How to become a freelancer or "autónomo".

Victoria: In my experience, the easiest way to become Freelance, Self-employed or autónomo is to pay a visit to “Ventanilla Única Empresarial”, Pza. De la Independencia, 1 3ª planta. 28001 Madrid. 902 181 191. A previous appointment is necessary. I spent approximately 90 mins in the office, passing from table to table, . . .

  

. . . but I left feeling satisfied and to be honest the experience was relatively stress free, not like other official documentation, here in Spain.

I was advised or told what else I needed to do to complete the procedure, i.e. purchase a Libro de Visitas (5 euros), which was deemed necessary in case of inspections, take the book to be stamped by the Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales (C/ José Abascal, 39). I am not certain of this address. Purchase a Registro de Ingresos and Registro de Gastos, both costing around 3 euros. Later I was told by my accountant that I didn’t need the last two books, but what the he--, I was Freelance, Self-employed or autónomo. If you consider that I spent more or less One morning doing paperwork in that office, and running here and there to get papers or books stamped I feel this is the easiest way of becoming Freelance, Self-employed or autónomo. Otherwise, you have to pay a visit to the council, the SS, the tax office, all the time queuing. Ask yourself what is more important time spent queuing or time spent doing what is important, giving class.
Article recovered from hacked forum March 26, 2005. Author: Victoria Fontana

How can I register as a freelance "autónomo" in Madrid, Spain?

Steven comments: The whole thing is easy to do and can be easily started and finished in a morning: go down to “Hacienda” (or the government’s tax office) and ask to sign up (solicitar alta) as an “autónomo” teacher. You’ll have to show them your D.N.I. (a National Identitiy Document or I.D. card indicating what work permit you have, if any. However, if you don’t have the proper work permit to be able to work for yourself, “permiso por cuenta propia,” they will not permit you to become “Autónomo.”), fill in a form and pay a small fee. You then have to take the form to the “Tesorería” building (phone number: 901502050) and sign up on the “Social Security.” This basically means that you have to pay around 200 euros per month in exchange for a series of benefits.

The biggest “benefit” is being able to bill companies for your services as an English teacher, which should just about double your income if you’re sharp. But, if you’re thinking that 200 euros is too expensive, then you should consider that it includes complete medical coverage with the state health system. I was paying over $250 in the States for a terrible HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) and I hear that prices have skyrocketed since then. Also, if you have to take extended medical leave, Social Security pays about 400 euros per month starting on the fourth day after you begin your leave and goes up to about 500 euros after three weeks (60% and 75% on a basis – “base reguladora” - of 755 euros. They’ve got an escape clause for everything, so for the exact numbers, you have to ask in the “Seguridad Social” office.). Also, if you kick the bucket and you’re married with children like I am, your spouse can receive benefits of up to 45% of your “base reguladora” and each of your children can receive up to 20%.

The bad part about being “Autónomo” is that you don’t receive any unemployment benefits if and when you lose your clients. There are other little things as well. On a normal contract, if you have an accident on the way to work, it’s covered by the Social Security with a sort of accident insurance that pays out an additional sum every month on top of your medical leave pay. If, on the other hand, you work as an “autónomo,” you have to pay an additional 30 or 35 euros and you don’t get the coverage while commuting, only on-site.

Something that could be a bit complicated is that if you are going to live in Spain for the rest of your life, like me, then the “pension” or retirement comes in to play. You can choose how much you pay into the Social Security system every month and thereby raise or lower your final monthly retirement pay, if you make it to 65 years of age. Your pension is based on an average of the last 15 years worked and if you want to pay a lot into it, you have to start at the age of 49. Basically, if you pay 225 euros per month into the system, you’ll receive a small retirement, but if you pay around 600 - 800 euros per month, you can receive over 2,000 euros per month. Again, if you kick the bucket and you’ve been paying quite a bit into the system, it’s tough luck for you and good luck for your spouse ;). However, as many things can happen in the next 15 years as have in the last 15 years and completely change the rules so don’t plan on everything staying the same.
by Steven Harold Starry, Feb. 27, 2004.

I've been teaching in Madrid since 87 and have worked as "Director de Estudios" since 92. Lots of experience with company classes, extensives, intensives and residential. Basically things have stagnated salarywise and I've been wondering whether it would be worth the risk of becoming autonomo. Any advice, ideas of potential annual income etc etc would be greatly appreciated.
Freedom and Job Satisfaction. In some recent surveys conducted, Freelance / Self-employed people have more job Satisfaction. This means Freelance teachers just like other self-employed people can choose where, when and how they work. You may say Great. On the other hand, whilst I was employed in an academy I had one direct boss, who was in a chain of bosses. Each company that contracts my services has a HR dept. This means I have a person who may be viewed as a boss. In theory I am my own boss but within the limits of each HR dept. Really, I have four or five bosses to report to. Fortunately, I rarely see them. Financially speaking, if you are freelance you will already know that before you leave home you have expenses in the region of 250 - 300 (SS, accountant, transportation, etc). Basically, my first week or so pays for my expenses. You purchase some material, to give classes to one group you will need a Student’s book, Workbook, Teacher resources book and a form of audio plus player. Therefore, one group’s material (which can be used for other groups and as additional material) may cost in total, around 100 -120 euros new. Word of mouth can be said to be the best form of advertising or recommendation. I do not advertise my services or myself (my prerogative). People contact me because a current or previous student has told them exactly what they want to know. The enquiries that come via MadridTeacher.com are from private individuals or HR deptartment who possess an understanding of the World Wide Web and how useful the WWW can be. I work in a smallish area that is basically, Tres Cantos and Colmenar Viejo. I am not prepared to travel further afield due to time and costs factors. Prospective clients understand this, so people from this area contact me knowing my services and more importantly my price is adjusted accordingly. I have already expressed my reasons for being a member of MadridTeacher.com.
It’s the best decision I have ever made. For me personally, I am much happier as an autonomo - I make my own hours, I make more money, so the social security payment doesn't bother me, and I am enjoying my classes more and generally am more at peace with myself. I don't think, however, that it would be as feasible if I worked for an academy being autonomo, it’s kind of a contradiction, because as an autonomo you are self employed - why have an employer when you can employ yourself? You end up paying them the money you earn ... and then the SS payments do become a hassle. I finally feel in control of my income and my career. (Post recovered from hacked forum. Author: John Bennett.)

freelancing or academy work
... you need to be aware of a few points if you're wondering whether to work in a traditional academy, i.e. an academy where you do all your teaching in one place, or for an academy that teaches Business English. The work you get in a traditional academy tends to be badly paid but you get sick pay from the first day, you're paid during your holidays and the best part is that you only need to get yourself to the academy, work your hours and leave. Working in companies as an autonomo (freelancer) for an academy on the other hand normally pays you far higher but remember for every hour you do you may need to travel up to two hours ... or more. If you want to take a holiday, just remember you'll have to make up for it later.
This isn't to put you off becoming a feelance teacher, if you organise yourself well ... and well in advance for the summer when your students will be on holiday ... then you can do quite nicely thank you. As Victoria says be honest with yourself, are you going to be looking for the jobs actively or do you prefer your work to be hassle free? I'd also suggest getting yourself a car, that comes from someone who doesn't drive but they tell me that you really can do a lot more classes that way. One day I'll get round to learning. (Recovered from forum. Author: dunno.)

Epigrafes are a dime a dozen now Epigrafes are a dime a dozen now if you can stomach working as a translator for example. An epigrafe is what the government considers to be your job title. I'm a "profesor de enseñanzas diversas" if I recall correctly (which means something very roughly like: "teacher diverse education"), but now I can also be a translator also just by signing up for the "epigrafe" and then I can go to translating. Next up, figure out how to get decently paid translating work that doesn't skip out on the payment.
I've already turned down a couple of very big jobs that scared the hell out of me (Plus, I was up to my neck in other work), but when a couple of very big jobs came down the pipe from a trustworthy source, I jumped at the chance. Especially now, in what's turning out to be a "slump" summer for English classes (but a "boom" summer for translations). My idea is to maybe suggest breaking up the job into parts so as not to have to lose more than a week's work. Any ideas on how to manage big incoming translations without taking too big a risk?
The new epigrafes ... With the new epigrafes now, you can have multiple professions without any problem. Before, you had to pay over 200 euros for each epigrafe, now you get each additional epigrafe for free (though it takes a little work to set it up). If you take on translating, for example, you only have to collect your IVA (VAT) and pay up to Hacienda every three months. It's a pain in the neck, but it's better than "collaborating" for everything. It also gives you a lot more flexibility with the work that you can do.

Forms: To see the latest form for freelancers: "Declaración Censal de Alta ... Modelo 036" , which is required for all autónomos, go to http://www.agenciatributaria.es. Click on “Modelos y Formularios”, Click on “Declaraciones”, Click on “Censos, Certificados y otros”, Click on 036 "Este Modelo tiene descarga en formato pdf...", Click on "Descarga del formulario en PDF para impresión" at the top of the page. If the location of the link has changed, call "Información de Hacienda" at 901335533 for more information (and let me know for other English teachers). You don't have to fill in everything on the form. I only had to fill in some of the lines on five of the 22 pages. You have to go to ask for “Información” in “Hacienda de Guzmán el Bueno”, Madrid’s main tax office (IRS).

Hacienda office: The main tax office in Madrid is located right outside one of the Metro Guzmán el Bueno exits. You can't miss it. It's a huge building.

Seguridad Social Office: Main site: Seguridad Social. Click on "Direcciones", then "Direcciones y Teléfonos", then "Madrid", then "Administraciones de la Seguridad Social". You should have 11 offices to choose from.

Freelance Teachers: Becoming an “Autónomo”. When and why to do It?
“Autónomo” vs Contract