Author Topic: student visas and airfare issues (Read 2935 times)

annewal · « **on:** February 28, 2003, 11:02:00 PM »

My boyfriend and I are traveling to Spain in September 2003. We are attending a TEFL course in Prague for one month and then heading over to Spain to try to find teaching jobs. We also want to study Spanish for a few months while we are there. I am worried about not having a work visa and I wonder if it is imperative to have at least a student visa to stay in the country for several months and find work.

Also, I have heard that it is difficult to get back into the US if you don\'t have a round-trip ticket. We were planning to buy an inexpensive 30-day round trip ticket and then forfeit the return ticket. Later, we were going to purchase a one-way return ticket when we were ready to leave. I flew this way in 1995 and had no problems, but I am hearing that things have changed since Sept 11th and that it\'s difficult to get a one-way ticket back into the US from Europe. Does anyone have experience with this? Does anyone have advice on where to find an inexpensive round-trip ticket that is good for one year?

I would really appreciate any and all tips.

Thanks!

Anne[addsig]

silo · « **Reply #1 on:** March 01, 2003, 12:56:00 AM »

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[/TD][/TR][TR][TD][FONT class=\"pn-sub\"][BLOCKQUOTE]I am worried about not having a work visa and I wonder if it is imperative to have at least a student visa to stay in the country for several months and find work.[/BLOCKQUOTE][/FONT][/TD][/TR][TR][TD]

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Okay, I´ll answer this the best I can and I know someone will dispute it, but here is my experience...EVERY English school in Barcelona that I went to or talked to the FIRST question they asked me was if I had a work permit...not do I have experience, not am I certified...when I told them I didn´t have it yet, they said to come back when I did and then we would talk.

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[/TD][/TR][TR][TD][FONT class=\"pn-sub\"][BLOCKQUOTE]Also, I have heard that it is difficult to get back into the US if you don\'t have a round-trip ticket. We were planning to buy an inexpensive 30-day round trip ticket and then forfeit the return ticket. Later, we were going to purchase a one-way return ticket when we were ready to leave. I flew this way in 1995 and had no problems, but I am hearing that things have changed since Sept 11th and that it\'s difficult to get a one-way ticket back into the US from Europe. Does anyone have experience with this? Does anyone have advice on where to find an inexpensive round-trip ticket that is good for one year?[/BLOCKQUOTE][/FONT][/TD][/TR][TR][TD]

[/TD][/TR][/TABLE][!-- BBCode Quote End --]

I did the same thing. I bought a round trip ticket and let the return trip go. So, the question is...On your return trip, why don`t you do the same:-?. It´s cheaper than a 1-way ticket anyways. [addsig]

mlwalton · « **Reply #2 on:** March 01, 2003, 01:30:00 AM »

Hi Anne,

I was just curious, are you going through ITC? I ask because I\'m an ITC alum and I\'m moving to Spain in September too. I did the course in Prague as well.

As far as getting work, Shiloh would know better than I, because he\'s there. Although the bit about traveling back, I bought a one-way ticket from Prague to the US and flew April 6, 2002 so getting a one way ticket is not a problem whatsoever. Are you flying direct into Praha? I ask because when I flew out the first time (moved out to Praha October 2001) I flew into Paris first and had a four day lay-over. Here\'s the thing, the Czech Republic could\'ve cared less about me coming into the country without a return ticket, but France cares. I was ok because I was continuing on to Prague though. So you should check with the consulate general\'s office for whatever country you are flying into.

I would say that if you plan on living/working in Spain you ought to have a big chunk of change in your savings account because it just might take up to six months to find work! So that\'s what I\'m doing, going with fat capital....hope this helps [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"] Drop me a line when you get to Spain....I\'ll be going to don Quijote for 11 weeks of Spanish starting September 1st....we\'ll go for a cafe con leche or cerveza [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"] whichever....

Salud! [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_beer.gif\"]

Michelle [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"] [addsig]

annewal · « **Reply #3 on:** March 01, 2003, 01:53:00 AM »

Thanks so much, both of you, for responding. I have never used this site before and I am marvelling at how much information there is here. In answer to your questions, Michelle:

Yes, I am attending the ITC course in Prague. I am not flying directly into Prague, however. I am flying into Amsterdam and spending a week or so there. I am sure that the Netherlands have issues with people entering their country without a return ticket as I know that a lot of young men moved there in the early 70\'s to avoid the draft and this created a lot of turmoil with the Dutch.

I was wondering what you have budgeted for your trip on a monthly basis. We plan on staying as long as we can (up to a year and a half), but we are only budgeting $10,000 for the entire trip including all flights, rent, etc. What do you think about this figure and how long do you think it would last? I know there are a lot of variables. We do plan on living cheaply, but not without the few nights of tapas and wine. We also plan on trying to rent our own apartment. Does anyone else have ideas about a reasonable amount to budget if one plans on trying to get teaching jobs without a work visa?

Also, does anyone know if a student visa might help in an effort to find work?

Thanks a lot for your responses,

Anne[addsig]

mlwalton · « **Reply #4 on:** March 01, 2003, 07:03:00 PM »

You\'re welcome Anne, glad to help [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"]

I\'m planning on having near $10k myself...right now though I\'m trying to work a lot of overtime to cover the cost of the two language schools I\'m going to plus my fixed expenses (i.e. eurorail pass, hostel stays, etc.....already bought my plane tickets) I would say $10k for two people for a year is unrealistic. If you were going to stay in Praha for a year then I would say that, that would be plenty....while I (through lots of reading and research) have heard that Spain is much cheaper to live in than the US, it doesn\'t matter much when you don\'t have any income coming in and only expenses going out. I\'m not trying to discourage you. I think $10k will do very well for you (both of you) for about six months. During that time (much like myself) you just gotta bust your butt to network and try to get private students and what they call "freelance" teaching jobs....Don\'t get me wrong, I think it\'s completely doable. Hell I\'m doing it. Living cheaply is the key for sure though and I\'m planning on looking for flatmates, you may want to consider doing the same thing....at least at first til you have a steady flow of income coming in.....ok so that\'s my two cents [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"]

Other than that the good thing is that ITC has locations in Barcelona and Madrid and they offer lifetime job assistance (which I plan on taking full advantage of [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"] ) do you know where in Spain you\'re headed? I hear that the job situation is much better in Madrid than in Barcelona, but I\'m stubborn (plus I need to be near the water [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif\"] ) so I\'m heading to BCN....so ok I lost my train of thought.... [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif\"]

Anyway, hope this helps.... [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"] keep me posted....

Salud! [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_beer.gif\"]

Michelle [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"] [addsig]

gringa · « **Reply #5 on:** March 01, 2003, 09:16:00 PM »

Does anybody out there know anything about renewing a student visa here in Spain?? I am in the process of obtaining a student card right now (it will be valid until Oct. 1, 2003), but I\'d like to renew it in order to stay legally here in Spain. What would I have to do to renew it??

Thanks a bunch!!

Jami [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"] :nod[addsig]

FordhamMike · « **Reply #6 on:** March 03, 2003, 04:30:00 PM »

One way tickets are not difficult to purchase. I frequently visit Spain to see my girlfriend and have bought a round trip ticket and dumped the return. Later I purchased a one-way ticket and it was really easy. Not to mention there is a discount for persons under 26. It\'s difficult for people who are suspicious. I wouldn\'t worry about your tickets.

[IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_superman.gif\"] [addsig]

Mel328 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 04, 2003, 02:01:00 AM »

Where do you buy your tickets and how much do you pay for them? I\'m going to be buying one to Barcelona for the first week of June. I\'m under 26 and have a student identity card although I\'ll be graduating in May. Just want to weigh my options before I decide on a ticket.

Melinda[addsig]

mlwalton · « **Reply #8 on:** March 04, 2003, 03:18:00 PM »

Hola Melinda,

There are lots of places to purchase tickets from for student/youth discount travel. Here are a few for you....

[!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.aesu.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]AESU[/A][!-- BBCode End --]

[!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.discount-airfare.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]DiscountAirfare.com[/A][!-- BBCode End --]

[!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.statravel.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]STA Travel[/A][!-- BBCode End --]

The above sites are for US departure only. If you are in the UK you may want to try the following:

[!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.buzzaway.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]buzzaway.com[/A][!-- BBCode End --]

[!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.ryanair.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]Ryanair.com[/A][!-- BBCode End --]

[!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.easyjet.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]Easy Jet[/A][!-- BBCode End --]

That\'s all I got. I have purchased tickets from [!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.aesu.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]AESU[/A][!-- BBCode End --] also from [!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.discount-airfare.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]DiscountAirfare.com[/A][!-- BBCode End --] and from [!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.buzzaway.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]buzzaway.com[/A][!-- BBCode End --]. I found that the cheapest for trans-atlantic flight was AESU....

Hope this helps.... [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"]

Salud! [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_beer.gif\"]

Michelle [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"] [addsig]

FordhamMike · « **Reply #9 on:** March 04, 2003, 06:57:00 PM »

I was given a discount at the Iberia window at Barajas. I don\'t think you even need to search for student fares. If you\'re in Spain and need a ticket home, remember to ask about the age discount.

[IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_superman.gif\"] [addsig]

FordhamMike · « **Reply #10 on:** March 04, 2003, 06:58:00 PM »

Also, Iberia.com has great offers on the website as their web-sold tickets are much MUCH cheaper than the phone rep. tickets. My suggestion would be to check their webpage ASAP.

[IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_superman.gif\"] [addsig]

fredc · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2003, 05:47:00 PM »

I purchased a one-way ticket to Barcelona through AESU (which was the cheapest place I could find). Will I have any trouble getting into Spain with a one-way ticket?

Fred[addsig]

mlwalton · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2003, 07:09:00 PM »

Hola Fred,

To be sure you should call the Consulate General\'s Office and ask them to be sure. I myself am flying into Paris (also one-way, bought from AESU) so to be on the safe side I bought a really cheap one-way flight out of Paris to London....unfortunately buzzaway.com was bought out by [!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.ryanair.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]RyanAir[/A][!-- BBCode End --] you can still get one way flights though for cheap (meaning something like $30 USD that you won\'t mind wasting)....try [!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.easyjet.com\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]Easy Jet[/A][!-- BBCode End --]. For inter-European travel they\'re pretty cheap. [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_nod.gif\"]

Otherwise, you may get stuck at Border control and wind up having to purchase a return ticket on the spot which could be very expensive [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_doh.gif\"]

Anyway, hope this helps....

Salud! [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_beer.gif\"]

Michelle [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"] [addsig]

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Author Topic: student visas and airfare issues (Read 2935 times)