Stepping out for grey power - Carvajal Spain

30 SUR IN ENGLISH OCTOBER 2ND TO 8TH 2009
Spanish language and customs
Living with
noise
With the “A Place in the Sun”
exhibition happening this weekend
in Birmingham, Sue Cook
has been doing a different sort
of translating, from property
sales-speak into English, to help
would-be buyers to interpret
what they might be getting themselves
into (see Property Special
inside this issue). Her comments,
of course, do not apply only to
sales-speak in the English language:
a Spanish vendor is just
as likely to disguise the existence
of near-ruinous conditions with
upbeat descriptions of traditional
architecture, quaint living
space and great views.
It won’t even occur to them,
however, to try and cover up the
Useful vocabulary
Casita madera, parcela llana
Small wooden house, flat plot
Amueblada, reformada
Furnished, modernised
Precioso piso, suelos mármol
Lovely flat, marble floors
Piscina, jardines, cerca playa
Pool, gardens, close to beach
BASURA= RUBBISH. SUR
By Liz Parry
Armarios empotrados
Built-in wardrobes
Estrenar, garaje, trastero
Brand new, garage, junk room
Amplia cocina, vistas al mar
Big kitchen, sea views
¿Ruido? ¿Qué ruido?
Noise? What noise?
proximity of noisy neighbours,
or the fact that the waste collecting
lorries will clank outside your
window at 2 a.m. every day. Nor
will they expect you to be worried
about the Holy Week processions
whose route goes right past your
house, albeit later (more like 4.30
or even 5 a.m.) As for the weeklong
racket of the fairground,
well, it’s only once a year, and
what do you expect if you come
to live in a country which loves
its annual “feria” and stays up all
night long to celebrate it?
Barking dogs? Of course dogs
bark, all night, and you will in
fact get used to it, just as you
will grow accustomed to the
noisy motorbikes. And if you
happen to buy a first floor flat
just above a karaoke bar, not
only will your children quickly
learn to sleep through the noise,
but they will keep this very useful
skill well into adulthood, and
probably for ever. This is not an
estate agent’s promise. It is the
voice of experience!
Legal Affairs
What are the rights and obligations
of an au pair?
The legislation which regulates
domestic servants excludes relationships
of family assistance
and cohabitation, which are
called “on a par”. Au pairs constitute
a special category which
is neither that of a student nor
employee but which shares elements
of both.
The regulation is contained in
the European Agreement on au
pair placements which defines
this as the “taking in, by a family,
temporarily and in exchange
for certain services, of young foreigners
wishing to improve their
linguistic and maybe professional
knowledge as well as their general
culture, acquiring a better
knowledge of the host country”.
The rights and obligations of au
pairs may be summarised as follows:
They should be over 17
years old and under 30. They
should have a medical certificate
By Carmen Blanco
Employing au pairs
attesting to their general good
health. They should receive
board and lodging. They should
participate in the household
chores a daily maximum of five
hours. They should have sufficient
free time to attend training
courses and a minimum of one
full day off a week. They should
receive a monthly amount in respect
of “pocket money”.
Although there is no obligation to
register au pairs with the Social
Security, they should be entitled
to hospitalisation in the event of
sickness, maternity or an accident
and to receive medical and/or
pharmaceutical benefits. In the
event of having to arrange a private
insurance policy to this effect,
50% of the insurance cost
would be borne by the family and
the remainder by the au pair.
More Information: Landwell Tax
and Legal Advisers. PricewaterhouseCoopers.