I give up my translation career.

Ever since I got my degree in English, I've worked as a translator, as I had spent some optional credits in undergraduate Translation modules. I would translate for charities for free while teaching English and French privately. As soon as I realised I could do it, I signed up as a translator at the tax office; but clients wouldn't contact me as frequently as I would like them to. Later on, I got a job as an in-company English teacher and combined both activities, as well as private tuition, for a long time. 

And that's pretty much the way I've got along in recent years.

Working as a freelance translator or a proofreader is extremely challenging in Spain. It's an unsteady job and clients tend to bargain the rates. I can do it as long as I get a stable income from private tuition, in-company teaching or occupational training courses, as paying public insurance is extremely expensive for freelancers in this country.

I've given in to the seduction of liberal ideas in recent months, but something within me refused to accept that left-wingers were those that steal money from the working class and give it to public workers, creating, thus, a terrible dependency upon the privileged few that provide public services.

Well, it's true.

Working conditions for Spanish freelancers are expected to worsen dramatically in 2019 so as to make us give up working freelance and apply for a proper job, as they're promising a €900 salary —regardless of whether small and medium companies can pay it or not—, or prepare for competitive public examinations. 

Of course, they aren't making decisions based on the economy but rather ideology.

Taking into account how unstable it is to translate freelance, I won't be able to pay public insurance by teaching privately while waiting for translation projects. So, I've resolved to give up my translation career and bet on teaching. I won't work for small English academies, though, as they pay little money (informally). That's crystal-clear for me.

As long as the illiterate moron that currently rules Spain, Pedro Sánchez, Ph.D. (😂), is in office, I won't pay more than €300 a month for my work (regardless of my monthly earnings).

The Kingdom of Spain abuses freelancers and family businesses against human rights.

It's over.

From Pixabay. Free of copyright.

It's getting worse.

We all know they were a bit out of their minds in the loony left, but now they've definitely gone crackers. Pedro Sánchez, the magician that ended the Mediterranean migrant crisis by harbouring the Aquarius, has reached an agreement with Iran-funded neo-Commies Podemos on the General State Budget for 2019—which is still to be passed in Brussels and Madrid—whereby they've resolved to artificially raise the Spanish minimum wage up to €900 a month. The good news is that those that work for others will earn more, as though they lived in Switzerland or Luxembourg. The bad news is that this is post-recession Spain—let's not forget—and only big companies will be able to stand such a policy. Not sure about the newsagent's around the corner.

But what's more, since the minimum wage is linked to the self-employed social security contributions, these—which had already risen in the Rajoy era—will equally go through the roof. Most of us, freelancers, currently pay a monthly amount of €278 for social security, which is unthinkable in any other European country; but, from January 2019 on, we'll be made to pay the ridiculous amount of €314 a month [!!!] should we earn an income higher than €900. And, on top of that, little is known about what's going to happen with those that can't make as much money as the new minimum wage figure. There exist two options: to be exempt from paying, which translates into not having a pension after retirement, or pay a cheaper amount, which implies contributing for a poorer pension. The latter is, of course, the least bad option for those of us who dislike wasting our time and wish to keep contributing while seeking for a better source of income.

In my case, a miserable freelance linguist: should I teach foreign languages privately, I'll probably be exempt from contributing and, simultaneously, assume the consequences of it. Nevertheless, should I get to translate something or teach a course, I'll be made to pay €314 a month for my work instead of using that money for paying rent or investing in myself and my property. It's like being given a fine for... Working! 😰

From Pixabay. Free of copyright.