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For the following interview we have had the chance to interview, a Scottish citizen who has being living here in Madrid for the last three years and a half working for a prestigious after having spent a spell in Kuwait and the UAE working in the oil business. 

Hi Jamie, thanks for joining us, tell us about yourself and where you come from.

Hi, I am 34 years old and I come from Aberdeen, a coastal city in northern Scotland. I am married to a Spanish woman whom we met when she was studying in Aberdeen.  We have a son (James) here in Madrid.  Before working at the bank I was working for two of the most important petrol companies in the world, Haller Bruton and Total (the owners of Cepsa) which gave me the chance to live in countries like Kuwait or the UAE. Before marrying my wife and moving here to Madrid.

Tell us, besides your wife, what reason brought you to Madrid?

As you have said, the fact that my wife is from Madrid pushed us into pursuing our life together here.  But there were also other important reasons we bore in mind.  Here you truly get to enjoy life.  Even though working hours here are longer, the citizens of Madrid know how to enjoy their free time.  Here after work people socialise, they go to terraces to enjoy a coffee or a cold beer, the streets are buzzing with life long after the routine is over.  In London for example, people tend to go straight home to have their supper and watch some television.  I recall to in comparison to coastal cities in Andalucía or even Barcelona here to get by you need to speak tome Spanish which I believe is one of the main reason why ex-pats like myself are better adapted to the local lifestyle in Madrid.  I was also surprised to see that people here tend to be more open than in other cities.

Tell us a bit about your experiences so far here

I’ve being here for three years and half now.  To be honest it hasn’t being too hard having to adapt myself here.  Madrid is a city that makes things easy for you.  It has a great infrastructure; the public transport system is fantastic and very well priced.  At the beginning of course you have to get used to the noise and how loud things are here.  I live in Chamartin which is a nice and cosy barrio in the north-eastern part of the centre of the city above barrio Salamanca.  It’s a barrio I quite enjoy since its like a small village inside of Madrid with its own life and pace.  Things are quieter with many fresh open areas like the Parque Berlin and some good schools in the neighbourhood.  Now that we are thinking of raising a family I bear in mind these small details.  We have the aforementioned Parque Berlin at right here, various schools, sport centres with swimming pools.

Tell us a bit about your job here

I work for a British bank here in their risk analysis department.  I’ve being working for them ever since I came to Madrid for the last three years and a half.  We carry out viability studies of various projects and whether the bank should approve financing them.  In the current economic situation with the crisis we are living in, it has become an ever so more demanding job.  The margin for mistakes is minimal.  It’s a department that has increased in size since I got here.  At the beginning my department was basically in charge of the Spanish and Portuguese markets and now we are dealing with the operations for Western Europe and Russia.  There are approximately 600 people employed here in Spain.  In my department we are mostly young people with international backgrounds and experiences.  In the past the bank tried to impose a typical British approach to work in a Latin environment and it failed.  Now they are trying to find the right balance between the traditional British working ways in a country from the south of Europe.  For example, sometimes in the work environment people here tend to be very direct when expressing their opinions and this collides with the British stiff upper lip.  What we try to do is meet both ends half way and strike a balance in the relations between us and the main HQ in the UK.  In Spain for example organisational structures tend towards a hierarchical and vertical design which I believe sometimes can hinder communication between different departments.  In Northern Europe for example organisations look more for an organic and flat organisation enabling greater fluidity in communication.  In Southern Europe people tend to respect more the opinions of older people in business or those who have being the longest in an organisation whereas in the North ideas coming from the younger employees are always welcome since they can be more innovative and creative.  I have noticed how this tendency is slowly changing in Spain and the current generation of young Spaniards are entering the job market with some creative and innovative ideas with higher studies and international experiences behind them bringing some fresh air with new and dynamic ideas.

Tell us of your opinion of Madrid, what things do you like, any dislikes?

In general terms Madrid is a city that I love.  It’s a very international and cosmopolitan city, especially the centre.  It is full of activities, including family orientated ones.  There are unlimited recreational areas such as parks, sports centres, cinemas, bars, cafes etc.  In London for example it’s not that common to take your son to the park.  Over here its such a normal thing, something I thoroughly enjoy.  The public transport system as I mentioned before is highly efficient and very affordable.  The night life here in Madrid has endless possibilities though now that I have a son I don’t go to bars till late at night obviously but prefer to spend the odd evening at some very recommendable jazz clubs.  There are some very good restaurants to eat out here and there is a very decent variety of international cuisine.  Coming from the UK I have to point out that happily the offer in Indian cuisine here in Madrid has improved quite a lot recently.  When I was younger I used to participate in competitive swimming and here in Madrid I get the chance to enjoy going swimming at some proper swimming pools like La Vaguada or Arturo Soria.  On the other hand I believe Madrid should offer better facilities for cycling.  In other Spanish cities it is a lot easier to travel by bike whereas here it seems quite a kamikaze mission.  Another negative point I would like to point out if I may is that socialising in public areas can sometimes be a bit uncomfortable for a non smoker like me.  In other many European cities smoking is totally banned in public areas whereas here you can still smoke in most bars, cafes, even restaurants.

What differences do you notice the most between Madrid and Aberdeen?

Madrid and Aberdeen are like night and day.  Aberdeen is the Europan capital of the oil industry so it’s quite well off.  It’s a coastal city with a cold and humid climate.  One of the most significant differences I see between both cities is that despite Aberdeen being a considerably wealthy city there are not that many distinction between social classes as in Madrid.  Over here I have noticed that people tend to have more material aspirations compared to Scotland.  Some people once they reach a certain point in their lives, they start thinking what car they are going to buy, what designer clothes they are going to wear etc.  It seems as if there is a pre-established order of possessions you must acquire as you go up the ladder.  In Aberdeen you could be sat next the scruffiest person in the pub and he could turn out to be a millionaire. 

Over here one thing I respect and I value is that family values are very important.  I think it’s great to be able to go to a bar with the whole family including your children.  In Scotland this could never take place.  Precisely this is another reason why I believe that there should be more smoke free bars taking into account how often you see families there with kids. 

In the UK for example it’s normal to have shops open even on Sundays and I’m surprised that you can’t go shopping on a Sunday here in Madrid, being a capital city and all.  Maybe it could even be a slight solution to the crisis by increasing the offers of leisure to the general public.  Finally a very important difference between both is the nonchalant that people in general have towards the possible consequences of drink driving. In Scotland not only is it illegal and very controlled like here but it’s also socially frowned upon.  I believe there should be a higher sense of responsibility towards this issue.