Arinsal Andorra

FINDING WORK IN ARINSAL

This report may help someone thinking of coming to Arinsal to work for the winter season. Andorra is not in the E.U. and can change the rules at short notice. So if anything I say is incorrect, I hope that someone will corrects it for me and post it on the Forum.

THINGS TO DO BEFORE LEAVING THE U.K.

Firstly, and very importantly, you should apply to your local police for a Police Report under the Data Protection Act. September is usually about the right time to apply. It can take up to 40 days for your Police Report to be delivered. Then it must be authenticated at the Legalisation Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Old Admiralty Building, The Mall, London SW1. (Visit their website for more information.) The report must not be over three months old when you present it to immigration in Andorra.

Secondly, you may wish to contact a prospective employer, although they may wish to meet and interview you before making a firm offer of work. Here is a list of some bars that have employed non bilingual staff in the past; Quo Vadis, El Cau, El Derbi and Ciscos, plus The Hotels Sant Andreu and Miclolau. There are others but I think that they want staff who can speak Spanish.

Thirdly, get travel insurance. Andorra is not in the E.U. so your E111 does not apply. You will be covered by CASS (Social Security) when working but unlike the U.K, you will be covered only after you have made enough contributions.

GETTING TO ANDORRA

Fly to Barcelona or Toulouse then catch the bus. (See elsewhere on this site for bus times to Andorra). If you book in advance, the bus will take you to Arinsal for a few Euros more. Otherwise, it will drop you at the bus station in Andorra la Vella, then taxi to your destination. This may be cheaper if there is more than one person.

WHERE TO STAY

You may want to spend your first few nights in a hotel while you sort things out. Some hotels do a very cheap room rate for workers BEFORE the season starts. It might be worth trying the Poblado or Micolau in Arinsal or the Palarine in Erts, there may be others. However, when the season starts the price will return to tourist rates. Most people share a flat. A one bed flat will cost about 600 euros a month. But an agent will want one month’s rent as commission, one month’s rent deposit and one month’s rent in advance. Bear in mind that January’s rent will be due before your first pay packet. Some bars offer accommodation to staff. Or you may meet someone who has rented a flat and wants lodgers to help with the rent.

GETTING A WORK PERMIT

Assuming that you have found a job, your employer must obtain a work permit for you BEFORE you start work, or he will be heavily fined. They will help you complete a file that must contain the following:

• Your police report with the FCO stamp attached.
• A letter from your landlord or hotelier certifying that you have accommodation.
• If married, your marriage certificate, if you are single, you just sign a form.
• Your Andorran bank account details and your CASS (social security) number. Your employer will explain where to obtain these.
• Your C.V. non EU workers must show written proof that they have 2 years experience in the work that they have applied for.( New rule last year)
• Your passport

You will take this to immigration in Andorra la Vella.. You will be told to return the next day. On your return you will be told a day and time for you to attend hospital to give a blood sample. The hospital will tell you when the results will be ready and give you a day and time to see the doctor with the results. After the medical you will be told to return to immigration, usually the next day to pick up your green card. (work permit). You are now street legal. Hooray!

It sounds awesome but once the ball starts rolling it will fall into place, so do not be put off by it. We have all been there. The whole process will take more than a week but should be less than two. You will have a fabulous time for the rest of the season.

A FEW TIPS

Arrive as early as you can afford to. This will give you a better chance of finding work and good accommodation. The British tourists will arrive on the 21st December and you will be very fortunate if you do any work before that date. The 6,7&8th December will be very crowded with Spanish and you may be put out of your hotel.

Last year the national minimum wage was about 870 Euros per month, less 5% which will be deducted for your CASS contributions. I do not think that you will be paid much more.

The resort usually opens the first week in December. You can get a discounted lift pass once you get a work permit. So until you do, there will be no skiing or snowboarding, unless you pay full price for your pass.

Last year they wanted to see an air ticket back to your country of birth for NON E.U. Aussie Dave was most unhappy having to spend two months stake money on a plane ticket back to Oz. (New rule last year)

I hope that some of this is of assistance and does not put anyone off coming to Arinsal. It really is a great resort. I look forward to having a chat and drink with you when you arrive. Don’t forget the high altitude sun cream

11th July 2008

Things have been a bit quiet here recently, as you may have noticed. Since the ski season finished there haven't been a lot of new items on the site. It is nice to see that plenty of you are visiting and using the Forum. We have been quite busy behind the scenes, so here is a rundown of what we have been working on:-

Firstly, we are planning a better hotel bookings system. Currently our Hotels Page offers links to an online bookings website (Alpha Rooms) for certain hotels. Unfortunately we have heard from a number of people that availability at that site is often quite limited, so we hope to offer our own system in conjunction with a local company.

Secondly, we are working on a Spanish translation of the main parts of the site, since there are a large number of Spanish visitors to Arinsal. We should really have the site in Frencch and Catalan as well, but one step at a time...

Sadly, the rumours in the Forum appear to be true, and the Red X has closed. It will be missed by many of us, and the walk to the nearest pub from the flat just got longer.

On the other hand we are hardly left with a shortage of bars in the village, and like any resort new bars tend to open with each new season.

A small group of ski instructors enjoyed an excellent Chinese banquet at the Hotel Palarine last night, accompanied by wine and live music and followed by beer and more live music from Trevor.

The last remaining member of the group (aside from the instructor who actually lives in the hotel) was eventually told by the hotel management that he was too drunk to walk home, given a room key and sent to bed. We wonder if this could a new initiative to drum up business for the hotel in the quiet part of the season?