially younger and smaller ones, use tú almost universally, from the intern to the director. Usted remains for clients, older people and formal occasions. Íñigo's chaval is affectionate, not condescending.