You Found a Job.
Here's What to
Check First.
A contract in Spain has real legal protections built in — but only if you know what to look for. Here's the minimum wage you're legally owed, what type of contract you're actually being offered, and a genuinely important protection most people don't know exists.
The Minimum Wage You're Legally Owed
The SMI is Spain's legal minimum wage floor, and it genuinely applies to everyone — full-time or part-time, any contract type (indefinido, temporal, or training), any sector, any age (Article 27, Estatuto de los Trabajadores). For 2026, it's set at €1,221/month across 14 payments (€17,094/year), confirmed by Real Decreto 126/2026, de 18 de febrero, and applied retroactively from 1 January 2026.
A 50% schedule means a minimum of €8,547/year; a 75% schedule means a minimum of €12,820.50/year. Check your specific hours against these figures.
For temporary contracts of up to 120 days, the minimum is €57.82 per working day (jornada).
Many jobs and sector agreements (convenios) pay more than the SMI — this figure is the absolute legal minimum, not what you should expect or settle for automatically.
First, raise it directly with the company and ask for it to be corrected. If nothing changes, you can file a complaint with the Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (Labour Inspectorate) — paying below the SMI is treated as a serious labour infraction, genuinely enforceable, not just a suggestion.
Contract Types — What You're Actually Being Offered
Following Spain's labour reform, which eliminated the old "obra y servicio" contract type, the indefinido (permanent) contract is now genuinely the general norm — not the exception. If you're offered a temporal (temporary) contract instead, the specific reason (causa) for it being temporary must be real and legitimate, not just a generic default.
No fixed end date — genuinely the default, standard contract type now.
Permanent status, but work happens in recurring periods — genuinely common for seasonal work.
Only legally valid for genuine specific circumstances now — if the reason given feels vague or generic, that's genuinely worth questioning.
For those with a completed qualification, maximum 1 year, salary per the sector's convenio — genuinely can't be below the SMI either.
The Probation Period — What to Know
During probation, either you or the employer can end the working relationship without notice, without giving a reason, and without severance pay — genuinely important to understand before signing.
If a probation period isn't explicitly agreed to in writing, it's legally null — meaning your job automatically has full protection from day one instead.
The exact maximum can vary by your specific sector's convenio, but a commonly-referenced general limit is around 2 months — check your specific contract and convenio for the exact figure that applies to you.
If you've already performed the same role at that company previously — even under a different contract — a new probation period is genuinely not legally valid.
Red Flags Before You Sign
A genuine, legitimate job always comes with a written contract — verbal-only arrangements are a real warning sign.
This is genuinely illegal, regardless of what anyone tells you about your specific situation being different.
Given the reform, temporary contracts genuinely need a real, specific justification — a vague one is worth questioning directly.
Legitimate employers and staffing agencies never charge job-seekers a fee (Post #4) — this is genuinely always a red flag.
Genuinely compare your offered pay against Section 1's figures before signing anything.
Genuinely keep a mental (or written) record — the 18-month rule only helps you if you know your own timeline.
Always genuinely insist on a written contract before starting work.
Ask the community before you sign.
Real experience from people who've navigated this exact situation is genuinely valuable before committing.
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