Most Spanish employment contracts are now permanent (indefinido), because the 2022 labour reform sharply restricted temporary contracts — they're now allowed only for genuine, limited reasons (a specific production circumstance or substitution), and a temporary contract used wrongly can be deemed permanent. Contracts usually include a trial period (periodo de prueba) during which either side can end the relationship more freely. Your real terms — pay, hours, holidays, job category — are heavily shaped by the applicable collective agreement (convenio colectivo), which sets minimums your contract can improve on but not undercut. Pay is typically expressed as an annual salary split into 12 or 14 payments (the extra ones being the pagas extra). Before signing, check the contract type, trial period, salary structure, hours, the convenio, and any non-compete clauses. We review contracts for expat employees in English.
The 2022 Reform
To understand Spanish contracts today, you have to know about the 2022 labour reform, which fundamentally changed the balance between permanent and temporary employment. For years, Spain had a notoriously high rate of temporary contracts, with many workers stuck on rolling short-term deals. The reform set out to fix that by making the permanent (indefinido) contract the general rule and confining temporary contracts to narrow, genuinely justified situations.
The practical effect is significant: if you're hired in Spain now, you're far more likely to be on a permanent contract than you would have been before, with the job security and dismissal protections that brings. And where an employer does use a temporary contract, it must fit one of the permitted, limited grounds and be properly justified — a temporary contract used to dodge permanence, or kept running beyond what's allowed, can be treated as permanent in law. For expats, this is good news: the default is now the more secure form of employment. But it also means the type of contract you're offered, and whether a "temporary" one is genuinely valid, is worth checking, because the answer affects your security and your rights on termination.
Permanent is now the default
Since the 2022 reform, permanent (indefinido) contracts are the general rule and temporary ones are tightly restricted to genuine, limited situations. A temporary contract used improperly can be deemed permanent — so if you're offered a temporary deal, it's worth checking whether it's actually valid.
Types of Contract
The main contract types you'll encounter:
| Contract | What it is |
|---|---|
| Indefinido (permanent) | The default and most common — open-ended employment with full dismissal protection. |
| Temporal (temporary) | Now restricted — allowed only for genuine production circumstances or to substitute another worker, for a limited time and reason. |
| Fijo-discontinuo | Permanent but for recurring/seasonal work — you're a permanent employee called for the seasons/campaigns, common in tourism. |
| Formación / prácticas | Training/internship contracts for those gaining qualifications or experience, with their own rules. |
| Part-time (tiempo parcial) | Either permanent or temporary, for reduced hours, with pro-rata rights. |
The reform also strengthened the fijo-discontinuo contract as the proper vehicle for seasonal and intermittent work (think tourism, common on the coasts where many expats work) — it makes such workers permanent employees who are called up for each season, rather than repeatedly hired on temporary deals. The key takeaway is that, outside the genuine temporary and training categories, you should generally be on a permanent contract of some form. If you're offered something labelled "temporary," it's reasonable to ask which permitted ground it relies on, because if it doesn't genuinely fit one, your position may actually be permanent — with all the protection that brings.
The Trial Period
Most contracts include a trial period (periodo de prueba) at the start, during which the employment can be ended by either party more easily and without the compensation that would apply to a later dismissal. The maximum length of the trial period is set by law and the collective agreement, and varies with the type of role (generally longer for more qualified positions, shorter for others) — the convenio often specifies the exact limit for your category.
Two points matter for employees. First, the trial period must be properly agreed in writing and within the permitted maximum to be valid; a trial period that exceeds the limit or isn't validly set may not be enforceable. Second, even during the trial period, you're not entirely without protection — for example, a termination during the trial period that is actually for a discriminatory or otherwise unlawful reason can still be challenged. So while the trial period genuinely does give the employer more freedom to part ways early, it isn't a complete free pass, and a termination during it that smells of an unlawful motive is worth scrutinising. Knowing the correct maximum trial period for your role (from the convenio) is a useful thing to check when reviewing a contract.
Key Terms to Check
When reviewing a Spanish contract, the terms that most affect you are:
- Contract type and duration. Permanent or temporary (and if temporary, on what valid ground); start date.
- Job category (categoría/grupo profesional). This links you to the right level in the convenio and affects pay and conditions.
- Salary. The gross annual figure and how it's split (12 or 14 payments), plus any bonuses or supplements.
- Working hours and schedule. Full or part-time, the weekly hours, and how they're distributed.
- Trial period. Its length, checked against the convenio's maximum.
- Place of work and mobility clauses. Where you'll work and whether you can be relocated.
- The applicable convenio. Which collective agreement governs — this is crucial (below).
- Special clauses. Non-compete, confidentiality, exclusivity or training-repayment clauses, which can carry obligations beyond the job itself.
Expats sometimes sign quickly, trusting the employer or struggling with the Spanish, and only later discover a clause that matters — a long non-compete, a mobility clause allowing relocation, or a salary structure they misread. Because the contract interacts with the convenio and the law, a clause that looks unfavourable may be unenforceable (if it undercuts the legal floor), while another may bind you in ways you didn't expect. Having the contract read properly before signing is a small step that avoids later surprises.
The Collective Agreement
The most important thing many expats don't realise is that a huge part of their terms comes not from their contract but from the collective agreement (convenio colectivo) covering their sector or company. The convenio sets minimum pay scales by job category, working hours, holidays, supplements, and other conditions for everyone in that industry, and your contract operates within it — it can improve on the convenio but cannot offer less. So your "real" minimum salary, holiday entitlement and conditions may be defined by the convenio, not just the figure in your contract.
This has practical consequences. If your contract is silent on something, the convenio (and the law) fills the gap. If your contract appears to offer less than the convenio requires for your category, the convenio generally prevails in your favour. And identifying the correct convenio for your job is itself sometimes contested, because it determines your entitlements. For an expat, checking which convenio applies and what it provides for your category is often the single most valuable step in understanding what you're really entitled to — and it's a routine part of any contract review we do. It's also central if a dispute arises later about pay, hours or conditions.
How Pay Is Structured
Spanish salaries are usually quoted as a gross annual figure (salario bruto anual), and a feature that surprises newcomers is that this is commonly split into 14 payments rather than 12 — twelve monthly salaries plus two extra payments (pagas extraordinarias), traditionally in summer and at Christmas. (Some contracts/convenios instead spread, or "prorate," the extra payments across the twelve months — so a "12-payment" arrangement can still include the same total.) It's important to understand whether a quoted figure is the annual total or a monthly amount, and over how many payments, to know what you'll actually receive each month.
Your payslip (nómina) will show the gross, the deductions for social security and income tax (IRPF) withholding, and the net. The deductions can be substantial, so the net monthly figure is meaningfully lower than the gross — another thing worth clarifying before accepting an offer, especially for expats comparing against a home-country net salary. The convenio may also provide for supplements (seniority, role-specific payments) on top of base pay. Understanding the structure — annual vs monthly, number of payments, gross vs net, and any supplements — avoids the common shock of a first payslip that doesn't match expectations.
Before You Sign
A sensible pre-signing checklist:
Confirm the contract type
Permanent or temporary (and on what valid ground); make sure it reflects what you were promised.
Identify the convenio
Find out which collective agreement applies and what it provides for your category — your real floor of rights.
Understand the pay
Gross annual, number of payments, gross vs net, supplements — know what hits your account monthly.
Check the clauses
Trial period length, hours, mobility, non-compete, exclusivity and any repayment clauses.
For an expat, the language barrier makes this checklist harder to run alone — a contract in Spanish, referencing a convenio you've never heard of, with clauses whose enforceability you can't judge. That's exactly the situation where a quick professional review before signing pays off: it confirms you're getting at least what the convenio requires, flags any unusual or onerous clause, and clarifies the pay structure, so you start the job knowing your position rather than discovering issues later. If you've already signed and have concerns, the same review tells you where you stand and what (if anything) can be done. We do these reviews in plain English on a clear quote.
How We Help
We review and explain Spanish employment contracts for expat employees — before you sign, or after, if concerns arise. We confirm the contract type is correct and any temporary contract is genuinely valid, identify the applicable convenio and what it entitles you to, clarify the pay structure (gross vs net, number of payments), and flag clauses that matter — trial periods, mobility, non-competes and repayment terms — telling you which are enforceable. If your contract or treatment falls short of the law or the convenio, we advise on your options, connecting with our workers' rights, dismissal and disputes guidance. It's all in plain English on a clear quote. Book a consultation, ideally before you sign.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Most likely permanent (indefinido). The 2022 labour reform made permanent contracts the general rule and restricted temporary ones to genuine, limited situations — a specific production circumstance or substituting another worker, for a limited time and reason. If you're offered a temporary contract, it must fit a permitted ground; one used improperly, or kept running beyond what's allowed, can be deemed permanent in law, which works in your favour.
A trial period (periodo de prueba) at the start of the contract lets either party end the relationship more easily and without the usual dismissal compensation. Its maximum length is set by law and the collective agreement, varying with the role (generally longer for more qualified positions). It must be validly agreed in writing within the permitted maximum, and even during it a termination for a discriminatory or unlawful reason can still be challenged.
It's the collective agreement for your sector or company, setting minimum pay scales by category, working hours, holidays and other conditions. Your contract operates within it — it can improve on the convenio but can't offer less, so the convenio is effectively your floor of rights. If your contract appears to offer less than the convenio requires, the convenio generally prevails in your favour. Identifying the correct convenio is key to knowing your real entitlements.
Spanish salaries are commonly paid in 14 instalments — twelve monthly salaries plus two extra payments (pagas extraordinarias), traditionally in summer and at Christmas. Some contracts instead prorate the extras across the twelve months, so a "12-payment" arrangement can include the same annual total. It's important to know whether a quoted figure is annual or monthly, and over how many payments, to understand what you'll actually receive each month.
No. Salaries are usually quoted gross (salario bruto). Your payslip (nómina) deducts social security contributions and income tax (IRPF) withholding, so the net you receive is meaningfully lower than the gross. The convenio may also add supplements on top of base pay. For expats comparing against a home-country net figure, it's important to clarify the gross-to-net position before accepting an offer to avoid a surprise on the first payslip.
It's a permanent contract for recurring or seasonal work — you're a permanent employee who is called up for each season or campaign, common in tourism. The 2022 reform strengthened it as the proper vehicle for intermittent work, replacing the previous practice of repeatedly hiring people on temporary deals. So a fijo-discontinuo worker has permanent status and the associated protections, even though they don't work all year round.
It's worth checking them. Non-compete, exclusivity, confidentiality and training-repayment clauses can carry obligations beyond the job itself — a post-employment non-compete, for example, may restrict where you can work afterwards and usually has its own validity requirements (such as compensation). Some clauses are enforceable, others not (if they undercut the legal floor or fail validity rules). Having them reviewed before signing tells you what actually binds you.
Yes, and it's worth doing if you have concerns. A review tells you whether your contract meets the convenio and the law, whether any clause is unenforceable, and where you stand on pay, hours and conditions. If your treatment falls short of your entitlements, we can advise on your options — which connect with the workers' rights, dismissal and workplace disputes routes. It's never too late to understand your position, though some claims have time limits.